Compassionate versus consequentialist conservation

Ethical treatment of wildlife and consideration of animal welfare have become important themes in conservation, but ethical perspectives on how best to protect wild animals and promote their welfare are diverse. There are advantages to the consequentialist harms ethical framework applied in managing wild herbivores for conservation purposes. To minimize harms while achieving conservation goals, we argue that overabundant wild herbivores should in many cases be managed through consumptive in situ killing. Advantages of this policy are that the negative welfare states imposed on animals last only a short time; remaining animals are not deprived of positive welfare states (e.g., linked to rearing offspring); poor welfare states of animals in overabundant populations are avoided (e.g., starvation); negative welfare impacts on heterospecifics through resource depletion (i.e., competition) are prevented; harvesting meat reduces the number of (agricultural) animals raised to supply meat; and minimal costs maximize funding for other wildlife management and conservation priorities. Alternative ethical approaches to our consequentialist framework include deontology (containing animal rights) and virtue ethics, some of which underpin compassionate conservation. These alternative ethical approaches emphasize the importance of avoiding intentional killing of animals but, if no population reduction occurs, are likely to impose considerable unintentional harms on overabundant wildlife and indirectly harm heterospecifics through ineffective population reduction. If nonlethal control is used, it is likely that overabundant animals would be deprived of positive welfare states and economic costs would be prohibitive. We encourage conservation stakeholders to consider animal-welfare consequentialism as an ethical approach to minimize harms to the animals under their care as well as other animals that policies may affect while at the same time pursuing conservation goals.     

We should not allow dissection of animals

This essay argues against routine dissection exercises on animals under three headings. First, attaining goals of general scientific education does not require dissection. The training of specialists, in whose vocations dissection skills are essential, could then be accomplished without killing animals specifically for the purpose of acquiring those skills. Second, killing and dissecting animals for unnecessary exercises teaches students bad attitudes toward animal life. Third, moral principles cannot justify killing and dissecting animals but not humans; consequently, such treatment of animals is prejudiced exploitation of the weak by the strong.     

生态意识变迁的考察与草地畜牧业可持续发展--以内蒙古锡林郭勒退化草地为例

目前，内蒙古草地生态环境破坏严重。且总体上呈不断恶化的态势。这种状况的持续不仅严重影响和翻约着本地区经济和社会的总体发展。同时也威胁着包括北京在内的整个华北地区的生态安全。其内在的深层次的根源就在于包括生态意识在内的人们的文化价值观发生了“扭曲”。本文针对锡林郭勒退化草地现状与历史的分析．揭示了其中的文化特征与哲学内涵．并且指出生态意识的确立和生态文化的形成对于保护草地、建设草地的现实意义。     

Ecological Aspects of Dispersal of the Wild Boar,Sus scrofa L., 1758, in the Northeast of European Russia

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

卧龙自然保护区野生植物资源管理初探

本文初步分析了卧龙自然保护区野生植物资源的特点和存在的问题,提出了野生植物资源利用和保护的生态经济对策。     

青海省草地畜牧业可持续发展战略与对策

青海省有可利用草地3161×104hm₂,是我国五大牧区之一。在长期传统游牧畜牧业经营方式下 ,对草地缺乏有效的保护和科学的管理 ,片面追求牲畜存栏数 ,超载过牧现象普遍存在 ,导致草地退化问题严重 ,生态环境破坏 ,自然灾害频繁 ,畜牧业经济效益低下。在这样的基础上实施草地畜牧业可持续发展战略 ,需要执行科技兴牧 ,教育先行 ;强化畜牧业生产基础 ,经济效益和生态效益并重 ;大力促进畜牧业产业化 ,走商品化生产发展道路的方针。推行高效集约化经营的畜牧业生产模式 ,发展具有高原特色 ,具有市场竞争力的特色畜产品生产 ,在实现畜牧业向高效益产业转变的基础上顺利地实施生态环境治理和草地资源保护 ,从而达到畜牧业可持续发展的目的。     

畜牧业生产对生态环境的污染及其防治

畜禽粪尿、畜牧场的污水和臭气以及由排泄物残留而来的矿物元素和其它废充物给生态环境带来直接污染；由农畜产品残留而来的农药、重金属元素、抗生素、激素和霉菌素等给生态环境带来间接污染。这些污染物通过污染土壤、水源和大气而危害农作物生产和人畜健康，甚至诱发严重的畜产品污染事件。为防止畜牧业污染，必须制订一个正确的畜牧业发展战略。采取有效的防治对策，并开发应用防治技术，建立综合式生态农业生产体系，从而达到畜牧业的持续发展。     

四种南京地产栽培野菜蛋白质营养价值的评价研究

4种传统野菜已在南京地区规模栽培利用。采用模糊识别法和氨基酸比值系数法,分别以鸡蛋蛋白质为标准蛋白 ,以WHO/FAO氨基酸参考模式为评价标准 ,对这4种野菜蛋白质营养价值进行了评价 ,并与6种常见蔬菜蛋白进行对照比较。结果表明 ,4种野菜蛋白质含量为2.3 %～5.0 % ,蛋白质中氨基酸种类齐全 ,其含量为77.73 %～89.36 % ,必需氨基酸占总氨基酸量的36.72 %～42.04 % ,第一限制性氨基酸为含硫氨基酸 (Met +Cys)。其蛋白质营养价值分别优于同科的一些常见蔬菜。     

观山村畜牧业生态经济亚系统的畜种结构和生态效率

本文对位于亚热带丘岗区畜牧业生态经济亚系统的畜种结构和生态效率进行研究。因地制宜地调整和优化畜种结构,充分合理地利用当地饲料资源,改善饲料营养结构,增强亚系统的总体功能。     

野化培训大熊猫在特定时期采食半枯竹的原因分析

对首次发现的一只野化培训大熊猫“祥祥”采食半枯竹的现象及原因进行研究.作者用4只圈养大熊猫为对照进行试验,从行为观察、营养成分及适口因子、环境气候条件等方面进行了研究.研究发现,圈养大熊猫中也存在采食半枯竹的现象,而且在采食的时间段上和祥祥一致;相对于新鲜竹子,半枯竹中葡萄糖含量有所增加,单宁含量明显降低,并且具有特殊的香甜味,使在一定时期内的半枯竹营养增加,适口性得到改善,这是大熊猫在特定时期更愿意采食半枯竹而不采食新鲜竹子的重要原因;7~9月是全年温湿度最高月份,对引起半枯竹成分中适口因子的改变可能有诱发作用.图3表4参9