Toward accurate and precise estimates of lion density

Reliable estimates of animal density are fundamental to understanding ecological processes and population dynamics. Furthermore, their accuracy is vital to conservation because wildlife authorities rely on estimates to make decisions. However, it is notoriously difficult to accurately estimate density for wide‐ranging carnivores that occur at low densities. In recent years, significant progress has been made in density estimation of Asian carnivores, but the methods have not been widely adapted to African carnivores, such as lions (Panthera leo). Although abundance indices for lions may produce poor inferences, they continue to be used to estimate density and inform management and policy. We used sighting data from a 3‐month survey and adapted a Bayesian spatially explicit capture‐recapture (SECR) model to estimate spatial lion density in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and surrounding conservancies in Kenya. Our unstructured spatial capture‐recapture sampling design incorporated search effort to explicitly estimate detection probability and density on a fine spatial scale, making our approach robust in the context of varying detection probabilities. Overall posterior mean lion density was estimated to be 17.08 (posterior SD 1.310) lions >1 year old/100 km², and the sex ratio was estimated at 2.2 females to 1 male. Our modeling framework and narrow posterior SD demonstrate that SECR methods can produce statistically rigorous and precise estimates of population parameters, and we argue that they should be favored over less reliable abundance indices. Furthermore, our approach is flexible enough to incorporate different data types, which enables robust population estimates over relatively short survey periods in a variety of systems. Trend analyses are essential to guide conservation decisions but are frequently based on surveys of differing reliability. We therefore call for a unified framework to assess lion numbers in key populations to improve management and policy decisions.     

Spatial Patterns of Breeding Success of Grizzly Bears Derived from Hierarchical Multistate Models

Conservation programs often manage populations indirectly through the landscapes in which they live. Empirically, linking reproductive success with landscape structure and anthropogenic change is a first step in understanding and managing the spatial mechanisms that affect reproduction, but this link is not sufficiently informed by data. Hierarchical multistate occupancy models can forge these links by estimating spatial patterns of reproductive success across landscapes. To illustrate, we surveyed the occurrence of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Canadian Rocky Mountains Alberta, Canada. We deployed camera traps for 6 weeks at 54 surveys sites in different types of land cover. We used hierarchical multistate occupancy models to estimate probability of detection, grizzly bear occupancy, and probability of reproductive success at each site. Grizzly bear occupancy varied among cover types and was greater in herbaceous alpine ecotones than in low‐elevation wetlands or mid‐elevation conifer forests. The conditional probability of reproductive success given grizzly bear occupancy was 30% (SE = 0.14). Grizzly bears with cubs had a higher probability of detection than grizzly bears without cubs, but sites were correctly classified as being occupied by breeding females 49% of the time based on raw data and thus would have been underestimated by half. Repeated surveys and multistate modeling reduced the probability of misclassifying sites occupied by breeders as unoccupied to <2%. The probability of breeding grizzly bear occupancy varied across the landscape. Those patches with highest probabilities of breeding occupancy—herbaceous alpine ecotones—were small and highly dispersed and are projected to shrink as treelines advance due to climate warming. Understanding spatial correlates in breeding distribution is a key requirement for species conservation in the face of climate change and can help identify priorities for landscape management and protection. Patrones Espaciales del Éxito Reproductivo de Osos Pardos, Derivados de Modelos Jerárquicos Multi‐Estado     

Industrial pollution,spatial stigma and economic decline: the case of Asopos river basin through the lens of local small business owners

This paper explores the notion of environmentally induced spatial stigma through an analysis of data from interviews across public attitudes to pollution within the Asopos river basin in central Greece. The area has a 40 year plus history of legal and illicit industrial waste disposal and public debate on the associated environmental degradation. The study focuses on the perceptions and beliefs of a sector of the community likely to be directly and negatively affected by stigma, that is small business owners in the tourism and hospitality sector. The qualitative analysis explores awareness and viewpoints on environmental degradation and water quality within the local context, implications for the local economy and the individual's own enterprise, views on industrial environmental management as well as corporate responsibility and future prospects for the environmental problems of Asopos. Findings reveal a noticeable variation in views on industrial pollution and ecosystem deterioration among the respondents, but overall a strong environmentally induced stigmatization of the area. They also uncover an information asymmetry and lack of credible commitment by government bodies and industry members in disclosing accurate information, a situation likely to increase speculation and uncertainty within the community. The paper concludes by addressing implications of the findings to policy-making and managerial considerations, along with future research perspectives which aim to increase considerations of sustainability aspects for local development.     

