Regional Management Plans Research Articles

Genetic diversity of the free-living population of Przewalski's horses in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The present study is aimed at evaluating the genetic diversity, genetic status and the extent of hybridization with the domestic horse for the Przhevalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii Poliakov 1881) population free-ranging in the territory of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) in Belarus and Ukraine. The sample size included 12 individuals (10 sampled in the Belarusian part of the CEZ and 2 from the Ukrainian part of the CEZ). Ten microsatellites recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) for horse genetic status and pedigree determination were used as markers in this study. The fragment analysis data obtained utilising this microsatellite panel determined that two individuals from Belarus possess no allelic variants typical for Przhevalski’s horse. Most of the other individuals presented diagnostically valuable allelic variants. Demographic history analysis for the population did not indicate any drastic population shrinkage events in the population’s recent history. The studied population is characterised by heterogeneous population structure with signs of inbreeding (0.21 %), intermediate level of genetic diversity (He = 0.63) and allelic richness (5.15), possesses 16 unique alleles among 2 microsatellite loci and valuable alleles for loci HMS3 and HMS7 (46.4 and 67.9 % specific alleles for Przhevalski’s horse, respectively). Genetic structure evaluation for the population was performed via Bayesian population structure analysis and factorial correspondence analysis (FCA), which indicated the presence of intrapopulation genetic subdivision. Taking into account the obtained indicators of genetic diversity, we may conclude on the relatively favourable status of Przewalski’s horse in the exclusion zone with good potential for the long-term existence of the species population in the wild. In order to minimise inbreeding effects and the risk of a decline in genetic diversity in the population of Przewalski’s horse of the exclusion zone, as well as to increase the value of this free-living group to preserve the gene pool of the species as a whole, it is necessary to provide detailed genetic monitoring of the livestock’s state, as well as develop a regional population management plan, including measures aimed to minimise the possibility of further hybridisation of wild horses with domestic ones.

Understanding the impact of climate change on the oceanic circulation in the Chilean island ecoregions

Abstract The largest changes in the circulation of the South‐eastern Pacific resulting from global warming are associated with the southward shift and intensification of the anticyclone and with coastal surface warming. Coastal upwelling is projected to be increase off central Chile, due to an increase in equatorward winds, although increased oceanic stratification and associated enhanced nearshore turbulence will yield an onshore deepening/flattening of the thermocline. The overall increase in south‐easterly trade winds of the South‐eastern Pacific in a warmer climate are likely to increase the connectivity pattern between Juan Fernandez and Desventuradas islands, and along the Sala y Gomez ridge, through increasing wind‐driven mean ocean currents. Deoxygenation associated with the warmer temperatures and changes in ventilation are likely to modify marine habitat and the respiratory barriers of species in the seamounts located in the vicinity of the limits of the minimum oxygen zone. In the South‐eastern Pacific, the prevailing 2D understanding of the responses of marine life to climate change needs to be expanded to 3D approaches, integrating the vertical habitat compression of marine organisms as a result of ocean warming and deoxygenation, as climate velocities for temperature and oxygen have contrasting vertical and horizontal patterns. There is a need for regional biogeochemical‐coupled modelling studies dedicated to the Chilean islands in order to provide an integrated view of the impact of anthropogenic stressors (e.g. deoxygenation, increased stratification, and climate shift) at the scale required for addressing socio‐ecological interactions. A refined understanding of the large‐scale biogeography and spatial dynamics of marine populations through experimentation with high‐resolution regional ocean models is a prerequisite for scaling‐up regional management planning and optimizing the conservation of interconnected marine ecosystems across large scales.

Impacts of land use at multiple buffer scales on seasonal water quality in a reticular river network area

The assessment and prediction of regional water quality are fundamental inputs to environmental planning and watershed ecological management. This paper explored spatiotemporal changes in the correlation of water quality parameters (WQPs) and land-use types (LUTs) in a reticular river network area. Water samples of 44 sampling sites were collected every quarter from 2016 to 2018 and evaluated for dissolved oxygen (DO), total phosphorus (TP), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and permanganate index (CODMn). A redundancy analysis (RDA) and stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) were applied to analyze the land-use type impacts on seasonal WQPs at five buffer scales (100, 200, 500, 800, and 1000 m). The Kruskal–Wallis test results revealed significant seasonal differences in NH3-N, TP, CODMn, and DO. The area percentages of farmland, water area and built-up land in the study area were 38.96%, 22.75% and16.20%, respectively, for a combined total area percentage of nearly 80%. Our study showed that orchard land had an especially favorable influence on WQPs. Land-use type impacts on WQPs were more significant during the dry season than the wet season. The total variation explained by LUTs regarding WQPs at the 1 km buffer scale was slightly stronger than at smaller buffer scales. Built-up land had a negative effect on WQPs, but orchard and forest-grassland had a positive effect on WQPs. The effects of water area and farmland on WQPs were complex on different buffer scales. These findings are helpful for improving regional water resource management and environmental planning.

