Indigenous Uses, Population Density, and Conservation of Threatened Medicinal Plants in Protected Areas of the Indian Himalayas

Abstract:  For 10 years I monitored the population density of threatened medicinal plant species in seven protected areas in the Indian Himalayas. I also documented the indigenous uses of threatened medicinal plants through interviews with 138 herbal healers (83 Tibetan healers and 55 Ayurvedic healers) residing in the buffer zone villages of these protected areas. To assess the population status of threatened medicinal plant species, I sampled the 10 major habitat types in the protected areas. In all, I found 60 threatened medicinal plant species during the study period, of which 54 species occurred in the sampling plots. Twenty-two percent of threatened medicinal plant species were critically endangered, 16% were endangered, and 27% were vulnerable. Thirty-two threatened medicinal plant species were endemic to the Himalayan region. The density of threatened medicinal plant species varied with protected areas. The Valley of Flowers protected area had the highest number of threatened medicinal plant species. The "moist" habitat type was richest in these species among all 10 habitat types sampled. Arnebia euchroma (Royle ex Benth.) Johnston and Ephedra gerardiana Wall. ex Stapf. were the most common threatened medicinal plant species. The indigenous groups of healers used these threatened species in curing about 45 different ailments. Based on my findings, I believe that to ensure the long-term sustainability of threatened medicinal plants, medicinal-plant conservation areas should be established.     

Including Spatial Heterogeneity and Animal Dispersal When Evaluating Hunting: a Model Analysis and an Empirical Assessment in an Amazonian Community

Abstract:  Hunting in tropical forests is typically most intense near human settlements, and this creates gradients of decreasing animal densities toward those settlements. Within the context of this spatial pattern, we evaluated the status of game in the hunting grounds of an indigenous community in eastern Ecuador. We constructed a spatially explicit model of hunter-prey interactions that mimicked the hunting in the village and included realistic animal-dispersal rules. We compared predictions from the model with distributions of animal harvest rates and catch per unit effort of 12 game species. Six species were overharvested in part or all of the area, and two other species were probably being overharvested, although high dispersal rates complicated the interpretation. We then compared our method with methods that have been used previously. We argue that because our method provides information about the spatial extent of overharvesting, it could be particularly useful in informing decision makers about where to establish no-take areas and could therefore aid in improving the sustainability of hunting in tropical forests.     

安全在矿区可持续发展体系中的地位

以矿区可持续发展指标体系为对象,通过对大量的调查统计数据的分类统计排序分析以及模糊聚类分析等,探讨了人们对安全在矿区可持续发展体系中的地位的认识问题,并得出一个重要子集作为矿区可持续发展的重要环节     

南京地区农业资源的综合评价研究

客观、准确地评价地区农业资源,对于农业资源的开发和利用具有重要意义。本文从系统论观点出发,将地区农业资源分成自然资源和社会资源,在能够较好地反映系统结构特征、不同样点差异及满足易于收集、便于数量表示和定量处理等基本要求的基础上,选择了若干评价指标。利用综合指数法、区位商法等评价方法,对南京地区的主要农业资源（土地资源、气候资源与社会资源）进行了定量分析,并在此基础上,利用资源优势度分析法进行了综合评价。结果表明,南部小区的农业资源具有整体优势,南部和中部的资源利用较为合理,北部小区则具有较为丰富的后备资源。最后,根据各地资源要素的不同组合,简要给出了较适宜的开发途径,为该地农业资源的进一步开发与利用提供了依据。     

Suburban Areas in Developing Countries and Their Relationship to Groundwater Pollution: A Case Study of Mar del Plata, Argentina

2 were sampled in order to verify the impact of these problems on groundwater. All samples were analyzed for major ions, and about 30 of them for fecal coliforms and heavy metals. Nineteen samples were selected for pesticide analyses. The average nitrate content was 80 mg/liter, eight times the regional background value. Fecal coliforms were detected in 60% of the analyzed samples. Zinc content and a high Cl⁻/HCO₃ ⁻ ratio were observed in the surroundings of the solid waste disposal area. Moreover, lindane and heptachlor pesticides were detected in ten samples.     

Evaluating Management of Protected Areas: Integrating Planning and Evaluation

/ An approach to evaluating the effectiveness of management of protected areas is proposed. This approach has been used in developing an evaluation strategy for the Fraser Island World Heritage Area in Australia. The main component of the strategy is built upon the desired outcomes specified in the management plan for the area and thus provides a basis for assessing the extent to which the plan's objectives are being achieved. A series of monitoring programs have been proposed to enable this assessment. Examples of monitoring programs developed as part of the evaluation strategy are presented. A second component of the strategy monitors the implementation of the management plan. A management information system has been developed to record and report on the extent to which the specific actions specified in the management plan have been implemented. The strategy is discussed in relation to seven objectives set for the evaluation program in its design phase.KEY WORDS: Planning; Evaluation; Monitoring; Management; Protected areas     

