Environmental Damage Assessment Research Articles

A new approach for environmental damage assessment pursuant to the European Union Environmental Liability Directive.

The European Union and Member States national laws require competent authorities to promptly and effectively address environmental incidents, noncompliances, and criminal offenses, necessitating thorough planning of investigation and assessment activities. To enhance environmental damage assessments in line with the European Environmental Liability Directive (ELD, 2004/35/EC), the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL Network) has introduced the Criteria for the Assessment of the Environmental Damage (CAED) framework. This framework, outlined in a Practical Guide, offers a methodological approach to environmental damage assessment (EDA) focusing on three key objectives: case screening, identification of "clues" of damage, and determination of "evidence" of damage. Given the critical importance of structured data collection and evaluation, the CAED project has adopted a Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, and Response (DPSIR) model adapted to environmental damage and developed the Practical Tables. These tables serve as a comprehensive tool for systematically identifying investigative priorities and collecting standardized data and information using a predefined list of qualitative or quantitative indicators. This article provides an overview of the Practical Guide and Practical Tables, collectively referred to as the CAED Toolkit, aiming to establish a common framework for environmental damage assessments among various competent authorities and stakeholders across Europe. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-10. © 2024 SETAC.

Попередня оцінка втрат для рибного господарства Харківської області внаслідок воєнних дій

Purpose. Based on the author’s materials, to carry out a preliminary assessment of ecological and economic losses caused to the fisheries complex of the Kharkiv region as a result of military actions. Methodology. Field studies on water bodies of the Kharkiv Region, which were affected by military actions, were conducted. Public data of the State Agency of Land Reclamation and Fisheries of Ukraine in the Kharkiv Region (2021–2023) were used. The following research methods were used during the assessment of the ecological consequences and economic losses caused to the aquatic biological resources of water bodies of the Kharkiv region: analytical – collection of information from official sources of enterprises and institutions carrying out economic activities, control and monitoring of water bodies; geoinformation – assessment of the actual hydrological regime of water bodies; identification of the spatial location, measurement of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of water areas formed after the reservoirs drying-up; hydrobiological – determination of fish species and other hydrobiont composition; statistical – for qualitative and quantitative assessment of commercial ichthyofauna and the economic damage inflicted to the fishery; forecast –assessment of the potential transformation of the species biodiversity of the ecosystem in time under different conditions of further development of the water sector of Ukraine. Findings. The impact of military actions on the conditions of existence of aquatic biological resources in the Oskil and Pechenegi reservoirs, on the functioning of special commercial fish farms, the production of aquaculture products, and the development of industrial and recreational fishing in the region has been preliminarily assessed. The calculation of economic losses for aquatic bioresources of water bodies of the Kharkiv region was carried out. Originality. For the first time, a preliminary assessment of losses for the fisheries industry (including commercial, recreational fishing, aquaculture) of the Kharkiv region due to military actions was carried out. Practical value. The obtained results have important and multifaceted practical value, in particular they can be used for: assessment of environmental damage caused to Ukraine as a result of military actions; rational management of water and fisheries management due to restoration of water ecosystems exposed to military impact; development of recommendations on restoration of ecosystem services; spread of social awareness about the post-war environmental challenges of the future; making decisions about investments in natural resources and the use of ecosystem services.

Environmental impact and damage assessment of oil trunkline transportation by life cycle assessment method

