Search results for "natural resource"
showing 10 items of 482 documents
Levels of Welfare: The Role of Reservoirs
2012
Seed germination and reproductive features of Lysimachia minoricensis (Primulaceae), a wild-extinct plant.
2002
Lysimachia minoricensis is one of the few Mediterranean endemic plants (Minorca, Balearic islands) that has gone extinct in the wild but which persists as extant germplasm or cultivated plants in several botanical gardens. Reproductive features (seed set, number of seeds per capsule, seed weight) and germination responses to constant temperatures, sea water and dry-heat pre-treatments were investigated to determine the extent to which they may have influenced the extinction of the species. Seed set in Lysimachia is not dependent on pollinators, suggesting a functional selfer breeding system. Most plants produced a large mean number of fruits (23.2) and seeds (466), and the mean production o…
Healthy and sustainable diet and physical activity: the rationale for and experiences from developing a combined summary score
2018
Aims: First, to describe the rationale for developing a combined summary score, the Healthy and Sustainable Dietary and Physical Activity habits (HSDPA) score, incorporating four selected dietary and physical activity aspects: (a) the New Nordic Diet, (b) local and sustainable foods, (c) active transportation and (d) non-exercise outdoor activities. Secondly, to describe the experiences from constructing the HSDPA score. Methods: Relevant literature covering the four aspects of interest was reviewed to secure a well-grounded rationale and a theory-based approach. To measure compliance with such a broad approach targeting diet, physical activity, health and environmental sustainability, the…
Salinity gradient energy
2016
Abstract Beyond the most common renewable energy sources today exploited for the production of clean energy, salinity gradients power (SGP) has been attracting the increasing interest of scientists and companies involved in the field. This chapter provides an introduction to SGP, reporting a brief history of the technological developments throughout the years, from the beginning to present. A number of different SGP technologies have been developed in the last decades, all based on the concept of harvesting the energy from the controlled mixing of two solutions at different salinities. A theoretical analysis of the energy potential for SGP places this renewable source of energy among those …
The value of local climate and weather information: an economic valuation of the decentralised meteorological provision in Kenya
2020
The development of Sub-Saharan Africa will become increasingly constrained by the acute climate sensitivity of livelihood practices. Weather and climate services can improve climate risks to development by informing plans and decisions that ultimately reduce losses/maximize beneficial opportunities from climate variability and change. Yet, such services are typically highly aggregated, and notoriously difficult to communicate, especially to smallholder farmers and pastoralists where the need is greatest. Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) are decentralizing service provision, and in so doing, offering disaggregated, contextualized, and more easily understandable localized weather and sea…
Long-term impacts of increased timber harvests on ecosystem services and biodiversity: A scenario study based on national forest inventory data
2020
Abstract The transition to a climate-neutral economy is expected to increase future timber demands and endanger the multifunctionality of forests. National scenario analyses are needed to determine long-term forest management impacts and support forest policy making in defining guidelines for the sustainable provision of forests’ ecosystem services and biodiversity (ESB). Using national forestry inventory data, the forest management model MASSIMO and a model to estimate harvesting costs, we simulated forest development in Switzerland under five politically relevant timber harvesting scenarios until 2106 (business as usual and four increased timber mobilisation scenarios). Model results were…
Development of national climate and adaptation policy in Latvia
2009
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the development and character of climate policy in Latvia with a special emphasis on policy instruments.Design/methodology/approachIn order to implement policies and measures effectively and monitor progress in achieving its mitigation targets, Latvia uses a wide mix of policy instruments, including regulations (e.g. environmental impact assessment procedures, environmental permits and standards, restrictions and prohibitions), economic and fiscal instruments (the natural resources tax, the excise tax for energy resources, user's charges), and voluntary agreements, also raising public awareness.FindingsThe combination of the policy instruments …
Improving marine protected area governance through collaboration and co-production.
2020
Marine protected areas (MPAs) socio-ecological effectiveness depends on a number of management and governance elements, among which stakeholder engagement and community support play key roles. Collaborative conservation initiatives that engage stakeholders in action research and knowledge co-production processes can enhance management and governance of MPAs. To design effective strategies aimed at reconciling biodiversity conservation and management of sustainable human uses, it is key to assess how local communities respond to such initiatives and identify the set of contextual factors, institutional, local and individual, potentially affecting these responses. This paper presents the appr…
Was the Oil Sown Evenly? Long-Term Patterns of Regional Inequality in Venezuela (1881–2011)
2020
This chapter presents new estimates for GDP and GDP per capita for the period 1881–2011 for the 23 states and Distrito Capital, which together with the Dependencias Federales, today make up the Republic of Venezuela. Given that the Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV) does not compile figures either for regional GDP or for the most recent period, calculating and presenting this new evidence is in itself an important contribution to our knowledge of the country’s economic reality. The descriptive evidence on regional income inequality in Venezuela presented in the text shows that its long-term evolution follows an inverted U-shaped curve. However, although inequality today is no greater than it …
Irrigated Agriculture in Spain: Diagnosis and Prescriptions for Improved Governance
2012
The objective of this paper is to diagnose the current state of irrigation in Spain in order to support government decision makers to improve the design and application of their plans for action. The analysis implemented shows that this sector faces two main challenges: the decrease in the support given by the Common Agricultural Policy (lower subsidies/incomes) and the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (stricter environmental requirements). While the survival of extensive irrigated agriculture in inland regions depends on farmers producing different crops and modernizing production techniques, littoral regions must respond with technological innovation, especially te…