Claudio O . Delang | University of Cambridge (original) (raw)

Papers by Claudio O . Delang

Journal of forestry, Dec 1, 2006

Water pollution is one of the most serious problems plaguing China today, with millions of people... more Water pollution is one of the most serious problems plaguing China today, with millions of people drinking water unfit for consumption. The abysmal conditions of water pollution, water scarcity, and inadequate wastewater treatment are fuelling increasing social discontent, as people become more concerned by the scale and severity of the problem. This book describes how and why China has ended up in such a dire situation, what the government is doing to address the problem, and the difficulties it encounters. The analysis is based on both grey literature (newspaper articles, NGO reports, Chinese government information) and on academic studies. The grey literature gives a voice to those who suffer from the pollution, their advocates, and government officers; it allows the reader to better grasp the conditions on the ground, and the impact of water pollution among people in different areas in China. The academic literature adds a theoretical perspective and brings these different case studies into a broader context. This book will be of great interest to students of environmental pollution and contemporary Chinese studies looking for an introduction to the topic, as well as researchers looking for an analysis of China's environmental problems.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Jul 27, 2021

A great deal of attention has been directed to the toxicity, enrichment, and accumulation of urba... more A great deal of attention has been directed to the toxicity, enrichment, and accumulation of urban river sediment pollution. To understand the spatial-temporal variation, ecological risk and source of nutrients, and heavy metals in sediments from the Weihe River, the concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), organic matter (OM), and 10 heavy metals (Cd, Sb, As, Co, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, Zn, and Mn) in sediments at 14 sampling sites along the river were investigated. The results showed that nutrients and heavy metals had an interannual decreasing trend, and that the high-value regions were concentrated in urban locations within the study area. Ecological risk assessment results showed that TN was between the security level (no toxic effect) and the lowest level (tolerable for organisms), TP was at the lowest level, and OM was within the security level, all mainly from external sources. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF) of 10 heavy metals were all within the unpolluted level, while the pollution load index (PLI) of 12 sampling sites had reached the moderate pollution level. The results of Pearson correlation, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis showed that heavy metals originated mainly from industrial and domestic sources, geochemical environments, and agricultural activities, indicating that heavy metals in the Weihe River sediments were influenced significantly by anthropogenic activities. The results are expected to provide a scientific basis for the development and utilization of the Weihe River water resources.

Quaternary Science Reviews, Mar 1, 2023

Routledge eBooks, Mar 1, 2004

Aims&#160; With the wide applicatio... more Aims&#160; With the wide application of 7Be (Beryllium-7) in soil erosion investigations, absorption and interception of 7Be by vegetation play an important role in documenting soil 7Be redistribution, with a large impact on the precision of 7Be measurements. However, the dynamic changes in plants and the relationship with soil 7Be concentration remain unclear, and the significance of dead plants in 7Be interception is under-researched.Methods&#160; The samples of 6 plant species, multi-plants (including living, dead and both mixed) and soil reference on the Loess Plateau were collected to analyze the variations of 7Be content during the growth period from 2010 to 2012.Results &#160;The accumulation of 7Be concentration is significantly higher in leaves than stems. The 7Be mass and areal activity concentrations in multi-plants with seasonal trends ranged from 173.9 to 964.5 Bq kg&#8211;1 and 21.5 to 440.1 Bq m&#8211;2. Precipitation accounted for the largest contribution to the accumulation of 7Be in plants, followed by plant growth, species and parts. Plants accounted for 7Be interception on slope up to 66% (living plants accounted for 7%~31% and dead accounted for 6%~44%). The interception of living plants is low at first, then increases with biomass accumulated.Conclusions &#160;Our results highlight that 7Be concentration in plants has great implications for 7Be in soil, and is subject to precipitation, growth status and plant characteristics. The reference information obtained in this work will contribute to improving the accuracy of 7Be tracer technology, and broadening the application scope and scale of 7Be tracer technology.Keywords &#160;Beryllium-7 &#183; Loess Plateau &#183; Precipitation &#183; Plant &#183; Activity concentration

