Delta Sustainability

Delta Sustainability
Author: Weiguo Zhang
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 354
Release:
Genre:
ISBN: 9819772591

Environmental Change and Agricultural Sustainability in the Mekong Delta

Environmental Change and Agricultural Sustainability in the Mekong Delta
Author: Mart A. Stewart
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 455
Release: 2011-05-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 940070934X

The Mekong Delta of Vietnam is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. The Mekong River fans out over an area of about 40,000 sq kilometers and over the course of many millennia has produced a region of fertile alluvial soils and constant flows of energy. Today about a fourth of the Delta is under rice cultivation, making this area one of the premier rice granaries in the world. The Delta has always proven a difficult environment to manipulate, however, and because of population pressures, increasing acidification of soils, and changes in the Mekong’s flow, environmental problems have intensified. The changing way in which the region has been linked to larger flows of commodities and capital over time has also had an impact on the region: For example, its re-emergence in recent decades as a major rice-exporting area has linked it inextricably to global markets and their vicissitudes. And most recently, the potential for sea level increases because of global warming has added a new threat. Because most of the region is on average only a few meters above sea level and because any increase of sea level will change the complex relationship between tides and down-river water flow, the Mekong Delta is one of the areas in the world most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. How governmental policy and resident populations have in the past and will in coming decades adapt to climate change as well as several other emerging or ongoing environmental and economic problems is the focus of this collection.

Environmental History of the Rhine-Meuse Delta

Environmental History of the Rhine-Meuse Delta
Author: P.H. Nienhuis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 637
Release: 2008-05-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1402082134

This unique text presents the environmental history of the lowland delta of the rivers Rhine and Meuse. It is an ecological story of evolving human-environmental relations and how they cope with climate change and sea-level rise. The text offers a combination of in-depth ecology and environmental history. The synthesis presents a blueprint for future management and restoration, from progressive reclamation of land in the past, to adaptation of human needs to the forces of nature.

Comparing Futures for the Sacramento, San Joaquin Delta

Comparing Futures for the Sacramento, San Joaquin Delta
Author: Jay Lund
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2010-02-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0520945379

An ecosystem in freefall, a shrinking water supply for cities and agriculture, an antiquated network of failure-prone levees—this is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the major hub of California's water system. Written by a team of independent water experts, this analysis of the latest data evaluates proposed solutions to the Delta's myriad problems. Through in-depth economic and ecological analysis, the authors find that the current policy of channeling water exports through the Delta is not sustainable for any interest. Employing a peripheral canal-conveying water around the Delta instead of through it—as part of a larger habitat and water management plan appears to be the best strategy to maintain both a high-quality water supply and at the same time improve conditions for native fish and wildlife. This important assessment includes integrated analysis of long term ecosystem and water management options and demonstrates how issues such as climate change and sustainability will shape the future. Published in cooperation with the Public Policy Institute of California

Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta

Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2012-11-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0309256194

Extensively modified over the last century and a half, California's San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary remains biologically diverse and functions as a central element in California's water supply system. Uncertainties about the future, actions taken under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and companion California statues, and lawsuits have led to conflict concerning the timing and amount of water that can be diverted from the Delta for agriculture, municipal, and industrial purposes and concerning how much water is needed to protect the Delta ecosystem and its component species. Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta focuses on scientific questions, assumptions, and conclusions underlying water-management alternatives and reviews the initial public draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan in terms of adequacy of its use of science and adaptive management. In addition, this report identifies the factors that may be contributing to the decline of federally listed species, recommend future water-supple and delivery options that reflect proper consideration of climate change and compatibility with objectives of maintaining a sustainable Bay-Delta ecosystem, advises what degree of restoration of the Delta system is likely to be attainable, and provides metrics that can be used by resource managers to measure progress toward restoration goals.

Hydrological Changes and Estuarine Dynamics

Hydrological Changes and Estuarine Dynamics
Author: Paul Montagna
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 102
Release: 2012-10-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461458331

Water development projects have altered the environmental flow landscapes where dams and diversions have been built, and this could have effects on coastal resources, particularly in estuaries. Water is an important human resource and water needs grow as populations grow. However, freshwater inflow to the coast is fundamental to the functioning of estuaries. Can we have stable, secure, and sufficient water resources for people and still protect estuarine health? Estuaries are the most productive environments on Earth, and this is in part due to freshwater inflow, which dilutes marine water, and transports nutrients and sediments to the coast. Estuaries are characterized by salinity and nutrient gradients, which are important in regulating many biological processes. As water is diverted for human consumption, it is common for many environmental problems to appear. While many countries have water quality programs, few are dealing with water quantity alterations. The first step is to define marine resources to protect, and the water quality conditions those resources need to thrive. The second step is to determine the flow regimes needed to maintain the desired water quality conditions. Finally, many regions are using adaptive management programs to manage freshwater resources. These programs set goals to protect ecosystem resources, identify indicators, and monitor the indicators over time to ensure that the goals are appropriate and resources are protected. Case studies demonstrate that monitoring and research can determine the ecological and socio-economical impacts of altered freshwater inflows, and stakeholders and managers can make well-informed decisions to manage freshwater inflows to local coasts wisely. ​

International Cases in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

International Cases in Sustainable Travel & Tourism
Author: Pierre Benckendorff
Publisher: Goodfellow Publishers Ltd
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2013-05-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1908999411

An international range of outstanding new cases focused on sustainable tourism management and development, including award winners and finalists from the WTTC Tourism for Tourism Awards they are written by local scholars who are experts in sustainable tourism.