Logistics of urban transport infrastructure development as a mechanism for the formation of a comfortable urban environment (in the example of Yaroslavl)

Currently in Russia the most serious attention is paid to the development of a comfortable urban environment. And there are already specific tasks of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin on increasing the urban environment quality index by 2024 and reducing the number of cities with an unfavorable environment. However, the main problem in the development of a comfortable urban environment today is the state of the urban transport infrastructure and the complexity of its development. This is due to the constant growth in the number of urban residents, with an increase in the number of personal, public transport and freight vehicles necessary to ensure the life of cities, as well as the often poor condition of city roads and dense development of old city blocks, etc. As a result, today we need scientific approaches to solving the problems outlined in the article on the development of urban transport infrastructure, using for this logistics as a tool for effectively solving problems for the development of an urban comfortable environment, including using the experience already available in this area of cities such as Moscow, Kazan, etc. The article outlines topical problems associated with the implementation of the scientific concept of logistics for the development of urban transport infrastructure as a mechanism for solving the problems of forming an urban comfortable environment on the example of Yaroslavl, which are typical for most Russian cities, determined by the weak use of modern technologies in regional management planning.

Organization of Business Activities Taking into Account Environmental and Economic Aspects

One of the most urgent environmental problems today is the pollution of the environment by emissions of harmful substances and industrial waste. The negative impact on the environment and people is becoming more widespread, and its disposal methods inhibit the development of the economic system. In a market economy, entrepreneurs are not interested in increasing environmental costs, which naturally lead to higher production costs and reduce profits. The impact on the environment is becoming more widespread every year and has led to an ecological crisis in some parts of the world. Waste recycling has been constantly discussed since a person “produces” more than 250 kg of household waste per year. At the enterprise, these figures reach 10 000 kg. In recent years, Ukraine has imported about 30-50 thousand tons of PET granulate, which is gradually accumulating in landfills in the form of packaging, bottles, films. Such hazardous pollutants affect the environment through soil and water. In contrast, Ukraine does not yet have successful experience in waste management. In our opinion, such behavior is the ignorance of the population about waste disposal and replacement of a particular product with a more environmentally friendly one. The functioning of enterprises and farms does not always have the equipment to dispose of waste, and there is no room for the disposal of unnecessary products and raw materials. However, the problem of lack of innovative equipment arises due to a lack of adequate funding. Therefore, the lack of possibilities for a comprehensive solution to the situation creates a barrier, which does not allow to take proper measures to eliminate and reduce the amount of garbage. Despite many regulations and legal frameworks for regulating waste management, there is no cost-effective policy, and there is no regional waste management program and plan for their proper disposal. It can be concluded that the recycling and disposal of waste will reduce the need for waste incineration, create conditions for improving the economic component of the region and the country as a whole with an account of environmental quality standards. The paper pays attention to the essence of waste disposal; identified ways to recycle garbage.

Household waste management system planning in the Poltava region

Today in Ukraine, the municipal waste management system is focused on landfill waste, mainly their disposal in landfills and unauthorized dumps, most of which do not meet the requirements of environmental safety. Accordingly, the main task at the state and regional levels is to implement a systematic approach to waste management, which will ensure both a gradual reduction in waste generation and an increase in their processing and reuse. Implementation of this task requires the implementation of a set of measures provided by the National Waste Management Strategy in Ukraine until 2030 (approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated November 8, 2017, No. 820 (Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine 2017, No. 820-r) and the National Waste Management Plan until 2030 (approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on February 20, 2019, No. 117-p (Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine 2019, No. 117- r). According to documents, a crucial step for each region of Ukraine is developing a regional waste management plan based on a phase of strategic planning of all processes of waste management. The importance of this stage increases as a result of the completed process of power decentralization in Ukraine, and, accordingly, delegating authority to address most community development issues to the local powers.

