Productive Land Area Research Articles

Mapping spatial variability of soil salinity in a coastal paddy field based on electromagnetic sensors.

In coastal China, there is an urgent need to increase land area for agricultural production and urban development, where there is a rapid growing population. One solution is land reclamation from coastal tidelands, but soil salinization is problematic. As such, it is very important to characterize and map the within-field variability of soil salinity in space and time. Conventional methods are often time-consuming, expensive, labor-intensive, and unpractical. Fortunately, proximal sensing has become an important technology in characterizing within-field spatial variability. In this study, we employed the EM38 to study spatial variability of soil salinity in a coastal paddy field. Significant correlation relationship between ECa and EC1:5 (i.e. r >0.9) allowed us to use EM38 data to characterize the spatial variability of soil salinity. Geostatistical methods were used to determine the horizontal spatio-temporal variability of soil salinity over three consecutive years. The study found that the distribution of salinity was heterogeneous and the leaching of salts was more significant in the edges of the study field. By inverting the EM38 data using a Quasi-3D inversion algorithm, the vertical spatio-temporal variability of soil salinity was determined and the leaching of salts over time was easily identified. The methodology of this study can be used as guidance for researchers interested in understanding soil salinity development as well as land managers aiming for effective soil salinity monitoring and management practices. In order to better characterize the variations in soil salinity to a deeper soil profile, the deeper mode of EM38 (i.e., EM38v) as well as other EMI instruments (e.g. DUALEM-421) can be incorporated to conduct Quasi-3D inversions for deeper soil profiles.

Land, carbon and water footprints in Taiwan

The consumer responsibility approach uses footprints as indicators of the total direct and indirect effects of a product or consumption activity. This study used a time-series analysis of three environmental pressures to quantify the total environmental pressures caused by consumption in Taiwan: land footprint, carbon footprint, and water footprint. Land footprint is the pressure from appropriation of biologically productive land and water area. Carbon footprint is the pressure from greenhouse gas emissions. Water footprint is the pressure from freshwater consumption. Conventional carbon footprint is the total CO2 emitted by a certain activity or the CO2 accumulation during a product life cycle. This definition cannot be used to convert CO2 emissions into land units. This study responds to the needs of “CO2 land” in the footprint family by applying the carbon footprint concept used by GFN. The analytical results showed that consumption by the average Taiwan citizen in 2000 required appropriation of 5.39gha (hectares of land with global-average biological productivity) and 3.63gha in 2011 in terms of land footprint. The average Taiwan citizen had a carbon footprint of 3.95gha in 2000 and 5.94gha in 2011. These results indicate that separately analyzing the land and carbon footprints enables their trends to be compared and appropriate policies and strategies for different sectors to be proposed accordingly. The average Taiwan citizen had a blue water footprint of 801m3 in 2000 and 784m3 in 2011. By comparison, their respective global averages were 1.23gha, 2.36gha and 163m3 blue water in 2011, respectively. Overall, Taiwan revealed higher environmental pressures compared to the rest of the world, demonstrating that Taiwan has become a high footprint state and has appropriated environmental resources from other countries. That is, through its imports of products with embodied pressures and its exports, Taiwan has transferred the environmental pressures from consuming goods and services to other parts of the world, which is an environmental injustice. This study examines the time series trend of land, carbon, and water footprints in Taiwan. However, if these analyses can be downscaled to city/county levels, they will be more useful for examining different sustainability performance of local governments in different regions.

TINGKAT PENGANGGURAN DAN KEMISKINAN DI LUMBUNG PANGAN KABUPATEN SIDRAP

This study aims to determine the level of unemployment and poverty in the Food Barn Sidrap, which is based on research that has been done found that the magnitude of the population is still poor and the unemployed who live in rural districts Sidrap particular region, making the agricultural sector as a key sector, development, productivity and quality of the agricultural sector is the second thing that must be addressed so that the agricultural sector is a mainstay of overcoming poverty and unemployment in rural areas. Need a comprehensive master plan and road map of the relevant institutions to raise the productivity and quality of the agricultural sector, the area of ​​productive agricultural land that tapers reduce productivity. Agrarian Reform Law to be done. Compensation for productive land transition should correlate to increased agricultural productivity, fertilizer subsidies and other saparodi should improve productivity. Efficient implementation and efektifit should continue to be pursued, productivity and quality of land limitations can be overcome with a budget of Research and Development of Agriculture found the variant products, production systems, marketing, and industrial agriculture. Agricultural investment should be encouraged, importance of agriculture to economic growth, poverty, and unemployment in the district Sidrap, need intensive monitoring for program planning and implementation of agricultural programs by relevant agencies so that timely achievement of the target.

