This paper addresses current and future concerns regarding the air-pollution situation in China, and focuses on reduction of particulates', SO2, and CO2, emissions in China's electric power-generation sector. Technical aspects of control methods include an assessment of innovative approaches such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Suggestions are made pertaining to the technical planning and management aspects of air-pollutant control.

In a technological context, improving coal-use efficiency, increasing the proportion of coal pretreatment, and using EOR technology, should be considered; these measures have proven effective and relatively economical elsewhere. If the measures could be adopted in China's electric power-generation sector, as much as about 50% of the particulates, 34% of the SO2, and 95% of the CO2, emitted from power-plants, could be removed. If fully engaged, these actions would improve China's air environment significantly.

In a planning and management context, five suggestions are made with respect to air quality regulations: administrative measures, coal prices, developing ‘clean’ energy systems, reforestation, and transferring to new energy-saving and pollution-controlling technologies. In addition to domestic efforts, active engagement in international cooperation would be extremely beneficial to China.

Between late 1978 and mid-1979, two major coastal vegetation plantings were completed on dredge material in Tampa Bay, Florida. On the dredge material extension of Sunken Island, 1.64 ha of Smooth Cordgrass was planted via 12-cm ‘plugs’ on 1-m centres, in rows 2 m apart. After 14 months, this planting is showing 93.4% survival. On dredge-material island CDA-D, 0.52 ha of mangroves (63% Black and 37% White) was planted via 0.3–1.9 m transplants on 2-m centres. After 13 months, this planting is showing 73.3% survival.

The nature of these two plantings permits a comparison of their cost and man-power requirements. The labour requirements for Smooth Cordgrass were 995 man-hours/ha as opposed to 2,541 man-hours for mangrove transplanting. Smooth Cordgrass requires $4,566/ ha for plugs ($1.03/plug) while mangrove transplants cost $11,459/ha ($3.92/transplant). These costs are for comparison only, as they entail primarily labour and neglect most of the indirect costs that may be experienced.

An analysis of benefits for both salt-marsh and mangrove planting indicates that Smooth Cordgrass provides greater primary production on a g C/m2 basis than mangroves. Both plantings serve as colonial waterbird nesting habitat and source-areas for further planting, but Cordgrass does so in a shorter time-frame. When weighing the positive and negative aspects of both, Spartina alterniflora is preferred over mangroves where both are present.

Coal liquefaction processes provide a basis to transform a solid into liquid fuels that are suitable for transportation purposes but release a wide range of air emissions, water effluents, and solid wastes, with considerable potential for locally reducing environmental quality. Compared with other major sources of emissions such as coal-fired power-plants, liquefaction plants release relatively low levels of emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides for an equivalent quantity of coal-feed. However, coal liquefaction processes potentially release hydrocarbons to air, water, and land. The ‘direct’ coal liquefaction processes, which hydrogenate coal under high temperature and pressure, may release potentially more hazardous hydrocarbons than ‘indirect’ processes, which break down coal by partial combustion and then synthesize liquid fuel. The presence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in process streams of ‘direct’ processes, and their heavy fuel products, may require special processing to minimize environmental intrusion.

Environmental issues in the US are dependent on where coal resources are developed. Plants located in the humid eastern US are likely to have discharges to receiving streams, many of which are already ‘water quality limited.’ Thus eastern locations are more likely to have water quality-related problems and issues than western US locations. However, because of water consumption requirements of the coal liquefaction processes, arid western locations are more likely to experience water availability issues. These more arid regions may also experience greater potential effects on terrestrial environments, as the assimilative capacity and regrowth of vegetation is typically lower in arid than in humid environments.

Four samples of water were taken for analysis from Kala Shah Kaku Industrial Estate, near Lahore, Pakistan. These were:

I) ‘Pure’ water of the channel Dek Nullah,

II) Wastewater of Ravi Rayon Limited,

III) Wastewater of Ittehad Chemicals, and

IV) Dek Nullah ‘polluted’ water after the discharge into it of wastewater from two industries, namely Ravi Rayon Limited and Ittehad Chemicals.

The analysis of these waters showed that sample I was the best in quality (medium-salinity and low-sodium water: C2-S1), sample II was of the quality class C3-S1 (high-salinity and low-sodium water), sample III was found to be of the poorest quality (very-high-salinity and very-high-sodium water: C4-S4), while sample IV was of relatively bad quality (high-salinity and mediumsodium water: C3-S2). Only the wastewater of Ittehad Chemicals had some sediment in it, the qualitative analysis of which showed the presence of oxalates, sodium, iron, and magnesium.

