The use of ecological integrity indicators within the natural capital index framework: The ecological and economic value of the remnant natural capital of México

In this paper, the ecological integrity hierarchy framework (EIHF) and the natural capital index framework (NCI) are integrated as decision-making tools for evaluating the natural capital of Mexico. Two hierarchy-levels of ecological integrity indicators are used to estimate the quality and quantity of the natural capital, the amount of ecological degradation and ecological sustainability. After human transformation, the extent still considered as “natural” in the country is ∼67%; while the amount of human transformed areas is ∼33%, which gives a total estimate of NCI = 0.334; i.e., only ∼33.4% of the national capital remains available, while ∼33% is ecologically degraded. Furthermore, the critical natural capital; i.e., the legacy for future generations that remains in the country is only ∼12%. The total estimated value of the current natural capital in Mexico is ∼$457.1 billion/yr, which is ∼435 times greater than the national GDP ($1.051 billion in 2010). The cost of maintaining the degradation of the natural capital is ∼$144.6 billion/yr (∼138 times greater than national GDP in 2010). The potential value of the natural capital after restoration would be ∼$602 billion/yr. Valuing the natural capital can be helpful for strategic environmental evaluations and useful for spatial decision support systems that evaluate natural capital as a decision-making tool.     

Ecological restoration: A new frontier for nature conservation and economics

Ecological restoration is still perceived by many conservationists, and the majority of economists, as a diversion, a delusion, and – far worse – a waste of money. In this paper we point out that restoration is in fact complementary not only to nature conservation but also to sustainable, equitable socio-economic development. This is because restoring and augmenting the natural capital base generates jobs and improves livelihoods and the quality of life of all in the economy.

In developing countries, where most biodiversity hotspots occur, both conservation of nature and the restoration of degraded ecosystems will find local support only if they are clearly linked to socio-economic development. Conversely, sound socio-economic development in the environmentally damaged portions of those countries undoubtedly will require ecological restoration of the natural capital base. Nature conservation, ecological restoration, and sustainable economic development policies should therefore be planned, budgeted and executed conjointly.     

Corticosterone manipulation reveals differences in hierarchical organization of multidimensional reproductive trade-offs in r-strategist and K-strategist females

Life history trade-offs are often hierarchical with decisions at one level affecting lower level trade-offs. We investigated trade-off structure in female side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana), which exhibit two evolved strategies: yellow-throated females are K-strategists and orange-throated are r-strategists. Corticosterone treatment was predicted to differentially organize these females' reproductive decisions. Corticosterone-treated yellow females suppressed reproduction but survived well, and augmented egg mass without decreasing clutch size. Conversely, corticosterone enhanced mortality and reproductive rates in orange females, and increased egg mass only after lengthy exposure. Corticosterone did not affect post-laying condition, suggesting that corticosterone increased egg mass through enhanced energy acquisition (income breeding). Corticosterone enhanced survival of lightweight females, but decreased survival of heavy females, introducing a foraging vs. predation trade-off. We conclude that rather than being a direct, functional relationship, observed trade-offs between offspring size and number represent evolved differences in hierarchical organization of multidimensional trade-offs, particularly in response to stress.     

对完善医院固定资产计提折旧会计处理的思考

解读了新医院会计制度关于固定资产计提折旧的相关规定,从成本费用归集方面和会计信息完整性角度分析了新制度关于固定资产计提折旧会计核算规定的不足,并在借鉴企业会计准则的相关做法的基础上,结合医院的实际,提出了改进的建议。     

生态系统核算研究进展

生态系统核算的本质是通过对生态系统服务、生态系统资产的实物量和价值量进行计算,将生态系统的数量信息纳入国民经济核算体系,将生态系统的保护目标融入经济社会决策,以更好地实现生态环境与经济社会协调发展的战略构想.本文对生态系统核算基本问题、生态系统核算账户设计、生态系统估价方法等方面展开综述.首先,通过对生态系统服务理解的阐述和归类,立足于最终生态系统服务观阐明了生态系统的运行过程,扩展了国民账户体系(SNA)的生产范围.其次,梳理并设计了生态系统资产账户、生产账户和供给使用账户,就生产范围扩展方法对生产账户的不同影响进行对比.再次,区分了基于交换价值的核算方法和基于福利经济理论的核算方法,并指出基于交换价值的核算方法与SNA理论基础更为匹配.最后,对当前研究存在的不足进行分析,并对未来研究予以展望.     