Distribution, characteristics and potential of biomass-dense thinning forests in Sweden

Understanding the characteristics of unutilized biomass resources, such as small-diameter trees from biomass-dense thinning forests (BDTF) (non-commercially-thinned forests), can provide important information for developing a bio-based economy. The aim of this study was to describe the areal distribution, characteristics (biomass of growing stock, tree height, etc.) and harvesting potential of BDTF in Sweden. A national forest inventory plot dataset was imported into a geographical information system and plots containing BDTF were selected by applying increasingly stringent constraints. Results show that, depending on the constraints applied, BDTF covers 9–44% (2.1–9.8 M ha) of the productive forest land area, and contains 7–34% of the total growing stock (119–564 M OD t), with an average biomass density of 57 OD t ha. Of the total BDTF area, 65% is located in northern Sweden and 2% corresponds to set-aside farmlands. Comparisons with a study from 2008 indicate that BDTF area has increased by at least 4% (about 102 000 ha), in line with general trends for Sweden and Europe. Analyses revealed that the technical harvesting potential of delimbed stemwood (over bark, including tops) from BDTF ranges from 3.0 to 6.1 M OD t yr (7.5 to 15.1 M myr), while the potential of whole-tree harvesting ranges from 4.3 to 8.7 M OD t yr (10.2 to 20.6 M myr) depending on the scenario considered. However, further technological developments of the harvest and supply systems are needed to utilize the full potential of BDTF.–1–13 –1–13 –1

The use of recycled plastic in concrete: An alternative to reduce the ecological footprint

The concrete in its production emits gases into the atmosphere causing an environmental impact, however reducing their consumption should not be the best approach to this problem as it could affect the economic development of a region or country. The solution is in the design sustainable material. The Ecological Footprint (EF) to estimate the resource consumption and waste assimilation of a given population, expressed in area of productive land. This paper presents the calculation of a concrete EF located in Cordoba-Argentina, the area required to meet the estimated consumption associated with the materials used in the concrete with incorporation of plastics as a replacement of coarse aggregate, as a contribution to protecting the environment. To conclude, the aggregates occupying the largest volume in the preparation of concrete have a small environmental load in proportion to the EF of all the materials used, affecting only 8%. This is because the release rates of CO 2 in the most significant overall footprint are mainly concrete cement content. However, the use of plastic waste in the concrete, will provide environmental benefits.

An assessment of the predictors of the dynamics in arable production per capita index, arable production and permanent cropland and forest area based on structural equation models.

This study sets out to verify the key predictors of the dynamics of the arable production per capita index, the arable production and permanent crop land and forest area at a national scale in Cameroon. To achieve this objective, data for twelve time series data variables spanning the period 1961–2000 were collected from Oxford University, the United Nations Development program, the World Bank, FAOSTAT and the World Resource Institute. The data were analysed using structural equation models (SEM) based on the two stage least square approach (2SLS). To optimize the results, variables that showed high correlations were dropped because they will not add any new information into the models. The results show that the arable production per capita index is impacted more by population while the influence of rainfall on the arable production per capita index is weak. Arable production and permanent cropland on its part has as the main predictor arable production per capita index. Forest area is seen to be more vulnerable to trade in forest products and logging than any other variable. The models presented in this study are quite reliable because the p and t values are consistent and overall, these results are consistent with previous studies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-597) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mounting Debt in a World in Overshoot: An Analysis of the Link between the Mediterranean Region’s Economic and Ecological Crises

During the period of 1961–2008, demand for renewable resources and ecological services (as measured through the Ecological Footprint methodology) in the Mediterranean region grew by 52% (from 2.06 to 3.12 global hectares per capita), while availability of such resources and services (or biocapacity (BC)) decreased by 16% (from 1.49 to 1.26 global hectares per capita). As all economic activities ultimately depend on ecological assets—such as productive land and marine areas, and the services and resources they produce—this paper presents a reflection on the economic implications of such resource and service overconsumption in the Mediterranean region. Our conclusion is that, in a world characterized by the existence of biophysical limits, risks may exist for Mediterranean economies due to the concurrence of: (1) resource scarcity; (2) increasing resource prices; and (3) challenging national economic situations.

