bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The stone forum: Implementing a consensus building methodology to address impacts associated with small mining and quarry operations
Authors: Peiter C. , Boas R.C. Villas , Shinya W. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSmall‐scale mining, including quarry operations, continues to play an important social and economic role in hundreds of communities throughout Brazil. Often operating outside the formal economy, conflicts between the owners of small‐scale mining operations, the mineworkers, various government agencies, and other stakeholders have contributed to the progressive degradation of the environment, poor health and safety standards, and low productivity. The Centre for Mineral Technology (CETEM) of Brazil is implementing a consensus building methodology in order to produce dimension stone by small‐scale miners on a more sustainable basis in the Pádua region, located in the northwest of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The approach being used by CETEM is based on its own experience in working with gold prospectors in the Amazon, and lessons and experiences learned from Canadian officials and industry representatives. The lessons and insights gained from this project may prove to be useful to those involved in addressing similar problems elsewhere in Brazil, South America and around the world.
Choice of stakeholder groups and members in multicriteria decision models
Authors: Harrison Steve R. , Qureshi M. Ejaz 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSimplistic economic objectives such as maximisation of producer profits are of little relevance in generating information to assist in the management of natural resources beyond the individual firm level. To provide data and information to support decision‐making in natural resource management, it is necessary to take into account the views of various stakeholder groups and the multiple objectives of each group, through the use of some form of multicriteria analysis (MCA). Important decisions arise in the choice of stakeholder, since this will influence the management advice generated. Many groups and individuals can be affected by resource management decisions, but it would be impractical to attempt to identify the objectives and estimate their importance for each group. Also, questions arise concerning whether or not to include government agencies (which represent the broader community) and researchers as stakeholders. A further issue concerns choosing representative samples of stakeholder groups, from which to obtain preference data. Discussions with modellers and a reading of the literature would suggest that the choice of stakeholder groups and representatives is conducted haphazardly and is perhaps biased, and that a more systematic approach is needed. This article explores the above issues with reference to a number of multicriteria analyses, including local studies.
Towards a sustainable Russian forest sector
Authors: Carlsson Lars 
Published: October 2009

AbstractRussia's forest resources are enormous, but despite almost ten years of transition, problems are still immense, in terms of commercial output and with respect to forest management. This article suggests that one way of changing the situation is to introduce community management of forests. Using the Swedish forest commons as an example, this article argues that such a change in property rights will provide an alternative to massive privatization of the forests and to the undesirable continuation or strengthening of state forest management. Finally, it is concluded that such an introduction of new property rights regimes will not provide the solution to the problems, but rather will contribute to the establishment of a better institutional framework in the Russian forest sector.
Climate change in Asia: issues and policy options
Authors: Sanderson Jamie , Islam Sardar M.N. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis article provides a brief review of some of the policy issues facing the Asian region with respect to climate change and its economic consequences. The environmental consequences of Asia's economic rise threaten the future growth of the region. Despite recent economic expansion, Asia will be one of the areas of the world most vulnerable to climate change. While Asia currently contributes moderately to greenhouse gas emissions, the potential for increases in emissions is significant. National and regional policy options, including abatement and adaptation, are examined as strategies for tackling the likely effects of climate change. This study recommends that national initiatives that have no ‘regrets’ properties be a priority area for further research so that they can be implemented as soon as possible. It is envisaged that in the short to medium term, identifiable no regrets policies can be a useful tool for reducing emissions and vulnerability to climate change in developing regions such as Asia.
Nesting biodiversity conservation into landscape management
Authors: Fuentes‐Quezada Eduardo R. , Sekhran Nikhil , Kunte‐Pant Arundhati 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThere is universal recognition that biological diversity (biodiversity) is being lost at an alarming rate. The costs and risks of these losses for humanity are still not fully understood, but are believed to be very significant. While much is being achieved through conservation programmes, the task of addressing the current crisis remains complex, particularly as there are significant biological, social and economic challenges to nesting conservation objectives into land‐use management. This paper emphasizes the socio‐economic challenges, wherein a central issue is that of equitably sharing the costs and benefits of conservation among all beneficiaries, nationally and internationally. The world's biological heritage supplies mankind with a number of ecological goods and services, which have attached direct use values, indirect use values, existence values and option values. Currently, only a few direct values are tangible and here much remains to be done to capture effectively and distribute equitably the benefits arising from the other values. The paper discusses three instances where some of these challenges are being addressed, in Belize, Pakistan and Mongolia. Finally, the paper discusses the need for additional mechanisms that will help meet the challenge of establishing and maintaining conservation arrangements in the landscapes of developing countries, where much of the most threatened biota is found.