生态资产核算及变化特征评估——以内蒙古兴安盟为例

生态资产是自然资源资产的重要组成部分,生态资产核算对完善自然资源负债表编制具有一定的意义。以兴安盟为例,通过对森林、灌丛、草地和湿地生态资产数量、质量和变化情况的评估,核算了兴安盟生态资产综合指数,即反映生态资产数量和质量的综合指标;编制了生态资产实物量变化表和生态资产实物量损益表。结果表明,2000—2010年,兴安盟森林面积增加1.1%,草地、湿地面积分别下降1.7%、3.8%,但森林和草地的质量提高显著,所以生态资产综合指数提高了2.16%。生态资产核算作为评价领导干部在任期间是否落实生态环境质量底线、生态保护红线要求的有效工具,为推动兴安盟生态文明建设提供一定的参考。     

转基因油菜的基因流及生态风险

综合评述了转基因油菜的基因流及其生态风险.油菜作为最早的转基因作物之一目前已在加拿大和澳大利亚大面积商业化应用.(常)异花授粉作物油菜的天然异交率可达30%左右,也易与其它芸苔属作物杂交,因此转基因油菜的生态风险已引起各国科学家的高度重视.转基因油菜主要通过与其野生近缘种的花粉交换和与非转基因油菜的花粉交换两种方式进行花粉的输出.基因可能逃逸到相关野生近缘种,但在大田环境下能够得到杂种的可能性很小;由于基因的漂流在油菜田块间确实存在,因此在种植转基因油菜的过程中必须考虑其间隔距离.     

Endangered fishes and economics: intergenerational obligations

Synopsis The diversity of fishes is declining worldwide, largely as the result of habitat alterations created by decisions that foster short-term economic gain. While the best arguments for preserving endangered fishes and ecosystems are non-economic arguments, they have been relatively ineffective. Therefore, it is necessary to provide economic arguments as well. Fish in general have high market values and are a vital source of protein for humans but these values have contributed more to their decline than to their conservation. Fish also have high value as indicators of the health of ecosystems which provide many services to humans, such as clean water. This has not prevented the degradation of aquatic ecosystems, although the value of fisheries has occasionally justified ecosystem protection. Existence values have been developed as a way of putting an economic value on some of the less tangible aspects of fish and ecosystems but they also make it possible to justify extinctions. If the continuous increase in the number of endangered fishes and aquatic ecosystems is to be halted, then the economic costs of environmental degradation to future generations must be included as part of the cost of doing business today (intergenerational value). Political action is needed to protect fishes and aquatic habitats against the day when more benign economic and philosophical systems become predominant.Invited essay     

Ecological Footprint: Informative and evolving – A response to van den Bergh and Grazi (2014)

Ecological Footprint accounting is used to track human demand on the Earth's biological resource flows, and compares that demand with the Earth's capacity to generate these flows. It is an evolving tool which has undergone many improvements alongside advancements in science and in response to critical review. Here we respond to van den Bergh and Grazi's recent points of criticism toward Ecological Footprint accounting. While the authors suggest that new criticism is accumulating, the main issues appear to be the same. We suggest that the majority of the criticism is derived from the misconception that the Ecological Footprint measures land “use,” which cannot exceed land availability. In response to these criticisms, we aim here to summarize and further clarify the major points of debate and confusion and allow readers to determine the relevance of these issues. We conclude that much of the prior discussion and many of the points repeated here reflect a divergence in general philosophical or semantic perspectives.     

海洋生态资本概念与属性界定

海洋生态资源是人类社会经济发展的基础,对其进行资本化界定是对其进行价值评估和资本化管理的前提。基于自然资本和生态系统服务两大理论,结合国内外学者对\"自然资本\"、\"生态资本\"等概念的界定和认识,考虑海洋生态系统的特性,提出了海洋生态资本的概念,认为海洋生态资本是能够直接或间接作用于人类社会经济生产、提供有用的产品流或服务流的海洋生态资源。海洋生态资本的价值是指海洋生态资本的存量价值及其产生的收益流价值,包括各类海洋生态资源的现存量价值及其组成海洋生态系统整体而产生的生态系统服务价值。比较了海洋生态资本与海洋生态系统服务、生态资产、自然资本、海洋资源等概念的异同,进而探讨了海洋生态资本的一般属性及其特殊属性。     

黑龙江省自然保护区生态环境功能区划的研究

自然保护是全人为共同关切的问题。近些年来,黑龙江省自然保护区建设取得长足发展,保护区类型多样、分布广泛、数量逐年增加。但是,目前在保护区的建设与管理是存在一定问题。突出表现在经济开发与自然保护的关系上,管理工作滞后。为进一步加强全省自然保护区的建设与管理,本文从２４个省级以上自然保护区的生态环境功能研究入手,根据不同类型自然保护区的特点和问题,提出了相应的保护对策和建设。     