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Sep 1, 2022

Routledge eBooks, Mar 1, 2004

International Journal of Green Economics, 2016

In this paper, I estimate the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) of Singapore from 1968 to 2014. I ... more In this paper, I estimate the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) of Singapore from 1968 to 2014. I start by introducing the GPI as an indicator of people's standard of living, and then describe the different items used to estimate the GPI. My analysis of the data reveals that during the 47 years under investigation, the relationship between the GDP and the GPI gradually weakened, as the social and environmental costs that accompany economic growth grew faster than the economic benefits. By 1999, the relationship between the GDP and the GPI virtually disappeared, and in 2005 the GPI of Singapore started to drop, while the GDP kept growing. By 2014, the GPI of Singapore had dropped to the 1999 level. This means that the economic growth that occurred from 1999 to 2014 did not result in higher standards of living. After 1999, Singaporeans would have been better off if the government had pursued policies that directly improve people's lives, instead of promoting economic growth and expect it to trickle down into higher living standards.

International Forestry Review, 2012

ABSTRACT The period between 1978 and 1997 saw the slow introduction of a series of market reforms... more ABSTRACT The period between 1978 and 1997 saw the slow introduction of a series of market reforms that would gradually redefine the organisation of the national economy. This was accompanied by reforms that addressed the problems of the forestry sector, both in the collective (privately owned) forests in the Southeast, and in the state-owned forests in the Northeast. In the more densely inhabited Southeast, the government distributed forestland to households, which were now allowed to invest and obtain incomes from the sale of forest products, while being responsible for their conservation. In the more sparsely inhabited Northeast, the government undertook financial reforms to attempt to address the indebtedness and mismanagement of the state-owned forest enterprises and state linchang. These reforms were accompanied with the slow introduction of a price of timber that would be market-determined, but were gradual and partial, the government maintaining strict controls in particular over the amount of timber harvested.

Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 2014

AbstractSoil erosion can lead to an increase in the concentration of sediment in the runoff and t... more AbstractSoil erosion can lead to an increase in the concentration of sediment in the runoff and the surplus floodwater during flood season, which increases the likelihood of a flood disaster. To analyze the relationship between the risk of soil erosion and the surplus floodwater during flood season, a case study of the Jinghe River Basin located in the middle Loess Plateau of China was performed. A measure of the soil erosion risk Re was presented, which combined the five factors in universal soil loss equation (USLE) with information entropy theory. The results show that the northern watershed features both high and severe levels of soil erosion risk, especially the watershed controlled by the Qingyang (QY) station, whereas the risk level is low or slight in the southern Jinghe basin, the Ziwuling Mountains in the east, and the Liupanshan Mountains in the west. Compared with the USLE, the Re measure can better reflect the spatial distribution of soil erosion risk and identify the areas corresponding to d...

Forests, 2019

Afforestation programs have huge potential to store carbon, thereby contributing to mitigate clim... more Afforestation programs have huge potential to store carbon, thereby contributing to mitigate climate change. However, the voluntary acceptance by landowners crucially depends on their economic outcome. We (i) assess the carbon sequestration potential of afforestation projects in various Chinese regions by comparing different tree species, project durations and regional particularities, (ii) analyze the costs and benefits of tree species used for timber and fruit production as well as bamboo, and (iii) compare them with alternative crops under different climatic and economic conditions. Finally, we calculate the minimum compensation required by farmers to convert cropland to forests assuming a joint production of timber or fruits and carbon sequestration. No compensation is needed when cropland with relatively low revenues is to be converted. In contrast, compensation payments must be high for converting land used for cash crops, such as sugarcane. For fruit trees, the amount of carb...