Agroforestry as alternative land‐use production systems for the tropics
Authors: Kang B. T. , Akinnifesi F. K. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe science of agroforestry has progressed significantly during the past three decades. This article describes and documents various prominent traditional agroforestry systems. In‐depth research on interactive processes of some agrisilvicultural systems have been undertaken and quantified. It has been found that the presence of woody species can enhance nutrient cycling, and can improve soil productivity, soil conservation and soil biotic andfaunal activities. In simultaneous systems however, their presence can also cause competition with the associated food crops. Most agroforestry systems constitute ecologically and bio‐physically sustainable land use systems. Some are highly sustainable and economically viable, in particular the highly complex and specialized types, such as the damar and rubber agroforests in Indonesia. Agroforestry systems have potential uses in stabilization of sloping lands and buffer zones around forest reserves, for recovering degraded lands, and for improving the productivity of the bush fallow system. Despite rapid progress in biophysical research, field application of the science of agroforestry is still minimal. This article examines the possibilities of exploring the multiple contributions of trees to food security, rural income generation, diversity of products and ecosystem conservation within sustainable agroforestry contexts. Research efforts in the new millennium need to focus more on practical research and also on socio‐economic and policy factors that can enhance beneficial application of the science in the near future to smallholder farmers in the tropics.
Corporate strategy and viable future land use: planning for closure from the outset of mining
Authors: Warhurst Alyson , Noronha Ligia 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis paper provides an overview of the environmental impact of mining on viable future land use and underlines the imperative of improved environmental management and closure planning. It argues that pollution prevention, through planning for closure, can lead to cost‐effective strategies for sustainable minerals development and viable future land use. This seems to be most true for greenfield sites since, generally, the earlier closure planning and pollution prevention is built into a project, the more cost‐effective and environmentally benign closure will be. Further, for greenfield sites, pollution prevention techniques can be employed from the outset, at the stages of exploration and mine development, and then monitored and improved through the operation stage to closure, and can be kept in place to manage future land use.The paper discusses how global changes in the industry, following the liberalisation of investment regimes, and mergers and strategic alliances between key firms, has, by virtue of the diffusion of new technology, led to further opportunities to prevent pollution and optimise future land use through planning for closure from the outset. The objectives and components of closure plans are also reviewed as the paper draws on case studies to highlight some of the possible constraints and challenges to pollution prevention that may be faced at the level of both public policy and corporate strategy. The article concludes by suggesting a forward‐looking approach to integrated environmental management and viable future land‐use planning based on a dynamic model for environmental management.
Not by nutrients alone: a call to broaden the soil fertility initiative
Authors: Budelman Arnoud , Defoer Toon 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe article discusses agricultural practices in sub‐Saharan Africa, especially in terms of maintaining soil fertility. It disagrees with alarmist tendencies in the current debate, exaggerating the state of soil impoverishment in the African region. Nor does it subscribe to the idea that the remedy lies primarily in a massive influx of chemical fertilisers, especially phosphorus.Instead, the article advocates a more balanced approach, where soil nutrient replenishment, as an improvement in natural capital, is but one part of the investment African agriculture needs. To achieve sustainable rural livelihoods, other forms of capital are also required, such as physical capital, i.e. infrastructure (roads, means of communication); financial capital in the form of credit and savings schemes; and human‐ and social capital, especially improved access to information and knowledge for farmers as well as improved local organisation and empowerment.The article reviews nine case studies, taken from different climate zones in the region and representing different soil conditions. All case studies were projects using the participatory learning and action research (PLAR) method, which is discussed in detail.
Use of seasonal precipitation forecasting to improve agricultural production in the Sudano‐Sahel: an institutional analysis of Burkina Faso
Authors: Kirshen Paul H. , Flitcroft Ian D. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractClimate forecasts of the total rainfall in the Sudano‐Sahelian region of West Africa may have sufficient value to assist in agricultural decision‐making at the national, regional and local level. Forecasts are produced in both international and national centres using a variety of techniques. Institutions in Burkina Faso, the focus of the present case study, that are involved in agro‐meteorology and agriculture are interested in using forecasts. They have requested many improvements in the forecasts—some of which are beyond the state of the art. The research for the present article, based on interviews with representatives of institutions and following the trail of other agro‐meteorological information, confirms the existence of an information network within Burkina Faso that could reasonably well disseminate climate forecasts to interested organizations, farmers, and pastoralists.