阿拉善高原生态环境退化研究进展

区域生态环境退化问题是当前研究的热点内容,分析其研究现状及存在问题能更好地把握其核心领域并开展更进一步的研究。本文以典型生态环境脆弱区——阿拉善高原为研究对象,系统梳理了该区域土地沙漠化、沙尘暴演化、土地利用/覆被变化、绿洲退化、水量减少与水质恶化等与生态环境退化相关领域的研究进展。在分析已有研究成果的基础之上,就不同生态环境退化问题研究存在的不足进行了归纳总结,并提出了今后需要重点开展的研究内容,以期为阿拉善高原乃至其他生态环境脆弱区生态系统的研究提供参考。     

秦巴集中连片特困区多维贫困度量及其空间格局

连片特困区贫困是特殊的区域性贫困,实现持久脱贫,关键在于识别和评估区域的贫困程度以及深究其致贫原因。基于此,通过构建经济维度硬现状、社会维度软现状及自然维度潜在状态3维的多维贫困度量指标体系,应用均方差权重法测算了2006、2010及2014年秦巴集中连片特困区及各子区域的多维贫困度,并分析了多维贫困及其各维度的时空演变规律。结果表明：（1）秦巴集中连片特困区多维贫困度得分偏高,表明该区域贫困程度较深,且多维贫困在不同贫困维度上呈现显著差异。（2）2006—2014年秦巴集中连片特困区多维贫困度都呈减弱趋势,且表现出以甘肃省徽县至湖北省房县为轴带的中部地区集聚的空间演变趋势。（3）在整体多维贫困显著改善的同时,不同连片扶贫区及不同的贫困维度在减贫路径上也体现出不同的演化特征。所得结论为该区域内县域尺度贫困类型特征识别以及扶贫工作前期评估以及后期验收成效等提供一定技术支持,也为后期实施因地制宜的脱贫措施提供科学的辅助决策支撑。     

基于稳定碳同位素技术的干旱区绿洲土壤有机碳向无机碳的转移

应用稳定碳同位素技术测定土壤无机碳稳定碳同位素组成(soil inorganic carbonδ13C,SICδ13C),并对干旱区绿洲土壤无机碳进行区分,结合土壤有机碳(soil organic carbon,SOC)与SIC含量关系进一步探讨SOC向SIC转移的碳量.结果表明,4种类型土壤SICδ13C值差异性极显著(P0.01),风沙土SICδ13C值最高且为正,均值为(0.32±0.04)‰,随土层深度增加而增加,说明风沙土原生性碳酸盐占绝对优势;灌漠土、棕漠土和盐碱土SIC的δ13C均值分别(-0.30±0.24)‰、(-1.96±0.66)‰和(-1.24±0.49)‰,随土层变化均呈先降低后逐渐增大的趋势,说明灌漠土原生性碳酸盐占优势,棕漠土和盐碱土发生性碳酸盐相对前者占优势.风沙土、灌漠土、棕漠土和盐碱土的发生性碳酸盐占SIC比例均值分别为1.33%、4.72%、15.01%、35.71%,均小于50%,说明干旱区绿洲土壤发生性碳酸盐比例总体水平较低.风沙土、灌漠土、棕漠土和盐碱土在土壤发生性碳酸盐形成或重结晶过程中固定土壤CO2的量分别为0.30、2.44、4.96、12.40 g·kg~(-1),其中固定来自大气CO2量平均为0.18、0.79、1.45、8.67 g·kg~(-1),来自SOC氧化分解转化为CO2的量分别为0.06、0.83、1.62、1.86g·kg~(-1),说明盐碱土、棕漠土SOC的贡献相对较高,灌漠土、风沙土较低;对土壤固定CO2量的来源比较发现,风沙土、盐碱土固定土壤CO2的量来自大气CO2量较高,SOC的贡献较低,而灌漠土、棕漠土固定来自SOC氧化分解CO2的量较高,大气贡献较低.研究区整体SOC向SIC的碳转移量介于0.03~2.38 g·kg~(-1)之间,平均每千克土壤固定1.09 g的CO2,说明干旱区绿洲土壤发生性碳酸盐所占比例较低,SOC的贡献较少.     

1970—2013年西北干旱区空中水汽含量时空变化与降水量的关系

论文基于1970—2013年西北干旱区高空和地面气象资料,采用多种统计学方法,分析了西北干旱区空中水汽含量的时空变化特征及其与降水量的关系。结果表明：1）1970—2002年,西北干旱区空中水汽含量呈显著的增加趋势,速率为0.835 mm/10 a（P<0.01）,其中以夏季增速最高（1.709 mm/10 a,P<0.01）;而降水效率基本稳定,仅春、冬季节略增。在空间上,1970—2002年水汽含量变化速率大小依次为北疆>南疆>河西走廊,其中冬、春季节以北疆水汽增速最大,夏、秋季节以南疆水汽增速最高。2）2003—2013年,西北干旱区水汽含量呈不显著下降趋势（-2.061 mm/10 a）;而降水效率明显增加,速率为0.136%/10 a,这说明近年来空中水汽转化为降水的效率明显提升。同时,北疆降水效率增加幅度明显高于其他地区。3）西北干旱区各季节的降水效率与降水量均呈显著正相关性,而水汽含量与降水量的相关性则表现出明显的季节性差异：春季>夏季>秋季>冬季。另外,新疆降水变化与水汽含量和降水效率均呈显著正相关性,而河西走廊降水量与降水效率的关系更为密切。