AbstractAs climate issues gradually attract public attention worldwide, the operation of crude oil pipelines has been attached with new emission‐reduction targets. Though previous studies concerning life cycle assessment (LCA) of oil and gas pipelines have estimated the carbon footprint to some extent, there is a lack of research on life cycle carbon emissions that take the process of crude oil pipelines transportation. the main objective of this study is to build a comprehensive LCA model of carbon footprint for crude oil pipeline systems. A gate‐to‐gate analysis is provided for the LCA model, which means that the entire pipeline's life cycle from the extraction to disposal is considered. The LCA approach used both midpoint and endpoint impact assessment methods to evaluate the environmental impacts of crude oil pipeline transportation in Iran. The study analyzed the major environmental impact categories, such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water usage, and solid waste generation. The results showed that the crude oil pipelines transportation has significant environmental impacts in Iran. The three highest impacts on the midpoint scale are marine ecotoxicity by 61.54 kg 1,4‐DCB, terrestrial ecotoxicity by 52.26 kg 1,4‐DCB and fossil resource scarcity by 40.22 kg oil eq. The endpoint impacts of three stations were also compared. The Chamran, Abadan and Zanganeh stations have 95.44%, 94.22%, and 6% impacts on human health, respectively. Also, Abadan station has the largest amount of damage to ecosystems and resources with 96.65% and 80.02%, respectively. The findings of this study could be used by policymakers, oil companies, and other stakeholders to make informed decisions and implement strategies to reduce the environmental impact of oil transportation in Iran.

An approach to the financial stakes of water security faced by water and sanitation services in France

Water supply and sanitation (WSS) utilities in many countries are increasingly faced with pressing water risks which include the risk of "water shortages (includ- ing droughts), water excess (including floods), inadequate water quality mainly due to pollution, as well as the risk of undermining the resilience of freshwater systems (rivers, lakes, aquifers)" (OECD, 2013). These risks are exacerbated by climate change which increases the magnitude and frequency of extreme events. These developments, as well as the financial constraints on the services (limited capacity to increase the price of water/sanitation in an inflationary context and strong constraints on post-covid public finances) are all elements that must be ad- dressed to ensure the sustainability and resilience of the services in an environment now marked by threatened water security. This paper firstly presents an inventory of drinking water and collective sanitation assets in France. It identifies renewal needs as well as investment gaps thus underlining the magnitude of the infrastruc- ture related challenges that the sector needs to address to ensure the sustainability and quality of water and sanitation services. In addition, this paper includes ele- ments for evaluating the broader cost of water security. Indeed, in a context where climate change exacerbates water risks and encourages improving the resilience of water and sanitation services, the financial issues related to the proper management of assets cannot be limited to the sole issue of grey infrastructure renewal. It is also necessary to assess the financial challenges of water security through the manage- ment of water-related risks such as droughts, floods, and the preservation of aquatic environments. Thus, an assessment of environmental costs and damages generated by water and sanitation services is also provided to complete the analysis.

Impact of the full-scale war in Ukraine on the environment: Environmental damage assessment

The full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation has threatened not only the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine but also the state of the environment, as military operations have a direct impact on the quality of natural resources, which makes this topic relevant. The study aims to determine the impact of the war on the state of the environment in Ukraine, as well as on the environmental rights of citizens. The methods used in the study included statistical, legal hermeneutics, induction, comparative methods, and others. The study results are the essence of environmental protection and the main components of this category, namely, soil, land, water resources, atmosphere, and biodiversity. The author clarifies the essence of the environmental rights of Ukrainian citizens and what they consist of, as well as how they can be violated. It is pointed out that in the context of military confrontation, Ukrainians are limited in their ability to stay in an environment that is safe for health and life. An estimate of the environmental damage caused by the hostilities is provided, which amounts to $59.7 billion, but is not entirely accurate or definitive, given the obstacles to data collection and lack of access to the occupied territories. The most common negative consequences of military operations and the environmental damage they cause are illustrated, examines in more detail such an environmental crime as the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, and provides an estimate of material damage to various sectors, as well as the impact on the environment in the region. The differences between the Ukrainian methodology for assessing environmental damage and the American and European ones are noted. The article emphasises the need to take into account international recommendations and the use of the latest technologies to collect data on the long-term consequences of environmental damage caused by a full- scale invasion. The results of the study can be used for further work and practical improvements to the methodology for assessing environmental damage by lawyers and environmentalists