The study of planktonic biota in Dek Nullah ‘pure’ and ‘polluted’ waters showed that they were more diverse in the former than in the latter; indeed, unless Bacteria are classed as fauna, there was no representative of these last in the ‘polluted’ water.

The industrial wastewater effluents are being discharged into Dek Nullah, and this ‘polluted’ water is being used for irrigation by the farmers operating along its downstream course. The effects of this water on Rice germination were studied, and it was found that such germination was significantly greater in Dek Nullah ‘pure’ water than in its ‘polluted’ water.

Dek Nullah ‘polluted’ water may deteriorate further with time, as more and more wastes are added to it, and it may have deleterious effects on soils when used for irrigation purposes—causing salinity and sodicity problems unless proper management techniques are adopted.

The shallow Lake Hornborga in southern Sweden has been used by Man for more than 9,000 years, primarily for fishing and hunting but latterly also for cattle-grazing and hay-making. The water-level of the Lake has varied considerably during climatically different periods of time. Changes between dry and wet periods have caused different vegetation-types to predominate, but have probably also effectively counterbalanced a tendency to become overgrown. During the last two centuries the water-level of the Lake has been lowered intentionally five times. Originally, the aim was to counteract spring flooding, but later the reason was to obtain more arable land. The Lake is, however, most famed for its abundance and diversity of bird-life, which is dependent on the local hydrological regime, vegetation, and land-use.

A total of 2,816 questionnaires were completed in the Dalby Forest Area in the period from March 1975 to March 1976. The answers to six questions were combined into a Wildlife Interest Index Value for each interviewee (Everett, 1977). The variations in the mean of this value are considered to indicate the wildlife interest of visitors in groups based on the following characteristics: income, occupation, age, party size, the visitors' attitude to the number of people present, their membership of wildlife organizations, the elements of the area that the visitors enjoyed, their activities, the benefits that the interviewees felt from visiting the area, the components of the area that were necessary to their enjoyment, the number of times that they visited the Dalby Forest Area per year, the day of the week, the month, the weather, the location of the interview, and the relationship to the visitor's home.

A method is described of applying institutional arrangements to an individual environmentally significant area (ESA). It is assumed that an ESA has been recognized by park, wildlife, or other groups, on the basis of abiotic, biotic, and/or cultural, characteristics, as well as judgements about significance and constraints. National park, wildlife reserve, or other, institutional arrangements, may also have been suggested for the ESA. The goal is to decide whether these or other arrangements are appropriate— through analysis of relevant: (1) legislation; (2) agencies; and (3) reserve designation or land management types.

Inland waterways provide more opportunities for the conservation and improvement of the environment and the provision of amenity, sports, and recreation, facilities than do any other means of transport. The demand for more space for leisure pursuits is world-wide, and is accompanied by a growing appreciation of the need for environmental quality and conservation of Nature in catering for this demand. Thus in seeking solutions to related leisure, environmental, energy, and transport problems, authorities everywhere are coming to recognize the unique potential of inland water in meeting the concerns and wishes of modern society.

Britain, with an unparalleled exclusively amenity waterways network, leads the world in the amenity development and utilization of inland waterways. The United States is broadening its objectives to encompass amenity development within the framework of traditional commercial-priority development of its waterways. Canada has launched the most sweeping and spectacular amenity waterway corridor development in history. France has begun actively to promote ‘tourisme fluvial’, while the Netherlands is progressing with integrated planning to harmonize the interests of commercial navigation with recreation and Nature conservation. The projected waterways link between the North and Black Seas has fostered amenity waterway development by all states along the Danube. Russia, too, is beginning to cater to the requirements of increasing numbers of water-oriented leisure seekers. Many other countries, including Portugal, are looking to the development of navigable waterways for leisure pursuits to help solve mounting national problems.

In September 1988, more than 300 participants attended the First International Forum on the Future of the Beluga, held in Tadoussac, Quebec, Canada. This Forum, organized by the ‘Fondation pour la Sauvegarde des Espèces Menacées’ (FOSEM), was intended to contribute to the development and the implementation of a survival strategy for the endangered St Lawrence population of the White Whale or Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) by bringing together representatives of all the parties concerned. Exceeding all expectations, this event caught the attention of the press and the general public in such a way that the White Whale of the St Lawrence became a prominent symbol of our growing concern for environment in eastern Canada.

This paper is intended to present an overview of the facts and efforts that contributed to the success of the First International Forum on the Future of the Beluga as a casestudy showing how contributions from NGOs and the general public can help to improve the situation of an endangered species and the prospect of stabilization of that part of the human environment of which it has formed a prominent feature from time immemorial.