Comparing the Marine Protected Area Network Planning Process in British Columbia, Canada and New Zealand – Planning for cooperative partnerships with Indigenous communities

Marine Protected Area (MPA) network planning is increasingly used to amplify the effectiveness of individual protected area sites through ecological connectivity, redundancy and replication of protected habitats. Bioregional MPA network planning has been undertaken in Canada and in New Zealand nearly concurrently and offers an opportunity to compare these two jurisdictions and processes as they advance toward implementation of the MPA networks. Governance and management planning for MPA networks poses several challenges beyond those for individual MPAs. Additionally, some Indigenous communities within the two planning bioregions are also seeking shared-governance and management arrangements for the networks. While systematic approaches have been undertaken in both countries for the planning and design of regional MPA networks, implementation and management planning cannot occur in isolation from the design, and must similarly reflect both the interactions between individual protected areas, and the full scope of the governance rights, structures, and jurisdiction across the bioregions.

Implications of new technical measures regulation for cetacean bycatch in European waters

For decades, cetacean bycatch has been a major conservation and welfare concern in the European Union with high numbers of harbour porpoises, dolphins and whales dying each year. Despite binding legal requirements to monitor and reduce bycatch, cetacean bycatch monitoring has been insufficient in most fisheries and areas to generate reliable estimates of bycatch rate. Measures to reduce bycatch have been limited and not always directed at the most problematic fisheries. EU cetacean bycatch legislation (Council Regulation (EC) No. 812/2004) was repealed and replaced by a new Regulation, Regulation on the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (2019/1241). Whilst some improvements have been made in the new Regulation, scientific advice of the ICES Bycatch Working Group (ICES WGBYC), and other expert regional bodies, such as ASCOBANS and ACCOBAMS, were not incorporated explicitly and some measures in the adopted Technical Measures Regulation weaken both the provisions of the existing cetacean bycatch legislation and the Commission’s original proposal. The bycatch measures adopted for cetaceans are not sufficient to mitigate bycatch effectively in European waters. Management solutions to reduce bycatch are identified and a number of general recommendations towards development of national and regional management plans, implementation and enforcement to that end are made.

Estimation of the Recyclable Waste amount Collected by Informal Recycling Shops: Case Study in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

The study investigates and estimates the type and amount of recyclable waste collected by informal recycling shops in Nay Pyi Taw by using face to face interview for 23 informal recycling shops in Nay Pyi Taw in May 2020. The descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (two-sample paired t-test and Pearson’s correlation) were applied. According to the results, the average estimated waste amount collected by each recycling shop per day before and during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was 1,798 kg (Min. 0 to Max. 1,401 kg) and 856 kg (Min. 0 to Max. 892 kg), respectively. As a result of this study, it can be seen that the amount of daily collected waste has a positive relationship with the daily income of recycling shops, and COVID-19 has impacted the income of informal recycling shops. According to the results, getting an official license, financial problems, and limited land for managing buying recyclable waste, unstable market conditions, no factory in Nay Pyi Taw and no definitive legislation or laws, seasonal changes are the main challenges for informal recycling shops. This study indicates the ways to mainstream the informal sectors in waste management schemes. In addition, the results of this study can be useful in developing national and regional waste management plans and programs.

Protection effect of overwintering water bird habitat and defining the conservation priority area in Poyang Lake wetland, China

Biodiversity conservation is one of the most important objectives of protected areas. Most biodiversity assessment-related studies use the change in species abundance data to measure the level of biodiversity conservation. Yet for many areas, long-term species data are not available and thus it is necessary to use biodiversity indices to monitor the effect of land use (LU) changes or the impact of protected area establishment. Poyang Lake wetland is one of the most important wintering sites for migratory water birds on the East Asian–Australasian flyway. To protect this habitat, 14 nature reserves were created in the region between 1997 and 2003. This paper aims to assess the effect of nature reserve creation on the status of habitat for overwintering water birds in Poyang Lake wetland by analysing LU and land cover data from 1995, 2005 and 2015. We developed a composite biodiversity index to search for current biodiversity hotspots (conservation priority) in the study area. An integrated approach consisting of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs model, GIS, fragment analysis and hotspot analysis was used to realize our objective. Our results showed that the creation of the nature reserve had positive effects on overwintering water bird habitat. However, tremendous changes (such as change of habitat area, quality and fragmentation) within and outside the nature reserve showed that the role of protected area still needs to be further discussed. Moreover, regional synthesis LU management plans such as ecological restoration should be carried out. The results of the habitat assessment also indicate that a comprehensive biodiversity index framework based on net primary productivity, habitat connectivity and habitat quality could be more efficient in assessing biodiversity and defining a reasonable protected area, from data obtain in large scale perspective.

