Public participation and local environmental planning: Testing factors influencing decision quality and implementation in four case studies from Germany

Public and stakeholder participation in environmental planning is often assumed to enhance effectiveness through improving the environmental quality of decisions and enhancing implementation. We draw on the literature on participatory environmental governance in order to derive key participation-related factors that are hypothesized to impact on decision quality and implementation. We then outline four cases of decision-making processes in local environmental planning in Germany, representing a variety of forms of public participation, and what we suggest can be seen as four different pathways to ‘success’ in participatory planning. The case studies, recounted on the basis of stakeholder interviews and secondary research, are subjected to a cross-case analysis in order to examine the influence of participation in each case. We consider how key participation-related factors played out across the cases, and assess both decision quality and implementation against counterfactual non-participatory, or less-participatory, scenarios. In moving beyond accounts of ‘what happened’, and considering how participation changed the order of things relative to ‘what would have happened’ under different scenarios, the research highlights how very different pathways may lead to ‘success’ in participatory environmental planning from the viewpoint of process organizers and planners sympathetic to environmental issues. We conclude that, given the significance of context and surprises, planners and process organizers must be open to different pathways to the successful conclusion of participatory planning processes.     

Mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture in England and China,and the scope for policy transfer

This paper evaluates the existing policy frameworks for mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA) in England and China. With reference to a conceptual model of the process of policy transfer or international lesson drawing, and possible constraints to this, it assesses whether and how China can draw lessons to improve current policy from the supra-national and national provisions of the EU and a member state that by 2016 had comprehensively implemented EU agricultural and environmental policy. DWPA is first analysed as a public policy challenge to inform specification of a generic framework for its mitigation. The current policy frameworks for mitigation of DWPA in England and China are evaluated, and their potential for improvement is assessed. A number of barriers to lesson drawing for regulation, incentive payments schemes and advice provision are diagnosed. These barriers are potentially least in relation to advice provision and its use to promote voluntary action by farmers. Given its structure and capabilities the public agricultural extension system in China is also recognised as a key resource. A focus on three policy approaches to mitigate DWPA in China is recommended: i) targeted regulation to a ‘reference level’ of large intensive livestock, and ultimately other large commercial farms; ii) strategic use of incentive payment schemes to protect water resources from DWPA; and iii) re-orientation of the ethos and modalities of operation of the extension system, informed by international lesson drawing, with the aim of rebalancing farm productivity and environmental protection.     

21世纪海上丝绸之路下“世界水谷”全球体系建设的战略问题

针对海洋新型技术的匮乏、海外园区建设经验不足、文化交流水道形势严峻等问题,结合产业、教育、科技、资本、创业等协同创新方式,构建"世界水谷"全球体系,包括协同创新的商业模式、总部和分谷的组织体系、全球化战略目标等。通过战略需求分析,得出:"世界水谷"全球体系将满足海上丝绸之路对海洋合作的经贸需求,对海外水产业园区及中国-东盟水安全共同体的建设需求,对水产业的资金支持以及水文化交流和水科学创新的诉求等结论。     

Opportunity cost of water allocation to afforestation rather than conservation of natural vegetation in China

Estimation of ecosystem service values is a hot area of research in ecological conservation and economics. However, the costs of these outputs are largely unknown. In this paper, we estimated the opportunity cost of water allocated to afforestation projects through mathematical modeling based on statistical data for all of China to provide support for restoration planning based on a fuller consideration of the true costs. To guide future ecological conservation and environmental policy development, we illustrate a neglected concept (ecosystem service costs) and use this concept to compare the ecological services provided by ecological restoration based on afforestation with those of restoration based on the conservation of natural vegetation using data obtained since 1949 in China. The results showed that afforestation and natural vegetation create annual costs related to use of the available water resources equal to 4800 and 3700 RMB ha⁻¹, respectively, representing a water opportunity cost of 1100 RMB ha⁻¹ for afforestation. This illustrates the rule that “there is no free lunch” for any service, including ecosystem services. Therefore, to support the development of more effective and sustainable environmental restoration policy, it will be necessary to evaluate the associated opportunity costs.     

Implementation of the European Water Framework Directive: Integration of hydrological and regional planning at the Segura River Basin,southeast Spain

The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a great challenge for a catchment area such as the Segura River Basin. An intense use of hydrological resources has taken place in this semi-arid region of southern Spain, with the huge territorial transformation, demonstrated in the expansion of the irrigated areas and the growth of urbanization, principally in the last few decades. The provision of water to the population in particular has improved since the middle of the 20th century owing to the Mancomunidad de los Canales del Taibilla (MCT) and to their extraordinary development of hydrological infrastructure. The MCT also has to manage various resources, principally the transfer from the Tagus River to the Segura.     

