Dynamics in the global protected-area estate since 2004

Nations of the world have committed to a number of goals and targets to address global environmental challenges. Protected areas have for centuries been a key strategy in conservation and play a major role in addressing current challenges. The most important tool used to track progress on protected-area commitments is the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). Periodic assessments of the world's protected-area estate show steady growth over the last 2 decades. However, the current method, which uses the latest version of the WDPA, does not show the true dynamic nature of protected areas over time and does not provide information on sites removed from the WDPA. In reality, this method can only show growth or remain stable. We used GIS tools in an approach to assess protected-area change over time based on 12 temporally distinct versions of the WDPA that quantify area added and removed from the WDPA annually from 2004 to 2016. Both the narrative of continual growth of protected area and the counter-narrative of protected area removal were overly simplistic. The former because growth was almost entirely in the marine realm and the latter because some areas removed were reprotected in later years. On average 2.5 million km² was added to the WDPA annually and 1.1 million km² was removed. Reasons for the inclusion and removal of protected areas in the WDPA database were in part due to data-quality issues but also to on-the-ground changes. To meet the 17% protected-area component of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 by 2020, which stood at 14.7% in 2016, either the rate of protected-area removal must decrease or the rate of protected-area designation and addition to the WDPA must increase.     

基于大比例尺地形图的抗震规划工作底图缩编研究

工作底图的编制是开展抗震规划的基础工作之一,好的工作底图不仅能突出抗震规划专题信息,更有利于规划成果的应用。本文以1∶5 000地形图缩编成1∶5万抗震规划工作底图为例,分析了规划底图缩编过程中存在的问题,探索了基于AutoCAD、南方Cass软件以及Arcgis的缩编方法,从而有效提高抗震规划的工作效率。     

Changes in area and number of nature reserves in China

Nature reserves (NR) are the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation. Over the past 60 years, the rapid expansion of NRs in China, one of the world's megadiverse countries, has played a critical role in slowing biodiversity loss. We examined the changes in the number and area of China's NRs from 1956 to 2014 and analyzed the effect of economic development on the expansion of China's NRs from 2005 to 2014 with linear models. Despite a continuing increase in the number of NRs, the total area of China's NRs decreased by 3% from 2007 to 2014. This loss resulted from downsizing and degazettement of existing NRs and a slowdown in the establishment of new ones. Nature reserves in regions with rapid economic development exhibited a greater decrease in area, suggesting that downsizing and degazettement of NRs are closely related to the intensifying competition between economic growth and conservation. For example, boundary adjustments to national NRs, the most strictly protected NRs, along the coast of China's Yellow Sea, a global biodiversity hotspot with a fast-growing economy, resulted in the loss of one-third of the total area. One of the most important ecosystems in these NRs, tidal wetlands, decreased by 27.8% because of boundary adjustments and by 25.2% because of land reclamation. Our results suggest conservation achievement, in terms of both area and quality, are declining at least in some regions in the Chinese NR estate. Although the designation of protected areas that are primarily managed for sustainable use has increased rapidly in recent years in China, we propose that NRs with biodiversity conservation as their main function should not be replaced or weakened.     

Occupant Risk,Partner Risk and Fatality Rate in Frontal Crashes: Estimated Effects of Changing Vehicle Fleet Mass in 15 Years

The effect of vehicle fleet mass on car crash fatalities was estimated, using a new mathematical model to isolate vehicle mass from related factors like size, stiffness and inherent protection. The model was based on fatality risk data, impact speed, fleet mass distribution, and collision probabilities. The fleet mass distribution was changed over 15 years to (a) a homogeneous fleet of 1300 kg cars, (b) a bimodal fleet of 600 and 1600 kg cars, and (c) a 300 kg lighter fleet.

Occupant and collision partner fatality risks were estimated for the new fleets. The new fleets were achieved by various strategies, and the average fatality rate was calculated after and during the transition to the new fleet.Occupant fatality risk decreased and partner risk increased as occupants changed to a heavier car. The average fatality rate was 59% higher after the transition to a bimodal fleet mass, and 11 % lower for a homogeneous fleet. A 300 kg lighter fleet had a 8% higher fatality rale, but the strategy influenced the number of fatalities accumulated during the transition. The safest strategy to attain the lighter fleet was to reduce the mass of the heaviest cars first.

It was concluded that vehicle fleet mass significantly affects traffic safety. Downsizing consequences can be compensated for by improving inherent vehicle protection or reducing impact speed. The fatalities during downsizing can be limited by choosing an appropriate strategy.