As the pressures on water resources are ever increasing,the organization of complex disparate data and scientific information to inform the actions to protect and enhance the resilience of freshwater resources is key ...As the pressures on water resources are ever increasing,the organization of complex disparate data and scientific information to inform the actions to protect and enhance the resilience of freshwater resources is key for sustainable development and implementation of integrated water resource management(IWRM).Methodologies supporting IWRM implementation have largely focused on water management and governance,with less attention to evaluation methods of ecologic,economic,and social conditions.To assist in assessing water resource sustainability,the Integrated Hydro-Environment Assessment Tool(IHEAT)has been developed to create a framework for different disciplines and interests to engage in structured dialogue.The IHEAT builds on the considerable body of knowledge developed around IWRM and seeks to place this information into a single framework that facilitates the cogeneration of knowledge between managers,stakeholders,and the communities affected by management decisions with the understanding that there is a need to merge expert analysis with traditional knowledge and the lived experience of communities.IHEAT merges the driver-pressure-state-impact-response(DPSIR)framework,the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment's ecosystem services and human well-being(HWB)framework,sustainability criteria for water resource systems,and water resources indexes and sets of indicators to better understand spatiotemporal interactions between hydrologic,socioeconomic,and ecologic systems and evaluate impacts of disturbances on ecological goods and services and HWB.IHEAT consists of a Conceptual Template(IHEAT-CT)which provides a systematic framework for assessing basin conditions and guiding indicator selection as well as an Assessment Interface(IHEAT-AI)for organizing,processing,and assessing analytical results.The IHEAT-CT,presented herein,is a rapid screening tool that connects water use directly,or through ecosystem goods and services(EGS),to constituents of HWB.Disturbance Templates for eight pressure types,such as land-use change,climate change,and population growth,are provided to guide practitioners regarding potential changes to landscape elements in the hydrological cycle,impacts on EGS,and societal implications on HWB.The basin screening results in a summary report card illuminating key freshwater ecosystems,the EGS they provide,and potential responses to drivers and pressures acting on the hydrologic system.This screening provides a common understanding by technical and nontechnical parties and provides the foundation for more complex conceptual models should they be required.An indicator list guides the selection of hydrologic,ecologic,economic,and social analytical methods to support IWRM technical input.展开更多
Dynamic</span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> urbanization of African cities has created development traj...Dynamic</span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> urbanization of African cities has created development trajectories that face systemic challenges in the provision of sustainable and ecologically resilient urban environments. The specific challenges include extensive unregulated growth with informal settlements reflecting poor service levels and high poverty indices, inadequacy in </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">provision</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> of basic services in health, water, housing, transport </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> communication infrastructure, high reliance on biomass fuels, exposure to environmental stress </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> implausible climate change coping and mitigation mechanisms among others. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Review</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> of extensive literature and synthesis of existing bodies of knowledge on the ecological and management perspectives of urban environments revealed many gaps and understanding of urban transformation processes. The purpose of this review was to contextualize credible pathways for optimization of both ecosystem goods and services from green urban landscapes (Green infrastructure) and non-green infrastructure to ensure sustainable and ecologically resilient urban environments. Attempts were made to rationalize and validate through discussions the benefits of managed urban ecosystems for African cities. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">On the basis of</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> the evidence from the literature, it is concluded that urban development trajectories that do not embrace multifaceted approaches that deliberately retain and maintain green infrastructure in the urban environment may not be cost-effective. It is recommended that systematic integration of urban forestry concepts in urban planning that involves communities, local and national governments, business entrepreneurs </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> public and private research institutions provides tenable frameworks for addressing current and future challenges of urbanization in Africa.展开更多
Approaches to soil conservation are in constant evolution and improvement.This paper summarizes some of the modern approaches,ranging from no till to conservation agriculture to sustainable land management.These appro...Approaches to soil conservation are in constant evolution and improvement.This paper summarizes some of the modern approaches,ranging from no till to conservation agriculture to sustainable land management.These approaches are not separate,but components of a continuum of conservation approaches applicable at different levels and different scales.No tillage is important at the detailed,farm level,while CA and SLM are important at the farming systems and corporate levels.The successes achieved with no till in Argentina(also Brazil,Paraguay,Uruguay,Mexico,Canada,Australia,and others)illustrate how these concepts relate to each other.展开更多