长江经济带人口城镇化与土地城镇化协调发展时空差异研究

长江经济带是我国经济发展的战略区域,人口城镇化和土地城镇化的协调发展是推进新型城镇化发展的战略重点之一。本文以2006-2013年长江经济带126个地级市的人口、土地数据为基础,从长江经济带、区域和市域视角,采用熵值法、发展水平评价模型和均衡发展模型测度人口城镇化和土地城镇化协调发展度,结合空间分析方法对协调发展度进行分析,并使用ArcGIS10.2得出二者协调发展度的空间分布图。研究发现,从整体来看长江经济带2006-2013年人口城镇化与土地城镇化协调发展水平不断提高,并呈现相对平稳增长,2013年总体上达到较高协调发展水平。从区域视角来看,协调发展度呈现阶梯特征即下游地区中游地区上游地区的状态,且自2009年起3大区域协调发展度差距呈扩大趋势。从市域视角分析,长江经济带126个地级市2006-2008年协调发展度的发展速度慢,2009年后发展速度显著提升;在空间上呈现"东北-西南"的空间非均衡性和空间异质性,东北高、西南低,并表现明显的"城市群集聚"发展特征。长江经济带在人口城镇化和土地城镇化进程中应不断推进区域经济发展,加快中上游城市的城镇化进程,充分发挥"城市群"的经济辐射带动作用,同时转变土地财政思想,真正实现地区发展水平的提高,最终实现人口城镇化和土地城镇化协调发展。     

长湖流域水质时空分布特征及影响因子

利用2009—2014年长湖5个水质监测点数据,采用时间序列法分析了长湖水质的时间变化规律,采用相关性分析法,分析了流域水污染的影响因子。结果表明:在时间上,长湖水污染物质量浓度季节变化明显,COD、TN、NH3-N均为7、9月较低,1、3月较高,丰水期水质好于枯水期。入湖地区TP质量浓度7月达最高值,且7月份入湖地区的桥河口、关沮口的NH3-N、TN含量稍高于5月。空间上,西北部入湖地区水质劣于湖心及东南部出湖地区。工业、生活等点源污水,以耕地为主的农业非点源以及天然降水量和径流量是影响水质的主要因素,入湖排污量、降水量和径流量与长湖水质呈显著相关关系(P0.05)。     

财政分权对环境污染的空间效应

利用2006—2017年我国30个省级行政单位的面板数据,采用空间计量模型对财政分权与环境污染之间的关系进行实证分析,并通过效应分解分别计算出财政收入分权和财政支出分权对环境污染的直接效应、空间溢出效应和总效应。模型估计的结果表明:①财政收入分权与财政支出分权通过直接效应和空间溢出效应两种途径对环境污染产生显著影响,但收入分权与支出分权对环境污染的空间效应具有异质性。②财政收入分权对环境污染具有显著的负向直接效应和负向空间溢出效应,影响系数分别为-5.429和-17.572。提高财政收入分权度不仅有利于减轻本省份环境污染,也对邻近省份的环境污染起到抑制作用。而财政支出分权对环境污染具有显著的负向直接效应和正向的空间溢出效应,影响程度分别为-3.345和1.173。提高财政支出分权虽然有利于减少本省份污染的排放,但在一定程度上引起省际的污染外溢效应,提高邻近省份的污染程度。③从总效应来看,财政收入分权和财政支出分权对环境污染均呈现出显著的负向相关性,影响程度分别为-23.001和-2.172。提高财政分权可降低环境污染水平,有利于环境质量提升。④通过构建不同空间权重矩阵,检验模型的稳健性,结果表明模型估计是稳健可靠的。根据分析结论,可能的启示与建议有:①合理划分中央政府和地方政府之间的财政事权和支出责任,在提高财政支出分权度的同时提高地方政府财政收入分权度,充分发挥地方政府环境治理的积极性和主动性。②继续加大生态环境保护力度,完善绿色经济考核机制,引导地方政府加大对污染治理和环境改善的支出水平及效率。     

