bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Conflict Over Limestone Quarrying in Doon Valley, Dehradun, India
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Jayanta , Shiva Vandana 
Published: August 2009

The Doon Valley, in the foothills of the Himalayas in the State of Uttar Pradesh in India, has become the centre of major public-interest litigation in the Supreme Court of India. The conflict is centred around the utilization of the rich limestone deposits located in the Mussoorie Hills in the northern part of the Valley. The Mussoorie Hills receive an annual rainfall of some 2,000 mm, which is the second highest in North India. There is a very good water resource in the Mussoorie Hills, which is obviously connected with the water-holding capacity of the limestone belt.For the operators of the limestone quarries, the best use of the high-grade limestone deposit lies in its physical extraction for commercial and industrial use. For the residents of the Valley, however, the best use of the limestone belt lies in its in situ functioning for the stabilization of soil and water resources. Damage to the stability of the hydrological balance of the Valley means damage to all other economic activities which, directly or indirectly, are dependent on the water resources in the Valley. These include agriculture, horticulture, tourism, animal husbandry, and knowledge-based industries etc. that together provide livelihood to the vast majority of the residents of the Valley.The paper analyses the ecological background of the conflict. It evaluates the negative externalities of limestone quarrying in Doon Valley that damages perennial economic activities such as agriculture and tourism. The official steps taken by the State Government to control the ecological damage from quarrying having proved inadequate, the residents of the Valley looked for justice and the right to survival from the Supreme Court of India.
Protected Natural Territories in the Crimea, USSR
Authors: Newcombe Lydia F. 
Published: August 2009

The Soviet Union's Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea has the northernmost occurrence of Mediterranean-type climate and vegetation, particularly in its narrow southern coastal strip which has been almost entirely developed for the tourist and health resort trade. Three inland mountain ranges and their vegetation, both forest and steppe, exert a protective influence over the microclimates of the coast and are thus being extensively studied by scientists at the Ministry of Agriculture's Nikita Botanical Garden and at Simferopol State University. Inland of these ranges lies an expanse of former meadow-steppe that is now under cultivation.In order to protect and study the high concentrations of remaining native and relict taxa of flora and fauna of the peninsula, three Nature preserves have been established on it–two in the mountain zone and northern coastal islands, and one along the southern coast and adjacent lower slopes. Here human access is restricted while long-term ecological studies are undertaken.The Nikita Botanical Garden is involved in both conservation and exploitation of natural resources, and in improving health conditions of the resort. These tasks are integrated through a programme of mass seed propagation and ecological studies of wild-growing plants, the results of which are then used in landscaping the resort zone and producing industrial plant materials.
Soil Loss, Hydrological Changes, and Conservation Attitudes, in the Sabi Catchment of Zimbabwe
Authors: du Toit Raoul F. 
Published: August 2009

The Communal Lands—occupied by peasant farmers—of the upper catchment of the Sabi River (which drains the southeastern portion of Zimbabwe) are severely deforested, overgrazed, and eroded. Siltation of the river channel has increased the risk of overbank flooding at a downstream irrigation scheme, and a rise in annual outflow from the catchment over the last three decades has additional implications for irrigation development, as well as for the availability of ground-water reserves in the areas of dryland peasant farming.In a study area within one of the Communal Lands, the average rate of soil loss from fields of gentle slope is estimated to be such that the next generation of peasant farmers will be unable to achieve crop-yields above a very low ‘subsistence’ level. The degraded environment is the inevitable consequence of the expansion of a primitive system of cultivation—in a region of low inherent potential for crop production—under the pressure of rapid population growth. While the peasants are aware of many of the consequences of their exploitative methods of land-use, and recognize the importance of basic conservation measures such as erosion-control terraces, they generally feel that remedial action is beyond their means.The effective implementation of available technical solutions to the deterioration of the land resources, will depend upon the provision of greater financial incentives for intensified production, as well as upon more positive political influences, than exist at present. The eventual stabilization of the situation is achievable only if population growth is reduced; but much might be done to improve production, and promote conservation, through field research into appropriate farming systems for peasant agriculture in the Sabi catchment and similar environments.
A Model of Resources and Human Needs
Authors: Fluck Richard C. 
Published: August 2009

An examination of the relationship between human needs (above and beyond the basic physiological needs and concomitant consumption of resources) has re-emphasized the importance of control of human population in order to meet several other, also important, human needs. Development of human resources to their fullest potential requires utilization of additional resources beyond those necessary for the provision of basic physiological needs.A preliminary model of resource requirements to meet human needs suggests that resource requirements for meeting the human needs for safety are considerable, those for meeting the cognitive and esteem needs are moderate, while those for meeting belongingness and love, aesthetic, and self-actualization, needs are minimal. Both industrialized and non-industrialized societies can adequately meet basic human needs, but industrialized societies may the better meet some of the higher human needs.
Environmental Concerns in Pakistan, with Special Reference to Water and Forests
Authors: Biswas Asit K. 
Published: August 2009

