Evolution of the Stewardship Idea in American Country Life

Theological and secular concepts ofstewardship evolved markedly in the 20thcentury. During this period of evolution, theAmerican Country Life Association through itschurch, academic, farm organization, andgovernmental affiliations, served as a bridgingand bonding agent in developing the stewardshipidea. As in any evolutionary process, thestewardship concept was subjected to a broadarray of influences and characterized bynotable highlights such as the Lynn Smithcritique of the Judaeo-Christian ethic, theman-in-nature statement of Douglas John Hall,and the environmental concerns of ecologistsand philosophers of the post-Rachel Carson era.Some gains have been made in understanding theplace of humans in nature, but the stewardshipidea continues as work in process.     

Priorities for Improving the Scientific Foundation of Conservation Policy in North America

Abstract:  The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) can enhance conservation of biodiversity in North America by increasing its engagement in public policy. Toward this end, the North America Section of SCB is establishing partnerships with other professional organizations in order to speak more powerfully to decision makers and taking other actions—such as increasing interaction with chapters—geared to engage members more substantively in science-policy issues. Additionally, the section is developing a North American Biodiversity Blueprint, which spans the continental United States and Canada and is informed by natural and social science. This blueprint is intended to clarify the policy challenges for protecting continental biodiversity, to foster bilateral collaboration to resolve common problems, and to suggest rational alternative policies and practices that are more likely than current practices to sustain North America's natural heritage. Conservation scientists and practitioners can play a key role by drawing policy makers' attention to ultimate, as well as proximate, causes of biodiversity decline and to the ecological and economic consequences of not addressing these threats.     

The new regime for managing US—Mexican water resources

United States-Mexican transboundary water resources management is presently experiencing significant reform resulting from long-term demographic processes in the border region and greater economic integration. The recently concluded North American Free Trade Agreement and supplementary environmental accord modify existing agreements and provide old institution with new mandates. Particularly affected is the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), long the lead agency in binational water management. This essay reviews the development of the new water management regime against the two preceding phases of management reform and considers its implications for improved water management in the border region.     

美国政府对私立高等学校的资助及启示

本文首先分析了美国联邦和地方政府以私立高等教育机构资助的方式和途径,论证了政府资助私立(民办)高校的必要性;并就我国如何资助民办高等教育机构给出了一系列建议.     

中美淡水生物区系中汞物种敏感度分布比较

通过收集无机汞对中国与美国淡水水生生物的毒性数据,构建了脊椎动物(包括鱼类)、无脊椎动物(包括节肢动物和非节肢无脊椎动物)及所有物种对汞的物种敏感度分布(SSD:species sensitivity distributions)曲线,并在此基础上对中国和美国不同类别生物对汞的敏感性分布进行了分析.结果表明:中国与美国各类生物及所有物种对汞的SSD敏感性分布曲线没有显著差异.然而,中国淡水水生物种对汞短期暴露的HC5(hazardous concentration for 5% of the species)较美国淡水物种的阈值小,尤其是非节肢无脊椎动物,汞对美国非节肢动物的HC5值是我国对应物种的7.4倍.在保护95%的物种水平下,中国不同类别试验生物对汞的敏感性排序为无脊椎动物>脊椎动物,其中节肢动物>非节肢无脊椎动物>鱼类;而对应的美国生物对汞的敏感性排序无脊椎动物>脊椎动物,其中节肢动物>鱼类>非节肢无脊椎动物.另外,中美所有节肢动物对汞的敏感性要强于所有鱼类和所有非节肢无脊椎动物.所以在使用所有物种推导水质基准时应考虑其中各类别物种敏感度分布的影响,且需要注意采用美国淡水水生物种推导的水质基准可能会对我国淡水水生物种造成"保护不足".     

The Botanist Effect Revisited: Plant Species Richness, County Area, and Human Population Size in the United States

Abstract:  The "botanist effect" is thought to be the reason for higher plant species richness in areas where botanists are disproportionately present as an artefactual consequence of a more thorough sampling. We examined whether this was the case for U.S. counties. We collated the number of species of vascular plants, human population size, and the area of U.S. counties. Controlling for spatial autocorrelation and county area, plant species richness increased with human population size and density in counties with and without universities and/or botanical gardens, with no significant differences in the relation between the two subsets. This is consistent with previous findings and further evidence of a broad-scale positive correlation between species richness and human population presence, which has important consequences for the experience of nature by inhabitants of densely populated regions. Combined with the many reports of a negative correlation between the two variables at a local scale, the positive relation between plant species richness in U.S. counties and human population presence stresses the need for the conservation of seminatural areas in urbanized ecosystems and for the containment of urban and suburban sprawl.     

Sensitivity analysis of North American bird population estimates

The Partners in Flight North American Landbird Conservation Plan provided estimates of population sizes for 448 landbird species using a multiplicative model. Input parameters in this calculation included the area of state × Bird Conservation Region polygons, area-specific mean Breeding Bird Survey counts circa 1995, and adjustment factors for the distance over which species may presumably be correctly counted, the assumed pairing of singing males with non-singing females, and variability in the propensity of birds to sing over the course of the survey day. I assessed the sensitivity of this population calculation to changes in the input parameters. I assessed both local and global sensitivity of the model to changes in the parameters with Monte Carlo one-at-a-time simulations and the Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (FAST). Monte Carlo simulations were an estimate of local model sensitivity whereas FAST estimated global model sensitivity, accommodating the potential shared variance between model parameters. Monte Carlo simulations suggested population estimates were 39% more sensitive to changes in the detection distance adjustment than to the other parameters; the other parameters were nearly equal in their contribution to model sensitivity. Conversely, FAST analysis determined that each of the input variables aside from the pair adjustment provided roughly equal contributions to variability in population estimates. The most efficient means for improving continental population estimates for birds surveyed by the Breeding Bird Survey will be through increased scrutiny of the species-specific distance detection and time-of-day adjustments and improved understanding in the spatial and temporal variability in the mean Breeding Bird Survey count.     

The Flood Myth in the Age of Global Climate Change

When released, The Day After Tomorrow was widely described by critics and the movie's creators as a pro-environmentalist film. This essay argues that The Day After Tomorrow articulates a variation of apocalyptic discourse identified as a flood myth. The authors conclude that this version of the flood myth largely undermines contemporary environmental discourse that attempts to generate public activism in addressing ecological problems, by replacing an emphasis on human efficacy with symbolic vindication and exchanging collective effort for individual survivalism. The film thus serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of contemporary mythic discourse presented as supporting environmental activism.