文摘As the pressures on water resources are ever increasing,the organization of complex disparate data and scientific information to inform the actions to protect and enhance the resilience of freshwater resources is key for sustainable development and implementation of integrated water resource management(IWRM).Methodologies supporting IWRM implementation have largely focused on water management and governance,with less attention to evaluation methods of ecologic,economic,and social conditions.To assist in assessing water resource sustainability,the Integrated Hydro-Environment Assessment Tool(IHEAT)has been developed to create a framework for different disciplines and interests to engage in structured dialogue.The IHEAT builds on the considerable body of knowledge developed around IWRM and seeks to place this information into a single framework that facilitates the cogeneration of knowledge between managers,stakeholders,and the communities affected by management decisions with the understanding that there is a need to merge expert analysis with traditional knowledge and the lived experience of communities.IHEAT merges the driver-pressure-state-impact-response(DPSIR)framework,the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment's ecosystem services and human well-being(HWB)framework,sustainability criteria for water resource systems,and water resources indexes and sets of indicators to better understand spatiotemporal interactions between hydrologic,socioeconomic,and ecologic systems and evaluate impacts of disturbances on ecological goods and services and HWB.IHEAT consists of a Conceptual Template(IHEAT-CT)which provides a systematic framework for assessing basin conditions and guiding indicator selection as well as an Assessment Interface(IHEAT-AI)for organizing,processing,and assessing analytical results.The IHEAT-CT,presented herein,is a rapid screening tool that connects water use directly,or through ecosystem goods and services(EGS),to constituents of HWB.Disturbance Templates for eight pressure types,such as land-use change,climate change,and population growth,are provided to guide practitioners regarding potential changes to landscape elements in the hydrological cycle,impacts on EGS,and societal implications on HWB.The basin screening results in a summary report card illuminating key freshwater ecosystems,the EGS they provide,and potential responses to drivers and pressures acting on the hydrologic system.This screening provides a common understanding by technical and nontechnical parties and provides the foundation for more complex conceptual models should they be required.An indicator list guides the selection of hydrologic,ecologic,economic,and social analytical methods to support IWRM technical input.
文摘Dynamic</span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> urbanization of African cities has created development trajectories that face systemic challenges in the provision of sustainable and ecologically resilient urban environments. The specific challenges include extensive unregulated growth with informal settlements reflecting poor service levels and high poverty indices, inadequacy in </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">provision</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> of basic services in health, water, housing, transport </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> communication infrastructure, high reliance on biomass fuels, exposure to environmental stress </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> implausible climate change coping and mitigation mechanisms among others. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Review</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> of extensive literature and synthesis of existing bodies of knowledge on the ecological and management perspectives of urban environments revealed many gaps and understanding of urban transformation processes. The purpose of this review was to contextualize credible pathways for optimization of both ecosystem goods and services from green urban landscapes (Green infrastructure) and non-green infrastructure to ensure sustainable and ecologically resilient urban environments. Attempts were made to rationalize and validate through discussions the benefits of managed urban ecosystems for African cities. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">On the basis of</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> the evidence from the literature, it is concluded that urban development trajectories that do not embrace multifaceted approaches that deliberately retain and maintain green infrastructure in the urban environment may not be cost-effective. It is recommended that systematic integration of urban forestry concepts in urban planning that involves communities, local and national governments, business entrepreneurs </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> public and private research institutions provides tenable frameworks for addressing current and future challenges of urbanization in Africa.
文摘Approaches to soil conservation are in constant evolution and improvement.This paper summarizes some of the modern approaches,ranging from no till to conservation agriculture to sustainable land management.These approaches are not separate,but components of a continuum of conservation approaches applicable at different levels and different scales.No tillage is important at the detailed,farm level,while CA and SLM are important at the farming systems and corporate levels.The successes achieved with no till in Argentina(also Brazil,Paraguay,Uruguay,Mexico,Canada,Australia,and others)illustrate how these concepts relate to each other.
