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The ecological system and natural resources of small islands are limited. Especially, their ecological system is very vulnerable to the invasion by alien species. The planning of development in small islands must be very delicate and advanced comparing with large islands or continental areas because there is no tolerance for experiments or mistakes in developing small islands. This research is aimed to obtain the acceptable road density for small islands from the ecological point of view and taking Kinmen Islands (Taiwan) as an example. Three derivations of finding the acceptable road density for small islands were developed in this analysis. One method is to adopt the allowable density of roads for sustaining viable populations of wolves in continental areas to small islands. Since wolves are the top predators of a healthy ecological system and with sustainable wolf population the ecological system is believed to be sound, this road density could be the ideal one for a small island. However, the allowable road density for wolves was obtained in continental areas and it is not clear that if it is valid in direct application on small islands. The second method is modifying the road density from model islands to fit the ecological characteristics of objective islands. In this research I took Okinawa (Japan) as the model island and derived a suitable density of roads for Kinmen. In the third method, I selected the largest small island as the model island and applied the derivation procedure of the second method to find another ecologically ideal density of roads for Kinmen. The result has shown that the smaller islands have higher density of species but should have lower ideal road density. It was also found that the current road density of Kinmen has exceeded the results obtained by the three models. Although this research is focused on Kinmen, it is believed by the author that the same approaches could be applied to other small islands when reviewing their road-developing policies. The applications of this analysis on habitat islands or ecologically isolated zones in continent areas have been demonstrated. It has been shown that the procedures and results of the application are similar to those for small islands. Key words: road density, small islands, ecological impacts, Kinmen. (The full text of this paper can be found in Ecological Engineering, 2006.)

Розглядається одна з актуальних проблем для Івано-Франківської області - причини загострення екологічної ситуації та її вплив на розвиток і використання людського капіталу, зокрема, на здоров'я населення регіону. Матеріали статті побудовані на фактичній статистичної інформації обласного управління статистики та санепідемстанції за період 1990 -2002 років. Проаналізовано фактори, які суттєво впливають на рівень розвитку і використання людського капіталу на рівні області, визначений тип зв'язку між факторами зовнішнього середовища і людським капіталом., This article covers one of the most relevant problems of today’s Ivano-Frankivs ”k region - causes of ecology aggravation and its influence on regional population. Matter of this article is based on the actual data provided by Sanitation and Epidemiology Superintendence and Regional Department of Statistics in Ivano-Frankivs "k that cover 1990 - 2002 period. The work analyses ecological factors that substantially influence development and consumption of human capital at the regional scale. The article also determines type of relation that links environmental factors with human capital.

This paper presents the analysis of relationships between relative water levels on Drava and Danube river and water level inside the Nature park "Kopački rit" during the summer 2002. Due to high complexity of complete system under study, usual quantitative techniques couldn’ t be applied. Qualitative-quantitative analysis has set up some basic relationships and showed possibilities in dealing with complex water flooding systems. For the modelling procedure AI identification tool was used, based on circular qualitative-quantitative algebra.

"The amount of water used for irrigation has sharply declined during transition in Bulgaria. Large sections of existing irrigation systems were abandoned, and the ones still in use are barely maintained. Crops such as wheat and barley have replaced more water-intensive crops, including vegetables, rice and maize. This problem has an impact on the future development of agriculture and the allocation of the country's water resources. The central argument is that land fragmentation in the wake of decollectivization and restitution contributes to the irrigation systems' abandonment. This paper concentrates on the institutional factors, but also considers additional factors, that may have influenced the process; further, it examines the causes driving these changes and analyses their effect on irrigation. It is based upon a review of relevant legislation, as well as field work in 17 villages located in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria. The paper concludes that, in addition to changes in large-scale market forces and weakening of the state enforcement mechanism, institutional settings have contributed to the decline of irrigation in Bulgaria." (author's abstract) Die Wassermenge, die in Bulgarien während des Transformationsprozesses zur Bewässerung verwendet wurde ist, im Vergleich zu früher, stark zurückgegangen. Große Bereiche der vorhandenen Bewässerungssysteme wurden aufgegeben, und diejenigen, die noch in Gebrauch sind, werden nicht ausreichend gewartet. Getreide wie Weizen und Gerste haben andere, wasserintensivere Kulturen wie Gemüse, Reis und Mais ersetzt. Dieses Problem hat Auswirkungen auf die zukünftige Entwicklung der Landwirtschaft und die Verteilung der Wasserressourcen des Landes. Die zentrale These lautet, dass die Landfragmentierung, die unmittelbar nach der Entkollektivierung einsetzte, sowie die Rückerstattungen zur Aufgabe der Bewässerungssysteme beigetragen haben. Der vorliegende Beitrag konzentriert sich auf die institutionellen Faktoren, betrachtet aber auch zusätzliche Faktoren, die diesen Prozess beeinflusst haben. Des Weiteren untersucht der Autor die Ursachen, die zu diesen Veränderungen geführt haben, und analysiert deren Auswirkungen auf die Bewässerung. Der Beitrag basiert auf einem Überblick über die relevante Gesetzgebung sowie einer Feldarbeit in 17 Dörfern der Region Plovdiv in Bulgarien. Der Autor stellt fest, dass zusätzlich zu den Veränderungen im Bereich der Marktdynamik und der Schwächung der staatlichen Zwangsmechanismen institutionelle Parameter zur Abnahme der Bewässerung in Bulgarien beigetragen haben. (ICDÜbers)

