A Failure Reveals Success

Although environmental education and education for sustainable development have become well‐established areas of scholarship and practice, there has not been a similar development focused on “industrial ecology education.” A review of the historical context and guiding philosophies for each of these areas finds many similarities, as well as key differences. Environmental education traces its modern roots to the idealism of the 1960s and 1970s. It has focused mostly on improving environmental conditions. Education for sustainable development arose along with international concerns about social justice. It has emphasized general education as well as education about sustainability as necessary to ensure human prosperity. Industrial ecology, in its contemporary form, evolved as an applied approach to address environmental concerns and to meet sustainability goals. It has developed into a diverse, multifaceted approach to address the complexity inherent in industrial society. Education focused on industrial ecology remains decentralized, with core principles and tools being integrated into existing disciplinary programs as well as development of industrial‐ecology–specific curricula. These efforts have not coalesced into a formalized, industrial ecology education. Rather than reflecting a shortcoming, this potentially offers a more robust method for applying industrial ecology principles and tools widely.     

Local people value environmental services provided by forested parks

Garnering support from local people is critical for maintaining ecologically viable and functional protected areas. However, empirical data illustrating local people’s awareness of the importance of nature’s services is limited; hence possibly impeding effective ecosystem (environmental)-services based conservation efforts. Using data from five protected forests in four developing Southeast Asian countries, we provide evidence that local people living near parks value a wide range of environmental services, including cultural, provisioning, and regulating services, provided by the forests. Local people with longer residency valued environmental services more. Educated as well as poor people valued forest ecosystem services more. Conservation education has some influence on people’s environmental awareness. For conservation endeavors to be successful, large-scale transmigration programs should be avoided and local people must be provided with alternative sustenance opportunities and basic education in addition to environmental outreach to reduce their reliance on protected forests and to enhance conservation support.     

The Effects of Demographic Factors on the Environmental Awareness of Omani Citizens

In year 2007, a survey was conducted in the Sultanate of Oman in order to evaluate the current environmental awareness of the Omani general public and their willingness to protect the environment. The focus of the survey was to explore the role played by demographic factors (sex, age, and education level) in determining the environmental awareness of the Omani public. The survey was administered to 425 respondents among all areas of the entire Muscat governorate in Oman. The results of the survey revealed that the environmental awareness of the Omani public was related to gender, age, and education level. Males were found to have a higher level of knowledge about environmental issues than females. Males were also more environmentally concerned and tended to engage in more environmental behaviors than females. Younger and more educated respondents tended to be more knowledgeable and concerned about the environment than older and less educated respondents.     

Regional Scale Prioritisation for Key Ecosystem Services,Renewable Energy Production and Urban Development

Although the importance of addressing ecosystem service benefits in regional land use planning and decision-making is evident, substantial practical challenges remain. In particular, methods to identify priority areas for the provision of key ecosystem services and other environmental services (benefits from the environment not directly linked to the function of ecosystems) need to be developed. Priority areas are locations which provide disproportionally high benefits from one or more service. Here we map a set of ecosystem and environmental services and delineate priority areas according to different scenarios. Each scenario is produced by a set of weightings allocated to different services and corresponds to different landscape management strategies which decision makers could undertake. Using the county of Cornwall, U.K., as a case study, we processed gridded maps of key ecosystem services and environmental services, including renewable energy production and urban development. We explored their spatial distribution patterns and their spatial covariance and spatial stationarity within the region. Finally we applied a complementarity-based priority ranking algorithm (zonation) using different weighting schemes. Our conclusions are that (i) there are two main patterns of service distribution in this region, clustered services (including agriculture, carbon stocks, urban development and plant production) and dispersed services (including cultural services, energy production and floods mitigation); (ii) more than half of the services are spatially correlated and there is high non-stationarity in the spatial covariance between services; and (iii) it is important to consider both ecosystem services and other environmental services in identifying priority areas. Different weighting schemes provoke drastic changes in the delineation of priority areas and therefore decision making processes need to carefully consider the relative values attributed to different services.     

