Evolution of Transdisciplinarity and Ecosystem Health at the University of Newcastle,New South Wales,Australia

Antipodean pioneers of transdisciplinary (TD) thinking at the University of Newcastle, Glenn Albrecht and Nick Higginbotham have applied this perspective to contexts of human health globally and to the development of health social science as an emerging TD field. Nick Higginbotham has successfully championed the cause of TD thinking in international networks such as The International Clinical Epidemiology Network (INCLEN) and the International Forum for Social Sciences (IFSSEH). Glenn Albrecht has connected the Newcastle variety of TD thinking to its independently created doppelganger in the form of TD Ecosystem Health as pioneered by David Rapport in Canada. The convergence of TD thinking and Ecosystem Health at Newcastle has promoted a new curriculum in both undergraduate and postgraduate health and environmental sciences courses. Furthermore, TD research teams have been created and pursue investigations of both health and environmental problems. A successful national conference on transdisciplinary approaches to ecosystem health in Australia was held at Newcastle in April 2003. This article details the history of the evolution and synthesis of transdisciplinarity, ecosystem health, and ecohealth at the University of Newcastle, Australia, over a period from 1988 to the present.     

Development and Application of a Framework for Analyzing the Impacts of Urban Transportation

To adequately analyze the impacts associated with the rising use of automobiles, an assessment framework is needed that includes environment, health, economic, and sociocultural impacts. Such a framework was developed and applied to a proposed freeway-widening project in Edmonton, Canada. The assessment framework was developed using both Multi-Criteria Analysis and the Ecosystem Approach to Human Health (Ecohealth). Community participation was vital in the application of the assessment framework to this case study. Six stakeholder groups, including community members, City Councillors, and health, environment, and transportation experts, provided needed qualitative data for the assessment framework. Quantitative data were gathered from an ecological study design that associated traffic volumes with respiratory conditions in Edmonton. Community members perceptions about the impacts of the freeway widening differed from those of the expert groups in a number of areas. Environmental and health degradation was more of an issue to community members than to expert groups. Though respiratory conditions were not projected to increase by a significant amount because of the freeway widening, further analysis is necessary on other biophysical and socioeconomic impacts listed in the assessment framework. The divergence in opinion between community members and experts suggests that more communication is needed between these groups in relation to transportation planning. The Ecohealth approach ensures that community concerns are addressed in transportation planning.     

生态系统健康研究进展

健康的生态系统一般被视为环境管理的终极目标,进行生态系统健康研究对探索区域与生态系统可持续发展具有重要意义。随着国际生态与健康学会(International Association for Ecology and Health)的解体,生态系统健康研究视角出现转型。系统梳理了近年来国际上有关生态系统健康概念及其评估方法、指标的新进展,通过文献统计和重要文献引用揭示了国际生态系统健康研究的发展历程,提出了从生态系统健康到生态健康再到生态文化健康的三大核心框架发展阶段,生态系统健康的研究对象和范围正在不断扩充。资源环境研究领域是国内研究者应用生态系统健康概念与方法的优势领域,在区域尺度上评价生态系统的健康更贴近资源环境和社会文化交互作用的复合表征理念。因此,我国生态系统健康研究的趋向不仅应包括在生态系统尺度上研究的继续深化,也应包含对生态文化健康概念的完善与应用,并发挥地理-生态视角的区域集成研究优势,从而有效指导区域生态与环境政策制定与实施。     

The International Stem Cell Banking Initiative (ISCBI): raising standards to bank on

The International Stem Cell Banking Initiative (ISCBI) aims to create a global network of stem cell banks to facilitate best practice in stem cell research and clinical cell delivery, primary objectives of national and local governments worldwide and stem cell organizations such the International Stem Cell Forum and the International Society of Stem Cell Research. This paper is a brief overview of ISCBI, its primary activities, potential network participants, and the challenges for harmonizing stem cell banking on a global level.     