"Like in many low moor regions in East Germany, long-standing intensive arable farming - enabled by complex melioration - has caused soil deterioration and high water runoff in the 'Schraden'. More than ten years of economic and political transformation has worsened the situation and even added new problems. The visible consequences are drought periods in the summer, waterlogged plots in the spring and worn-down water management facilities that operate in an uncoordinated or even unauthorized way. It is here argued that the reallocation of property rights on melioration systems, together with ineffective co-ordination mechanisms, have impeded appropriate land use. Transformation related problems like the discontinuity of land property rights, the unclear legal situation regarding melioration plants built in socialist times, and highly-fragmented land ownership have not been effectively dealt with by the newly-established Water Association and Water Administration, respectively. Profoundly heterogeneous water-user interests and the complexity of ecosystem relations have contributed to the persistence of the problems. This analysis is based on regional planning material as well as on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders, representatives of the administration and politicians at all levels of government." (author's abstract) Wie in vielen Flachmoorregionen in Ostdeutschland, hat die althergebrachte intensive Landwirtschaft zur Bodenverschlechterung und hohem Wasserabfluss in der Flachmoorregion 'Schraden' beigetragen. Mehr als zehn Jahre ökonomische und politische Transformation haben die Situation verschlechtert und neue Probleme geschaffen. Die sichtbaren Konsequenzen sind Dürreperioden im Sommer, überschwemmte Bereiche im Frühjahr und heruntergewirtschaftete Wassermanagementeinrichtungen, die in einer unkoordinierten oder sogar unautorisierten Weise operieren. Der Autor argumentiert, dass die Neuverteilung der Eigentumsrechte bei den Meliorationssystemen sowie die ineffektiven Koordinationsmechanismen eine adäquate Flächennutzung behindert haben. Transformationsbedingte Probleme, wie etwa die Diskontinuität im Bereich der Bodenrechte, die unklare Rechtslage in Bezug auf die Meliorationsanlagen, die in den sozialistischen Zeiten errichtet wurden, und stark fragmentierter Landbesitz wurden durch die neu etablierten Wasserverbände nicht effektiv behandelt. Tiefgreifende heterogene Wassernutzungsinteressen und die Komplexität der Beziehungen des Ökosystems haben zur Persistenz der Probleme beigetragen. Die vorliegende Analyse basiert auf regionalem Planungsmaterial sowie auf qualitativen, teilstrukturierten Interviews mit lokalen Interessengruppen, Repräsentanten der Verwaltung und Politikern auf allen Regierungsebenen. (ICDÜbers)

"Croatian farming systems have become more intensive in recent years. There is some evidence of rising NO3-N-levels in ground water. The aim of the paper is to find possible ways of preventing NO3-levels to rise in Croatian farming systems and their implications from the viewpoint of the manager. More specifically the purpose is to 1. Determine whether Croatian farmers exceed profit maximising levels of N-fertiliser use in maize cultivation and possible influence on NO3-N-levels. 2. To estimate the marginal abatement cost (MAC) at farm level of reducing NO3-N leaching through following economic instruments: a tax on optimal N-doses, a product tax and a N-fertiliser quota, all instruments corresponding to the same abatement level. Based on N-response experiments from field trials for maize N-response curves were derived. A sample of 20 family farms was used to calculate intensity, nutrient content in manure and the prices paid for N and obtained for maize. Profit maximising doses from the field trials were compared with nutrient use on farms. An effluent production function was estimated based on experiments with NO3-N contents in lysimeter water for the same treatments as in the N-response experiments. The results indicate that farmers use higher than optimal levels of N-fertilisers, if the technology and conditions of experimental fields could be applied on the farms and if manure is accounted for. Neglecting the N-content of the manure shows close to optimal nutrient levels. At profit maximising levels the NO3-N level is approximately 14 mg NO3-N/l (62 mg NO3/l) or clearly higher that the critical level stipulated by the nitrate directive (11.3 mg NO3- N/l or 50 mg NO3/l). If the N-content in the manure is taken into account the estimated NO3-N/l level in groundwater is about twice higher than the critical level stipulated by the Nitrate Directive. Through any of the three instruments a 76% NO3-leaching reduction could be obtained. However, it was concluded the quota has the lowest MAC (4.08 Euro/mg NO3-N/l or 0.92 Euro/mg NO3/l), followed by the N-fertiliser tax (16.16 Euro/mg NO3-N/l or 3.65 Euro/mg NO3/l) and the product tax in third place (41.25 Euro/mg NO3-N/l or 9.32 Euro/mg NO3/l). Management practices that may increase yield level and correspondingly NO3-leaching in the short and long run were identified. One way to achieve a quick improvement would be a system of cross compliance stipulating a code of good agricultural practices." (author's abstract) Die kroatische Landwirtschaft ist in den letzten Jahren intensiver geworden. Es gibt Anzeichen für einen steigenden Nitrat-Stickstoffgehalt im Grundwasser. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht die Möglichkeiten, die Zunahme der Nitratkonzentration zu verhindern und die Implikationen, die sich daraus aus der Sicht von Managern ergeben. Die Autoren gehen dabei folgender Frage nach: Benutzen kroatische Landwirte beim Maisanbau zuviel Stickstoffdünger und hat das einen Einfluss auf den Nitrat-Stickstoffgehalt? Ziel ist es dabei, die Grenzvermeidungskosten der Verringerung des Nitrat-Stickstoffgehaltes auf der Ebene der landwirtschaftlichen Betriebseinheiten durch folgende wirtschaftliche Instrumente einzuschätzen: eine Steuer zur optimalen Stickstoffdosis, eine Produktsteuer und eine Stickstoffdüngerquote. Die Untersuchung basiert auf Feldversuchen und Stichproben. Eine Stichprobe von 20 Familienbauernhöfen wurde herangezogen, um die Intensität, den Nährstoffgehalt im Düngemittel und den Preis zu errechnen, der für Stickstoff gezahlt und für Mais erzielt wurde. Die Ergebnisse der Feldversuche und der Stichproben wurden dann miteinander verglichen. Es wird deutlich, dass Landwirte mehr Stickstoffdünger nutzen als optimal. Die Autoren stellen Managementpraktiken vor, die kurz- und langfristig zu einer optimalen Nutzung des Stickstoffdüngers beitragen können. Eine Möglichkeit, um zu einer schnellen Verbesserung zu gelangen, wäre die Entwicklung eines Codes zur 'good practice' in der Landwirtschaft. (ICDÜbers)