A New Approach to Calculate the Water Exploitation Index (WEI+)

The Water Exploitation Index (WEI), or withdrawal ratio, is an indicator of water scarcity, which has been updated into its WEI+ form by the Committee of Experts of the European Commission. In calculating the total abstraction of fresh water, this indicator also includes the possible return flow and management rules. The demand for freshwater and long-term freshwater resources are both necessary to calculate the WEI+. These values are not easy to assess at basin or sub-basin level and, for this reason, WEI values are generally calculated at the country level. This paper introduces a new approach to calculate the WEI+, with the purpose of extending its use to basin and sub-basin levels. The methodology is based on flow duration curve estimation, which evaluates freshwater resources, and a Web-GIS system that evaluates water abstractions distribution. This approach allows for the assessment of locally stressed areas in the hydrographic network and could provide a fundamental step toward more comprehensive regional water resources management plans. The new methodology is tested in some sub-basins of the Upper Tiber River Basin (Italy). These results contribute to the analysis of water withdrawals sustainability, based on the policy of the European Environment Agency, which is aimed toward the development of a proactive approach for reducing water stress.

Розвиток циркулярних ланцюгів доданої вартості для зростання стійкості української промисловості в умовах постковіду

The paper considers the conceptual grounds of the possibility of integration of the Ukrainian industry into circular value chains. The authors have identified the global challenges threatening the industry development of Ukraine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as border closings, the increased requirements of security due to isolation, the blockage of labour migration flows, the disruption of intermediate goods supply chains, the decline in production operations, a considerable shortage of capital, declining returns, undermining the financial stability and liquidity; increasing the probability of failure. Implementation of Ukrainian industry on the circular value chains contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the prospects for the restoration of Ukraine’s industrial capacity in the harsh conditions of the coronavirus pandemic. Due to assessment of the losses caused by COVID-19 authors have shown that supply disruptions had effect on reducing the length of value chains, particularly in the machinery, metallurgy and textile sectors. The authors have determined that circular value chains maximize value-added throughout the product life cycle to increase the recycling of materials. The prospects for the integration of Ukrainian industry into circular value chains were justified, in particular, production of paper, paperboard, PET and glass; recycling of building debris, used clothing, tyres and organic waste; repair and rehabilitation of household appliances. An important role can be played by Ukrainian industry, which, although under challenging conditions, has sufficient potential in circular value chains. With this purpose, the following government incentives were developed: improvement of legislation, implementation of the principles of balanced Ukrainian development, financial support for projects aimed at developing a circular economy, as well as development of regional waste management plans with special focus on the European Green Deal.

Planning for Dynamic Connectivity: Operationalizing Robust Decision-Making and Prioritization Across Landscapes Experiencing Climate and Land-Use Change

Preserving landscape connectivity is one of the most frequently recommended strategies to address the synergistic threats of climate change, habitat fragmentation, and intensifying disturbances. Although assessments to develop plans for linked and connected landscapes in response to climate and land-use change have been increasingly employed in the last decade, efforts to operationalize and implement these plans have been limited. Here, we present a framework using existing, available biological data to design an implementable, comprehensive multispecies connectivity plan. This framework uses a scenario-based approach to consider how ecosystems, habitats, and species may need to adapt to future conditions with an ensemble of connectivity models. We use the south coast ecoregion of California as an example to evaluate and prioritize linkages by combining linked metapopulation models and key landscape features (e.g., conservation planning status and implementation feasibility) to identify and prioritize a multispecies linkage network. Our analyses identified approximately 30,000 km2 of land, roughly one-fifth of our study area, where actions to preserve or enhance connectivity may support climate adaptation, nearly half of which is already conserved. By developing and implementing a dynamic connectivity assessment with an eye towards projected changes, our analysis demonstrates how dynamic connectivity can be integrated into feasible regional conservation and management plans that account for demographic as well as landscape change. We observed overlap across multiple models, reinforcing the importance of areas that appeared across methods. We also identified unique areas important for connectivity captured by our complementary models. By integrating multiple approaches, the resultant linkage network is robust, building on the strengths of a variety of methods to identify model consensus and reduce uncertainty. By linking quantitative connectivity metrics with prioritized areas for conservation, our approach supports transparent and robust decision-making for landscape planning, despite uncertainties of climate and land-use change.