Ecosystem Approach to Human Health in Two Villages of the North Jordan Valley: Scoping the Problems

North Jordan Valley (NJV) is a narrow rift valley that extends from lake Tiberius in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. It follows the River Jordan and contains the most fertile lands in Jordan. With a population around 140,000, primarily working in agriculture, NJV is Jordan’s premier agricultural production area. NJV is an ecosystem that is stressed both naturally and by human activities. Limited precipitation and very hot summer seasons are stresses that are inherent parts of the ecosystem itself. However, human activities like agriculture, poor sanitation, and tourism produce health risks to the people through the pollution and degradation of natural resources. The area also faces several socioeconomic problems such as poverty, large family size, and unemployment. In NJV, women typically work at home as housewives taking care of large families and are engaged in agricultural activities through which they are exposed, along with men and children, to high temperature and high concentration of pesticides. This article presents the findings of a Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) study that focused on assessing local communities’ perception and awareness of the linkages between disruption of the ecosystem and prevailing public health problems. From an academic point of view, one of the key challenges of implementing ecosystem approaches to human health is the incorporation of various stakeholders as full partners throughout the research process rather than as contributors to a research designed from the sole perspective and interests of the academic research team. This study was conceptualized as a preliminary study to guide and inform the design of a larger research study on health and environment linkages in the NJV. The process was considered key for ensuring that research questions would reflect and build upon the priorities of multiple stakeholders, including community members, and would involve them in the design of the research. In addition to the successful involvement of local communities and other stakeholders in the identification of primary health problems and community priorities in the study area, the research played a key role in introducing various stakeholders to the basics of the Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health (Ecohealth) concept. The study took place in two small villages in NJV (Tal Al-Arbaeen and Tal Al-Menteh). The first village is located upstream of the junction point where King Abdullah Canal’s fresh water mixes with marginal quality water of King Talal Reservoir (KTR) while the second one is situated downstream. Results of this study showed that local communities are generally aware of the linkages between the health of the ecosystem and human health and well-being. According to the results of the study, key stressors to the environment (socioeconomic and institutional) include the use/abuse of agrochemicals and household insecticides, spread of flies (associated to organic agriculture), mismanagement of organic fertilizers, lack of sanitation services, unsanitary household conditions, and a serious problem of stray dogs and rodents. Problems associated with poverty and large family size were also commonly mentioned. Diarrhea, respiratory diseases, and infectious and parasitic diseases were believed to be the most common health problems in both villages. Local communities showed great interest and concern for the various health problems to which they are confronted and expressed eagerness to contribute to potential mitigation/intervention measures.     

应对全球气候变化的干旱农业生态系统研究——第二届EAM国际会议青年学者论坛综述

全球气候变暖对干旱农业生态系统管理提出了严峻的挑战,解决方案须从个体到全球不同尺度开展系统研究,并协同考虑与社会经济系统的互作机制。综述了2010年7月24日在兰州大学举行的第二届生态系统评估与管理(EAM)国际会议青年学者论坛的18场青年学者报告,包括全球变化生态学、植物水分生态学、植物营养与土壤生态学、草畜耦合生态学和生态系统设计与管理等5个分支,报告内容从个体尺度到全球尺度、从自然层面到社会层面均有涉及。将会议主题放入Reynolds等人提出的旱地系统发展范式(DDP)、Jianguo Liu等人提出的人与自然耦合系统理论(CHANS)和Thorvald Srensen提出的生态区概念(ecotope)及脆弱生态系统差别分层管理理论(SFDM)的视角中开展系统地讨论。总结过去20a在干旱农业生态学方面的研究工作,并融合国际前沿进展,提出在年降水量为300-550 mm的地区如何实施"大面积搞生态、小面积搞生产"和以"提高农业生产力和增加植被覆盖率"为核心的生态系统管理模式。该模式映射了未来几十年高效应对全球变化给干旱农业生态系统管理带来的挑战。     

IPBES框架下生物多样性和生态系统服务情景和模型方法评估及对我国的影响

随着国际社会对生物多样性保护关注度的提升, 生物多样性和生态系统服务情景和模型方法逐渐成为国际进程和条约关注的焦点问题。生物多样性和生态系统服务政府间科学-政策平台(Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES)将“生物多样性和生态系统服务情景和模型方法评估”列入2014-2018年工作方案, 作为IPBES首批评估活动之一, 其评估报告及决策者摘要已在IPBES第四次全体会议上获得通过。本文概述了该评估报告的主要内容和结论, 探讨了报告与其他国际进程的关系及其可能对中国的影响。该报告梳理了国际上现有的生物多样性和生态系统服务相关情景和模型方法, 综合分析了它们的优缺点、适用范围和限制条件, 提出了使用过程中应对数据和知识空缺的方法, 为制定、使用及优化情景和模型提供了指导。IPBES的一系列评估报告将引领生物多样性和生态系统服务相关科学领域的发展, 为各国在生物多样性领域进行对话、权衡与博弈, 实现本国利益最大化提供一个高效的平台。中国作为一个发展中的生物多样性大国, 积极参与、发声必然是应对IPBES未来发展的最优方式。     