宁夏生态足迹影响因子的偏最小二乘回归分析

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 宁夏生态足迹影响因子的偏最小二乘回归分析 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201211181613 作者: 作者单位: 宁夏大学农学院草业科学研究所,北方民族大学计算机科学与工程学院,宁夏大学农学院,宁夏大学农学院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金资助项目（31160484）；北方民族大学自主科研资助项目（2011ZQY013） Analysis the relationship between ecological footprint (EF) of ningxia and influencing factors: Partial Least-Squares Regression (PLS) Author: Affiliation: School of Agriculture of Ningxia University,,School of Agriculture of Ningxia University, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:生态足迹分析方法是一种度量区域生态可持续程度的有效方法，偏最小二乘回归法（PLS）能有效解决多元回归分析中变量的多重相关性问题，具有容易操作，相关分析精度高等特点。以宁夏为研究区域，在计算了宁夏2001-2010年人均生态足迹的基础上，应用偏最小二乘回归分析法，对影响宁夏生态足迹的各因子的重要程度进行了分析。通过变量投影重要性分析、特异点分析和预测分析，证明所得偏最小二乘回归模型具有较好的精度。研究结果为：2001-2010年，宁夏人均生态足迹由1.818103793 hm2上升至 2.894958909 hm2，生态赤字由1.28352051 hm2上升至2.42316627 hm2，生态承载力由0.53458328 hm2下降至0.47179264 hm2；全区GDP、城镇居民人均生活消费支出、第二产业产值和第一产业产值是影响宁夏生态足迹的显著因子。 Abstract:The model of ecological footprint (EF) was originally brought forward by ecological economist William E. Rees and his fellows in 1992, and Wackernage modified and perfected the model in 1996. Ecological footprint is an effective method to evaluate the ecological security and sustainability of a region from the aspects of demand and supply. Ecological footprint is defined as biologically productive areas required to sustainably support certain population in a region, and ecological footprint theory can be simply generalized as follows. First, people's daily consumption should be classified and the biologically productive area needed to support the consumption should be caculated. The ecological footprint of people is the summation of biologically productive area. We can then reckon the ecological capacity and convert to the biologically productive land area for comparison. At last, we can compare the ecologcial footprint with the ecological capacity Partial. Least-Squares Regression (PLS) method was proposed by S.Wold and C.Albano in 1983. As a statistical tool, PLS regression has been specifically designed to deal with multiple regression problems where the number of observations are limited and correlations between variables are high. PLS regression has gained great success in scientific fields, such as chemometrics, medicine, market analysis and finance. There are multi-correlation problems between ecological footprint's influencing factors of multiple regression analysis. PLS regression aims at producing a model that can transform a set of correlated explanatory variables into a new set of uncorrelated variables, called PLS factors in this paper. PLS factors capture most information of the independent variables that is useful for explaining and predicting the dependent variables. In the meantime, PLS regression reduces the dimensionality of the regression by using fewer PLS factors than the number of independent variables. The per capita EF and ecological carrying capacity (EC) of Ningxia are calculated from 2001 to 2010 by employing the quantitative method for EF and major important factors influencing the ecological footprint selected by PLS regression. It is found that ecological footprint of Ningxia increased from 1.818103793 hm2 to 2.894958909 hm2, ecological deficit (ED) increased from 1.28352051 hm2 to 2.42316627 hm2 and ecological capacity (EC) decreased from 0.53458328 hm2 to 0.47179264 hm2. GDP of Ningxia, urban per capita life expenditure, the secondary industry, and the primary industry are the main factors influencing ecological footprint of Ningxia. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Preliminary evaluation of a short rotation forestry poplar biomass supply chain in Emilia Romagna Region