“We only have the one”: Mapping the prevalence of people with high body mass to aid regional emergency management planning in Aotearoa New Zealand

IntroductionPeople have been left behind in disasters directly associated with their size, shape, and weight and are disproportionately impacted in pandemics. Despite alignment with known vulnerabilities such as poverty, age, and disability, the literature is inaudible on body mass. Emergency managers report little or no information on body mass prevalence. This exploratory study aimed to illustrate population prevalence of high body mass for emergency planning. MethodsCross-sectional data from the New Zealand Health Survey were pooled for the years 2013/14–2017/18 (n = 68 053 adults aged ≥15 years). Height and weight were measured and used to calculate body mass index. The prevalence of high body mass were mapped to emergency management boundary shapefiles. The resulting maps were piloted with emergency managers. ResultsMaps highlight the population prevalence of high body mass across emergency management regions, providing a visual tool. A pilot with 14 emergency managers assessed the utility of such mapping. On the basis of the visual information, the tool prompted 12 emergency managers to consider such groups in regional planning and to discuss needs. ConclusionsVisual mapping is a useful tool to highlight population prevalence of groups likely to be at higher risk in disasters. This is believed to be the first study to map high body mass for the purposes of emergency planning. Future research is required to identify prevalence at a finer geographical scale. More features in the local context such as physical location features, risk and vulnerability features could also be included in future research.

Regional Plan against Coastal Erosion: A Conceptual Model for Sicily

Over the last few decades, Sicily has faced both erosion-related difficulties and limited Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). In particular, a lack of synergy between regional bodies, an absence of information exchange between scientific and administrative communities, the application of not-updated national and international best practices and the misrepresentation of environmental laws, have resulted in a system focused on risk erosion rather than on coastal area development. Following years without planning, in 2006 the Regione Siciliana launched PAI-coste (Hydro-Geological Asset Plan. It is interesting to note that in Italy, the “risk” known worldwide as geological or hydraulic or geomorphological is commonly denoted as “hydro-geological”, creating a pseudo-neologism correctly related to the groundwater circulation and not to surficial movements.), based on a diachronic comparison between cartographies and territorial qualitative information. However, it has proved to be static and obsolete and thus requires updating in order to determine the focal points for further planning and to shift it from an e-static to e-dynamic process via the GIS and WEBGIS tools. Sicilian legislation holds all the laws necessary for the creation of a continuous flow of information between local administrations and the regional government. The aim of this paper is to determine a regional management plan for the central government against coastal erosion with the inclusion of a seasonal monitoring program carried out by the local administration as a part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which is in turn linked to the Plan for the Administrations of Maritime State Property (PUDM; Italian acronym). The plan will be managed at the regional level and will take into account problems and particular features at a higher rather than local level. A key outcome should be the Regional Plan against Coastal Erosion, containing constant feedback from the local administration, stakeholders and citizen groups.

Stochastic simulation of streamflow and spatial extremes: a continuous, wavelet-based approach

Abstract. Stochastically generated streamflow time series are used for various water management and hazard estimation applications. They provide realizations of plausible but as yet unobserved streamflow time series with the same temporal and distributional characteristics as the observed data. However, the representation of non-stationarities and spatial dependence among sites remains a challenge in stochastic modeling. We investigate whether the use of frequency-domain instead of time-domain models allows for the joint simulation of realistic, continuous streamflow time series at daily resolution and spatial extremes at multiple sites. To do so, we propose the stochastic simulation approach called Phase Randomization Simulation using wavelets (PRSim.wave) which combines an empirical spatio-temporal model based on the wavelet transform and phase randomization with the flexible four-parameter kappa distribution. The approach consists of five steps: (1) derivation of random phases, (2) fitting of the kappa distribution, (3) wavelet transform, (4) inverse wavelet transform, and (5) transformation to kappa distribution. We apply and evaluate PRSim.wave on a large set of 671 catchments in the contiguous United States. We show that this approach allows for the generation of realistic time series at multiple sites exhibiting short- and long-range dependence, non-stationarities, and unobserved extreme events. Our evaluation results strongly suggest that the flexible, continuous simulation approach is potentially valuable for a diverse range of water management applications where the reproduction of spatial dependencies is of interest. Examples include the development of regional water management plans, the estimation of regional flood or drought risk, or the estimation of regional hydropower potential. Highlights. Stochastic simulation of continuous streamflow time series using an empirical, wavelet-based, spatio-temporal model in combination with the parametric kappa distribution. Generation of stochastic time series at multiple sites showing temporal short- and long-range dependence, non-stationarities, and spatial dependence in extreme events. Implementation of PRSim.wave in R package PRSim: Stochastic Simulation of Streamflow Time Series using Phase Randomization.