全球变化背景下生态学热点问题研究——第二届"国际青年生态学者论坛"

为促进中国青年生态学者与海外生态学者的交流与合作,第二届"国际青年生态学者论坛"于2011年8月1—4日在南京大学举行。来自海内外近400名学生和青年学者,围绕"全球变化背景下生态学热点问题"主题,分别从植物群落学、植物生理生态学、地下生态学、水生态系统、生物入侵、生物多样性、区域生态安全等7个方面进行了交流与讨论,本届论坛报告反映了在全球变化背景下,我国生态学在研究领域、内容、尺度、方法上的发展现状与进展。以会议收集的95篇摘要为基础,重点综述了27场青年学者论坛报告内容,并对会议的进一步完善提出了几点建议。     

Building Capacity in Central Havana to Sustainably Manage Environmental Health Risk in an Urban Ecosystem

In the late 1990s, community officials in the inner city neighborhood of Central Havana consulted researchers at INHEM (National Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology) for assistance in evaluating the effectiveness of interventions that were being undertaken to improve the quality of life and human health amid the severe economic crisis that Cuba was experiencing. The ecosystem approach to human health framework was applied through a Cuban–Canadian collaboration to assess whether the measures taken to improve housing, municipal infrastructure, and social and cultural life were effective, and to strengthen local capacity to manage environmental health risks. Household surveys, interviews, and a series of workshops and meetings conducted between 1999 and 2001 indicated that the intervention had been effective and pointed to further needs. The greater capacity to understand and manage determinants of health led to the use of the Ecohealth framework being adopted to help respond to a serious outbreak of dengue fever in Havana in 2001–2002, as well as a follow-up project in 2003 to apply an integrated surveillance approach to more sustainably prevent and control future recurrences of dengue by extending established monitoring of clinical-epidemiological and entomological factors, linking this to more systematic monitoring and control of environmental conditions, and strengthening community participation. The experience in central Havana indicates that application of the Ecohealth framework can play a useful role in strengthening capacities for managing further challenges to a community.     

Linking Ocean's Benefits to People (OBP) with Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs)

The fundamental challenge of the inclusion of the human dimension of the oceans in the Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs) provides an opportunity for a transdisciplinary approach to create synergies between the current research by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). We have highlighted the importance of ocean inequality as a critical aspect to consider to unlock current barriers to integrate social sciences in marine integrated assessments. To create bridges between them, we develop an Ocean's Benefits to People (OBP) framework that embraces the blue economy, equity, the UN SDGs goals and support an Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) for the oceans.     

国外生态旅游对当地社区生计的影响研究综述

生态旅游因具备实现生物多样性保护和减轻贫困双重目标的潜力,成为全球学术界关注的焦点。鉴于生态旅游在影响社区生计方面的研究争议,论文综览国外大量相关文献,在界定生态旅游内涵的基础上,从经济影响、社区参与、能力建设、社会文化和公共设施4个方面系统梳理国外生态旅游对目的地社区生计的影响。研究发现旅游发展对目的地生计的影响存在不确定性,社区资源控制权、旅游收益规模、地方介入旅游产业供应链能力、自身能力、旅游管理等因素对旅游扶贫效应起着关键性作用。最后,对当前研究展开评述并对未来研究提出三点展望,以期为中国未来生态旅游影响研究和生态旅游开发提供借鉴和指导。     

A Perspective on the History and Evolution of an Oceans and Human Health “Metadiscipline” in the USA

We review recent history and evolution of Oceans and Human Health programs and related activities in the USA from a perspective within the Federal government. As a result of about a decade of support by the US Congress and through a few Federal agencies, notably the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, robust Oceans and Human Health (OHH) research and application activities are now relatively widespread, although still small, in a number of agencies and academic institutions. OHH themes and issues have been incorporated into comprehensive federal ocean research plans and are reflected in the new National Ocean Policy enunciated by Executive Order 13547. In just a decade, OHH has matured into a recognized “metadiscipline,” with development of a small, but robust and diverse community of science and practice, incorporation into academic educational programs, regular participation in ocean and coastal science and public health societies, and active engagement with public health decision makers. In addition to substantial increases in scientific information, the OHH community has demonstrated ability to respond rapidly and effectively to emergency situations such as those associated with extreme weather events (e.g., hurricanes, floods) and human-caused disasters (e.g., the Deep Water Horizon oil spill). Among many other things, next steps include development and implementation of agency health strategies and provision of specific services, such as ecological forecasts to provide routine early warnings for ocean health threats and opportunities for prevention and mitigation of these risks.     

