Suchergebnisse

This dataset forms the foundation of the results generated in the thesis: Morphological Evolution and Sustainability of Deltas in the 21st Century. Modelled elevation change in the Devi and Mahanadi river catchment for the years 2045, 2065, and, where applicable, 2075. Results were produced using the CAESAR-Lisflood model. See chapter 5 of thesis for a full scenario description. The file name refers to the name of the scenario followed by the number of years into the model run: elevdat.430.tst for example refers to elevation change at the year 2045 under scenario 4DWD. The files 'levee break' and 'subdelta' refer to the additional scenarios as described in chapter 7 of the thesis. This work is carried out under the Deltas, vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration and Adaptation (DECCMA) project (IDRC 107642) under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA) programme with financial support from the UK Government's Department for international Development (DFID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. The views expressed in this work are those of the creators and do not necessarily represent those of DFID and IDRC or its Boards of Governors.

We explore the evolutionary nature of interactions between government policy, farm decision-making and ecosystem services in Shucheng County, Anhui Province, 1950–2015. Analyses of ecological, social and economic trends are complemented by interviews with local farmers. Since the Household Responsibility System started in 1980, there has been a trade-off between rising levels of provisioning services and falling levels of regulating services with evidence that critical thresholds have been passed for water quality. Using a Framework for Ecosystem Service Provision, we argue that farmers have acted only as ecosystem service providers and have not influenced the policies that have brought about the trade-offs. Over the period, ecological degradation is best described as an example of 'creeping normalcy' where cumulative conventional actions by individual farmers produce unsustainable losses in regulating services. The Chinese government should act to balance the various ecosystem services through valuation and national policy. In this respect, there is a need for agencies that can provide place-based advice to farmers that will allow them to maintain productivity levels while pursuing restorative actions. Even with new policies, the draw of urban employment, high production costs and an ageing population threaten the viability of farming in these marginal agricultural areas.