Measuring the difference made by conservation initiatives: protected areas and their environmental and social impacts

Success in conservation depends on our ability to reduce human pressures in areas that harbour biological diversity and ecosystem services. Legally protecting some of these areas through the creation of protected areas is a key component of conservation efforts globally. To develop effective protected area networks, practitioners need credible, scientific evidence about the degree to which protected areas affect environmental and social outcomes, and how these effects vary with context. Such evidence has been lacking, but the situation is changing as conservation scientists adopt more sophisticated research designs for evaluating protected areas'' past impacts and for predicting their future impacts. Complementing these scientific advances, conservation funders and practitioners are paying increasing attention to evaluating their investments with more scientifically rigorous evaluation designs. This theme issue highlights recent advances in the science of protected area evaluations and explores the challenges to developing a more credible evidence base that can help societies achieve their goals of protecting nature while enhancing human welfare.     

自然保护地环境解说资源研究: 以九寨沟芦苇海解说步道为例

环境解说是自然保护地实现自然保护与环境教育目标的重要手段。目前我国自然保护地对解说资源的时空分布研究不足, 且缺乏相应的实地调查方法, 限制了解说系统的发展, 难以满足公众对自然认知的需要, 达不到环境教育的目的。开展解说资源的调查与研究, 有助于更好地展示保护地的资源独特性和重要性。本文以九寨沟国家级自然保护区芦苇海解说步道为例, 总结了解说资源的6个选择标准, 并对区域的解说资源进行调查和监测, 以期为我国自然保护地体系的环境解说资源调查和解说系统构建提供方法借鉴。芦苇海解说步道共筛选得到195种解说资源, 包括植物与菌类100种、动物62种、生态系统类型5种、地质与水文7种、天象与气候2种、文化资源19种。空间上, 植物与菌类、动物和生态系统类解说资源主要分布于内侧步道, 而文化类解说资源在外侧栈道分布更多; 时间上, 夏秋季解说资源数量最多, 冬春季较少, 且动植物与菌类解说资源的数量具有明显的季节性。基于解说资源的属性、意义和分布特点, 采用主旨式解说(thematic interpretation)方法设计了8条解说主旨, 为解说内容的组织提供参考。     

The evolutionary roots of our environmental problems: toward a Darwinian ecology

It is widely acknowledged that we need to stabilize population growth and reduce our environmental impact; however, there is little consensus about how we might achieve these changes. Here I show how evolutionary analyses of human behavior provide important, though generally ignored, insights into our environmental problems. First, I review increasing evidence that Homo sapiens has a long history of causing ecological problems. This means that, contrary to popular belief, our species' capacity for ecological destruction is not simply due to "Western" culture. Second, I provide an overview of how evolutionary research can help to understand why humans are ecologically destructive, including the reasons why people often overpopulate, overconsume, exhaust common-pool resources, discount the future, and respond maladaptively to modern environmental hazards. Evolutionary approaches not only explain our darker sides, they also provide insights into why people cherish plants and animals and often support environmental and conservation efforts (e.g., Wilson's "biophilia hypothesis"). Third, I show how evolutionary analyses of human behavior offer practical implications for environmental policy, education, and activism. I suggest that education is necessary but insufficient because people also need incentives. Individual incentives are likely to be the most effective, but these include much more than narrow economic interests (e.g., they include one's reputation in society). Moralizing and other forms of social pressure used by environmentalists to bring about change appear to be effective, but this idea needs more research. Finally, I suggest that integrating evolutionary perspectives into the environmental sciences will help to break down the artificial barriers that continue to divide the biological and social sciences, which unfortunately obstruct our ability to understand ourselves and effectively address our environmental problems.     

IPI Science: A Teaching Revolution in the Making

Solid waste on beaches not only creates unsightly recreation areas but also has more far reaching environmental impacts. In this marine education activity, students construct a web of changes that show the potential problems caused by such debris. Then they determine whether each change is an increase or a decrease from previous conditions.     