Call for papers oral and poster presentations are invited for the International Symposium: Exploring the Greet Lakes of the World: Food Web Dynamics,Health & Integrity

Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society

Call for papers oral and poster presentations are invited for the International Symposium: Exploring the Greet Lakes of the World: Food Web Dynamics, Health & Integrity     

基于同源基因的病原菌鉴定和分型靶位点的功能基因组学研究

利用病原菌序列差异,对病原菌特定基因和位点进行检测,可以快速发现和鉴别病原菌的分类和特征,对传染病快速诊断和溯源具有基础性意义和重要价值.本文旨在覆盖中国重要传染病的103种病原菌,寻找各分类阶元中特有的同源基因,并从中挑选出适合用于病原菌鉴定、分型的候选基因.利用生物信息学和基因组学方法,对已有全基因组序列的275株病原菌的836415个基因进行比对分析,进一步明确菌株的门、纲、目、科、属各分类阶元中特有的同源基因集合;通过COG功能分类方法,对同源基因集合进行功能注释,并分析在不同分类阶元内的保守基因功能的变化规律.本研究寻找到适合鉴定和分型的不同分类阶元（门、纲、目、科、属）的同源基因集合共19563个（门2891个、纲1016个、目3601个、科10130个、属1925个）.对同源基因功能的分析表明,适合对病原菌进行鉴定的基因在不同分类阶元中,表现的功能存在较大差异.革兰氏阳性和阴性病原菌在不同分类阶元中,同源基因表现出的功能也存在差异.该结果将为对在中国广泛存在的病原菌进行检测所涉及的探针、芯片设计提供理论依据,加快目标探针的筛选工作.同时,研究也是首次将世界范围内的全基因组数据和中国重大传染病涉及的病原菌紧密联系结合,为利用功能基因组学开展区域性、有针对性的病原检测和监测,提供候选基因和位点筛选的新方法.相关结果在细菌的元基因组学研究中也具有一定的应用价值.     

生态系统健康与人类可持续发展

生态系统健康学是近年来出现的一门探讨资源环境管理对策的综合性新学科．本文介绍了生态系统健康概念的由来、内涵以及生态系统健康学的主要研究内容;阐述了生态系统健康与人类可持续发展的关系;文中还对国际上一些主要的生态系统健康实践作了介绍,并建议我国应尽快开展生态系统健康研究．作者认为生态系统健康学必然为人类社会的健康、持续发展提供新的希望．     

Changing Views of the Interconnections Between the Oceans and Human Health in Europe

Early steps in the emergence of the discipline of “Oceans and Human Health” are charted in the USA and discussed in relation to past and present marine environment and human health research activities in Europe. Differences in terminology are considered, as well as differences in circumstances related to the various seas of Europe and the intensity of human coastal activity and impact. Opportunities to progress interdisciplinary research are described, and the value of horizon scanning for the early identification of emerging issues is highlighted. The challenges facing researchers and policymakers addressing oceans and human health issues are outlined and some suggestions offered regarding how further progress in research and training into both the risks and benefits of Oceans and Human Health might be made on both sides of the Atlantic.     

General practice postal surveys: a questionnaire too far?

A primary care led NHS, driven by evidence based practice, needs to build on a firm foundation of research in primary care. As researchers are making increasing use of questionnaire surveys to assess general practitioners'' views and attitudes, so response rates to questionnaire surveys among general practitioners are dropping. The reasons include lack of perceived relevance of the research and lack of information and feedback about it, and researchers need to be more aware of the realities of everyday practice. Approaches that might reverse this trend include monitoring all research activities going on in an area to ensure that practices are not overused, giving general practitioners incentives to participate, and improving the relevance of research and the quality of questionnaires.     

A conceptual framework to assess the effects of environmental change on ecosystem services

A new conceptual framework is presented for the assessment of the impacts of environmental change drivers on ecosystem service provision and the policy and management responses that would derive from the valuation of these impacts. The Framework for Ecosystem Service Provision (FESP), is based on an interpretation of the widely-used Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. FESP differs from the DPSIR by offering clarity in the definitions of the various DPSIR components as well as introducing novel elements of relevance to the ecosystem service approach. The value of a common framework lies in making the comparison across competing services accessible and clear as well as highlighting the conflicts and trade-offs between not only multiple ecosystem services, but also multiple service beneficiaries. The framework is explicit, for example, in recognising as state variables not only the attributes of the Ecosystem Service Providers (ESPs), but also the attributes of the Ecosystem Service Beneficiaries (ESBs). That a service depends as much on the attributes of the people whose well-being benefits from the service as on the attributes of the biology providing the service is an important step in integrated social-ecological thinking. FESP also identifies the mechanisms of either mitigation or adaptation to the environmental change problem through the effect of these response strategies on specific pressure or state variables. In this way, FESP can contribute to the policies and strategies that are used to support conservation management. This paper describes the principles of FESP and presents some indicative examples of its practical implementation.     