NATURAL RESOURCES OF UKRAINE: CONSEQUENCES AND RISKS OF RUSSIAN AGGRESSION

The natural resources of Ukraine are suffering from russia forces. Ukraine is known as one of Europe’s largest grain producers. Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat (accounts for 10% of world exports), corn (15%), barley (15%), and sunflower (especially oil – 50%). The ongoing the Russian-Ukrainian war strengthens the unstable economic system in country. Military actions influence the environment of Ukraine in terms of climate change, soil and impact on agriculture, water security and supply. According to this, grain production in Ukraine decreased by 40%, and structure of crop losses due to war: wheat – 39%, sunflowers – 17%, corn – 12%, barley – 8%, fruits and berries – 3%, other crops – 21%. In addition, the Russian-Ukrainian war has impacted water availability and quality (risk for water resources), soil quality and degradation (risk for soil resources), forest health and productivity and habitat of species (risk for biological resources). For instance, the description of sewage treatment plants (the sewage treatment facilities were shelled in the city of Mykolaiv city, the sewage treatment facilities in the village of Novotroitske, Volnovasky district, Donetsk oblast were damaged etc. ), disruption of water supply to the crop production (damaged irrigation systems in Ukraine: 94% in the Kherson region, 74% in the Zaporizhia region, 30% in the Dnipropetrovsk region ), pollution of the surface and underground waters (massive flooding of military equipment and ammunition in reservoirs, leaks of oil products and other chemical compounds). In this article, we analyzed of the environmental situation under the impact of russian aggression on the state of natural resources of the country and justification of the consequences of this impact; identified the determination of the main risks for providing the country with food and the branches of the national economy with water supply, as well as the preservation of environmental components; proposed the development of proposals for the assessment of environmental damage to the environment as a result of the military aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine. We have identified the main risk: for food safety (the impact of military actions on soil resources – a risk of reduced food provision potential due to the loss of land productivity, since up to 30% of agricultural land is mined and according to the results of 2022, the crop yield losses has reached 17%); for environmental safety (the impact on military actions on water resources – damaged the dams and drainage systems, destruction of sewage treatment plants, seizure of hydroelectric power plants, and mining of coastline caused bacterial (oil products, lubricants) and organic (biogenic substances) pollution of water bodies and water shortages for the population (complete absence of water supply in temporarily occupied territories) and agriculture (irrigation networks were affected)); for protection of ecosystems (up to 20% of the reserve fund has already been affected, 600 species of fauna and 750 species of flora, including those listed in the Red Data Book, are threatened with extinction).

Food security, human health, and economy: a holistic approach to sustainable regulation

Purpose. The research aims to formulate recommendations for sustainable food security regulation taking into account the agriculture intensification’s impact on public health, health-associated economic loss, and regional variations of these effects.
 Methodology / approach. The impact of agricultural intensification on public health was analysed using national and regional (climate zones) data on cancer cases per 100,000 population and mineral fertiliser application per hectare of sown area from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine for 2010–2019. Regression analyses were performed using GRETL 2022c, employing OLS and ARMAX models. Additionally, health-related economic losses from contaminated food consumption in 2020 were estimated based on regional environmental damage assessments and data on environmental damage structure. These assessments informed and guided the suggestions of an organisational and economic framework essential for sustainable food security regulation.
 Results. Based on global research experiences, we identified a notable positive correlation between cancer morbidity and the application of mineral fertilisers in Ukraine, both on a national scale and within four distinct natural geographical zones. These findings highlight the imperative to reconceptualise the notion of food security by incorporating the dimension of human health. Given the eco-destructive nature of the agricultural environment and the socio-ecological and economic factors influencing public health, we articulate the structural and functional elements of an organisational and economic framework essential for the sustainable regulation of food security.
 Originality / scientific novelty. The research results underscore the need to redefine the concept of food security to encompass the dimension of human health. Moreover, it evaluates the economic losses related to health state resulting from consuming contaminated food across various natural and climatic zones. It demonstrates that a harmonious coexistence of food security objectives and the preservation of human health can be achieved by developing a suitable organisational and economic framework for sustainable food security regulation.
 Practical value / implications. The comprehensive assessment of environmental and economic damage to public health caused by contaminated food consumption, considering regional contexts and natural geographical zones, enables determining the scale of environmental, economic and medical risks and, thus, making adequate and optimal management decisions in sustainable food security regulation based on ecologisation of agricultural production.