The Spanish co-operation programme in Equatorial Guinea: a ten-year review of research and nature conservation in Bioko

The Research and Nature Conservation Programme in Equatorial Guinea was launched in 1985, financed by the Spanish Technical Co-operation Agency. The Programme's main objectives were to: (i) increase scientific research; (ii) set up a Museum of Natural History for the country; (iii) update environmental legislation; (iv) create a network of protected natural areas; (v) promote Equatorial Guinea's participation in international forums on the environment; (vi) train local personnel and (vii) implement environmental education programmes. Actions undertaken and results obtained over a ten-year period are reviewed herein. The Programme has been important in raising the level of scientific awareness of the country's resources but more importantly, it has catalysed the inception of the country's existing legal framework for environmental protection (Ley 8/1988). Within this law, regulations with respect to wildlife, protected areas and hunting were promulgated. These include the legal basis to create other reserve areas and non-profit organizations related to wildlife protection. The Programme has been able to employ the law to stop exploitation and road-building along the south of Bioko.     

Biology of Animal Stress: Implications for Animal Well-Being

What is environmental enrichment? During the last several decades, zoos and aquariums have come to realize (perhaps belatedly) that animals kept in captivity need environmental enrichment for their well-being (Seidensticher &; Forthman, 1998). Early zoos and aquariums tried to show as many animals as possible; hence, their exhibits were frequently small and bare to permit easy viewing, cleaning, and sterilization. Now, all have come to realize that captive animals need environmental enrichment for their health and for the education and increased expectations of visitors to zoos and aquariums.     

Enrichment for Giant Pacific Octopuses: Happy as a Clam?

What is environmental enrichment? During the last several decades, zoos and aquariums have come to realize (perhaps belatedly) that animals kept in captivity need environmental enrichment for their well-being (Seidensticher & Forthman, 1998). Early zoos and aquariums tried to show as many animals as possible; hence, their exhibits were frequently small and bare to permit easy viewing, cleaning, and sterilization. Now, all have come to realize that captive animals need environmental enrichment for their health and for the education and increased expectations of visitors to zoos and aquariums.     

Urgency,development stage and coordination degree analysis to support differentiation management of water pollution emission control and economic development in the eastern coastal area of China

The eastern coastal areas of China have high-density population, developed society and economy, and large water pollution emissions. How to reduce water pollution and realize the coordinated development of the economy and environment has become the national focus. Effective environmental policies should consider regional differences in development stage and sustainability performance. Here, we first analyzed the water pollution emissions intensity of the eastern coastal areas of China and the urgency of emissions reduction using 8-year environmental statistics from 2003 to 2010. We characterized development stages of the eastern coastal areas based on the relationships between water pollution emissions intensity and economic development. Further, we built a coordination degree index of economic development and water environment protection as a measure of sustainability. Results show that water pollution emissions intensity decreases as the economy grows from 2003 to 2010. The less-developed regions have a better coordination degree than some more-developed regions, especially those most-developed ones (e.g., Shanghai show more pressures on long-term sustainability than Hebei). The less-developed regions should take advantage of economic growth to invest more advanced environment protection technologies. The more-developed regions need to upgrade its economic structures and municipal infrastructures. Overall, the study provided a comprehensive approach to understand regional difference in development stage and sustainability performance in the eastern coastal region of China as well as the need of different environmental policies to reduce water pollution emissions.     

Ecoethics: Now Central to All Ethics

A few years ago, I wrote on the need for expansion of the environmental areas of bioethics, and covered some of the topics touched on here. Sadly, although it is possible to find some notable exceptions, bioethics does not provide much of an ethical base for considering human-nature relationships. Here I’m not going to deal with these philosophical issues or others about the nature of ethical decision-making. The rapid worsening of the human predicament means that applied ethical issues with a significant environmental connection (what I call “ecoethics”), must be dealt with without waiting for the more interesting theoretical issues to be resolved. I define ecoethics very broadly to deal with dilemmas over a vast range of scales, and believe they now should penetrate virtually all areas of human activities. Ecoethics must struggle with issues of intra-generational (and interperson/group/nation) equity and the dilemmas of discounting by distance (valuing distant persons/events/costs/benefits less than those closer to the observer in physical or mental distance). Ecoethics also deals with the difficult dilemma of inter-generational equity—of discounting the future. That is especially troublesome when actions today can have significant environmental consequences 50 or more generations from now. Here I would like to highlight the ubiquity of those questions and the importance of seeking answers.     

