Animal agency in wildlife conservation and management

Wildlife conservation and management (WCM) practices have been historically drawn from a wide variety of academic fields, yet practitioners have been slow to engage with emerging conversations about animals as complex beings, whose individuality and sociality influence their relationships with humans. We propose an explicit acknowledgement of wild, nonhuman animals as active participants in WCM. We examined 190 studies of WCM interventions and outcomes to highlight 3 common assumptions that underpin many present approaches to WCM: animal behaviors are rigid and homogeneous; wildlife exhibit idealized wild behavior and prefer pristine habitats; and human–wildlife relationships are of marginal or secondary importance relative to nonhuman interactions. We found that these management interventions insufficiently considered animal learning, decision-making, individuality, sociality, and relationships with humans and led to unanticipated detrimental outcomes. To address these shortcomings, we synthesized theoretical advances in animal behavioral sciences, animal geographies, and animal legal theory that may help conservation professionals reconceptualize animals and their relationships with humans. Based on advances in these fields, we constructed the concept of animal agency, which we define as the ability of animals to actively influence conservation and management outcomes through their adaptive, context-specific, and complex behaviors that are predicated on their sentience, individuality, lived experiences, cognition, sociality, and cultures in ways that shape and reshape shared human–wildlife cultures, spaces, and histories. Conservation practices, such as compassionate conservation, convivial conservation, and ecological justice, incorporate facets of animal agency. Animal agency can be incorporated in conservation problem-solving by assessing the ways in which agency contributes to species’ survival and by encouraging more adaptive and collaborative decision-making among human and nonhuman stakeholders.     

2013-2017年京津冀区域PM2.5浓度变化特征

利用2013-2017年京津冀区域13个城市PM_2.5监测数据，综合探讨了该区域PM_2.5浓度的时空变化特征。结果表明：京津冀区域PM_2.5污染整体较重，但治理成效显著，2013-2017年区域PM_2.5年均质量浓度分别为106、93、77、71、64 μg/m³，完成《大气污染防治行动计划》PM_2.5浓度下降25%左右的目标；13个城市PM_2.5浓度各百分位数总体呈现下降趋势，且随百分位数增大而下降速率加大，PM_2.5年均质量浓度平均每年下降10.6 μg/m³，污染严重的太行山沿线城市邢台、石家庄、邯郸3个城市平均每年分别下降20.3、16.1、13.9 μg/m³；京津冀区域PM_2.5重度污染天数比例分别为19.9%、16.6%、9.5%、9.0%、7.0%，呈下降趋势。2013-2017年京津冀区域PM_2.5平均质量浓度与非重度污染天相比升高19 μg/m³，PM_2.5重度污染天平均质量浓度较非重度污染天时高244.4%。     

沼泽湿地水生无脊椎动物完整性指数构建与健康评价

依据2017年5、7、9月对三江平原19处沼泽湿地(参照湿地6处,受损湿地13处)的水生无脊椎动物采样结果,应用生物完整性理论和方法,构建水生无脊椎动物完整性指数,评价三江平原沼泽湿地健康状况。通过对27个候选指标的分布范围、判别能力和相关性分析,筛选出总分类单元数、扁卷螺科百分比、龙虱科百分比、刮食者百分比4个指标构成水生无脊椎动物完整性指数核心指标。采用比值法计算各指标参数值,将各参数值加和得到水生无脊椎动物完整性指数值。根据参照湿地水生无脊椎动物完整性指数值的25%分位数值确定评价标准,对小于25%分位数的值进行三等分,确定三江平原沼泽湿地健康评价标准:≥2.58,无干扰;1.72～2.58,轻度干扰;0.86～1.72,中度干扰;0～0.86,重度干扰。结果表明:所调查的三江平原沼泽湿地有78.95%受到不同程度的干扰(其中47.37%受到了中重度干扰),21.05%属于无干扰。     

三峡库区消落带农用坡地磷素径流流失特征

消落带是三峡库区重要的生态交错带，但自发农用和无序开发可能会造成更多的氮磷流失，进而加剧三峡库区水体富营养化。通过对库区连续3 a的定位监测（2011~2013年），研究了三峡库区消落带农用坡地的磷素流失特征。结果表明：次降雨事件中常规施肥处理的地表径流、壤中流总磷平均浓度分别为0.848±0.153、0.140±0.006 mg/L，其中地表径流中磷的形态以颗粒态为主，壤中流以溶解态的生物可利用磷为主。常规施肥下，地表径流、壤中流磷素年均流失通量分别为0.236±0.004、0.100±0.003 kg·hm 2，地表径流、壤中流磷素流失通量分别占总流失通量的70.2%、29.8%，地表径流是坡地磷素流失的主要途径，但壤中流也是不可忽视的重要途径。与常规施肥处理相比，减量施肥处理地表径流、壤中流磷素流失量分别降低了45.3%、40.0%。建议采取减量施肥的方式，以降低营养盐负荷，保护水环境。     

淮河支流污染物综合降解系数动态测算

确定河流污染物综合降解系数动态变化规律对提高水环境容量测算精度和水环境管理具有重要意义。通过现场模拟法,采用一维稳态模型测算了淮河支流洪河五沟营-塔桥乡河段COD、氨氮和总磷在枯水期、平水期和丰水期的综合降解系数,COD、氨氮和总磷降解系数在各水期的关系为枯水期平水期丰水期,提出了建议值并利用实测浓度对计算结果进行了检验,结果表明,不同水期综合降解系数吻合情况较好。     