Economic approaches to assessing the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine

The article examines the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine, the types of effects of military actions on the environment and their potential danger to humanity now and in the future.
 The problems related to ecology and climate change as a result of military actions concern not only one country, nation or community, but can also affect the daily life of many future generations of Ukrainians, Europeans and the whole world. The issue of assessing the environmental consequences of military actions, classifying the damage caused, and choosing methods for assessing environmental damage are extremely popular in modern conditions for the Ukrainian and world community, which confirms the relevance and timeliness of this study.
 According to the materials of open sources, it was determined that the main risks for the ecology of Ukraine and the world ecological and economic system were the threat of a nuclear disaster, the impact of active offensive actions on forests, steppes and the natural landscape, the impact of war on plants and animals, the threat to red book species, water pollution and soil as a result of multifactor intervention, hitting industrial facilities and critical infrastructure facilities.
 A comprehensive algorithm for assessing the environmental consequences of military actions has been developed, which includes the following stages: establishment of a list of possible consequences, data collection, data analysis and classification of consequences according to the degree of security, assessment of environmental damage, information exchange and monitoring. Such a sequence allows you to identify the most influential risks and urgently take measures to overcome them. The created algorithm has a consolidated nature and should be refined and supplemented in further work.
 It is proposed to carry out zoning of the territories of Ukraine depending on the possibility of obtaining information about the environmental impacts and consequences of the war and the availability of data collection.
 In the future, it is advisable to develop methods for express assessment of environmental consequences for quick response to violations of environmental requirements, as well as in-depth methods that take into account detailed assessment of consequences and will allow to determine the most accurate economic component of consequences for ecology.

THE MAIN DIRECTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT OF ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF LANDS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

On the basis of testing various varieties of ecological and economic assessment of lands on the territory of the Russian Plain, their systematization was carried out both from the standpoint of the ratio of profi t and loss associated with nature management, and the attribution of these varieties to the areas of economic science that diff erently determine the role of human economic activity in ecological systems.Th e predominance in the Russian Federation of those techniques and methods of ecological and economic assess-ment, which are associated with the defi nition of damage/ harm from pollution, degradation and cluttering of land plots, is shown. Th e results of the approbation of the «Methodology for determining the extent of damage from soil and land degradation» (1994) for agricultural farms located in various regions of the Russian Federation — in the Volgograd, Belgorod, Kaliningrad and Penza regions are presented. It has been established that the damage caused to agricultural lands in all the studied regions is due to the low level of agrotechnical measures carried out here — mainly insuffi cient application of organic and mineral fertilizers, liming of acidic soils (for example, in the Kaliningrad region) and gypsum of saline soils (in the Volgograd region).Methods where the comparison of income and losses is carried out (methodology Y. von Braun, adjusting the value of land based on information about their ecological condition), are the most diffi cult to implement, but the most promising from a practical point of view. Th e results of the adjustment of the cadastral value of the lands of the West-ern Administrative District of Moscow based on the calculation of the indicator of loss of ecological quality of soils are presented. In some cases, the decrease in the cadastral value of land plots was 71% compared to the initial value.It has been established that the assessment of environmental damage refers to the direction of «environmental economics», the assessment of ecosystem services of soils and lands, the adjustment of the value of land based on information about their ecological condition, the assessment of environmental tax/environmental payments, — to the direction of «ecological economics», the methodology of J. von Braun and the assessment of environmental risks of pollution, degradation and littering of land — towards the direction of «green economics».

Environmental management in small olericultural properties: assessment and prioritization of environmental damage

Some inappropriate cultivation practices can promote negative consequences to the physical, biotic and anthropic environment. Horticulture plays an important role in both food production and income generation. The objective of the study was to identify environmental damage through analysis of the environmental aspects of vegetable production activities and to propose a prioritization of these damages using the severity, urgency and trend prioritization matrix (GUT Matrix). The method was applied in three small farms. After using the GUT matrix, it showed that for each rural property the damage management priorities were different. The priority in the management of environmental damage on rural property 1 is related to the water reservoir, the damage on small property 2 is on the health and occupational safety of workers and the damage to be prioritized on vegetable property 3 is related to loss of productivity. In this context, it demonstrates the need to know and prioritize environmental damage in small rural properties to improve the environmental management process and introduce management tools for management.