景观可持续性与景观可持续性科学

人类活动已经剧烈地改变了自然环境,全球气候变化、生物多样性丧失、环境污染等种种迹象表明当今世界正处在一个不可持续的运行轨迹上,实现可持续发展成为21世纪人类面临的巨大挑战。景观是理解与塑造人类社会和环境关系最具操作性的尺度,也是提供景观服务,实现人类福祉最重要的场所。景观可持续性研究对于人类具有重要意义。景观可持续性是指特定景观所具有的、能够长期而稳定地提供景观服务、维护和改善本区域人类福祉的综合能力。景观可持续性具有跨学科、多维度特征,强调景观弹性和可再生能力;景观服务是景观可持续性研究中的重要概念,它是连接自然资本与人类福祉的关键桥梁,也是将景观可持续性与景观生态学紧密联系在一起的纽带。格局-过程-设计新范式的产生是景观可持续性研究的新发展。在景观可持续性快速发展的同时,聚焦于景观和区域尺度的景观可持续性科学应运而生。景观可持续性科学以景观格局、景观服务、人类福祉三者之间的动态关系为主要研究内容,充分融合了景观生态学空间显示方法、可持续性指标体系和GISRS等方法技术,其理论框架和研究方法体系正在逐步形成和完善之中。景观可持续性科学是可持续性科学的重要组成部分,虽然处于刚刚起步阶段,它必将成为未来十多年可持续性科学的研究热点。     

Life cycle inventory of medium density fibreboard

Goal, Scope and Background Wood is the most important renewable material. The management of wood appears to be a key action to optimise the use of resources and to reduce the environmental impact associated with mankind’s activities. Wood-based products must be analysed considering the two-fold nature of wood, commonly used as a renewable material or regenerative fuel. Relevant, up-to-date environmental data are needed to allow the analysis of wood-based products. The main focus of this study is to provide comprehensive data of one key wood board industry such as the Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF). Moreover, the influence of factors with strong geographical dependence, such as the electricity profile and final transport of the product, is analysed. In this work, International Organization for Standardization standards (ISO 14040-43) and Ecoindicator 99 methodology have been considered to quantify the potential environmental impact associated to the system under study. Three factories, considered representative of the ‘state of art’, were selected to study the process in detail: two Spanish factories and a Chilean one, with a process production of around 150,000 m³ per year. The system boundaries included all the activities taking place into the factory as well as the activities linked to the production of the main chemicals used in the process, energy inputs and transport. All the data related to the inputs and outputs of the process were obtained by on-site measurements during a one-year period. A sensitive analysis was carried out taking into account the influence of the final transport of the product and the dependence on the electricity generation profile. Life Cycle Inventory Analysis LCI methodology has been used for the quantification of the impacts of the MDF manufacture. The process chain can be subdivided in three main subsystems: wood preparation, board shaping and board finishing. The final transport of the product was studied as a different subsystem, considering scenarios from local to transoceanic distribution and three scenarios of electricity generation profile were assessed. The system was characterised with Ecoindicator 99 methodology (hierarchic version) in order to identify the ‘hot spots’. Damage to Human Health, Ecosystem Quality and Resources are mainly produced by the subsystem of Wood Preparation (91.1%, 94.8% and 94.1%, respectively). The contribution of the subsystem of Board Finishing is considerably lower, but also significant, standing for the 5.8% of the damage to HH and 5.5% of the damage to Resources. Condusions With the final aim of creating a database of wood board manufacture, this work was focused in the identification and characterisation of one of the most important wood-based products: Medium Density Fibreboard. Special attention has been paid in the inventory analysis stage of the MDF industry. The results of the sensitive analysis showed a significant influence of both the final transport of the product and the electricity generation profile. Thus, the location of MDF process is of paramount importance, as both aspects have considerable site-dependence. Recommendations and Perspectives Research continues to be conducted to identify the environmental burdens associated to the materials of extended use. In this sense, future work can be focused on the comparison of different materials for specific applications.