Ecological Indicators, Sep 1, 2021

Abstract Habitat fragmentation is a critical contributor to biodiversity degradation and species ... more Abstract Habitat fragmentation is a critical contributor to biodiversity degradation and species extinction, as illustrated by the severely fragmented habitat of the western black-crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor), a critically endangered species in the Hengduan Mountains, China. An integrated simulation model, including the random forest algorithm (RFA), empirical bayesian kriging regression (EBKR), and the least-cost path model (LCP), is introduced to determine ecological corridors for western black-crested gibbons in the Hengduan Mountains. In this study, we identified habitat variables and movement behaviors of western black-crested gibbons through RFA and then proposed EBKR, which is combined with LCP to determine potential corridors. Model simulation results suggest that the western black-crested gibbons' habitat is mostly dependent on forests with an altitude of about 2,000 m and a 20° slope, areas undisturbed by human activities. Two land use and cover classes predominate inside the corridors, tree cover and mostly natural vegetation, corresponding to 67.55% and 18.54% of total land use, respectively. A total of nine corridors were planned in Hengduan Mountains via LCP. The shortest corridor, which has recently been incorporated into national park planning, is 7.40 km, and is a route that has no need for bridge construction. The longest corridor is 95.74 km and would require construction of three bridges. Mobility of western black-crested gibbons can increase by 39.49% using our simulated corridors. The planned corridor is an optimized route for western black-crested gibbons in the Hengduan Mountains, and provides the best opportunities for security, food, and survival. The proposed integrated model is an efficient method for designing and estimating habitat suitability using competitively predictive performance and simultaneously quantifying model uncertainties.

Journal of forestry, Dec 1, 2006

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Jul 27, 2021

Quaternary Science Reviews, Mar 1, 2023

Routledge eBooks, Mar 1, 2004

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Sep 1, 2022

Routledge eBooks, Mar 1, 2004

International Journal of Green Economics, 2016

International Forestry Review, 2012

Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 2014

Forests, 2019

Ecological Indicators, Sep 1, 2021

Dissatisfaction with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an indicator of a country’s development ... more Dissatisfaction with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an indicator of a country’s development or a population’s wellbeing led to the development of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI). The GPI is an aggregate index of over 20 economic, social and environmental indicators, and accounts for both the welfare benefits of economic growth, and the social and environmental costs which accompany that economic growth. The result is better information about the level of welfare or well-being of a country’s population.

This book measures the GPI of Hong Kong and Singapore from 1968 to 2010. It finds that for both countries, economic output (as measured by the GDP) has grown more than welfare (as measured by the GPI), but important differences are also found. In Hong Kong, the GPI has grown for the whole period under consideration, while in Singapore the GPI has stalled from 1993. This is in line with most countries and is explained by the "threshold hypothesis" which states that beyond a certain level of economic development the benefits of further economic growth are outweighed by even higher environmental and social costs. The book argues that the growth of Hong Kong’s GPI is due to its favourable relationship with China and in particular its ability to export low-wage jobs and polluting industries, rather than successful domestic policies. A stalling or shrinking GPI calls for alternative policies than the growth economy promoted by neoclassical economists, and the book explores an alternative model, that of the Steady State Economy (SSE).

The Karen are one of the major ethnic minority groups in the Himalayan highlands, living predomin... more The Karen are one of the major ethnic minority groups in the Himalayan highlands, living predominantly in the border area between Thailand and Burma. As the largest ethnic minority in Thailand, they have often been in conflict with the Thai majority. This book is the first major ethnographic and anthropological study of the Karen for over a decade and looks at such key issues as history, ethnic identity, religious change, the impact of government intervention, education land management and gender relations.

This book provides a comprehensive review of Grain for Green, China’s nationwide program which pa... more This book provides a comprehensive review of Grain for Green, China’s nationwide program which pays farmers to revert sloping or marginal farm land to trees or grass. The program aims to improve the ecological conditions of much of China, and the socioeconomic circumstances of hundreds of millions of people. GfG is the largest reforestation, ecological restoration, and rural development initiative in history, combining the biggest investment, the greatest involvement, and the broadest degree of public participation ever.

The book is organised in three sections. Part One reviews the history of land management in China from 1949 to 1998, exploring the conditions that led to the introduction of GfG, and comparing it to other reforestation programs. Part Two offers an overview of GfG, describing the timeline of the program, compensation paid to farmers, the rules concerning land and plant selection, the extent to which these rules were followed, the attitudes of farmers towards the program, and the way in which the program is organized and implemented by various state actors. Part Three discusses the impact of the GfG, from both ecological and socio-economic standpoints, looking at the economic benefits that result from participating in the GfG, the impact of the GfG across local economies, the redistribution of the labor force and the sustainability of the program, in particular the question of what will happen to the converted land when payments to farmers end.