Woody Biomasses (from agriculture and forestry activities) are among the most promising renewable energy sources. Current literature describes woody biomass feedstock supply chains supporting biofuels and utilities industries: the potentially productive land area overheads required for biomass production may results in a complex logistic within the whole chain. Its effective enhancement requires significant changes in the logistics environment of energy plants for sustainable energy production and the sequence-dependent procurement chains for biomasses furthermore complicate these changes. According to this, optimizing harvesting and supplying operations turns out to be strategic within the framework of the current energy policy. In this work we present a case study carried out monitoring 57 short rotation forestry (SRF) production sites placed in Emilia Romagna Region, Northern Italy, all supplying the harvested biomass to the same biomass power plant placed in the province of Ravenna (Italy). The overall average yield of these sites was 55 t/ha, the site surfaces ranged from 0.3 to 20 hectares and the distance from the power plant ranged between 8.2 to 102 km with one production site only within 10 km from the power plant. Harvest and transport costs were calculated according to two different harvesting scenarios: i) single phase harvesting (one cutting/chopping machine + tractors and trailers); ii) double phase harvesting (cutting/mowing machine followed after 80 days by chopping machine + tractors and trailers). Results show that, according to the first scenario, at increasing distances overall harvesting and transport costs ranged from 8.9 to 21.0 ± 1.3 􀀍/t (average ± standard deviation), while, with reference to the second scenario, they increased from 10.3 to 23.8 ± 1.5 􀀍/t with the transportation costs accounting from 16 to almost 70% of the total costs.

Preliminary evaluation of a short rotation forestry poplar biomass supply chain in Emilia Romagna Region

Woody Biomasses (from agriculture and forestry activities) are among the most promising renewable energy sources. Current literature describes woody biomass feedstock supply chains supporting biofuels and utilities industries: the potentially productive land area overheads required for biomass production may results in a complex logistic within the whole chain. Its effective enhancement requires significant changes in the logistics environment of energy plants for sustainable energy production and the sequence-dependent procurement chains for biomasses furthermore complicate these changes. According to this, optimizing harvesting and supplying operations turns out to be strategic within the framework of the current energy policy. In this work we present a case study carried out monitoring 57 short rotation forestry (SRF) production sites placed in Emilia Romagna Region, Northern Italy, all supplying the harvested biomass to the same biomass power plant placed in the province of Ravenna (Italy). The overall average yield of these sites was 55 t/ha, the site surfaces ranged from 0.3 to 20 hectares and the distance from the power plant ranged between 8.2 to 102 km with one production site only within 10 km from the power plant. Harvest and transport costs were calculated according to two different harvesting scenarios: i) single phase harvesting (one cutting/chopping machine + tractors and trailers); ii) double phase harvesting (cutting/mowing machine followed after 80 days by chopping machine + tractors and trailers). Results show that, according to the first scenario, at increasing distances overall harvesting and transport costs ranged from 8.9 to 21.0 ± 1.3 􀀍/t (average ± standard deviation), while, with reference to the second scenario, they increased from 10.3 to 23.8 ± 1.5 􀀍/t with the transportation costs accounting from 16 to almost 70% of the total costs.

Radiological impact of oil and Gas Activities in selected oil fields in Production Land Area of Delta State, Nigeria

A study of the radiological impact of oil and gas exploration activities in the production land area of Delta State has been carried out in-situ using two synchronized and calibrated radiation meters (Digilert 50 and 100) and a geographical positioning system (GPS). Ten oil field facilities were studied. At each facility, nine sampling locations and their host communities were evaluated making a total of 100 study points. Measured exposure rate in the oil field facilities ranged from 0.011±0.003mRh -1 in Evwreni camp site to 0.031±0.01mRh -1 at the Otorogu gas plant. Mean field exposure rates/equivalent dose rates ranged from 0.016±0.006mRh -1 (0.839±0.34mSvy -1 ) to 0.0213±0.008mRh -1 (1.134±0.44mSvy -1 ). In the host communities the values ranged from 0.0115±0.003mRh -1 (0.612±0.16mSvy -1 ) in Evwreni community to 0.021±0.007mRh -1 (1.117±0.37mSvy -1 ) in Otujeremi town, while for the control study area the value obtained was 0.009±0.002mRh -1 (0.479±0.11mSvy -1 ). The results show that the radiation levels for the Ughelli East, Kokori, Eriemu, Evwreni, Eriemu, Oweh, Olomoro-Oleh oil and gas fields are within the 1mSvy -1 maximum permissible limit recommended for the public and non-nuclear industrial environment, while the levels for the fields at Otorogu, Ughelli West, Afiesere and Uzere West and East and the host communities of Olomoro, Uzere and Emeragha exceeded the maximum recommended value, an indication that the oil fields and host communities environment have been impacted radiologically. However, these results obtained may not have immediate health hazard, but will pose some long-term health side effects on the staff working in the facilities and residents of the host communities. Interim proactive measures are recommended @JASEM