Environmental damage compensation for illegal solid waste dumping in China

China aims to improve its system for pursuing environmental damage compensation environmental violation cases. To hold violators accountable, China has an effective system for the identification and assessment (I&A) of environmental damage. This study selected a typical case of the illegal dumping of solid waste (IDSW) in China to analyze the causes, the degree, and characteristics of environmental damage, focusing on components such as the physical quantification and valuation of damage. The findings were as follows: (1) Compensation claimants and obligors consider baseline damage confirmation and causality analysis key components of I&A. (2) The I&A process for a specific case needs to focus on key nodes such as the type, location, and duration of IDSW. (3) Restraining IDSW requires accurately quantifying the physical and value-related losses caused by solid waste dumping. (4) In the selected case study, the damage from environmental contamination caused by the IDSW incident amounted to 3938,990 yuan, including an environmental damage value of 3651,990 yuan and a transaction cost of 287,000 yuan. Both parties accepted the I&A calculation process in this case, and the desired punishment effect was achieved. Hence, the case study demonstrated that accurate I&A is the technical basis for environmental damage compensation. Thus, in the future, more attention should be paid to the role of scientific and technological means and knowledge reserves in the I&A of environmental damage.

Assessment of environmental damage caused by the storage of aluminum recycling slags by enterprises with capacity up to 200 thousand aluminum alloys per year

Based on the empirical data, specific rates of ecological tax for the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere, approved by the tax code of Belarus and thermodynamic calculations the approximate specific ratio of hydrolysis products and products of their thermal oxidation, formed by exposure to humid atmosphere on the aluminum slag was determined.The work shows that the damage from atmospheric pollution by an aluminum recycling plant with a capacity of 200 thousand tons can be from 0.66 to 52.7 million U.S. dollars, that is, depending on the territorial location of the pollution source for the same substance, the damage may be increased by up to 80 times.

Methodology for the assessment of damage and economic losses from harm to forest ecosystems as a result of armed aggression

Abstract Significant changes in the environment have caused awareness of the strategic importance of forests as a factor in global environmental security, and socio-economic development of territories. Evidence of this are many international acts, including the provisions of the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030. However, in areas where hostilities are taking place, forests are being destroyed en masse, leading to systemic losses, the restoration of which will require large investments, efforts, and a long period of time. Therefore, it is important to improve the mechanisms for recovering compensation from the aggressor country, whose actions have led to losses from loss or damage to forest ecosystems. In this case, justification of the amount of compensation plays a significant role, and therefore there is a need to develop methodological approaches to their definition. Based on the summary of international practices, guidelines of international organizations, regulations of Ukraine, and scientific publications on the assessment and compensation of environmental damage, the author used a systematic approach that combines the assessment of damage from loss or damage to forest ecosystems and the cost of their restoration. The methodology involves taking into account the degree of damage in determining losses, lost profits, and costs of restoration of forest ecosystems in the context of forest ecosystem services – Provisioning Services, Regulating Services, Supporting Services, or other ecosystem maintenance services; Cultural Services, such as educational, aesthetic, and cultural heritage values, recreation, and tourism. The author proposes relevant methods for each component of the assessment and the relevant indicators. In determining the sets of indicators the author used those that can be calculated based on objective data, or that have an international practice of their calculation. The choice of data sources for the calculation of damage and losses from losses or damage to forest ecosystems and objects within them, caused to Ukraine as a result of hostilities, is stipulated.

АНАЛИЗ ПРИМНЯЕМОЙ МЕТОДИКИ НАЧИСЛЕНИЯ ЭКОЛОГО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО УЩЕРБА ЗЕМЕЛЬНЫМ РЕСУРСАМ

The article is devoted to the assessment of environmental and economic damage to land resources. Using the basics of legislation, the state of the issue in the field of causing harm to land resources (soils) is determined. The article shows that the Methodology for calculating the amount of damage caused to soils as an object of environmental protection, approved by the order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated 08.07.2010 N 238 is outdated. Specially authorized bodies, when calculating damage, experience certain difficulties in its application. As a result, the charging efficiency is very low.

