Variety Of Natural Resources Research Articles

Fresh Water Fish Habitat Science and Management in India

Abstract India is a land of diverse topography, climate and natural resource. There are 12 major rivers and 48 lesser rivers with a total catchment area of 277.6 million hectares. The fresh water resources of the country which are varied harbor 587 species of finfish and account for 9.3 percent of global inland fish production. India's natural capital of fish habitat resource has been eroded as reflected in loss of bio-diversity and reduced fish landings. Studies on the ecology, environment and fisheries of five major river systems in addition to reservoirs and flood plain lake fisheries have been conducted with greater focus on water quality and less on physical habitat parameters. The Central Water Commission is responsible for development of all freshwater bodies whereas, the National River Conservation Directorate is responsible for river conservation. River conservation programs cover major rivers in 10 States of the country, the ‘Ganga Action Plan’ being the most important. These projects target improvement in water quality and not fish habitat improvement. Lack of concern for fish habitat is reflected in the planning of Farakka barrage on the river Ganga (The Ganges) and its impact on ‘Hilsa’ run. Environmental laws have not achieved desired objectives for lack of enforcement mechanisms. Fishery scientists and resource users are not involved in the river conservation program. The fresh water habitat management situation in India evokes both concern and hope. Concern arises out of the missing elements in the existing fish habitat research, planning and management of resource. The hope for the future is our increasing awareness of the need for better resource management and environmental conservation. India has a responsibility to conserve these natural assets for future generations. Potential steps are outlined.

Invisible capital: The contribution of communal rangelands to rural livelihoods in South Africa1

Communal rangelands (including their woodland component) contribute significantly to rural livelihoods in that a variety of natural resources are utilised for direct use and for exchange in local and more distant markets. Natural resources are also valued for purposes which are not ‘economic’ (eg for ceremonial and aesthetic reasons) and because of their ecological functions. The fact that many of these uses are not monetised means that their true social and economic value is often underestimated and not taken adequately into account when assessing, for example, the viability of land redistribution projects. The ecological dimension is as crucial as the socio‐economic: how sustainable is this multifold use of communal rangeland resources? More positively, can the productivity of ‘natural capital’ be increased, and how can the benefits of multifold utilisation activities be more widely distributed to help address rural poverty? This article discusses conceptual models drawn from the general literature which may be of relevance; reviews some of the southern African evidence on rural livelihoods and natural resource use; and attempts to draw out the lessons for poverty assessments and land reform policy.

Environmental data in decision making in EPA regional offices

The mid-Atlantic region of the United States has a wide diversity of natural resources. Human pressures on these natural resources are intense. These factors have resulted in the collection of substantial amounts of environmental information about the region by EPA (both Regional and Research Offices), other governmental agencies, industry, and environmental groups. EPA Regional Offices comprehend first hand the importance of environmental data and are extremely supportive of investments in these data. Environmental data are used prominently in a variety of strategic planning and resource management initiatives. In EPA Region 3, the use of scientifically-sound environmental data is, in fact, one of our strategic programmatic goals. Environmental information is captured and assessed continuously by Regional staff, sometimes working in partnership with other Federal and State agencies, to derive relevant resource management conclusions. The restoration goals for the Chesapeake Bay are based on environmental indicators and resulting data. Attainment of the water quality objectives for streams and coastal estuaries are predicted on monitoring data. Our initiative in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands area uses environmental indicators to measure the condition of forests and streams. Landscape-level indicators will provide unique opportunities for the use of data in planning and management activities in support of the principles of community-based activism and sustainable development. Significant value is added to these data during their use by Regional managers. Regional programs, such as the Chesapeake Bay Program and several National Estuary Programs, are founded in environmental data. Environmental information is used by the Regional program managers to ascertain whether programs are accomplishing their intended objectives. Finally, Regional programs provide a crucial means for disseminating this information to broad segments of the public, so that a better informed and educated client base for effective environmental protection will develop.