"This paper aims at explaining the role and importance of the evolution of institutions for sustainable agri-environments during the transition process by referring to examples of agri-environmental problems faced in Central and Eastern European countries. It is often stated that the replacement of institutional structures in post socialist countries would bring a unique opportunity to implement new policies and institutions needed to ensure that economic growth is environmentally sustainable. This idea stems from the assumption that the breakdown of the socialist system resembles that (of the Schumpeterian type) of creative destruction - a process that incessantly revolutionizes economic structures from within. However, not all kinds of institutions, especially at local level, can simply be implemented, and even more, not incessantly. Instead, they evolve as a response to ecosystem and social system characteristics, and this is a rather slow process. A central question therefore is whether the required institutional arrangements for achieving sustainability in the area of agri-environmental resource management can be built more easily in periods of transition as they fill institutional gaps, or whether processes of transition make institution building a more difficult and far more time consuming task than previously thought. Above all, we want to find out, how these two processes of institution building at different scales affect the sustainable management of resources such as water and biodiversity in agriculture? It will become clear that the agri-environmental problem areas faced during transition are complex and dynamic and require adequate institutions both by political design and from the grassroots, to be developed by the respective actors involved. Transition from centrally planned to pluralistic systems has to be considered as a particular and in some respect non-typical process of institutional change. Popular theories of institutional change do not necessarily apply. The privatisation experience from many CEE countries will serve as an example. Finally, we will provide some examples of missing or insufficient interaction between political actors or agencies and people in CEE countries. Substantial investments into social and human capital, particularly regarding informal institutions are needed for institutions of sustainability to evolve." (author's abstract), Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht die Rolle und Bedeutung von Institutionen zur Unterstützung nachhaltiger umweltschonender Landwirtschaft während des Transformationsprozess in den zentral- und osteuropäischen Ländern unter Einbeziehung beispielhafter Probleme aus dem landwirtschaftlichen umweltbezogenen Bereich. Es wird häufig behauptet, dass die Ersetzung institutioneller Strukturen in den ehemaligen sozialistischen Ländern eine einzigartige Gelegenheit bieten würde, eine neue Politik und neue Institutionen zu implementieren, die benötigt werden, um das Wirtschaftswachstum umweltgerecht abzusichern. Diese Idee basiert auf der Annahme, dass der Zusammenbruch des sozialistischen Systems einer kreativen Zerstörung ähnelt, einem Prozess, der unaufhörlich Wirtschaftsstrukturen von innen revolutioniert. Tatsache ist jedoch, dass nicht alle Arten von Institutionen implementiert werden können, vor allem nicht auf lokaler Ebene. Stattdessen entwickeln sie sich als Antwort auf das Ökosystem und das soziale System, und zwar ziemlich langsam. Eine zentrale Frage ist folglich, ob die Herausbildung von Institutionen zur Erreichung von Nachhaltigkeit im landwirtschaftlich-umweltbezogenen Bereich in Zeiten der Transformation leichter vonstatten gehen kann, oder ob es sich dabei um einen Prozess handelt, der viel schwieriger und zeitraubender ist, als bisher angenommen. Die Autoren gehen der Frage nach, wie diese beiden Prozesse des 'institution building' das nachhaltige Ressourcenmanagement beeinflussen. Es wird deutlich, dass die landwirtschaftlich-umweltbezogenen Probleme während der Transformation komplex und dynamisch sind und adäquate Institutionen erfordern. (ICDÜbers)