Research on Sustainable Development of Ecology Based on Ecological Footprint Theory - Case Study of Liaocheng City in ShanDong Province

Ecological footprint theory is used to evaluate the eco-environmental conditions by calculating the area of regional productive land. The research would estimate the environmental sustainability of the lifestyle of residents in Liaocheng city using the ecological footprint as the indicator of consumption. At first, the related conceptions of ecological footprint will be introduced, then analysis the disparity between consumption demand and available supply on the basis on data from statistical yearbook of Shandong Province in 2011. The result shows that the ecological footprint exceeds 27.9 times of ecological carrying capacity which indicate that the city was in unsustainable situation in 2011.

酪農地域の生産情報の統合と生産情報を用いた疫学研究のススメ

A dairy farm owns much production data that are governed by some different cooperative societies. When we use those production data to study, we have to collect the data from some societies, integrate them using ID number of cattle or farm name, and use to analyze the association between a factor of research interest and production problems. Environment of dairy cattle in Japanese farms becomes diverse depending on the climate characteristics, self-sufficiency ratio for forage, land area for grass production, and so on. Most disorders in dairy cattle are known as environmental multifactorial problem. If a lot of risk factors for disorders are accumulated, as a result of that, some cattle become subclinical or clinical diseases. Therefore, to investigate an association with a problem in farms, we have to consider a number of factors in wide area and should select observational studies of epidemiology to large database. Now only a few scientists try to study about the field problems using production data in Japan. The reason for the number of the scientists has some possible causes, for example 1) no uniform management system for production data, 2) the cumbersome procedure to collect the production data, and 3) a few educational curriculum or training class to handle the production data. We have to think strategically into the future that we will unify all Japanese production data and make a system how to use the data for maintaining and improving Japanese livestock agriculture. Nobody doubts that Japanese production data is a repository of useful information. Shall we start epidemiological study using production data in Japanese dairy farms?

Topographic distribution of the soil total carbon content and sulfur deficiency for rice cultivation in a floodplain ecosystem of the Northern region of Ghana

An understanding of the spatial variation in soil fertility is fundamental for extending rice cultivation and developing appropriate management practices in currently under-utilized floodplain ecosystem of West Africa. The spatial patterns in the soil total carbon (TC) contents were analyzed using a Quickbird imagery, a global digital elevation model (ASTER-GDEM) and ArcView GIS functions for a White Volta floodplain of northern Ghana. An irrigated pot experiment was then conducted to relate rice biomass production to the spatial TC distribution and to identify deficient nutrients using different fertilizer treatments.The TC contents showed great variability (2.0–40.2gkg−1) in a lognormal distribution, and the values were logarithmically increased with the proximity to reservoirs, consisting of a main river, back-swamps and ponds. The spatial pattern in the TC contents corresponded to the length of the waterlogging period during the rainy season, which was also logarithmically increased with the proximity to reservoirs, as estimated from the time-series satellite images. The corresponding patterns indicated that the spatio-temporal hydrological variable was a principal factor for the variance in the soil TC contents. Regarding the pot experiment, the amounts of soil mineralizable nitrogen were in accordance with the TC contents and correlated linearly with the plant N uptakes. However, dry matter production was scarcely relevant to the N-supplying capacity of the soils. Limited S concentrations in the plant tissues and a significant response to S application indicated that an inherent S deficiency restricted the dry matter production. NPK application without S increased only the N concentration and N:S concentration ratio in the plant tissues but not the biomass production.The high N-supplying capacity of the soil was related to the seasonal flooding, and the productive land areas for rice cultivation in both indigenous N and water availability were quantitatively predicted as a logarithmic function of the distance to reservoirs. Appropriate S supplementation would be required to utilize effectively the local N supply for rice biomass production in this under-utilized floodplain ecosystem.