Soil Quality: A Concept, Definition, and Framework for Evaluation (A Guest Editorial)

AbstractThis essay summarizes deliberation by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Ad Hoc Committee on Soil Quality (S‐581) and was written to spur discussion among SSSA members. Varying perceptions of soil quality have emerged since the concept was suggested in the early 1990s, and dialogue among members is important because, unlike air and water quality, legislative standards for soil quality have not been and perhaps should not be defined. In simplest terms, soil quality is “the capacity (of soil) to function”. This definition, based on function, reflects the living and dynamic nature of soil. Soil quality can be conceptualized as a three‐legged stool, the function and balance of which requires an integration of three major components — sustained biological productivity, environmental quality, and plant and animal health. The concept attempts to balance multiple soil uses (e.g., for agricultural production, remediation of wastes, urban development, forest, range, or recreation) with goals for environmental quality. Assessing soil quality will require collaboration among all disciplines of science to examine and interpret their results in the context of land management strategies, interactions, and trade‐offs. Society is demanding solutions from science. Simply measuring and reporting the response of an individual soil parameter to a given perturbation or management practice is no longer sufficient. The soil resource must be recognized as a dynamic living system that emerges through a unique balance and interaction of its biological, chemical, and physical components. We encourage SSSA members to consider the concept of soil quality (perhaps as a marketing tool) and to debate how it might enable us to more effectively meet the diverse natural resource needs and concerns of our rural, urban, and suburban clientele of today and tomorrow.

Fédéralisme et gouvernement régional en Russie

Federalism and Regional Government in Russia, by Jean-Robert Raviot As a fedération, Russia must have a policy with regard to the heterogeneous territories of which it is composed. The legacy of the USSR is problematic: it has left Russia with administrative entities of an unequal status. Jean-Robert Raviot analyses this asymetry which characterizes Russia's federal organization. The republics and the regions enjoy varying degrees of autonomy, are variably endowed with diverse natural resources and hence are inequally wealthy, and above ail exhibit different levels of federal identity and integration. "Each case is special" and the present central government, since the war in Chechnya, has adopted a cautious policy of "case-by-case federalism". The dialogue between central government and its peripheries, far from being over, is conducted by executive powers embodied more often than not by the presidents of the republics or the chiefs of the regions. Tatarstan is a case in point, its president having full powers over his fief. The recent gubernatorial election makes relations more complicated. Jean-Robert Raviot questions the future of a federal system where the rules of the game are far from clear.

Geothermal: Energy for development—The World Bank and Geothermal development

The World Bank views geothermal energy as one of a variety of natural resources which can be developed to supply the energy needs of a country. Since the World Bank Group finances projects in developing countries. This paper discusses geothermal energy only in that context. Geothermal power is generated in nine developing countries today, which represent nearly 40% of worldwide geothermal generating capacity. The World Bank has helped finance geothermal investments in six of these countries-the Phillippines, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Indonesia and Kenya.

Environmental diversity, socioeconomic disparity and regional development in contemporary Peru

In general, it is true that "there is no type of specially indispensable natural resource to get a high national income or economic progress ... However, natural wealth may have a beneficial influence on income and economic growth" (HerfindahM970). Peru, by the diversity of its environment, has an extremely rich and diverse natural resource potential. But environmental diversity allows a fragmentation of the territory and determines degrees of unequal spatial accessibility which have grave consequences for the development. These dissimilarities explain the difficulties encountered by those who study the Peruvian reality, and the problems faced by planners and politicians in designing regionalization plans with their different stages. Ί' The division of Peru in three large regions is classic. In fact, when Juan Lopez de Velasco published his Geografia y Descripcion Universal de Ias indias in the XVI century, he proposed the names of "llano", "sierra" and "montaria". These major regions cover areas of different sizes and different sociocultural, economic and political importance. The coast is best developed, but it extends only over 144,000 km2 (11.2% of Peru). The Sierra is a region of fragmented space in the process of slow advancement and unequal development extending over 335,170 km2 (26.1% of Peru). Finally, the jungle or Selva is a region of incipient and slow development which covers over 806,041 km2 (62.7% of the territory). All functional organization of the Peruvian space is tied to some physical frictions which have strongly marked the regional division: The coast forms a N-S oriented corridor, 100 km wide in the north, 40 km in the central zone and almost inexistent in the S. This region is limited by the Pacific Ocean in the W, which by itself forms an opaque space by its difficult communication and also a natural region whose potential is not quite clear yet. According to Pulgar Vidal's classification (1941, 1981), the Coast comprises the Chala and part of the Yunga, up to 1 ,000 m asl. The coastal strip is the part of the Chala which leaves the Yunga as a contact region between the Coast and the Sierra. Some institutions, such as the National Institute of Planning (INP), consider as Coast the altitude between sea-level and 1,000 m while most others include all of the Yunga. However, there exist strong latitudinal differences: the Sierra starts at 500 m in the Department of Piura and rises to 1,000 m in central and S Peru. This fact explains the narrowness of the ecological levels as one moves from S to N. Latitudinal differences permit the identification of three zones: the latitudinal "tropical" region with an area of 892,665 km2 (69.5%) which extends from Ecuador to 12°S; the latitudinal "subtropical" region with an area of 361,210 km2 (28%) from 12°S to 17°S; and the latitudinal "temperate-warm" region with 31,340 km2 (2.5%) from 17°S to the border with Chile (ONERN 1976). Thus, the size of the territory plus its altitudinal and latitudinal subdivisions are the principal reasons for the diversity and environmental variety of Peru.