汉丹江(陕西段)水质变化特征分析

基于2008—2012年陕西省境内汉江、丹江干流14个断面的水质监测数据,采用单因子评价法、平均综合污染指数法和秩相关系数法等对该段水体的水质变化特征进行研究。结果表明,汉丹江(陕西段)断面水质以Ⅱ类、Ⅲ类为主,水质总体为优;水质综合污染状况呈下降趋势,其中汉江下降趋势显著;水质综合污染状况空间差异和区域分布特征明显,城区段污染大于郊区,各行政区段河流下游污染大于上游。流域水质主要受有机污染和营养盐因子影响,水体污染源主要来自城镇生活源和农业面源,工业源占比不大且排放行业较为集中。     

京津冀地区一次污染过程的星载地基激光雷达联合观测分析

针对2018年3月9—15日京津冀地区的一次空气重污染过程,进行了基于地基颗粒物激光雷达组网的星载-地基联合观测分析。颗粒物激光雷达观测到污染前期为局地污染累积过程,中期有明显的污染物区域传输过程,北京受太行山沿线城市污染输送影响较大。风廓线激光雷达观测结果表明:此次污染过程近地面主要为偏南风且风力较弱,冷空气到来时风向转为较强东北风,导致污染消散。微波辐射计观测到保定在污染过程中出现持续6 d的逆温层,同时在污染过程中近地面相对湿度较高,逆温层被打破后污染开始消散。在污染过程的各个阶段中,污染团的空间分布与变化特征均被很好地反映出来,可见地天联合观测对污染物的累积与输送研究有较大的意义,能对京津冀及周边地区的大气污染联防联控提供有力支持。     

Local hegemonies resisting a green shift and what to do about it: the introduction of a regional park in southern Norway

In the Lister region in the southern part of Norway, attempts are currently being made to facilitate for a green shift. The paper discusses two different approaches towards such a challenge. The first is procedural, where success or failure hinges on the methods applied in the effort to convince locals to incorporate climate considerations. The alternative is to reflect upon how a green ideology blends into pre-existing ideological elements in the region. It is claimed that an important reason for the failure so far to place the environment at the core of regional development, is that too much emphasis has been put on the first approach, on procedure and dialogue, whereas few efforts have been made to understand the structure of the discursive terrain in the region. What prevents a green shift has less to do with methods and is more connected to the dominance of a logic of economic growth and the fact that locals are confident that nature is already dealt with in a sensible manner. The conclusion is that we need to understand what people are concerned about and what prevents them to change, before we start telling them how to think and do development.     

Features of fatal injuries in older cyclists in vehicle–bicycle accidents in Japan

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify and better understand the features of fatal injuries in cyclists aged 75 years and over involved in collisions with either hood- or van-type vehicles.

Methods: This study investigated the fatal injuries of cyclists aged 75 years old and over by analyzing accident data. We focused on the body regions to which the fatal injury occurred using vehicle–bicycle accident data from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA) in Japan. Using data from 2009 to 2013, we examined the frequency of fatally injured body region by gender, age, and actual vehicle travel speed. We investigated any significant differences in distributions of fatal injuries by body region for cyclists aged 75 years and over using chi-square tests to compare with cyclists in other age groups. We also investigated the cause of fatal head injuries, such as impact with a road surface or vehicle.

Results: The results indicated that head injuries were the most common cause of fatalities among the study group. At low vehicle travel speeds for both hood- and van-type vehicles, fatalities were most likely to be the result of head impacts against the road surface.

The percentage of fatalities following hip injuries was significantly higher for cyclists aged 75 years and over than for those aged 65–74 or 13–59 in impacts with hood-type vehicles. It was also higher for women than men in the over-75 age group in impacts with these vehicles.

Conclusions: For cyclists aged 75 years and over, wearing a helmet may be helpful to prevent head injuries in vehicle-to-cyclist accidents. It may also be helpful to introduce some safety measures to prevent hip injuries, given the higher level of fatalities following hip injury among all cyclists aged 75 and over, particularly women.     

Estimating resource utilization demands in implementing statewide screening,brief intervention,and referral to treatment for alcohol-impaired drivers

Objectives: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is used to assess the level of alcohol use/misuse and to inform the intensity of intervention delivered within screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) programs. Policy initiatives are recommending delivery of SBIRT within health care settings to reduce alcohol misuse and prevent alcohol-impaired driving. Recent reports are considering extending delivery of SBIRT to criminal justice settings. One consideration in implementing SBIRT delivery is the question of resource utilization; the amount of effort required in delivering the 4 different intensities of intervention in SBIRT: Alcohol education, simple advice, brief counseling and continued monitoring, and brief counseling and referral to specialist (from least to most intense in terms of delivery time, the skill level of the provider, and personnel resources).

Methods: In order to inform expectations about intervention intensity, this article describes the AUDIT scores from 982 adults recently arrested for alcohol-impaired driving. The distribution of scores is extrapolated to state rates for individuals arrested for alcohol-impaired driving by intervention level.

Results: Though alcohol education was the most common intervention category, about one quarter of the sample scored in a range corresponding with the more intensive interventions using the brief counseling, continued monitoring for ongoing alcohol use, and/or referral to specialist for diagnostic evaluation and treatment.

Conclusions: This article provides local distribution of AUDIT scores and state estimates for the number of individuals scoring in each level of risk (AUDIT risk zone) and corresponding intervention type. Routine criminal justice practice is well positioned to deliver alcohol screening, education, simple advice, and continued alcohol monitoring, making delivery of SBIRT feasible for the majority of alcohol-impaired drivers. Challenges to implementing the full range of SBIRT services include resource demands of brief counseling, identifying the appropriate providers within a criminal justice context, and availability of community providers for referral to diagnostic and specialty care. Solutions may vary by state due to differences in population density and incidence rates of alcohol-impaired driving.