Estimating abundance without recaptures of marked pallid sturgeon in the Mississippi River

Abundance estimates are essential for assessing the viability of populations and the risks posed by alternative management actions. An effort to estimate abundance via a repeated mark‐recapture experiment may fail to recapture marked individuals. We devised a method for obtaining lower bounds on abundance in the absence of recaptures for both panmictic and spatially structured populations. The method assumes few enough recaptures were expected to be missed by random chance. The upper Bayesian credible limit on expected recaptures allows probabilistic statements about the minimum number of individuals present in the population. We applied this method to data from a 12‐year survey of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) in the lower and middle Mississippi River (U.S.A.). None of the 241 individuals marked was recaptured in the survey. After accounting for survival and movement, our model‐averaged estimate of the total abundance of pallid sturgeon ≥3 years old in the study area had a 1%, 5%, or 25% chance of being <4,600, 7,000, or 15,000, respectively. When we assumed fish were distributed in proportion to survey catch per unit effort, the farthest downstream reach in the survey hosted at least 4.5–15 fish per river kilometer (rkm), whereas the remainder of the reaches in the lower and middle Mississippi River hosted at least 2.6–8.5 fish/rkm for all model variations examined. The lower Mississippi River had an average density of pallid sturgeon ≥3 years old of at least 3.0–9.8 fish/rkm. The choice of Bayesian prior was the largest source of uncertainty we considered but did not alter the order of magnitude of lower bounds. Nil‐recapture estimates of abundance are highly uncertain and require careful communication but can deliver insights from experiments that might otherwise be considered a failure.     

绿色全要素生产率省际空间学习效应实证

当前中国资源环境约束日益凸显,依靠全要素生产率成为解决这些问题的共识。然而仅仅依靠全要素生产率不能转变生产方式,关键在于区分绿色与非绿色偏向。研究使用中国省际面板数据,运用面板与动态空间面板模型方法,对比分析绿色全要素生产率、绿色"软技术"、绿色"硬技术"的影响机制。研究发现:1依靠全要素生产率驱动发展需要区别绿色与非绿色偏向;2必须注重绿色全要素生产率对绿色发展的作用及其运行机制;3不同偏向的绿色全要素生产率的省际空间学习效应不同;4绿色"软技术"对绿色发展贡献不充分。这就意味着,在当前中国资源环境约束日趋收紧的背景下,要区别绿色与非绿色全要素生产率的不同作用,否则将不能促进生产方式转变,实现绿色可持续发展。推动绿色可持续发展,一方面需要重视提升绿色全要素生产率的作用,另一方面需要重视绿色管理技术等绿色"软技术"对绿色发展的贡献。提升绿色全要素生产率,既要重视研发投入、人力资本投入,又要考虑技术市场、劳动智力结构、劳动者年龄结构的影响。提升绿色"软技术"的贡献率,改善绿色技术效率变动的吸纳能力。通过绿色全要素生产率的省际空间学习效应,实现中国省际区域间绿色可持续协同发展。此外,在引进吸收国外先进绿色技术时,既要重视对绿色"硬技术"的吸收,又要重视对绿色"软技术"的再学习。总之,"打铁还需自身硬",中国要继续鼓励支持绿色"硬技术"自主研发,巩固提升绿色"硬技术"对绿色发展的贡献。     

基于安全度与运营格局的油库选址优先级评价方法研究

从安全性和运营角度对油库选址的影响因素及评价指标分析对油库的安全稳定及有效运营具有重要的意义。该文选取与安全和运营有关的人口企业数量、安全管理能力、消防设施规划、地形地质条件、铁路公路数量、市场投资收益、政策支持情况等影响因子进行重要性及合理程度分析,综合运用安全度与运营格局影响因素多元耦合关系,构建了油库区安全与运营评价体系,改进了原有的模糊层次法评价模型,并对某油库区安全度与运营格局进行了评估验证。结果表明:利用改进模糊层次法能够较好地评价不同地址的优先级,评价模型具有一定应用性,能够对不同地址的特点及评价权重进行有效分析,可见油库选址优先级评价方法是实用且有效的。该研究方法及结果可以为油库区地址的优选提供一定参考与建议。