Vegetation NDVI Linked to Temperature and Precipitation in the Upper Catchments of Yellow River

Vegetation in the upper catchment of Yellow River is critical for the ecological stability of the whole watershed. The dominant vegetation cover types in this region are grassland and forest, which can strongly influence the eco-environmental status of the whole watershed. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for grassland and forest has been calculated and its daily correlation models were deduced by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer products on 12 dates in 2000, 2003, and 2006. The responses of the NDVI values with the inter-annual grassland and forest to three climatic indices (i.e., yearly precipitation and highest and lowest temperature) were analyzed showing that, except for the lowest temperature, the yearly precipitation and highest temperature had close correlations with the NDVI values of the two vegetation communities. The value of correlation coefficients ranged from 0.815 to 0.951 (p <0.01). Furthermore, the interactions of NDVI values of vegetation with the climatic indicators at monthly interval were analyzed. The NDVI of vegetation and three climatic indices had strong positive correlations (larger than 0.733, p <0.01). The monthly correlations also provided the threshold values for the three climatic indictors, to be used for simulating vegetation growth grassland under different climate features, which is essential for the assessment of the vegetation growth and for regional environmental management

Organic farm conventionalisation and farmer practices in China, Brazil and Egypt.

Certified organic agriculture stipulates a range of principles and standards, which govern farmer practices. The recent global expansion of organic agriculture has raised new challenges for organic agriculture, particularly whether management practices in organic farms are subject to the forces of conventionalisation. We studied changes in agroecological practices in certified organic farms in China, Brazil and Egypt. The study takes departure in the conventionalisation hypothesis and the analysis is framed using organic and agroecological principles. The study focuses on agroecological design principles, inherent to organic agriculture, of diversity in crop production, pest, disease and weed management, and soil fertility management. The research design was as a multiple case study of five cases in China, Brazil and Egypt. We show that the adoption of organic agriculture has induced fundamental changes in organic farmer management practices, although agroecological practices of organic farmers do not fulfil organic principles. The forces of conventionalisation exert a strong influence on changes in organic farmer practices. Organic ‘niche’ market crops with a high-value influence organic farmers’ management decisions, particularly regarding the prioritisation of diversity in the cropping systems for agroecological purposes. The farming systems have therefore not undergone major changes of their cropping patterns. Furthermore, there was a general heavy reliance upon input substitution for pest and soil fertility management. This study thus presents new data and a novel analysis of the implications at the farm scale of the global expansion of organic agriculture, and the influence of conventionalisation on farmers practices

Strategies for sustainable socio-economic development and mechanisms their implementation in the global dimension

The authors of the book have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to effectively use modern approaches to developing and implementation strategies of sustainable socio-economic development in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness of economic entities. Basic research focuses on economic diagnostics of socio-economic potential and financial results of economic entities, transition period in the economy of individual countries and ensuring their competitiveness, assessment of educational processes and knowledge management. The research results have been implemented in the different models and strategies of supply and logistics management, development of non-profit organizations, competitiveness of tourism and transport, financing strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises, cross-border cooperation. The results of the study can be used in decision-making at the level the economic entities in different areas of activity and organizational-legal forms of ownership, ministries and departments that promote of development the economic entities on the basis of models and strategies for sustainable socio-economic development. The results can also be used by students and young scientists in modern concepts and mechanisms for management of sustainable socio-economic development of economic entities in the condition of global economic transformations and challenges

Infrastructure coverage of the ural federal district regions: assessment metodology and diagnostic results

The article examines the infrastructure as one of the essential elements in the economic system. The authors consider the development stages of this concept in the scientific community and provide the opinions of a number of researchers as to the role and place of the infrastructure in the economic system. The article provides a brief genesis of approaches to describing the infrastructure and conferring its functions on individual branches. The authors emphasize the higher importance of infrastructure coverage with the economy transition to machine production. Two key methodological approaches are identified to describe the substance and content of the infrastructure: industrial and functional. The authors offer their methodology of assessing the infrastructure coverage of regional-level territories. The methodology is based on identifying a combination of specific indicators the values of which can be used to evaluate the development level of individual infrastructure elements. The indicative analysis being the basis of the methodological apparatus helps make a judgment of any phenomenon by comparing the current observed values with the previously adopted threshold levels. Such comparison makes it possible to classify the observations by the «norm—pre-crisis—crisis» scale. An essential advantage of this method is the possibility of standardizing the indicators, or, in other words, bringing them to one comparable conditional value. Thus, you can get estimates for individual blocks of indicators and a complex assessment for the whole set in general. The authors have identified four main infrastructure elements: transport, communications, public utility services and healthcare. The methodology includes 21 indicators all together. The test estimates based on the authors’ methodology revealed the defects in the development of the Ural regions` infrastructure. The article provides a brief analysis of the obtained data with identifying individual indicators and areas.The research has been supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Project № 14-18-00574)

Characteristics of Dynamic Regions in the World Economy: Defining Knowledge-Driven Economic Dynamism

DYNREG

A Guide to Evaluating Marine Spatial Plans

Marine spatial plans are being developed in over 40 countries around the world, to distribute human activities in marine areas more sustainably and achieve ecological, social, and economic objectives. Monitoring and evaluation are often considered only after a plan has been developed. This guide will help marine planners and managers, monitor and evaluate the success of marine plans in achieving real results and outcomes. This report emphasizes the importance of early integration of monitoring and evaluation in the planning process, the importance of measurable and specific objectives, clear management actions, relevant indicators and targets, and involvement of stakeholders throughout the planning process.

Review of the Returns to ACIAR's Bilateral R&D Investments

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,