The state of the environment and its proper management is a prerequisite condition for the sustainable development of any country, and Pakistan is no exception.Thus, availability of appropriate quantities of water and energy on a reliable basis in Pakistan is essential for improving the quality of life. This means that the policies formulated and actions taken must ensure that the developments taking place should not endanger the overall resource and environmental bases of the country, on which the development process itself depends. Currently, some serious environmental problems exist in Pakistan in terms of salinity development, waterlogging, and inefficient water-use, in the water sector, and deforestation in the energy sector—especially so far as fuel-wood availability is concerned. Furthermore, deforestation in the upper reaches of the catchment areas is contributing to high sediment-loads in the rivers of Pakistan, which in turn is reducing the reservoir capacities and their designed economic lives.
Environmental and Nature Conservation in Iran
Authors: Firouz Eskandar 
Published: August 2009

A brief description is given of the physiography, climate, and natural vegetation, of Iran. Subsequently an analysis is made of the environmental problems which are building up to crisis proportions. Of particular concern is the alteration and destruction of natural ecosystems through the impact of Man over a period of many centuries. As a result of H. I. M. the Shahanshah's personal attention to this problem, forests were nationalized, range improvement measures have been instigated, and the Department of the Environment has undertaken a comprehensive programme of conservation and management of areas of national importance.A programme of scientific investigation and management of wildlife resources has been initiated. Intensive studies of Wild Sheep, gazelles, and Persian Ibex, are now under way. In all reserves the condition of the vegetation is closely monitored. Due to these measures, wildlife populations have increased in most reserves. Iran has some of the finest wetlands in south-west Asia, and has made much progress towards their preservation, over one million hectares of the most important wetlands being now fully protected.The Department of the Environment has had considerable success in its programme of protection of endangered species—including the Onager, the Persian Fallow Deer, the Asiatic Black Bear, the Asiatic Cheetah, the Marsh Crocodile, the Great Bustard, and the Caucasian Black Grouse. The future of these species is now almost certainly ensured in national reserves.Iran now has four categories of reserves: National Parks, Protected Areas, Wildlife Refuges, and National Nature Monuments. Thirteen National Parks have recently been approved. Currently there are 27 Wildlife Refuges. An extension of this network of national reserves is planned within an international framework.
The Role of Fire in Natural Communities: An Example from the Southern Sierra Nevada, California
Authors: Parsons David J. 
Published: August 2009

The exclusion of fire from the low-elevation foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada of California over the past century has resulted in large expanses of over-mature, senescent chaparral. The fuel buildup associated with this situation poses a threat, in that any fire which gets started has the potential of becoming a major holocaust.A detailed analysis is made of the vegetational succession following fire in four different-aged stands of Chamise chaparral in the southern Sierra Nevada. Progression from a diverse multi-species herb and shrub community towards a dense, structurally uniform, low-diversity stand dominated by a single woody species, Adenostoma fasciculatum (Chamise), is demonstrated. An increase in shrub cover and height along with the amount of dead material found laddered through the canopy, create optimal conditions for combustion within some 35 years following the last fire. The herbaceous vegetation shows a high diversity and cover in the first few years after burning, but rapidly decreases thereafter. Evidence is presented that frequent fires are required to maintain the chaparral community in a vigorous and healthy state. The need to institute progressive fuel-management programmes which recognize the natural role of fire in the evolution of the chaparral type wherever it is found, is discussed and advocated. Attempts are also made to relate these findings to the preservation of other fire-adapted vegetation types of the world.
Marine Parks and Reserves in Italy
Authors: Renzoni Aristeo 
Published: August 2009

After repotting the present situation of marine parks and reserves in the Mediterranean Sea and along the Italian coasts, the author lists and comments on the proposals for the establishment of further marine parks and reserves in Italy. The major bureaucratic and other obstacles to the establishment of these areas are discussed.Scientists, conservationists, and some formerly indifferent people, are pressing hard for the institution of such marine parks and reserves, and even though the areas may cover only a tiny fraction of the Mediterranean Sea, their establishment in the face of steadily increasing human populations may set a good example for others; the adoption of anti-pollution measures by a few factories in the areas concerned suggests that this campaign may be having some effect already.
Biodegradation, an Environmental Solution to Some Toxic Organic Compounds
Authors: Liu Dickson L. S. 
Published: August 2009