The ecological barriers to the recovery of bridal creeper (Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce) infested sites: Impacts on vegetation and the potential increase in other exotic species

Abstract To protect native biodiversity from environmental weeds, the impacts that these weeds cause need to be known before weed control commences. Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce (bridal creeper) (Asparagaceae) is a serious environmental weed and has been selected for biological control in Australia. To predict the responses of plant communities to the control of bridal creeper, a prerelease baseline of the impacts of bridal creeper on native plant communities was undertaken. Plant assemblages in areas invaded by bridal creeper were compared with reference areas that contained little or no bridal creeper. Areas invaded by bridal creeper contained 52% fewer native plant species when compared with nearby reference areas. However, there was no difference in the number of other exotic plant species between areas. Similar trends were found for the germinable seed bank. Although a greater number of exotic species were present in the seed bank compared with the vegetation surveys, there was still no difference between areas with and without bridal creeper. In a glasshouse trial, exotic species germinated more frequently compared with native species. This could indicate that as bridal creeper density decreases following control, exotic species have an advantage over native species when colonizing areas left vacant by bridal creeper. Second, as bridal creeper areas contained reduced native species richness and cover, they may be susceptible to further weed invasion after bridal creeper is removed. Therefore, simply reducing the presence of bridal creeper may not guarantee successful restoration of invaded areas and additional restoration efforts will be needed to ensure the ultimate goal of protecting native biodiversity is reached.     

Multidisciplinary rapid assessment of coastal areas as a tool for the design and management of marine protected areas

A method is described for rapid multidisciplinary environmental assessment of coastal areas within the conceptual framework of comprehensive management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The aim is to provide tools for the selection, design and management of coastal MPAs when time, budget or potential human pressures, either alone or in combination, create an urgent need for prioritisation. Maximising results and minimising cost and time is the goal, using a methodology that re evaluates existing information on the area, allows use of physical, environmental and socio-economic indicators, and finally integrates information in a Geographic Information System capable of generating outputs in the form of thematic maps to support managers.The final products obtained inform planners and managers about the study areas, across multiple aspects that all need to be considered in integrated coastal management. Although originally proposed for widespread use in the Mediterranean, this methodology can be flexibly adapted, with minor modifications in the selection of indicators, for its use in other regions. The results show its potential for merging and synthesising information not only as a tool in Rapid Assessment Programs but also as a tool for facing management of wide coastal areas as social-ecological ecosystems.     

重点生态功能区农户生计对环境资源的依赖性——以甘南高原为例

重点生态功能区承担着重要的生态系统服务供给功能,农户作为该区主要的经济活动主体,其对环境资源过度依赖会严重影响该区的生态环境质量,从而使生态系统服务功能受损。当前亟需深入探索重点生态功能区农户生计对环境资源的依赖性及其影响因素,为制定环境友好型区域发展政策提供借鉴。本研究以甘南高原为例,基于581份农户调查数据,分析了农户生计对环境资源的依赖度,并利用有序多分类Logistic回归模型识别了影响农户环境资源依赖度的因素。结果表明: 甘南高原农户生计对环境资源的依赖度较高,其主要体现在食物自给、生活用能、收入来源3个方面,依赖度分别为57.3%、56.9%和37.4%;不同类型农户生计对环境资源的依赖性存在显著差异,劳动力受教育水平较高及非农化水平较高的农户,对环境资源的依赖度较低,而抚养比系数较高的农户对环境资源的依赖度较高;家庭抚养比、劳动力受教育水平、家庭成员领导能力、外出打工人数占劳动力比重、生态政策、海拔等因素均对农户的环境资源依赖度有显著影响。其中,家庭抚养比、海拔对其具有正向影响,而外出打工人数占劳动力比重、劳动力受教育水平、家庭成员领导能力、生态政策等因素对其表现为负向影响。     

Activities in nonpoint pollution control in rural areas of Poland

Agriculture can contribute to water quality deterioration through the release of sediments, pesticides, animal manure, fertilisers and other sources of inorganic and organic matter. Nonpoint pollution control activities in rural areas of Poland are insufficient to meet the demands of the recovering agricultural production. There is still a need for agricultural runoff monitoring programs for identification, quantification and control of nonpoint sources. Special efforts are required to familiarise farmers with environmental friendly agricultural production technologies and ‘good agricultural practices’. This paper describes typical nonpoint sources from Polish agriculture. It presents all these activities and achievement in nonpoint pollution control after 1989, when systemic changes began and environmental problems became more visible.     