In this study, lt had been discussed effects of earthquakes of The August 17, Izmit and The November 12. Duzce called disaster of this century. Wilhin the century, badly urbanization and its reasons had been touched. Besides, it had been expresself that we must have the disaster management system to be applied in state of disaster, otherwise hazard of disasters can be bed to the biggest problems. Bu çalışmada yüzyılın felaketi olarak adlandırılan 17 Ağustos İzmit ve 12 Kasım Düzce Depremlerinde oluşan yapısal çevresel hasarların etkileri incelenmiştir. Bu bağlamda ülkemizdeki çarpık kentleşme olgusuna ve bunun sonuçlarına değinilmiştir. Ayrıca afet durumlarında uygulanması gereken afet eylem planlarının olması gerektiği, aksi takdirde felaketin boyutlarının daha da artacağı vurgulanmıştır.

"Ob 'die' Soziologie radikal veränderter theoretischer Grundlagen und insbesondere eines anderen Naturbegriffs bedarf, um zu einem adäquaten Verständnis der 'ökologischen Krise' zu gelangen, ist umstritten. Forderungen nach vielfältig interpretierbaren grundlegenden Kurskorrekturen stehen umweltsoziologischen Normalisierungsstrategien gegenüber. Theoretisch dominieren soziozentrische Ansätze, die die Analyse der natural-stofflichen Dimension der 'ökologischen Krise' den Naturwissenschaften überlassen, ohne deren Charakter als soziale Praxis und damit die Umkämpfheit dieser natural-stofflichen Dimension ernstzunehmen. Latours modernitätskritische 'symmetrische Anthropologie', entwickelt aus wissenschafts- und techniksoziologischen Untersuchungen, beansprucht ein radikal empirisches Programm der 'Ko-Produktion von Gesellschaft und Natur'. Beide Pole sollen demzufolge als kontingente Kristallisierungen - und nicht als gegebene Voraussetzungen - konstruktiver Prozesse aufzufassen sein sollen. In diesen Prozessen spielen Wissenschaft und Technik als 'Politik mit anderen Mitteln' die zentrale Rolle. Jeder Ansatz eines 'spezifisch Sozialen', das die menschliche Form der Vergesellschaftung kennzeichnet, wird als dem Verständnis dieser konstruktiven Prozesse hinderliche Essentialisierung abgewiesen. Latours 'symmetrische Anthropologie' verfolgt vielmehr ein postsoziologisches Programm der Untersuchung soziotechnischer Ensembles. Dieses Konzept soll schließlich auch einer Analyse ökologischer Krisenphänomene als Leitfaden dienen. Dieser Anspruch läßt sich, den produktiven Seiten der Überlegungen Latours zum Trotz, nicht halten. Nicht nur ist unklar, wie eine Erweiterung der semiologischen Wissenschafts- und Technologieanalysen die materiell-stoffliche Dimension der 'ökologischen Krise' sollte thematisieren können, sind doch jene Analysen selbst bereits dem Vorwurf ausgesetzt, die 'Materialität' von Wissenschaft und Technologie zu verfehlen. Latours Frontstellung gegen soziologische Redukdonismen erschwert die Entwicklung eines Konzeptes der 'ökologischen Krise' als ein spezifisch soziales Problem, das gesellschaftliche Ursachen hat und gesellschaftlicher Lösungen bedarf." (Autorenreferat)

Background: Internet users use search engines to look for information online, including health information. Researchers in medical informatics have found a high correlation of the occurrence of certain search queries and the incidence of certain diseases. Consumers’ search for information about diseases is related to current health status with regard to a disease and to the social environments that shape the public’s attitudes and behaviors. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the extent to which public health risk perception as demonstrated by online information searches related to a health risk can be explained by the incidence of the health risk and social components of a specific population’s environment. Using an ecological perspective, we suggest that a population’s general concern for a health risk is formed by the incidence of the risk and social (eg, media attention) factors related with the risk. Methods: We constructed a dataset that included state-level data from 32 states on the incidence of the flu; a number of social factors, such as media attention to the flu; private resources, such as education and health insurance coverage; public resources, such as hospital beds and primary physicians; and utilization of these resources, including inpatient days and outpatient visits. We then explored whether online information searches about the flu (seasonal and pandemic flu) can be predicted using these variables. We used factor analysis to construct indexes for sets of social factors (private resources, public resources). We then applied panel data multiple regression analysis to exploit both time-series and cross-sectional variation in the data over a 7-year period. Results: Overall, the results provide evidence that the main effects of independent variables—the incidence of the flu ( P