规则流变视角下农村基层治水体系建设——以福建省永春县农田水利设施管护改革为例

实施乡村振兴战略以来,各级政府对农村水利的投入不断增加,然而"政府管不到、集体管不好、市场管不了"的现象仍然存在,跨村水利管护机制缺失、基层治水规则与秩序失范问题亟待解决。本文以福建永春县吾峰镇农田水利设施管护改革为例,分析基层村镇场域中治水规则的建立与变革,从边界、身份、选择等7项规则入手剖析其对基层治水有效性的作用机制。研究发现,治水规则深刻影响了吾峰镇水利管护的行动情境:边界规则突破了原有以行政边界划定的资源治理边界,并鼓励企业等新行动主体进入;身份规则、选择规则明晰了管护主体的合约关系,确定了权责监督机制;偿付规则实现了良好的激励作用;信息规则推进了基层治水的公开、透明化运营;聚合规则创新了基层民主的可实现形式;范围规则通过试点选择创造了政策空间。在7项基层治水规则的共同作用下,吾峰镇农田水利设施管护改革摆脱了管护主体缺失困境和跨域治水合作困境,实现了治水行为的规范有序和管护绩效的稳步快速提升,促进了农村基层治水能力的现代化建设。     

就业结构调整对水库移民土地流转的影响研究*——以南水北调中线工程移民为例

[目的]为促进水库移民的生计恢复及转型,探寻就业结构和土地流转间的交互机制,分析两者间耦合作用对当前移民安置模式及政策的影响。[方法]文章从移民就业结构变迁出发,通过超边际理论构建了安置区移民土地的流转机制模型,推演了从业决策对土地流转行为的影响路径,并运用南水北调农业安置移民数据进行实证检验。[结果]大面积转出土地是移民搬迁后土地处置的主要行为,移民中土地转入户有所增加,但土地集中度却有所减少。移民非农就业较搬迁前有明显上升,并有向当地兼业转移的趋势,但与土地流转间并不互为因果,农村社保还难以弱化其对土地养老的依赖。劳动力数量、非农就业时间、非农收入占比、土地政策等对移民土地流转行为和规模均有显著影响,而外出就业前景和地租水平在促进土地流转行为的同时,却不一定能增加土地流转面积。[结论]移民外迁中可以采用无土安置代替农业安置,推动移民土地流转的关键在于技能培训、政策保障和地租补贴,简单的就业推荐和土地权属划分的作用有限。而对于移民中的农业大户,则需在满足土地转入面积的基础上,保障其在安置区的各项土地权益。     

云南水利工程设计概算编制要点分析

以目前云南省最新发布的水利工程相关营改增文件及水利工程概算定额为主要依据,结合云南省水利工程的实际情况,从编制依据的确定及了解工程基本情况开始,逐步分析一个完整的设计概算在编制过程中关于人材机、直接费费率、间接费费率等基础资料在选择运用时应注意的要点,同时为编制云南省水利工程设计概算的造价人员提供参考。     

哈拉沟煤矿矿井给排水系统设计

主要对哈拉沟煤矿的矿井给排水系统进行设计,为了使哈拉沟煤矿的矿井给排水系统能更好地利用并合理配置矿井资源,本文从哈拉沟煤矿矿井特有的生产作业环境以及地质水文特点进行考虑,分析煤矿矿井给排水系统可能存在的问题,讨论的技术重点问题主要包括煤矿矿井供水水源选择,矿井井下供水以及煤矿废水处理等,对哈拉沟煤矿矿井的生产生活给水系统,消防供水系统以及生产废水排水系统进行设计。     

国内外水资源承载力的研究综述

随着能源危机的出现,资源环境问题逐渐成为各国经济学家和环境学家特别关注的问题.近年来,水资源短缺越来越成为各地经济发展的制约因素,面对这种情况,资源承载力概念的提出为资源与经济发展问题提供了一条新的研究途径.本文将国内外有关水资源承载力概念和量化方法的研究作一总体分析,结果表明:(1)国外对水资源承载力的研究较少,国内的研究大体可分为初始、发展、鼎盛和拓展四个阶段;(2)从横向比较来看,水资源承载力的研究在我国以近十年为盛.但研究多集中在资源学科领域和地理环境学科领域,角度大多是综合考虑多方面的影响因素,对一个地区的水资源承载力作出系统评价,并借助可持续发展的思想,应用已有的和创新的方法来解决水资源承载力的问题;(3)水资源承载力的研究在一定程度上是土地资源承载力研究的进步;(4)水资源承载力的研究较少考虑环境污染对水资源承载力以及整个社会系统的影响.在此基础上,本文最后对承载力在自然资源方面的研究作了小结和展望.