Geochemistry and health in the United Kingdom.

Before the 1960s, comparisons between the distribution of trace elements in the environment and health in the United Kingdom were primarily confined to ad hoc studies in areas associated with particular agricultural disorders or with unusual human mortality or morbidity records. More recently, increasing interest in the importance of trace elements in crop and animal production and in the hazards of environmental pollution have created a need for more systematic geochemical data. Geochemical reconnaissance maps for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland have demonstrated the extent of many known clinical trace element problems in agriculture and have also been valuable in delineating areas within which subclinical disorders may occur. Their application to studies on the composition of soils, food crops and surface waters in relation to public health has proved encouraging. Current knowledge and present investigations into environmental geochemistry and human health in the U.K. are reviewed, together with future research requirements.     

Evolution of the organization for tropical studies

The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS)/Organización para Estudios Tropicales (OET) has evolved in many ways since its founding in 1963 as a non-profit consortium offering graduate courses and facilitating research in tropical ecology in Costa Rica. By 2002, its international membership included about 65 institutions, including four from Costa Rica. It had developed three Costa Rican field stations (La Selva, Las Cruces, and Palo Verde) with excellent facilities for teaching and research, and it was constructing a new Costa Rican office at the University of Costa Rica. Combinations of internal and external pressures influenced OTS to develop in new directions in the 1980s and 1990s. It became more diversified and more concerned with applied science in its traditional areas of graduate education and research facilitation. The Organization also evolved into new niches: more applied biology, professional education, environmental education and policy, conservation efforts, and an expanded geographic distribution to other Latin American countries. OTS was composed of changing combinations of people (Boards, members, staff) with evolving and competing priorities for limited financial resources. External environmental changes also shaped OTS's evolution. New problems of increased tropical deforestation, the emergence of the biodiversity "crisis" and conservation biology, global climate change, and calls for sustainable development affected OTS constituents and funding priorities of governments and foundations. Both internal and external pressures have in some cases demanded for OTS to improve its relationship with: Costa Rican biologists and their institutions, the Costa Rican government, and Costa Ricans living around the three OTS field stations.     

Impact on indigenous species biodiversity caused by the globalisation of alien recreational freshwater fisheries

One of the most insidious threats to fish conservation around the world is deliberate or accidental introduction of fish species. The impact of alien invasive sport fish is for the most part unpredictable in time and space, with the introduction of relatively few species having resulted in many extirpations of indigenous fish species worldwide. More nations need to quantify biodiversity loss caused by alien sport fishes. The spread of alien invasive fishes does not respect political boundaries. Therefore total global costs to aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning resulting from these introductions need to be assessed. The global invasive species database of the Global Invasive Species Programme, highlights eight fish species among the one hundred `World's Worst Invasive Alien Species'. Three of these fish species (two trout and one bass species) were introduced solely for sport. Historically the social value of recreational fishing was usually more important than conserving biodiversity. Globalisation of alien fish species for sport is best illustrated by rainbow trout – now in 82 countries, and still spreading, along with the associated expensive angling gear, magazines and accommodation infrastructure. Such sport species have become part of the global consumer society. The nature and extent of the globalisation phenomenon is addressed with regard to how introduction of alien fish for recreational angling has impacted on biodiversity; trophic cascades at a local level and the unassessed total cumulative global trophic cascades; and some of the motives that underlie promotion of this sport within the complexity of globalisation as we know it today. Alien invasive recreational fish species are now recognised as a global environmental degradation problem resulting in loss of biodiversity and therefore require a global solution. Parallel trends such as globalisation of environmental education and the internet must be encouraged to counteract the damage caused and reverse the trend. This globally concerted campaign requires utilizing environmental education forums aimed at the angling community, general public and policy makers; networking with existing alien invasive groups; legislation; better understanding of processes; development of environmental economic evaluation tools; international bio-invasion control; wider use of the precautionary approach and utilization of the present globalisation of ecological thought.