"Die Umweltberatung als Praxis und berufliche Tätigkeit entsteht Mitte der achtziger Jahren in Europa. Obwohl Deutschland als Vorbild für die europäische Umweltberatung dienen kann, ergeben sich verschiedene Auffassungen dieser Tätigkeit in Europa, wie man am Vergleich zwischen Frankreich und Deutschland zeigen kann. Wir unterscheiden bei der Analyse der Umweltberatung den Aspekt der gesellschaftlichen Relevanz und den Bezug zur Natur. Die Umweltberatung in Deutschland begreift sich als Bürgerberatung oder als Verbraucherberatung und versteht sich als Teil einer sozialen Bewegung. Die Umweltberatung in Frankreich begreift sich dagegen als Beratung für Entscheidungsträger und distanziert sich gern von der grünen Bewegung. Diesem Unterschied entspricht das jeweilige Verständnis der Gesellschaft, das die deutschen und französischen Umweltberater haben. Da wo die deutsche Umweltberatung sich überwiegend auf die Bevölkerung stützt um den erhofften gesellschaftlichen Wandel anzutreiben, ist die französische Umwe1tberatung bestrebt, diesen Wandel hauptsächlich durch technischen Innovationen zu fördern. Während die einen das Wandlungspotential der Gesellschaft an der Betroffenheit der Bevö1kerung messen, setzen die anderen auf die Flexibi1ität der gese11schaftlichen Strukturen. Es herrschen also zwei Versionen der gesellschaftlichen Dynamik: im ersten Fall gelten die Weltanschauungen der Menschen und ihre Motive als Hauptzugang zur Gesellschaft; im zweiten Fall zielt die Handlung auf die Gesellschaft die als autonomes Gefüge verstanden wird. Nimmt man dagegen den Bezug zur Natur als Schwerpunkt der Umweltberatung in Europa, verblaßt die Differenz zwischen Deutschland und Frankreich. In beiden Fällen wird das Wissen über die Natur mit einem allgemeinen Wissen verbunden, das hauptsächlich wissenschaftlich, technisch und recht1ich fundiert ist. Es bi1den sich jedoch Regionen nach Themen die mehr oder weniger Re1evanz finden. So wird, z. B., bei der Weiterbildung der Umweltberater in Frankreich das Thema der Schadstoffe im Haushalt vernachlässigt, aber dafür wird die Stadtplanung intensiver behandelt als in Deutschland. Diese Tendenzen hängen mit gesellschaft1ichen Formen des Zusammenlebens zusammen, die mit einer Tradition verbunden sind. Die Familie, die kleine Gruppen und die Nähe, im allgemein, werden in Deutschland bevorzugt gegen den abstrakten Vertrag in Frankreich." (Autorenreferat)

Was hat der Ökologiediskurs mit Frauen bzw. dem Diskurs über das Geschlechterverhältnis zu tun? Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage(n) werden verschiedene feministische Positionen aus den wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen der Philosophie, Naturwissenschaft und Wissenschaftstheorie vorgestellt. Als Ausgangsbedingungen für die Argumentation wird zudem kurz auf die Unterscheidung positionaler und relationaler Denkmuster sowie auf die Definition von Patriarchalismus eingegangen. Die Hauptargumentation widmet sich den impliziten Vorstellungen, die mit der Verwendung der Begriffe Natur (einschließlich Naturwissenschaft) und Ökologie mittransportiert werden und die für ein Handeln in Bezug auf Natur und das Geschlechterverhältnis wirksam werden. Weiter wird auf Hauptströmungen der deutschen wie internationalen Frauenforschung und Frauenbewegung eingegangen, die sich mit Problemen der Ökologie beschäftigen.

Various definitions of ecotourism exist in the literature. The definition of ecotourism is important for determining the boundary of the ecotourism industry and its economic value. However, the extent to which ecotourism can be separated from tourism generally or the extent to which a separate tourism industry can be identified is uncertain. Considerable fuzziness exists at the boundaries. Some authors use the term nature-tourism and ecotourism interchangeably, while some limit it to tourism based primarily on living natural things. In principle, the size of the ecotourism industry might be determined from the supply-side e.g. from the specialisation of tourist organisations the extent to which they perceive they are involved in ecotourism, or from the demand-side e.g. the extent to which tourists are involved in or demand ecotourism experiences. These alternative .approaches and the difficulties to be overcome are discussed. • For the purpose of this article, we propose to define ecotourism as a kind of tourism which is based on relatively undisturbed living natural areas and at the same time takes particular care of and contributes to the protection of the resources used. Some special features of ecotourism make it a distinctive subset of tourism. The framework for ecotourism study covers the interrelationship between ecotourism and its resources, which are comprised of natural, social, cultural and economic systems. The coexistence of ecotourism and the resources is rooted in the fact that ecotourism depends heavily on the well-protected environment while provides incentives for the continuous conservation of its resource basis. But the natural conflicts must be taken seriously in that the natural condition and variations in the resources have crucial effects on ecotourism, and ecotourism undoubtedly performs as a powerful factor to bring about both favourable and unfavourable changes to its resources. Outlines for a careful cost-benefit analysis of ecotourism are discussed. Planning plays a crucial role to bridge the natural gap between .ecotourism and its resources. Three levels of planning - normative, strategic and operational are best achieved by multi-channel communication among the clients, decision makers, planners and other interested parties. The goal of planning is to ensure the harmonious balance and a sustained ecotourism. Monetary gain from ecotourism can be a misleading criterion for measuring the economic benefit of ecotourism, and could furthermore lead to deprivation of its resources. It is important to make ecotourism financially viable but not at the price of damaging the background on which it depends. As the immediate beneficiary or victim of ecotourism, local communities are closely affected by the long term development of ecotourism. Successes and failures are analysed, and a checklist for community involvement included. Some of the economic problems involved in developing an ecotourism industry are discussed along with the economics of operating ecotourism enterprises. The latter issue has been relatively neglected. Examples of the issues involved are given mainly from China.