The failure of conventional waste-treatment methods to solve problems associated with complex industrial wastes, suggests that we must re-examine our approach to this problem. Two distinct types of biodegradation, homogeneous and heterogeneous, have been recognized to occur in the environment and are distinguished according to the solubility or insolubility, respectively, of the compound involved. Unfortunately, many of the most persistent toxic compounds fall into the second or insoluble category, and conventional treatment processes are inefficient in dealing with them.Our studies have shown that the primary site of the biodegradation of these persistent compounds is at the substance–water interface and that the rate of such biodegradation can be greatly increased if the tested compound can be suspended in an aqueous phase as a fine stable emulsion. Our recent work on PCB biodegradation exemplifies the benefit of a multidisciplinary approach in solving environmental problems, and supports the need to continue fundamental research in such areas of applied environmental science.
Erosion Rates and Land-use History in Southern Michigan
Authors: Davis Margaret Bryan 
Published: August 2009

The quantities and kinds of sediment that have accumulated in Frains and Murray Lakes, Michigan, over known intervals of time, provide a measure of erosion from the watersheds. This study has focused on the ash-weight of sediment and has derived estimates of ‘sediment yield’ from the landscape, though estimates of sediment yield from watersheds have seldom been made from the quantity of sediment accumulating in natural lakes. An exception is Mirror Lake, New Hampshire, where estimates from a core could be compared directly with sediment yields monitored in the last few years in experimental watersheds in the surrounding Hubbard Brook Forest (Likens & Davis, 1975). Detailed study of sediment cores can yield much more information than has been presented here. The chemical constituents of the sediments yield information about the chemistry of lake water and runoff from the watershed, while the remains of phytoplankton that are preserved in the sediment show the progress of eutrophication. A recent study of pre- and post-settlement sediment at Linsley Pond, Connecticut, is an example of a multidisciplinary approach to the determination of human influences on lake history (Brugam, 1975).The data from Frains Lake permit a reconstruction of erosional events since Man arrived on the scene. The result is similar to Wolman's (1967) history of erosion in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland; his reconstruction, however, was based entirely on analogy with modern watersheds that were experiencing different kinds of land-use at the current time. Thus his estimate of pre-settlement erosion, for example, is tentative because there are no undisturbed watersheds today to measure for comparison.
Population Growth and Environmental Problems in Taiwan (Formosa): A Case-study
Authors: Li Yuan-Hui 
Published: August 2009

Taiwan has the highest population density in the world today. The population growth-rate has been decreasing linearly since 1951, but the present growthrate of 2% is still much too high to lessen the population pressure. With the area of agricultural land severly limited, the agricultural sector of Taiwan can no longer absorb extra farm labourers without sacrificing the productivity of each farm labourer.In order to feed the growing population, the high productivity of a rice paddy has been maintained by applying ever-increasing amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which in turn cause many pollution problems. Moreover the rapid growth of industries, which are mainly financed by outside capital, causes the expansion and congestion of the cities along with all sorts of pollution problems (air pollution of cities, water pollution of rivers, harbours, coastal waters, etc.)The heavy dependence on imported energy (70% of the total energy consumption) and on trade with Japan and the United States, puts Taiwan in a vulnerable position with regard to fluctuations in the world economy. The ever-increasing population density, and the demands of a higher per caput consumption on the limited natural resources, risk leading to economic inadequacy and ecological degradation. Such a situation could endanger our industrial civilization more widely.
Wildlife Utilization in China
Authors: Greer Charles E. , Doughty Robin W. 
Published: August 2009

Current trends in the utilization of wildlife in China continue a tradition of satisfying material needs for meat, apparel, and medicinal and other products. Wild animals have been hunted to bolster income from agriculture and to supply the industrial sector of the economy with material goods. Decisions about conserving or protecting animals are therefore based largely upon utilitarian premises. If they decrease agricultural productivity or are harmful to humans, predatory animals are heavily persecuted.Chinese biologists have followed initiatives, begun in the Soviet Union, of introducing alien animals to areas where they can multiply and be cropped for commercial purposes. Research also continues to be focused on the possible relocation of faunal elements within China, to develop the market for meat and skins.However, there appears to be a growing concern for preserving certain rare, unusual, and threatened, species because they are unique to China or have beneficial or symbolic value. This concern is likely to increase as studies in animal behaviour, migration, and ecology, demonstrate that significant declines have occurred in the populations of many ‘useful’ birds and mammals.
Measurement Techniques in Environmental Impact Assessment
Authors: Skutsch Margaret McCall , Flowerdew Robin T. N. 
Published: August 2009