Unlawful prosecution in the case regarding the destruction of a forest eco-system

The overall complexity of the subject matter and the required high level of expertise make environmental crime investigations quite a challenging task for law enforcement. The clandestine nature of environmental offences combined with the environmental law’s intricacy is among the reasons behind prosecutorial failures. The authors analyze a criminal case regarding illegal deforestation, which eventually ended up in an acquittal. By retracing the steps that led to wrongful prosecution and accusations in this criminal case, the authors reflect on some legal and practical challenges concerning environmental crime investigations in Europe and in Poland, including the problem of timely detection of environmental infringements, the use of proper evidence-gathering procedures, as well as the issues related to the methodology of environmental damage assessment. In this regard, the authors analyze the provisions of the Environmental Compliance Assurance Guidance “Combating environmental crimes and related infringements” adopted by the EU Commission in 2021.

Environmental impact and damage assessment of the natural gas pipeline: Case study of Iran

Today, oil and gas trunklines from production to consumption have become one of the challenges for governments. Due to the need to install energy-intensive equipment such as compressors, turbines and pumps along the trunkline route, a systematic study of the environmental impact of this trunkline has received less attention from researchers. However, from a social and environmental point of view, the benefits of this transfer in the face of its environmental effects have always been criticized by indigenous groups and environmentalists in the region. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and systematically analyze the environmental effects of the natural gas trunkline process in part of the sixth national gas trunkline of Iran, which is done for export to neighboring countries. The research method is life cycle assessment. After defining the goal and scope, in the second step, the flow data of the inlet and outlet gas, the amount of gas rivet, the amount of turbine emissions, the amount of electricity consumption, the amount of gas consumed and the amount of black powder entering the collection station and energy consumption calculations were performed. In the third step, the environmental effects of the system were examined from two perspectives: (1) the effects that can lead to environmental problems and (2) the damage that can be done to human health, ecosystem, and resource. These analyses were reviewed at two general levels of the system and each station and equipment. The results showed that the total annual carbon dioxide emissions of this pipeline in Ahvaz station emit 70,149 kg CO2 eq per day, which is the highest amount of emissions among all stations. This is equivalent to 30,499 liters of car fuel per year. On the other hand, Bidboland station emits 7443 kg CO2 eq per day of carbon dioxide, which is the lowest emission among all stations. Due to the environmental effect of water consumption, Ahvaz station with 39 m3 per day has the highest amount among stations and Bidboland station with 6 m3 per day has the lowest consumption.

Ecological and environmental damage assessment of water resources protection mining in the mining area of Western China

The application of water resources protection mining has alleviated greatly the deterioration of ecological environment in the ecologically fragile mining areas of Western China. To quantitatively evaluate the improvement effect of this technology on the ecological environment of the mining area, the evaluation index system of ecological environment in the mining area was proposed based on the water-preserved mining techniques of water resources protection mining. The entropy weight method and the Decision-making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory were selected as the subjective and objective weight method, and the cloud model theory was used as the modeling basis, then a quantitative evaluation model of ecological environment of water-preserved mining was constructed. Besides, the Halagou coal mine in Shendong Group was taken as an example, and the ecological environment of this mining area was quantitatively assessed to verify the rationality of the proposed evaluation model. The results show that the ecological environment level of the Halagou mining area is between Excellent and Good (generally at a good level), which is consistent with the actual ecological environment situation of the Halagou mining area. Thus, the rationality of the proposed evaluation model is verified. Through the evaluation cloud map, the evaluation results are biased towards the evaluation level of Good, indicating that there is still room for improvement in the ecological environment of the Halagou coal mine. Combined with the analysis results, suggestions for the sustainable improvement of the ecological environment of the mining area are given: Halagou coal mine should focus on the restoration of subsidence area and the control of mine water inflow.