This paper argues that there are a number of multi-faceted social processes in progress today which particularly affect and change the foundations and rules of human social life developed since the Second World War, and which in this transition scenario must also redefine, reshape and reinstall social work: the radicalisation of modernity is increasing, the perception of a globaI ecological catastrophe has become consensual, and above all the end of the 'East-West' constellation as a paradoxial global stabilisation conflict scenario has upset political routines. In this way society has become politicised, which means that the forms of arrangement, formation, regulation, maintenance and change of social life itself has (again) become the object, theme and aim of action. Consequently, in principle new possibilities arise in every context and for every social actor. Against this background, social work must therefore understand itself as located in principle in a protopolitical basis constelllation of employers, clients and social workers.Although the traditional position ofsocial workers in this triad becomes problematic, at the same time it generates opportunities for their emancipation in relation to the interests ofothers and external claims., Eine Vielzahl sozialer Prozesse ist gegenwärtig zu beobachten, die besonders die Grundlagen und Regeln des menschlichen Soziallebens seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg beeinflussen und verändern. Der Beitrag bezieht sich auf die Rolle sozialer Arbeit im Kontext drei basaler Großfaktoren. Der erste ist die Radikalisierung der Moderne in politisch-kultureller Hinsicht. Gemeint ist hiermit die Öffnung von immer mehr Entscheidungsbereichen für die Gesellschaftsmitglieder. Der zweite Faktor ist die Wahrnehmung einer globalen ökologischen Katastrophe als komplexes Resultat des ökonomisch-zivilisatorischen Fortschritts. Der dritte und gegenwärtig alles andere überlagernde Faktor, ist das Ende der "Ost-West-Konstellation" als ein latentes und dadurch stabilisierendes Konflikt-Szenario. Diese Verschiebung politischer Routinen und des globalen Gleichgewichts hat zu einer Politisierung der Gesellschaft geführt, da die Regulierung, der Erhalt, sowie Veränderungen des sozialen Lebens wieder Mittelpunkt und Ziel politischer Handlungen bilden. Hieraus entwickeln sich neue Möglichkeiten für jeden einzelnen sozialen Akteur. Vor diesem Hintergrund muss soziale Arbeit in den Kontext einer proto-politischen Basiskonstellation von Arbeitgebern, Kunden und Sozialarbeitern gesetzt werden. Obwohl die traditionelle Position von Sozialarbeitern in dieser Triade problematisch erscheint, bietet sie die Möglichkeit der Emanzipation in Bezug auf die Interessen anderer und externe Bedürfnisse. (ICG)

Specialization in agricultural systems can lead to trade-offs between economic gains and ecosystem functions. We suggest and explore a conceptual framework in which economic gains can be maximized when production activities are specialized at increasingly broader scales (from the household to the village, region or above), particularly when markets for outputs and inputs function well. Conversely,more specialization likely reduces biodiversity and significantly limits ecosystem functions. When agricultural specialization increases and moves to broader scales as a result of improved infrastructure and markets or other drivers, ecosystem functions can also be endangered at broader spatial scales. Policies to improve agricultural incomes may influence the level of specialization at different scales and thus affect the severity of the trade-offs. This paper takes Jambi province in Indonesia, a current hotspot of rubber and oil palm monoculture, as a case study to illustrate these issues.We empirically show that the level of specialization differs across scales with higher specialization at household and village levels and higher diversification towards the province level. We discuss ways to resolve trade-offs between economic gains and ecological costs, including landscape design, targeted policies, and adoption of longterm perspectives. peerReviewed

The preservation of our natural environment and ecological system has recently become an alarming global concern due to the increase in worldwide pollution levels. Many agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations are leading awareness campaigns of the dwindling ecosystem in various environments. One of these environments is marine life which forms an important integral part of realizing a self-sustaining ecosystem. Unfortunately, some marine dwellers such as Chelonioidea turtles are becoming endangered species. This is also partly due to lack of information on the more rare and mysterious Chelonioidea species; their habitats, traveling routes and tracks. There are eight species of these mysterious marine dwellers in the world. This paper presents a novel application that could aid in preserving the international marine life ecological system. Our intelligent identification system is based on pattern recognition and neural learning of visual information in sea turtles images. The system is scale and rotational invariant and thus can be successfully used in recognizing the species via their images.