Declining trends in plan quality: A longitudinal evaluation of regional environmental plans in Queensland, Australia

Most evaluations of environmental planning consider how planning is conducted, implemented or perceived. The quality of the plans themselves has received limited attention. Plan quality is a key factor in determining planning outcomes with plans of high quality more likely to produce positive planning outcomes. Using criteria for plan quality well established in planning literature, we develop a framework of 62 indicators to measure the extent to which environmental plans are: 1) collaborative; 2) adaptive; 3) action-orientated; and 4) evidence-based. We apply this framework using a systematic methodology to evaluate the quality of a specific type of environmental plan – regional natural resource management plans - introduced in the Australian state of Queensland over a 13 year period between 2004 and 2016.We tested a number of plan quality factors, including the number of funding sources, planning experience (in terms of the numbers of plans produced) and plan format (web-based and ‘traditional’ paper format). Our analysis finds that, rather than improving over time, plan quality has declined between three distinct generations of plans in Queensland. We conclude that dedicated funding for plan development is important for plan quality, while planning experience and plan format do not guarantee higher plan quality.Our findings add to the growing literature on establishing factors of plan quality. We propose that the plan quality framework could be useful in future evaluations and plan comparisons.

The role of biodiversity concerns in regional and nationwide forest management plans of Japan -Do forest plans promote conservation?

To clarify how regional biodiversity is conserved by forest management plans, we compared the regional forest plans of Japan with nationwide forest plans and the condition of the forest at each regional level. Some important considerations (e.g., riparian areas) for conservation and maintenance of biodiversity in forest production landscapes were omitted from the descriptions in some regional plans but were nevertheless included in the nationwide forest plan. In regional forest plans, “Designated specific forests that are important forests for conserving biodiversity were conserved” are essential in the plans, and other forests were not targeted for biodiversity conservation. Thus, land sparing (land-use specialization) was applied strictly, and major measures to conserve biodiversity in regional forest plans, rather than land sharing (multiple-use forestry), were taken. In particular, forestry-active prefectures emphasized that forests other than those already conserved were not considered for biodiversity conservation in the regional plans. The regional variability of biodiversity conservation in the regional plans depended mainly on the economic conditions of the forests. Since climate conditions and the natural disturbance regime have an impact on biodiversity in Japan, biogeographical variations should be incorporated into forest management plans. Top-down governance for forestry and biodiversity and decentralization to reflect regionality should be considered and reconciled.

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Policies and Station Area Development in Asian Cities

Many metropolitan cities of Asia are planning and implementing extensive investment in mass transit network and thus, are now at the threshold of whether they become transit cities or car traffic saturation cities. Promotion of Transit Oriented development (TOD) policies will be a key to move forward to transit cities. TOD should consider: transit oriented regional growth management plan, station area zoning regulations (mixed-use, minimum density, maximum parking, etc.), joint development among local governments, transit agencies, private developers, institutional mechanism for the public and private cooperation in station area development. In this paper, the cases from the cities in Japan, United States and the Southeast Asia are examined including Toyama in Japan, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Jakarta in Indonesia. In conclusion, the following are discussed as the factors for successful Implementation of TOD in Asian Cities. Shift from highway-based zoning to transit oriented zoning: Creation of institutional mechanism for the public and private cooperation in the station area development, balance between public benefit and private benefit, connection of transit service and affordable housing, and, multi-modal connection planning including walking.

Operational Seasonal Water Supply and Water Level Forecasting for the Laurentian Great Lakes

AbstractSeasonal water supply forecasts are a critical component of regional water resources management planning. Across the United States, multiple modeling tools and operational protocols have ev...