Planning for Institutional Change in Utilization of Sub-Saharan Africa's Common Property Range Resources

Attempts to increase food productivity, make the agricultural sector more cost efficient, improve diets of lower income people, and increase net incomes of farmers and livestock owners are receiving considerable interest on a worldwide basis. In many areas, however, these goals are not being met. In particular, livestock development programs in arid and semi-arid pastoral and sedentary regions in Africa have been especially discouraging. The general problem confronted in this article is to determine why the livestock industry is not developing, and to analyze alternatives related to one major source of concern: communally grazed areas. Africa warrants a special place in development planning due to a multitude of non-economic factors. Political instability, language differences, and tribal and racial tensions have often tended to overshadow economic considerations (Bates, 1981). Perhaps most striking has been the heavy emphasis on equity considerations, possibly because many nations have recently emerged from colonial rule. The relatively short post emergence period (two to three decades in most cases) combined with the continent's economic and natural resource diversity, and a host of other factors such as trade policies, make analysis of economic development potential very difficult (World Bank, 1981). It is evident that there is no one problem and no unique solution in defining policies related to Sub-Saharan Africa's livestock sector.' Perhaps most important is to recognize that the various kinds of livestock systems themselves, as well as associated social institutions, are dynamic forces. Furthermore, it is crucial that the industry and associated problems be understood in the context of human population growth and pressure which has only recently emerged as a source of concern (Development Forum, 1984). In fact, it is population growth which is bringing about a shift in emphasis from livestock production as a primarily ethical or sociological problem to one of determining the role which livestock can play in meeting basic food needs. In this article, a perspective of Sub-Saharan Africa's livestock industry is developed by explaining the dynamic setting in which it is now found. Discussion then turns to communal grazing, a topic we feel has not been properly

Changes in diversity within Danish agriculture

Jensen, Kr. M.: Changes in diversity within Danish agriculture. Geografisk Tidsskrift 84: 40–43. Copenhagen, January 1984. Three types of diversity in Danish agriculture are briefly outlined: the oldest one exploiting a variety of natural resources, followed by a type which was characteristic by having a complex land-use pattern of cultivated fields. During the period 1950–80, the diversity was clearly diminishing and a third type under development with barley as dominating crop and livestock concentrated on few holdings, mainly in the western part of the country.

PENGATURAN SUMBER DAYA ALAM DI LANDAS KONTINEN SEHUBUNGAN DENGAN BERLAKUNYA KONVENSI HUKUM LAUT PBB 1982 KHUSUSNYA BAGI INDONESIA

Continental shelf is a relatively new concept in international law of the sea. Full authority and exclusive rights over natural resources located in the continental shelf region and its ownership is on the coastal state, where the meaning of this natural wealth is a source of minerals and other lifeless on the seabed and subsoil. Through the establishment of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, as well as enactment of the provisions of the New Law of the Sea, Indonesia is an archipelagic state which is seen as a unified whole between the islands and waters. We realized the sea was rich in minerals mining goods that is priceless natural resources, which is expected to be able to fulfill the needs of the world if mineral resources on land are not sufficient or run out completely. In Indonesia, mostly consisting of ocean territory, surely have the very wide continental shelf, where there is a variety of natural resources, especially oil and gas resources. Hence it needs regulation for the natural resources utilization in the region.Keywords :Â Continental Shelf, Natural Resources, Seabed and Subsoil.

Linkages between biological and cultural diversity for participatory management: Nepal’s experiences with Makulu-Barun National park and its buffer zone

The Makalu-Barun National Park (MBNP) and its Buffer Zone (BZ) of eqastern Nepal shares is borders with Sagarmatha National Park on the west and with the Qomolongma Natural Preserve of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China on the North. The Park is rich in cultural diversity with many ethnic groups. Most of the households are economically poor and depend on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry and diverse natural resources for livelihoods. Slash and burn cultivation on steep slopes, poaching, hunting, over grazing, high dependency on natural resources, poverty and food deficits are the main threats to biodiversity in MBNP and BZ area. The MBNP was established in 1991 while its BZ was declared in 1998. the basic underlying approach of protection and management of the Park and its BZ is biodiversity conservation through people participation, without relying on military force.
 