Based on the research results of the ecological water requirement both in China and abroad, this study divided the research process of the ecological water requirement into four stages .The embryonic stage of ecological water requirement from 1940 s to 1970 s, represents the rapid development of the in-stream flow methods and the preliminary discusses of the determination of the minimum stream flow. During this stage the formal view of the ecological water requirement was not formed. The view of the ecological water requirement was formed during 1980 s, mainly represented the maturation of the study in stream discharge in foreign countries, the formation of the allocation study's embryonic of eco-environmental water requirement and the initial proposal of ecological water requirement problems .The broad scale research of ecological water requirement which have been a focus around the world from 1990 s to the early 21st century, mainly represented the essential perfection of the conception of the ecological water requirement and the development of the related theory and methods. Since the21st century, the inclined maturity stage mainly represents the further study of the conception and the methods of all kinds of ecological water requirement.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new direction of eco-tourism development in China. Using the converse thinking method, we found China eco-tourism is still locating a lower level, and has some problems: the eco-tourism plan is simple and unreasonable; the eco-tourism development has mainly focused on better ecological system resource but not the worse; the eco-tourism products mostly expense natural resource and damage ecological system, but not protect or rebuild it. Then we proposed the advice that the eco-tourism development should mainly focus on the destroyed ecosystem, it has important meanings to reconditioning and protecting the environment, and it is feasible.

"In den letzten Jahren und Jahrzehnten fand in der Bevölkerung der Industrienationen ein Umdenken statt. Umweltfragen sind in das Zentrum öffentlicher Erörterung gerückt. Bürgerinitiativen sind eine sichtbare politische Artikulationsform des neuen Natur- und Politikverständnisses. Dieser Wertewandelsprozeß wird in dem vorliegenden Buch aus einer psychologischen Perspektive analysiert und an Hand empirischer Erhebungen im internationalen Vergleich beschrieben. Umweltpsychologische Ansätze und Fragestellungen werden mit Haupttrends der Wertwandelsforschung in Verbindung gebracht. Der Verlust von Handlungskompetenzen gegenüber natürlichen Lebensbedingungen erweist sich als Hauptauslöser des neuen Denkens. Die Beschäftigung mit ökologischem Denken und Handeln stellt die Umweltpsychologie vor neue wissenschaftlich lohnende und gesellschaftlich dringende Aufgaben. Grundlagen eines ökologisch orientierten Lernens (Umweltlernen) und einer ökologisch orientierten gesellschaftlichen Struktur (Experimentiergesellschaft) werden dargestellt. Das Buch wendet sich an gesellschaftlich engagierte Sozialwissenschaftler, an umweltpolitisch Interessierte sowie an Mitarbeiter im Bildungswesen." (Autorenreferat)

Source: https://erdc-library.erdc.dren.mil/jspui/ The specific objectives of this study were to document; (a) Natural temporal variations in benthic assemblages and changes related to substrate stability, (b) the initial effects of dredging and subsequent recolonization, (c) the effects of disposal of dredged material on the benthos and subsequent recovery of the fauna, and (d) the role of faunal distribution and reproductive abilities upon recovery or recolonization of disturbed areas. The natural benthic assemblages differed with changes in the amount of sediment movement or substrate stability. Many animals characterized the relatively stable submarine ridges but few inhabited the unstable terrace slopes of the submarine canyon in Monterey Bay, California (Monterey Canyon); even fewer animals were found in channeled areas. Dredging in the channel areas removed 60 percent of the original population of bottom animals. After 1.5 years, the number of individuals was low but the species diversity and evenness indexes were higher than ·before dredging. Disposal of dredged material near the Monterey Canyon head at Moss Landing, California, removed 60 percent of the individuals. After 1.5 years; the number of individuals remained low but the species diversity and evenness indexes were higher than before disposal. Organisms adapted to unstable bottom conditions survive burial better than others. The ultimate recovery of a disturbed area depends upon the timing of the action in relation to the reproductive cycles and distributive abilities of the benthic organisms in the area. In Monterey Bay, spring and fall are the most active spawning seasons for many benthic animals; dredging or dumping should be avoided during these seasons. Underwater disposal of dredged material should be made in unstable bottom areas if possible.

我々は32年前に清酒酵母を添加していない山廃もとを使用している清酒醪の酵母相について調べた。その蔵の清酒製造には多くのキラー酵母が関係していることを認めた。また,ニコチン酸要求株も発見した。不幸にして,その酒蔵の建物は全て15年前の阪神淡路大震災で倒壊した。その後,蔵は再建され,酒造りも再開された。しかし,蔵の再建前と後では醪の様子に違いが感じられたため,酵母相の調査を行った。大部分の分離株は以下のような性状を示したことからThe Yeasts第4版によりSaccharomyces bayanusに同定された。増殖 ; 出芽,発酵性 ; +,細胞形態 ; 卵型,胞子形成 ; +,硝酸塩の資化性 ; -,イノシトールの資化性 ; -,皮膜形成 ; -,塩酸エチルアミンの資化性 ; -,マルトースの資化性 ; +,ビタミンフリー培地での増殖 ; +The Yeasts第4版によると,清酒酵母はS. bayanusに同定されるので,分離株について清酒酵母の特性試験を行った。その結果,分離株は2株(マルトース資化性 : ±)を除いて全て清酒酵母であると判明した。しかし,その2株も詳しい検討の結果,清酒酵母であると判明した。分離株はカリウム欠如培地での増殖,α-メチルグルコシドの資化性及びキラー性から12グループに分けられた。内蔵から分離された株はほとんどBグループ,Cグループであった。中蔵からは全てのタイプが分離された。1977年と比較するとカリウム欠如培地で増殖できる株が大幅に増えた。この蔵は酵母を添加しないで清酒を製造しているので,麹室,仕込み室等の蔵付き酵母の菌相が震災後の蔵の建て直しにより,変化したものと考えられた。, All the isolated strains from the sake-mash using yamahaimoto were sake yeast. Compared with the previous study, there were several notable changes in the isolated yeast strains. These included a far greater number of strains capable of growth in potassium-deficient culture media and the lack of nicotinic acid-dependent strains. The interval between the previous study and the current one is 30 years, and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake can be considered a major cause of the changes in the yeast strains. In the previous study, the isolated sake yeasts had been used for many years at each brewery, while those of the current study were derived from the breweries rebuilt after the destruction by earthquake. Therefore, although some of the original equipment is reused in the new breweries, yeast-flora in produced sake was replaced with the environmental changes.

