Prioritizing Wildlife Taxa for Biological Diversity Conservation at the Local Scale

/ We identified and ranked 108 resident and migratory wildlife taxa on John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that were vulnerable to local, regional, or global extinction. We ranked taxa based on their vulnerability to extinction, their potential role for maintaining faunal integrity, and the relevance of KSC for maintaining their populations in the United States and Florida. Several taxa, not listed by agencies, were vulnerable to regional or global extinction. Many taxa not vulnerable to global extinction were vulnerable to local and regional extinction. Top predators were vulnerable to extinction because of small population size, isolation from other populations, and road mortality. Many taxa were dependent on habitat conditions at different geographic locations so that conservation required greater collaboration among land owners, managers, and researchers at local, regional, and global scales.KEY WORDS: Biological diversity; Endangered species; Conservation     

Decrease in catalase activity of Folsomia candida fed a Bt rice diet

Here we report the effects of three Bt-rice varieties and their non-Bt conventional isolines on biological traits including survival, reproduction, and the activities of three antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase, in the Collembolan, Folsomia candida. The reproduction was significantly lower when fed Kemingdao and Huahui1 than those feeding on their non-GM near-isogenic varieties Xiushui and Minghui63 respectively, this can be explained by the differences of plant compositions depended on variety of rice. The catalase activity of F. candida was significantly lower when fed the Bt-rice variety Kemingdao compared to the near-isogenic non-Bt-rice variety Xiushui. This suggests that some Bt-rice varieties may impose environmental stress to collembolans. We emphasize that changes in activity of antioxidant enzymes of non-target organisms are important in understanding the ecological consequences for organisms inhabiting transgenic Bt-rice plantations.     

The Watershed Flow and Allocation Model: An NHDPlus‐Based Watershed Modeling Approach for Multiple Scales and Conditions

The Watershed Flow and Allocation model (WaterFALL^®) provides segment‐specific, daily streamflow at both gaged and ungaged locations to generate the hydrologic foundation for a variety of water resources management applications. The model is designed to apply across the spatially explicit and enhanced National Hydrography Dataset (NHDPlus) stream and catchment network. To facilitate modeling at the NHDPlus catchment scale, we use an intermediate‐level rainfall‐runoff model rather than a complex process‐based model. The hydrologic model within WaterFALL simulates rainfall‐runoff processes for each catchment within a watershed and routes streamflow between catchments, while accounting for withdrawals, discharges, and onstream reservoirs within the network. The model is therefore distributed among each NHDPlus catchment within the larger selected watershed. Input parameters including climate, land use, soils, and water withdrawals and discharges are georeferenced to each catchment. The WaterFALL system includes a centralized database and server‐based environment for storing all model code, input parameters, and results in a single instance for all simulations allowing for rapid comparison between multiple scenarios. We demonstrate and validate WaterFALL within North Carolina at a variety of scales using observed streamflows to inform quantitative and qualitative measures, including hydrologic flow metrics relevant to the study of ecological flow management decisions.     

Conditions for a 100% renewable energy supply system in Japan and South Korea

In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident, alternative energy paths have been discussed for Japan, but except for a few studies the assumption is usually made that Japan is too densely populated to be suited for a near-100% sustainable, indigenous energy provision. The studies emphasizing renewable energy have proposed the use of photovoltaic power as the main source of electricity supply, in combination with diurnal battery storage and supplemented by other renewable sources such as wind, hydro, and geothermal power. Here, an alternative approach is explored, with wind and derived hydrogen production as the main energy source, but still using solar energy, biofuels, and hydropower in a resilient combination allowing full satisfaction of demands in all sectors of the economy, i.e., for dedicated electricity, transportation energy as well as heat for processes and comfort. Furthermore, the possible advantage of establishing a regional energy system with energy interchange and coordinated management of the mix of renewable energy resources across a wider region is discussed. As the closest neighbor, the energy system of South Korea is considered, first regarding the possibility of a similar full renewable energy reliance, and then for possible synergetic effects of connecting the Korean and the Japanese energy systems, in order to be able to better cope with the intermittency of renewable energy source flows.     

围填海对南通淤泥质海岸资源影响的综合评价研究

在系统分析淤泥质海岸围填海开发活动对海岸带资源影响的基础上,重点考虑岸滩冲淤变化特性、岸滩资源利用现状、利用潜力以及泥沙淤积对港口航道造成的资源损失,通过成本型、效益型两大类共16个指标,构建了适合淤泥质海岸资源状况评价的压力-状态-响应(PSR)模型,实现了围填海开发活动对海岸带资源影响的综合评估。利用该模型计算了江苏省南通市沿海的围填海活动对海岸带资源影响的评价系数,计算结果为0.596,表明南通当前的围填海开发活动已经对当地的海岸带资源造成了较大影响,在今后的沿海开发过程中,需要注重海岸带资源的节约与保护。     

LCA of local strategies for energy recovery from waste in England, applied to a large municipal flow