The environmental impact statement requirement under NEPA has resulted in a proliferation of techniques for environmental impact assessment. These may be classified according to their function into the three main categories of impact identification, impact valuation, and impact comparison. For each of these categories, some problems relating to measurement techniques are identified and discussed, and a few prominent examples of techniques in the category are reviewed. Impact identification techniques must consider how the issues should be organized, how the material is to be presented, what geographical and other boundaries should be fixed to keep the analysis at a manageable size, and what descriptive criteria should be included. Sorensen's system of ‘linear graphs’ and the Saratoga Associates' matrix approach are discussed with respect to these points.Impact evaluation techniques, in addition to idenfying the impacts of a project, place a numerical value on their significance. For some impacts, a physical measurement scale may not be appropriate without modification; for others, no objective physical scale exists. In both cases, it is necessary to resort to subjective judgements to quantify the true seriousness of an impact. These judgements should be made systematically and, where possible, in such a manner that the resulting values form an interval- or ratio-scale rather than merely an ordinal scale. The matrix procedure devised by Leopold et al. (1971) is discussed as an example of impact evaluation techniques.Impact comparison techniques, in addition to impact evaluation, weight the relative importance of each impact and combine the impacts for an overall assessment of the project and any alternatives to it. A major problem here is the lack of comparability between different types of impact; interdependence between impacts also makes the combination of factors difficult. Again, subjective judgements are needed, and proper use of scaling techniques can provide some basis for comparison. Techniques suggested by McHarg (1968), by Peterson et al. (1974), and by Dee (1972), are reviewed in this section.Although EIS preparation raises several of the thorniest problems that occur in planning for decisionmaking, these are problems that must be faced, not evaded. Whereas the techniques suggested by no means solve all the problems that have been raised, they do provide partial answers. People involved in environmental impact assessment can only gain by thinking systematically about exactly what tasks are to be accomplished, and by making an appropriate choice of techniques for undertaking these tasks.
Ecological and Social Evaluation of Industrial Development
Authors: Marstrand Pauline K. 
Published: August 2009

The development of methods for evaluation of industrial development by investigation of its ecological and health, as well as its social and economic, effects was the aim of UNEP/UNIDO Project EP/INT/73-002. Following six weeks' study of the cotton textile industry in Thailand, recommendations were made regarding criteria, team composition, and methods of utilizing existing information and conducting interviews. Interviews with village people and farmers were found to be a feasible method for qualitative assessment of environmental effects, and for providing information on which losses could be estimated. In all cases the costs of prevention or mitigation of damage were small in comparison with estimated costs of the damage caused.The paper suggest that developing countries have the opportunity to industrialize without the trauma of extensive damage to health or environment, and that such development is not intrinsically more costly than other types in financial terms. It does, however, demand better understanding of the social, economic, and environmental, characters of a locality before planning begins. In many countries, including Thailand, existing university and other resources, assisted by interviews with the communities concerned, can provide the information required for this understanding, and therefore the delay need not be great.
The Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) of UNEP
Authors: Gwynne Michael D. 
Published: August 2009

The Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) is a collective effort of the world community to acquire, through monitoring, the data needed for rational management of the environment, and arose from recommendations of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment which was held in Stockholm in 1972. The GEMS Programme Activity Centre (PAC) at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, coordinates all that it can of the various environmental monitoring activities which are carried on throughout the world—particularly those within the United Nations System.Great care is taken to ensure that data gathered by GEMS are of the highest attainable quality, and that data collected from different parts of a particular monitoring network are both comparable and compatible. The GEMS Programme Activity Centre (PAC), in the manner of UNEP itself, is not operational but works mainly through the intermediary of the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations System—most notably FAO, ILO, UNESCO, WHO, and WMO—together with appropriate intergovernmental organizations such as IUCN.The GEMS monitoring system consists of five closelyinterrelated programmes which have built-in provision for training and for rendering technical assistance to ensure the participation of countries that are inadequately provided with personnel and equipment. The five are:1. Climate-related monitoring;2. Monitoring of long-range transport of pollutants;3. Health-related monitoring (concerned with pollutional effects);4. Ocean monitoring; and5. Terrestrial renewable-resource monitoring.Each of these broad areas contains at least five distinct world-wide monitoring networks. Examples of these latter are the World Glacier Inventory, Background Air Pollution Monitoring Network, Urban Air Pollution Monitoring Network, Global Water Quality Monitoring Network, Tropical Forest Monitoring Network, Species Conservation Monitoring Network, etc.Monitored data are gathered at suitable coordinating centres for each network at which appropriate data-bases have been, or are being, established. Data are analyzed to produce periodic regional and global assessments which are reported at intervals that are appropriate to the variable which is being considered.