Carbon, Land, and Water Footprint Accounts for the European Union: Consumption, Production, and Displacements through International Trade

A nation's consumption of goods and services causes various environmental pressures all over the world due to international trade. We use a multiregional input-output model to assess three kinds of environmental footprints for the member states of the European Union. Footprints are indicators that take the consumer responsibility approach to account for the total direct and indirect effects of a product or consumption activity. We quantify the total environmental pressures (greenhouse gas emissions: carbon footprint; appropriation of biologically productive land and water area: land footprint; and freshwater consumption: water footprint) caused by consumption in the EU. We find that the consumption activities by an average EU citizen in 2004 led to 13.3 tCO(2)e of induced greenhouse gas emissions, appropriation of 2.53 gha (hectares of land with global-average biological productivity), and consumption of 179 m(3) of blue water (ground and surface water). By comparison, the global averages were 5.7 tCO(2)e, 1.23 gha, and 163 m(3) blue water, respectively. Overall, the EU displaced all three types of environmental pressures to the rest of the world, through imports of products with embodied pressures. Looking at intra-EU displacements only, the UK was the most important displacer overall, while the largest net exporters of embodied environmental pressures were Poland (greenhouse gases), France (land), and Spain (freshwater).

Temporospatial changes of carbon footprint based on energy consumption in China

Study on regional carbon emission is one of the hot topics under the background of global climate change and low-carbon economic development, and also help to establish different low-carbon strategies for different regions. On the basis of energy consumption and land use data of different regions in China from 1999 to 2008, this paper established carbon emission and carbon footprint models based on total energy consumption, and calculated the amount of carbon emissions and carbon footprint in different regions of China from 1999 to 2008. The author also analyzed carbon emission density and per unit area carbon footprint for each region. Finally, advices for decreasing carbon footprint were put forward. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Carbon emissions from total energy consumption increased 129% from 1999 to 2008 in China, but its spatial distribution pattern among different regions just slightly changed, the sorting of carbon emission amount was: Eastern China > Northern China > Central and Southern China > Southwest China > Northwest China. (2) The sorting of carbon emission density was: Eastern China > Northeast China > Central and Southern China > Northern China > Southwest China > Northwest China from 1999 to 2003, but from 2004 Central and Southern China began to have higher carbon emission density than Northeast China, the order of other regions did not change. (3) Carbon footprint increased significantly since the rapid increasing of carbon emissions and less increasing area of productive land in different regions of China from 1999 to 2008. Northern China had the largest carbon footprint, and Northwest China, Eastern China, Northern China, Central and Southern China followed in turn, while Southwest China presented the lowest area of carbon footprint and the highest percentage of carbon absorption. (4) Mainly influenced by regional land area, Northern China presented the highest per unit area carbon footprint and followed by Eastern China, and Northeast China; Central and Southern China, and Northwest China had a similar medium per unit area carbon footprint; Southwest China always had the lowest per unit area carbon footprint. (5) China faced great ecological pressure brought by carbon emission. Some measures should be taken both from reducing carbon emission and increasing carbon absorption.

The relationships between the Socio-Economic profile of farmers and paddy productivity in North-West Selangor, Malaysia

Paddy is the main food crop in Malaysia, but due to a low rate of productivity, the land area for paddy production is gradually decreasing. As a consequence, it is critically important to know the socio-economic characteristics of the paddy farmers and their linkage with agricultural productivity to ensure the sustainability of paddy farms as well as farmers’ livelihood. This study analyses the relationships between the paddy yields and the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers in the Integrated Agricultural Development Area (IADA), North-West Selangor, Malaysia. The data was collected through a survey. To analyse the data, this study conducted cross-sectional multiple OLS regressions. The findings of the study revealed that several socio-economic and physical characteristics had significant effects on paddy productivity in Malaysia. Based on the findings, some policy recommendations and action plans have been proposed focusing on paddy productivity in relation to the socioeconomic sustainability of the livelihood. The findings of the study are important for the policymakers and relevant agencies.

