Making the most of world natural heritage - linking conservation and sustainable regional development?

Today, more than 1000 World Heritage (WH) sites are inscribed on UNESCO’s list, 228 of which are natural and mixed heritage sites. Once focused primarily on conservation, World Natural Heritage (WNH) sites are increasingly seen as promoters of sustainable regional development. Sustainability-oriented regions, it is assumed, are safeguards for conservation and positively influence local conservation goals. Within UNESCO, discussions regarding the integration of sustainable development in official policies have recently gained momentum. In this article, we investigate the extent to which WNH sites trigger sustainability-oriented approaches in surrounding regions, and how such approaches in turn influence the WNH site and its protection. The results of the study are on the one hand based on a global survey with more than 60% of the WNH sites listed in 2011, and on the other hand on a complementary literature research. Furthermore, we analyze the policy framework necessary to support WNH sites in this endeavor. We conclude that a regional approach to WNH management is necessary to ensure that WNH sites support sustainable regional development effectively, but that the core focus of WNH status must remain environmental conservation.

Balancing groundwater conservation and rural livelihoods under water and climate uncertainties: An integrated hydro-economic modeling framework

In arid countries worldwide, social conflicts between irrigation-based human development and the conservation of aquatic ecosystems are widespread and attract many public debates. This research focuses on the analysis of water and agricultural policies aimed at conserving groundwater resources and maintaining rurallivelihoods in a basin in Spain's central arid region. Intensive groundwater mining for irrigation has caused overexploitation of the basin's large aquifer, the degradation of reputed wetlands and has given rise to notable social conflicts over the years. With the aim of tackling the multifaceted socio-ecological interactions of complex water systems, the methodology used in this study consists in a novel integration into a common platform of an economic optimization model and a hydrology model WEAP (Water Evaluation And Planning system). This robust tool is used to analyze the spatial and temporal effects of different water and agricultural policies under different climate scenarios. It permits the prediction of different climate and policy outcomes across farm types (water stress impacts and adaptation), at basin's level (aquifer recovery), and along the policies’ implementation horizon (short and long run). Results show that the region's current quota-based water policies may contribute to reduce water consumption in the farms but will not be able to recover the aquifer and will inflict income losses to the rural communities. This situation would worsen in case of drought. Economies of scale and technology are evidenced as larger farms with cropping diversification and those equipped with modern irrigation will better adapt to water stress conditions. However, the long-term sustainability of the aquifer and the maintenance of rurallivelihoods will be attained only if additional policy measures are put in place such as the control of illegal abstractions and the establishing of a water bank. Within the policy domain, the research contributes to the new sustainable development strategy of the EU by concluding that, in water-scarce regions, effective integration of water and agricultural policies is essential for achieving the water protection objectives of the EU policies. Therefore, the design and enforcement of well-balanced region-specific polices is a major task faced by policy makers for achieving successful water management that will ensure nature protection and human development at tolerable social costs. From a methodological perspective, this research initiative contributes to better address hydrological questions as well as economic and social issues in complex water and human systems. Its integrated vision provides a valuable illustration to inform water policy and management decisions within contexts of water-related conflicts worldwide.

Hazardous waste management issues pertinent to Section 3004 of the Resource conservation and recovery act of 1976 /

"Work performed for the Office of Solid Waste under contract no. 68-01-4657."

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 : a brief look at Public Law 94-580.

Mode of access: Internet.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 : a summary of public law 94-580.

Mode of access: Internet.

EPA activities under the Resource conservation and recovery act of 1976; Annual report to the President and the Congress.

Mode of access: Internet.

Public hearing on proposed rules for controlling hazardous wastes : Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Sections 3001-3004, Volume III, March 13, 1979, San Francisco, California 94105, transcript.

Hearing sponsored by EPA Office of Solid Waste.

Transcript: Regional Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Recovery act of 1976, February 25 and 26 1977, Worcester, Mass. and Concord, N.H., [proceedings] ... /

Mode of access: Internet.

Transcript : Regional Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, February 23 and 24, 1977, Atlanta, Ga., [proceedings]... /

Mode of access: Internet.

Transcript : Regional Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Recovery act of 1976, March 21 and 22, 1977, Chicago, Ill./

Sponsored by Environmental Protection Agency, Region V.

Public meeting on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 : subtitle C, Hazardous Waste Management, October 17 and 18, 1977, Scottsdale, Arizona : transcript.

"These meetings were sponsored by EPA, Office of Solid Waste, and the proceedings (SW-27p)--are reproduced entirely as transcribed by the official reporter, with handwritten corrections."

Public hearing on the proposed regulations implementing Sections 3001 to 3004 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act : February 22-23, 1979, Washington, D.C., transcript.

Includes bibliographical references.

Transcript: Regional Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and an appendix, Conference on the Management of Non-Nuclear Hazardous Wastes, February 23, 1977, New York City, ... proceedings... /

Mode of access: Internet.

Transcript: Regional Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Recovery act of 1976, March 17 and 18, 1977, Seattle, Wash., [proceedings] ... /

Mode of access: Internet.

Transcript : Regional Public Meetings on the Resource Conservation and Recovery act of 1976, March 8 and 9, 1977, Dallas, Tex., [proceedings]... /

Mode of access: Internet.