Pond management in rural Bangladesh: problems and possibilities in the context of the water supply crisis
Authors: Kränzlin Irène 
Published: October 2009

AbstractToday, Bangladesh is confronted with an immense water supply crisis: the decline of surface water bodies as well as a fall in the water table, together with the multiple pollution of the water in general, has put pressure on a precious resource that needs to meet the demand of a growing population. However, the most serious problem became public just four years ago—the contamination of the groundwater with arsenic. Considering the extent of the water supply problem, solutions for the future provision of safe drinking water are urgently needed. This article argues that ponds, a traditional water source in Bangladesh, could contribute to a solution. However, it is essential to recognise the problems and advantages of ponds in order to make suggestions on how to integrate ponds into the national water policy. Therefore, this paper analyses pond management—the use, maintenance and control of ponds—and its change from the past to the present. A holistic, dynamic and actor‐oriented approach on a small scale was proved to be the appropriate instrument for this analysis.
Water supply and sanitation services for all: global progress during the 1990s
Authors: Neto Frederico , Tropp Håkan 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe Earth may be largely covered with water, but over one billion people are estimated to be without safe drinking water and almost 2.5 billion (40% of the world's population) without adequate sanitation at the outset of the new millennium. The provision of safe water and sanitation for all poses several serious institutional and economic challenges at international, national and local levels. Despite the various political commitments made from the late 1970s onwards, these commitments have remained largely unfulfilled. Even though some efforts to expand coverage have been made over the past two decades, much of those efforts have been undermined by socioeconomic problems and growing population, particularly in the urban areas of developing countries. The water supply and sanitation sector is actually in acute need of new investments for expansion and maintenance of facilities. Nonetheless, some positive trends can be discerned, such as, for example, the increasing recognition of integrated water resources management, environmental sanitation, public‐private partnerships and women as a key for improvement and expansion of services.
Restitution of forest property in post‐communist Bulgaria
Authors: Staddon Caedmon 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAfter ten years of post‐communist transformation, the current Bulgarian Government has only recently initiated the task of wholesale reform of the communist‐era structures extant within the forestry sector. This is an unavoidably complex process, involving the reorganisation of tenure over forest resources (restitution to pre‐communist era owners), the privatisation and decentralisation of commercial and related activities in the woods, the redefinition of the role of the State in oversight, management and planning, and the development of a supportive institutional context for the growth of small and medium private enterprise throughout the forestry production process. This paper discusses the legal, institutional, economic and environmental implications of forest restitution. The author argues that the particular Bulgarian solution to the reform of forestry tenure structures, based on a mix of private and public ownership, arises out of the crucible of Bulgarian historical geography and the requirements of contemporary neoliberal models of transition. On the basis of the analysis, a number of important implications for Bulgarian, and indeed all post‐communist forestry sectors, are raised for major related processes, such as the development of a robust private forestry sector, the limitation of the role of the State to conservation, management and oversight, and the reconfiguration of timber as a resource for local economic development.
Tree plantations for restoration of degraded lands and greening of India: a case study of tree growers' cooperatives
Authors: Balooni K. , Singh K. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractIndia has over 100 m ha (million hectares) of village common lands. De jure, these lands are owned by the state but, de facto, they are used in common by villagers. Most of the village commons are degraded and denuded and are almost nonproductive. Several attempts have been made in the recent past to restore them through planting of trees by governmental and non‐governmental organizations. Tree Growers' Co‐operative Societies (TGCS), as an organisational innovation of relatively recent origin, have proved to be more cost‐effective than other forms of organisations engaged in greening the village commons in India. This paper attempts to assess the financial viability of tree plantations carried out by three selected TGCS and to distil lessons of their experience useful for policy purposes. The study revealed that plantations founded by the sample TGCS were financially viable, and that the plantations had transformed the desolate village commons into ‘green wealth’. The authors conclude that the TGCS have a high potential as an instrument for promoting the afforestation of India's degraded village common lands and thereby improving village economy and the quality of the environment.
