Browsing by Author "Li, Binbin"

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Open Access
A HIPPIE CLIMATE, A RIGID SYSTEM. CLIMATE ADAPTATION TO RIVERINE FLOODS AND WATERLOGGING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL IN COLOMBIA
(2024-04-26) Diaz Ramos , Jose Luis
Climate change intensifies extreme events, posing risks to ecosystems and human populations. In the near-term in a 1.5°C global warming scenario, more intense and frequent extreme rainfalls are expected, which is associated with flooding. Colombia is a highly vulnerable country to extreme weather, particularly flood risks. While the country has made progress identifying its climate vulnerabilities, and adopting policies to address them, the implementation of actions at the local level requires further assessment. This Master Project seeks to understand if actions and institutional arrangements for flood risk adaptation at the local level in Colombia are commensurate with the challenges of climate change. To answer this question, Chía, one of the most densely populated municipalities in the country that has suffered from flood impacts in the past, is used as a case study. Review of current literature and regulations, interviews to key stakeholders, and petitions to obtain information on government actions were used for the analysis, as well as estimations using geographic information systems. From the analysis, it was found that current frameworks and literature analyzing flood risks focus on riverine floods and neglect other sources of floods, such as waterlogging, despite them being a significant hazard especially under climate change. Therefore, this brief presents a framework for local governments to analyze their current actions (if any) related to flood and waterlogging management, in order to identify gaps and overlaps that need to be addressed. The framework has ten components, including the following: area and climate change context, stakeholder analysis, regulatory analysis, current actions description and analysis, gaps description, problem definition, design of the alternatives, prioritization of alternatives, and monitoring and assessment actions. Applying this framework to the case study, it was found that the municipality of Chía has reduced its flood risk as during the last decade dikes have been built along the river; however, it is estimated that 1,866 (0.9%) people in 2022 were living in areas of high flood risk. In addition, more than 80% of the population has a medium threat of riverine floods, which is concerning as even though total yearly precipitation is not expected to change considerably, precipitation is expected to increase in short periods of time (1 and 5 days), representing a threat to a municipality that has been highly urbanized. The analysis of the actions deployed to tackle these risks reveals that they are fragmented both between the regional and local level, and within the local administration. Flood and waterlogging risks management face different challenges due to lack of information (outdated and limited public access to data), policy (lack of integrated plan with low consideration of climate change), administrative coordination (lack of clear responsibilities lead to overreliance on actors and actions), accountability (fragmented environmental management structure) and capacity (lack of specific expertise). Flood and waterlogging actions need to be built upon existing initiatives. For flood management the most critical action is to guarantee the long-term quality of the dikes that were built by improving, among others, a better joint work between regional and local levels, as well as with the community. For waterlogging risks, it requires a better involvement of the local Environment Secretary to incorporate climate adaptation actions, fostering transversality and avoiding duplication. Infrastructure investments should focus on improving sustainable drainage systems, permeable surfaces and green spaces due to the complexity of increasing drainage systems. Even though this policy brief considers a specific case study, it helps to identify barriers that municipal governments in Colombia are having to tackle climate change effects of floods and waterlogging.
Open Access
Green Is Not Enough: A Management Framework for Urban Biodiversity Friendly Parks
(2023-05-05) Hu, Min
The potential of cities to conserve biodiversity is increasingly gaining more recognition and cities mainly contribute to biodiversity through planning and managing urban green spaces (UGS), for example, urban parks. Research finds that the ability of UGS to support biodiversity depends on several factors, and management activities are one of them. Urban parks are important urban infrastructures and are under a high level of management. Proper management after planning and construction is significant for meeting human needs as well as providing suitable habitats for wildlife. Therefore, understanding how urban parks are managed and operated is critical for urban biodiversity enhancement but accepts insufficient attention in China. This research focuses on the management stage of Chinese urban parks and tries to answer: how could urban parks effectively enhance biodiversity by changing management practices? Through identifying the improvement spaces and exploring the root causes including government failure and market failure, I propose a policy suggestion of a certificate of urban biodiversity friendly parks and generate a management framework as a tool for urban parks to make changes.
Open Access
Model the Hidden Cost of China’s 2060 Carbon Neutrality: Potential Biodiversity Impacts of Wind and Solar Energy Expansion
(2023-05-04) Zhou, Zhijie
Large-scale renewable energy deployments, as urgent solutions to mitigate climate change and its consequences, are reshaping the landscape in the human-environment nexus. Albeit promoted as pathways to bend the curve of biodiversity loss through their emission reduction and habitat restoration potential, renewables require significant land assets per unit energy and could impose high cost to ecosystems, triggering potential conflicts between global climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. As China expanding its landscape of large-scale wind and solar energy facilities to fulfill its ambitious “2060 Carbon Neutrality” goals, an assessment of the potential areas of such concerns at a high resolution can provide insights for stakeholders to effectively manage biodiversity impacts of renewable power transitions. This project used suitability analysis to identify and predict the potential land use conflict between wind and solar energy expansion and biodiversity conservation in China under the 2060 announced pledge scenario in contrast to the biz-as-usual model of renewables expansion rate. We also quantify the biodiversity impacts of such expansion scenarios by estimating the mean richness and rarity scores, along with ecosystem service values and conflicting zones with Key Biodiversity Areas. Although our results indicated the renewables expansion under China’s ambitious goals tend not to encroach a high ratio of prioritized areas for biodiversity, the potential impacts in regions without the strictest protection are still worth investigation, as illustrated in our case studies for the Qilianshan-Qinghaihu Region and Hainan Province. The study provides insights for decision-makers to develop renewable energy facilities while protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Open Access
Research on Species Distribution and Population Dynamics of the Reintroduced Chinese Alligators in Chongming Dongtan, Shanghai
(2023-05-04) Fang, Yixiin
The Chinese alligator is a critically endangered species that is endemic to China, with fewer than 200 individuals in the wild and over 13,000 in captivity. Reintroduction is crucial to restore its wild population, and Dongtan Wetland Park (DWP) in Shanghai is one of the reintroduction sites. However, the population size and viability were unclear due to inconsistent post-monitoring and lack of program evaluation. No further introduction or management plans were devised. Current literature also had little quantitative research on Chinese alligator habitat selection. To understand DWP population status, this study first conducted population surveys using spotlight count. N-mixture models were employed to estimate the population size, and an average size of 54 individuals was calculated. Then, we examined the impact of environmental factors on Chinese alligator habitat selection in DWP by conducting habitat surveys and applied species distribution models. Finally, this paper used the software Vortex to identify factors influencing population growth and simulate population development. Vortex is commonly used for population viability analysis and has been used on crocodilian species. We discovered that high vegetation coverage and a moderate presence of trees had a positive impact on alligator presence, while high mortality rates, low percentage of females breeding, and the percentage of males at birth exceeding 50% could severely hinder population growth. The viability analysis showed that the population is viable, and reintroduction may not be needed in the short term. Finally, we recommended that the park should construct more proper habitat with riparian cover and elevated ground for nesting females. Systematic and consistent monitoring should be established in DWP to provide long-term data. If monitoring shows low recruitment rates, reintroducing alligators from diverse genetic lineages should be considered.