 This paper highlights the implementation of the biodiversity conservation and management approaches through people participation in the MBNP and its BZ, and also explores notable achievements and effectiveness of partnership of the Government of Nepal, the Mountain Institute (TMI) – an INGO and the local communities to sustain conservation efforts as well as to improve local livelihoods.
 
 Key words: Biodiversity; National Park; Buffer Zone; participation; culture; linkages
 
 Banko Janakari Vol.16(2) 2006 pp.37-44

Conservation Law in the Ussr

The extensive development of social production in the USSR, and the associated steadily increasing utilization of diverse natural resources in the economy, compel us to intensify our concern for the protection of nature. In recent years, measures have been developed in our country to assure rational utilization and protection of the land, its mineral wealth, waters, forests, and animal life. The protection of nature has become an important state task and the concern of all the people.

Recent Population Trends in the Soviet Union

T HE RISE and progress of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has been conditioned by unique geographical, demographic and cultural circumstances. The Marxian thesis that socialism could not be established in one country, though based on acute observations, proved fallacious under these conditions. Most obvious is the factor of space, the territory of the Soviet Union being the largest in the world under one political administration. Associated with the factor of space are wealth and diversity of natural resources. The particular stage of economic and cultural development in the Russian Empire at the time of the Revolution was no less important. Fourfifths of the people were peasants; the middle class was small and scattered; the urban proletariat, though relatively small, was sufficiently numerous to become politically dominant under skillful leadership. At the time of the first Soviet Census in I926, when the occupational structure of the population was not radically different from that in the late pre-revolutionary period, there were 4 million workers and employees in manufacturing, mining, construction and transportation, and a somewhat larger number of employed persons in various other fields, including agriculture and crafts, trade and public services. The combination of great resources and incipient industrial progress set the stage for a phenomenal expansion of industry under centralized economic control. By January, I939, there were over 14 million workers and employees in manufacturing, mining, construction and transportation, and about I 5 million employed persons in other fields. The progress of edu-

Some Economic Problems in the Baltic Republics: A Review of Recent Literature

O NE of the important consequences of the Great War was the sloughing off from Russia's western periphery of four new republics: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. As separate political entities they found themselves confronted with serious problems: only Finland, which had possessed a qualified domestic autonomy, had experience to build on. To quote from a recent survey: It is impossible to compare pre-war and post-war Latvia from an economic point of view, as before the war Latvia was nothing more than a factor in the Russian industrial system, pursuing entirely different aims from her present-day objects.1 That these patient groups of the north have succeeded well in spite of their disabilities is revealed in the rather meager literature describing their recent activities. In all four states the agrarian problem repeatedly comes to the fore. The industrial phases of the struggle receive nearly as much attention, since a goodly portion of the political development not only has brought the agrarian and industrial views into sharp contrast but oftentimes almost to the point of destructive conflict. The clash of ideas has arisen largely out of the paucity in variety of natural resources, the preponderance of those whose greatest value is attained through industrial manipulation, and the geographic conditions peculiar to the respective countries. Although the problems confronting each of the new republics are fundamentally similar, their variations are sufficiently diverse to warrant consideration by individual countries. Finland

Industrial Research in India

ONE of the bye-products of the new constitution legalised by the Government of India Act of 1919 was the transfer of certain “heads of business,” previously administered by the bureaucratic regime, to the control of popularly elected Ministers in each province. The. subjects so transferred included agriculture, forests, and the development of industries, with, therefore, the scientific and technical services attached to these departments, Realising that “decentralisation of authority and responsibility must necessarily tend to give rise to local variations in policy, apart altogether from those variations that follow local diversity in natural resources,” Sir Thomas Holland, when designing the new Department of Industries and Labour in 1920, elaborated a system which would facilitate concerted action among the provinces while leaving them free to develop in any way that seemed to their respective legislatures best suited to their special needs. The new Ministers were, in the first instance, provided with a monthly circular summarising the information, often of a semi-confidential nature, collected by the Intelligence Branch of the Munitions Board. Out of these circulars grew the agenda of half-yearly conferences, followed by a quarterly Journal and a series of Bulletins suitable for publication.