Challenges to the implementation of a sustainable development certification programme for the minerals and metals industry
Authors: Henry Bradley S. , Shinya Wayne M. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractPrivate, voluntary eco‐labelling and certification programmes are being developed for a number of industries to promote and verify higher environmental, economic and social standards. In some cases, these initiatives have developed regardless of whether there is initial, broad support within industry. This article seeks to identify some of the challenges inherent in the implementation of a sustainable development certification programme for the minerals and metals industry. The article looks for guidance from initiatives that are drawn for the most part from other resource industries, most notably forestry. While the article takes a Canadian perspective, many of the challenges raised in the article are also applicable internationally. The article concludes that stakeholders can learn from other resource industries if a decision is made to develop a certification programme for the minerals and metals industry. Crucial to the long‐term success of such a programme will be the establishment of a true partnership among stakeholders throughout the initiative's development. Crown Copyright.
Transportation energy in global cities: sustainable transportation comes in from the cold?
Authors: Newman Peter , Kenworthy Jeffery 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe energy, environmental and social benefits of sustainable transportation, i.e. public transit, biking and walking, have long been recognized but are now mainstream in global and local transportation policy debates. However, the economic value of sustainable transportation has always been seen as secondary, unless many external costs were included. The results of a new global study show that cities with significant sustainable transportation systems have reduced costs on road construction and maintenance; better operating cost recovery and fuel‐efficiency; fewer road accidents and less air pollution. In overall terms, the percentage of city funds going to transportation is reduced. The data show that cities with the most roads have the highest transportation costs and the most rail‐oriented cities have the lowest. Further, the most sprawling cities have the highest direct and indirect costs for transportation. Thus, strategies to contain sprawl, to reurbanize, to build new rail systems into car‐dependent suburbs with focussed sub‐centers, and to facilitate biking and walking, not only will improve energy efficiency but will reduce costs to the economy of a city. Strategies that build freeways and add to sprawl will do the opposite. Trends indicate that moves toward sustainable urban patterns are beginning. The need to operationalize sustainable transportation strategies in planning and engineering practice and in the politics of infrastructure funding remains a major challenge. Some cities are showing how this can be done.
Cars and fuels for tomorrow: a comparative assessment
Authors: Åhman Max , Nilsson Lars J. , Johansson Bengt 
Published: October 2009

AbstractLight duty vehicles, i.e. passenger cars and light trucks, account for approximately half of global transportation energy demand and, thus, a major share of carbon dioxide and other emissions from the transport sector. Energy consumption in the transport sector is expected to grow in the future, especially in developing countries. Cars with alternative powertrains to internal combustion engines (notably battery, hybrid and fuel‐cell powertrains), in combination with potentially low carbon electricity or alternative fuels (notably hydrogen and methanol), can reduce energy demand by at least 50%, and carbon dioxide and regulated emissions much further. This article presents a comparative technical and economic assessment of promising future fuel/vehicle combinations. There are several promising technologies but no obvious winners. However, the electric drivetrain is a common denominator in the alternative powertrains and continued cost reductions are important for widespread deployment in future vehicles. Development paths from current fossil fuel based systems to future carbon‐neutral supply systems appear to be flexible and a gradual phasing‐in of new powertrains and carbon‐neutral fluid fuels or electricity is technically possible. Technology development drivers and vehicle manufacturers are found mainly in industrialised countries, but developing countries represent a growing market and may have an increasingly important role in shaping the future.
Why Singapore's land transportation energy consumption is relatively low
Authors: Ang B.W. , Tan K.C. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSince the early 1970s, Singapore has enacted a number of measures to tackle traffic congestion, including measures to restrain vehicle ownership. Although Singapore's per capita GDP is comparable to that of OECD countries, the present car‐ownership level in Singapore (10 cars per 100 people) is only a fraction of levels in the OECD countries. Traffic flow in this city‐State is relatively smooth, even during peak hours. Although the measures taken were aimed primarily at tackling traffic congestion, they have had other positive impacts, such as reducing energy consumption, air pollution and CO2 emissions. This article presents an overview of the transportation measures and initiatives in Singapore, and analyses two of the transport demand management measures in detail: the vehicle restraint measure, in particular the unique vehicle quota system introduced in 1990; and the two road pricing systems, i.e. the area licensing scheme (ALS) that operated from 1974 to 1998, and the electronic road pricing system (ERP) that went into operation in 1998. Energy and environmental impacts are then discussed, and finally factors contributing to the success of these schemes. Although certain conditions are unique to Singapore, the experience shows that substantial energy and environmental benefits can be achieved through managing urban transportation system in an integrated and innovative way.