An intense waste management (WM) planning activity is currently undergoing in England to build the infrastructure necessary to treat residual wastes, increase recycling levels and the recovery of energy from waste. From the analyses of local WM strategic and planning documents we have identified the emerging of three different energy recovery strategies: established combustion of residual waste; pre-treatment of residual waste and energy recovery from Solid Recovered Fuel in a dedicated plant, usually assumed to be a gasifier; pre-treatment of residual waste and reliance on the market to accept the ‘fuel from waste’ so produced. Each energy recovery strategy will result in a different solution in terms of the technology selected; moreover, on the basis of the favoured solution, the total number, scale and location of thermal treatment plants built in England will dramatically change. To support the evaluation and comparison of these three WM strategy in terms of global environmental impacts, energy recovery possibilities and performance with respect to changing ‘fuel from waste’ market conditions, the LCA comparison of eight alternative WM scenarios for a real case study dealing with a large flow of municipal wastes was performed with the modelling tool WRATE. The large flow of waste modelled allowed to formulate and assess realistic alternative WM scenarios and to design infrastructural systems which are likely to correspond to those submitted for approval to the local authorities. The results show that all alternative scenarios contribute to saving abiotic resources and reducing global warming potential. Particularly relevant to the current English debate, the performance of a scenario was shown to depend not from the thermal treatment technology but from a combination of parameters, among which most relevant are the efficiency of energy recovery processes (both electricity and heat) and the calorific value of residual waste and pre-treated material. The contribution and relative importance of recycling and treatment/recovery processes change with the impact category. The lack of reprocessing plants in the area of the case study has shown the relevance of transport distances for recyclate material in reducing the efficiency of a WM system. Highly relevant to the current English WM infrastructural debate, these results for the first time highlight the risk of a significant reduction in the energy that could be recovered by local WM strategies relying only on the market to dispose of the ‘fuel from waste’ in a non dedicated plant in the case that the SRF had to be sent to landfill for lack of treatment capacity.     

生态旅游地资源空间承载力研究——以武陵源杨家界景区为例

生态旅游资源空间承载力是发展生态旅游的评价前提,对生态旅游规划具有重要的作用和意义。为了实现生态旅游地可持续发展的目标,必须科学合理地确定其旅游资源空间承载力,以此对景区生态旅游资源的开发利用和游客管理进行有效调控。采用实地调查法,以旅游资源空间数量、游道长度等作为衡量指标,利用面积法、线路法分别对对森林型生态旅游风景区——武陵源杨家界景区的生态旅游资源瞬时空间承载量、日空间承载量和不同季节空间承载量进行了测算。结果表明,景区旅游空间承载力夏半年为15000人/d,冬半年为10240人/d,年均承载量为468.6万人次。以上结果可为杨家界景区生态旅游规划及景区管理提供参考依据。     

基于IPAT等式的甘肃省用水影响因素分析

将经典的IPAT等式扩展为包含人口、富裕程度、用水强度和产业结构4种影响因素的用水分析等式;并利用结构分解模型,将4种影响因素对总用水量变化的贡献分解开,得到不同因素对用水变化的影响.利用模型对1999-2008年甘肃省用水状况进行了实证分析,结果表明:富裕程度对用水量的增加效应最大,最高为2003-2004年(21.07×108m3);而人口变化对用水量的增加效应相对较小,均小于1×108m3;尽管用水效率的提高和产业结构的变化都减少用水量,但产业结构变化对用水量变化的贡献比用水效率的贡献小;此外,单纯地提高用水效率或调整产业结构,并不能保证在环境约束下实现社会经济的发展.因此,随着人口和经济规模的不断扩大,为了满足人民群众不断增长的需求,不仅要从提高用水效率、调整产业结构出发,实现水资源的高效优化配置;更重要的是调整发展思路,摆正人和自然的位置,才能真正实现人和自然的和谐发展.     

抑制城市内涝的有效措施:雨水资源化

频繁发生的城市内涝灾害,成为城市建设管理工作中讫待解决的的重大问题。地面明流超量、城市大量蓄水场地被侵占、城市路面下渗能力降低是引发内涝的主要原因。城市雨水资源化是从雨水源头做起,增加雨水收集利用量,优化排蓄组合,增大渗透量。既有效地实现雨水资源化,又达到减排与缓排洪水流量,抑制城市内涝的目的。     

The role of European marram grass in dune stabilization and succession near Cape Agulhas, South Africa

The coastline near the southern tip of Africa is characterized by large mobile dunes that are driven along wide beaches by strong winds throughout the year. This results in the blockage of the river mouths causing severe flooding of the low-lying farmland of the Agulhas Plain during the rainy winter season. Large parts of the driftsands were stabilized with the European dune pioneer species Marram grass (Ammophila arenaria), which has proved highly invasive along the North American west coast. In order to establish the potential invasiveness ofA. arenaria in South African coastal dune systems and its role in the succession of a large stabilization area, studies were carried out on De Mond Nature Reverve. Using aerial photos, maps and planting records, the vegetation of sites of various ages were sampled. By means of this chronosequence of stands, there is clear evidence that succession takes place at De Mond. Four communities are distinguished, varying from recent plantings ofA. arenaria to mature dune thicket or dune fynbos (heath) vegetation. These relate to four different stages of succession,A. arenaria occurring in reduced abundance in the older communities. After 50 years, formerA. arenaria areas are usually covered by dense dune scrub and in some places even in asteraceous dune fynbos. Succession is most rapid in sheltered, moist dune slacks, butA. arenaria remains vigorous in conditions favourable for its growht, i.e. on exposed, steep dune slopes with strong sand movement.A. arenaria does not appear to spread unaidedly at De Mond and has been successfully used for temporary dune stabilization.