Changes in soil characteristics and estimated cost on reclamation of former sand mining land

The utilization of natural resources in recent decades is not accompanied by proper and effective management. This has a major impact on environmental degradation in watershed scale and climate change. The study aimed to evaluate changes in soil characteristics at various ages of sand mining and the cost of reclamation of environmental degradation due to sand mining activities. The study was conducted in Sumberbulu Micro Watershed, which is located in Wajak Sub-District, Malang Regency. Soil sampling was collected from un-mined, 2 to 6 years old sand mining and post-mining lands. Natural resource equivalency analysis (REA) was applied for environmental damage assessment and reclamation cost calculation required to restore natural resource services to their original condition. The findings show that sand mining activities significantly decreased soil organic C in 0-40 cm soil depth, resulting in increased soil bulk density and decreased soil porosity at 20-40 cm depth of soil. Sand mining activities by using truck traffic carrying mining products, soil erosion, and the removal of topsoil during mining activities determined changes in soil properties. REA shows that the total area of land that must be reclaimed is 21,487 ha. The land will be reclaimed by revegetation (with maize) to restore the lost function of environmental services and income of local farmers, assuming a reclamation cost of 36,767,500 IDR/ha. Therefore, post-mining land reclamation should be encouraged by the government for mining business actors in Indonesia so that the land can be reused as before.

Impact of oil−sediment interaction on transport of underwater spilled oil in the Bohai Sea

Based on a validated underwater oil spill model and validated ocean hydrodynamic background, the influence of oil−sediment interaction on the transport of underwater spilled oil is investigated through numerical experiments. Numerical result shows that interaction between oil and suspended sediment can form oil−sediment aggregates (OSAs), which can significantly decrease the amount of surface oil and increase the amount of underwater oil and its sweeping volume under certain conditions. Sensitivity of the model output (in terms of oil in OSAs, underwater oil amount, surface oil amount, and sweeping volume) to input factors (including oil spill volume, sediment diameter, and sediment concentration) is further investigated quantitatively through numerical experiments, which shows that increasing oil spill volume and sediment concentration and reducing sediment diameter can promote oil−sediment interaction. Among the three input factors, oil spill volume is the most sensitive factor, followed by sediment concentration and sediment diameter. This study is expected to provide useful information for spilled oil monitoring, contingency planning, and environmental damage assessment.

我国农业环境损害鉴定评估标准体系研究

标准化是解决环境损害"鉴定难"问题的关键措施，更是环境损害鉴定评估走向独立化的重要标志。农业环境损害鉴定评估作为起步最早、需求量最大、成长较快的分支，已经具备标准体系的雏形。通过国内外标准比较与需求分析，提出了标准化建设的原则和定位，构建了标准体系框架。研究认为，我国农业环境损害鉴定评估标准体系应：（1）以损害受体和技术流程为纵向横向坐标；（2）围绕损害确认、因果关系判定以及损失评估，以规范农产品、农业环境要素以及生态系统的损害识别、症状诊断、损害溯源、监测检测方法、损失量化等技术要求为主要内容；（3）是一个由基础标准、技术导则、技术规范、技术指南组成的有机整体。;Standardization is the key measure to solve the difficult identification for environmental damage, and an important sign that environmental damage identification and assessment is becoming independent. The assessment of agricultural environmental damage, which is the earliest start, the largest demand and faster growth branch of standard system, has stepped into the rudiment stage. This paper puts forward the principles and positions of standardization construction, and constructs a standard system framework based on the comparison of national and international standards and demand analysis. We propose that the standard system of agricultural environmental damage appraisal in China should:(1) Taking the damage receptors as the ordinate and the technical processes as the abscissa; (2) Centering on the damage identification, causality determination and loss assessment, the main content should involve the following technical requirements, i.e., the damage identification, symptom diagnosis, damage traceability, monitoring and detection methods, loss quantification of ecosystem, and the norms of agricultural products and agricultural environmental elements; (3) Being a system composed of basic standards, technical guidelines, technical specifications, and technical manuals.