Ecological footprint (EF): An expanded role in calculating resource productivity (RP) using China and the G20 member countries as examples

As resources become scarcer measuring resource productivity (RP) is more important. Quantifying the value of natural resources is challenging but the ecological footprint (EF) concept provides one method of uniformly describing a variety of natural resources. Current assessments of RP mainly revolve around output efficiency of resources, namely the ratio of GDP to natural resource usage.This paper develops a new method of calculating the RP by using the EF as an indicator of the natural resource input and gross domestic product (GDP) as the output in the equation of RP = GDP/EF. A regression analysis is carried out using GDP per capita and RP of China from 1997 to 2011, and a comparative analysis with the members of the G20 countries according to their RP and per capita GDP in 2008. The results indicate that RP correlates with the per capita GDP, showing that RP is a valid indicator which can be used to measure a country’s level of economic development.     

自然资本流变及其对生态系统服务价值的演变路径

生态系统服务价值化是将生态系统惠益于人类社会的价值进行量化,以评估生态系统服务状态,便于生态系统监测和管理。自然资本是生态系统服务的来源,结合自然资本视角进行生态系统服务价值化,其成果有利于提高生态系统保护政策制定的精准性和统筹力,有利于创新生态系统服务评估方法。通过梳理自然资本概念的缘起与发展过程,认为自然资本经历了\"同义指代\"、\"边界明晰\"、\"多领域交汇\"和\"隐喻多义\"四个阶段逐步丰富的过程。当今针对自然资本研究的三种主流视角,即将自然资本视为\"产生经济价值的资产\"、\"产生服务流的存量\"和\"金融资本\"为生态系统服务的价值化提供了多种途径。生态系统服务价值化的过程要体现可持续发展的基本目标,保证自然资本的稳定,维持人类社会代际公平。以此为前提,鼓励生态系统价值化视角的多样性。价值化途径应关注生态系统服务的时空动态变化、多种服务协同作用和供需权衡。生态系统服务价值化是自然资本金融杠杆化的推手,应警惕有可能带来的金融风险和生态风险。     

基于能流物流理论的农牧交错带生态治理模式研究——以内蒙古后山旱农区为例

中国北方农牧交错带的生态环境问题引起了人们广泛关注．经过多年的攻关研究。以能物流理论为指导,根据地处北方农牧交错带的后山旱农区的自然、社会、经济特征,提出了以丘陵为单元的生态治理模式,1999年对传统顺坡种植模式、人工草地模式和生态治理模式进行观测．能物流分析结果表明。生态治理模式与传统的种植模式相比,能提高太阳能利用率8．3％,提高能量输出量8．7％,提高能量转化效率19．4％,N的输出量提高26．5％,转化效率提高57．1％,P的输出量提高12．1％,转化效率提高45．0％。水分利用效率提高17．7％．人工草地模式与传统模式和生态治理模式相比,其太阳能利用率、能量输出量、能量转化效率都是最低的．治理模式产出最多,盈利最多,是经济效益最好的模式,经济效率比传统模式提高16．1％。     

自然资本价值核算研究综述

目前国内外对自然资本价值核算的理论与方法尚未取得共识,无疑制约了自然资本核算在生态环境保护中积极作用的发挥。基于此,本文分别从自然资本内涵及其价值核算理论基础、国内外自然资本存量与流量核算方法实证研究、自然资本货币化价值核算的合理性等方面对已有文献进行梳理与分析,发现目前自然资本核算研究主要集中在生态产品的功能量与价值量核算而缺少生态资产货币价值量核算的研究;当前采用的生态产品价值量核算的生态系统类型系数表、本地化生态过程模型、能值当量替换三种方法在精度适用性、应用推广性和计算便捷性上各有优劣,尚待进一步的深入研究;最后对自然资本货币核算的一些争论进行了分析。通过上述研究和分析,提出如下新认识：（1）自然资本相关概念尚不统一,已经形成的认识包括：自然资本具有一定的稀缺性和使用价值,资本可分为存量资本（又称生态资产）和流量资本（又称生态系统服务）;（2）自然资本核算技术繁多,研究成果的横向比较性较差,需要通过标准化核算技术方法和建立生态环境资源数据库等措施,进一步提高核算结果的准确性和可比性;（3）相比于基于生态系统类型价值系数方法和基于非市场化货币的当量替代方法,基于本地化参数的生态系统服务过程方法更能够反映本地生态环境特征,评估分析的准确度更高,生态管理抓手更多;（4）尽管自然资本货币核算理论和实践应用仍存在一些争论,但各国政府和各类组织都在推动自然资本核算工作,自然资本的探索性核算成果已在各国生态补偿和生态损害修复等方面发挥积极作用。