Biosphere 2 is a closed ecological system of high complexity built to deepen the understanding of ecological systems, to study the dynamics of closed ecologies, and to learn to control their behavior. The use of modeling and simulation is crucial in the achievement of these goals. Understanding a physical system is almost synonymous with possessing a model of its comportment. The main goal of this study is the development of a dynamic bond graph model that represents the thermal behavior of the complex ecological system under study, Biosphere 2. In this work, a first model that captures the behavior of the ecological system in a non-controlled environment is presented.

La región del Urabá-Darién, localizada en el noroccidente de Colombia, es una de las áreas del mundo con mayor riqueza y diversidad biótica. Sin embargo, durante los últimos años esta zona ha sido el epicentro de una grave crisis humanitaria y su ecosistema se encuentra en peligro debido a las perspectivas de industrialización del área. El Urabá se ha transformado en sede privilegiada para la realización de proyectos y megaproyectos con un fuerte impacto socio-ambiental. El objetivo manifiesto de estas empresas es aquello de “destapar” el Darién y franquear así aquella barrera de selva que impide una comunicación directa entre las dos mitades del continente americano, dotándolo también de una infraestructura industrial y de transporte. Este artículo quiere proponer una lectura alternativa frente a las razones que históricamente han justificado tales planes de conexión, mostrando que no corresponden con la voluntad de dotar a la población local con un sistema de transporte popular masivo y comercial, sino que hay que interpretarlos como una respuesta a meras exigencias de seguridad interna y continental. The Urabá-Darién region, located in the northwest of Colombia, is one of the richest and most biologically diverse areas of the world. However, during the past few years, this zone has been the epicenter of a serious humanitarian crisis, and its ecosystem is in danger due to industrialization prospects in the area. Urabá has been transformed into a favored site for the development of projects and megaprojects with strong social and environmental impacts. The express objective of these businesses is to “uncork” the Darién and bridge,in this way, the barrier of rainforest that impedes any direct communication between the two halves of the American continent, as well as to provide industrial and transportation infrastructures to the area. This article would like to propose an alternative understanding of the reasons that, historically, have justified these connection plans, showing that they do not actually correspond to the wish to give the local population a massive and commercial public transportation system. Instead, these projects must be interpreted as an answer to the demands of internal and continental security.

Edges between forest and agricultural areas are very common in rural landscapes where temperate forests are fragmented. From an ecological point of view, edges are most often defined as the boundary between two distinct habitats. Therefore, they have common characteristics with habitats they separate. Conversely, they can be considered as special ecological environments with their own characteristics and species. The edges are also characterized by the flow of organisms, matter, energy and information through them. By analogy with membranes, the structure of the vegetation in edges are more or less permeable ensuring a filter function. When the movements of organisms are parallel to the edge, they are recognized as a part of corridors. These interface effects, gradient and boundaries between spatial entities are important processes that were not as considered so far, as the effects of the surface, isolation or heterogeneity. However, forest and farm managers will need this information to adapt their managements in a context where the interactions between forests and agriculture will be more important, particularly through the valuation of ecosystem services, such as pollination and pest regulation. Moreover, changes in the landscape generally affect margins of habitats in the first place. These limits also often have a social significance that places them at the center of important management issues. From a socio-technical perspective, the edges turn out to be often used differently from the rest of the forest, including a higher frequency of cut. Interviews with managers show that their choices are the result of silvicultural decisions but also of the use of adjacent agricultural parcels for which edges can be an annoyance (for crops) or an asset (in the case of meadows for the shelter of animals). They are therefore important places of social interaction. Agricultural and forest environments can be seen as different ecological and social systems, characterized by a spatial structure of the biomass, a disturbance regime, management practices and different perceptions. In most cases, the edges also result from differential in the disturbance regime of vegetation, with a side with infrequent interventions, cuts in the forest, and on the other side more intensive and frequent interventions that hinder the development of trees for the benefit of crops. Theories of social and ecological systems and their dynamics, as panarchy, do not deal clearly with the phenomena that occur in the spatial limits of systems. At a finer spatial scale, edges may themselves be viewed as systems with their own characteristics, but the question of links with adjacent systems remains. The presentation describes these features of edges and the questions they pose, from practical examples drawn from several interdisciplinary works in landscape ecology, ethnology and geomatics. The possibilities of using the edges in an agro-ecological engineering of landscapes to enhance the ecosystem services they provide are exposed for discussion.