North and south: Regional footprints on the transition pathway towards a low carbon, global economy

Environmental or ‘ecological’ footprints are indicators of resource consumption and waste absorption transformed on the basis of biologically productive land area required per capita with prevailing technology. They represent a partial measure of the extent to which the planet, its regions, or nations are moving along a sustainable development pathway. Such footprints vary between countries at different stages of economic development and varying geographic characteristics. A correlation equation for national environmental footprints is used, alongside international projections of population growth and gross regional income, to estimate the relative contributions of the peoples of the industrialised North and populous South that would be needed in order to secure climate-stabilising carbon reductions out to about 2100. The four so-called ‘marker scenarios’ produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are used to estimate the degree of energy efficiency improvement and carbon mitigation that is feasible. The present footprint projections suggest that a reduction in the consumption of biophysical assets across both the developing and industrialised world is indeed possible. However, the developing world’s footprint is shown to overshoot that of the industrialised countries by around 2010–2015. It then levels out and starts to fall, on the most optimistic scenario, by about 2050. In order to achieve global sustainability in the 21st Century a serious commitment to environmental protection is required in both the industrialised North and the ‘majority South’. That implies balancing population growth, economic well-being, and environmental impacts in the interests of all the people and wildlife on ‘Spaceship Earth’.

Answers to common questions in Ecological Footprint accounting

1. IntroductionThe Ecological Footprint measures the amount of biolog-ically productive land and water area required to supportthe demands of a population or productive activity. Sinceits creation more than 15 years ago by William Reesand Mathis Wackernagel (Wackernagel, 1991a,b; Rees,1992; Wackernagel and Rees, 1996), Ecological Footprintaccounts have been created for nations (Wackernagel andRees, 1996; Bicknell et al., 1998; Van Vuuren and Smeets,2000; Ferng, 2001; Haberl et al., 2001; Lenzen and Mur-ray, 2001; McDonald and Patterson, 2004; von Stokar etal., 2006; WWF, 2006; Moran et al., 2008), cities andregions (Folke et al., 1997; Wackernagel, 1998; Best FootForward, 2002; Bagliani et al., 2003; EPA Victoria, 2005;Walsh et al., 2006; Lammers et al., 2008), businesses (Bar-rett and Scott, 2001; Lenzen et al., 2003), and individuals(Redefining Progress, 2002; EPA Victoria, 2008). Acrossscales, analysts apply Ecological Footprint accountingmethods to understand a population’s or activity’s demandfor the planet’s limited capacity to provide a range ofecosystem goods and services.The basic methodologies behind Ecological Footprintaccounting have been widely published in various forms(Wackernagel et al., 1996; Ferng, 2001; Lenzen et al.,2001; Monfreda et al., 2004; WWF, 2006; Galli et al.,2007; Kitzes et al., 2007, 2008), and these publications

Aluminium concentrations in Swedish forest streams and co-variations with catchment characteristics

The negative effects of elevated concentrations of inorganic aluminium on aquatic organisms are well documented. Acid deposition is often cited as a main driver behind the mobilisation and speciation of aluminium in soils and surface waters. In the study, we tested the hypothesis that sulphur deposition is the main driver for elevated concentrations of inorganic aluminium in 114 base poor, boreal Swedish streams. However, the deposition of anthropogenic sulphate has decreased substantially since it peaked in the 1970s, and at the current deposition levels, we hypothesise that local site parameters play an important role in determining vulnerability to elevated concentrations of inorganic aluminium in boreal stream waters. Presented here are the results of a principal components analysis of stream water chemistry, acid deposition data and local site variables, including forest composition and stem volume. It is shown that the concentrations of both organic and inorganic aluminium are not explained by either historical or current acid deposition, but are instead explained by a combination of local site characteristics. Sites with elevated concentrations of inorganic aluminium were characterised by small catchments (<500 ha) dominated by mature stands of Norway spruce with high stem volume. Using data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory the area of productive forest land in Sweden with a higher vulnerability for elevated inorganic aluminium concentrations in forests streams is approximately 1.5 million hectares or 7% of the total productive forest area; this is higher in the south of Sweden (10%) and lower in the north (2%). A better understanding of the effects of natural processes and forest management in controlling aquatic inorganic aluminium concentrations is therefore important in future discussions about measures against surface water acidification.