Effects of population and population pressure on forest resources and their conservation: a modeling study

In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed and analyzed to study the depletion of forest resources caused by population and the corresponding population pressure. It is assumed that the cumulative density of forest resources and the density of populations follow logistic models with prey–predator type nonlinear interaction terms. It is considered that the carrying capacity of forest resources decreases by population pressure, the main focus of this paper. A conservation model is also proposed to control the population pressure by providing some economic incentives to people, the amount of which is assumed to be proportional to the population pressure. The model is analyzed by using stability theory of differential equations and numerical simulation. The model analysis shows that as the density of population or population pressure increases, the cumulative density of forest resources decreases, and the resources may become extinct if the population pressure becomes too large. It is also noted that by controlling the population pressure, using some economic incentives, the density of forest resources can be maintained at an equilibrium level, which is population density dependent. The simulation analysis of the model confirms analytical results.     

Dependence on forest resources and tropical deforestation in Ghana

In Ghana, forests provide many products on which the local population subsists. However, these resources are depleting due to a variety of factors including agricultural expansion and over-exploitation of forest resources. This paper presents an analysis of the level of local dependence on forest resources and its implications for forest management in Ghana. The paper also outlines the causes of continuing deforestation in the studied region from the perspective of the local residents and discusses what role they could play in addressing the problem. The aim is to share more light on the current causes of deforestation and make suggestions for improved community-based forest management practices that could help to reduce deforestation. Primary data was collected through personal interviews and focus group discussions with 431 household heads randomly selected from three Forest Districts in Ghana. The survey showed that income from agriculture constituted 60% of the average total rural household income. Forest income provided 38% of total household income, and off-farm income 2%. The four most highly ranked causes of deforestation are poverty-driven agriculture, lack of alternative rural wage employment other than farming, household population levels, and conflict in traditional land practices. This shows a shift in the view of local people who in the past were quick to blame logging companies and government policies for deforestation. The majority of the respondents depended on wild animals like snail, bush meat, wild honey and wild and cultivated vegetables. Given the reasons for deforestation, much thought needs to go into agroforestry practices (e.g. snail farming, bee keeping, fish farming, and vegetable production) in efforts to reduce deforestation, which are currently less promoted. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Potential synergies of the main current forestry efforts and climate change mitigation in Central Africa

In Central Africa, important carbon stocks are stored in natural forest stands, while activities that modify the carbon storage occur in the forest landscape. Besides clean development mechanisms, the reduction of emission through deforestation and degradation (REDD) initiative is viewed as one way to mitigate climate change. Important forest habitat protection activities have already been implemented with the aim of conserving the biodiversity of the region in a sustainable manner. The main causes of land use changes in the region are small holder subsistence practices and logging activities. Agricultural production has low productivity levels and therefore investments in improved agricultural techniques can both reduce pressure on existing forests and perhaps allow for the reforestation of existing degraded lands. The logging industry is dominated by large, industrial scale, logging operations performing selective logging of specific species and large trees. The adoption of improved forest management practices can reduce the impact of such logging on the ecological integrity and carbon stocks. Some efforts to engage in the carbon market have begun in the region. Further research is needed into the types of projects that will most likely become successful in the region and what locations will offer the greatest benefits.     

江汉平原土地利用演变对区域径流量影响

江汉平原是我国重要的粮食基地也是武汉城市群发展的腹地,了解区域土地利用演变对流域水文的影响有助于为土地规划政策及水资源可持续发展提供决策支持。以2000～2004年为模型校准期,2005～2009年为模型验证期构造SWAT模型并模拟区域内主要流域的月、年径流量。然后借助双累积曲线研究江汉平原内主要江河的人类活动对径流的扰动作用并对比分析1980和2010年二种土地利用模拟情景下径流量的变化情况。结果表明：模型验证能较好的模拟区域内长江及汉江的径流量;随着降雨量的减少,土地利用变化对径流量的影响在增加;1980～1990年人类活动对径流的影响主要体现在水利设施的投入和林地减少上,2000年之后土地利用尤其是建设用地的增加对径流的影响日趋变大     

陇南长江流域经济发展和生态重建战略研究

陇南长江流域大多地处嘉陵江上游的源头地区,是一个资源较为富集但经济相对落后、生态环境脆弱且人口压力较大的丘陵山区。本文从可持续发展的角度出发,着眼世纪之交摆脱贫困与奔向小康转换时期经济发展和生态重建的协调演进,提出产业结构调整的基本思路是立足山区优势发展特色农业,市场配置资源、培植支柱工业,商贸、旅游并举、突出第三产业、强化基础设计、增强发展后劲;空间结构重组的战略构想是重点发展东部经８济重心区、     

Barriers to plantation activities in different agro-ecological zones of Southern India

This paper analyses environmental and socio-economic barriers for plantation activities on local and regional level and investigates the potential for carbon finance to stimulate the increased rates of forest plantation on wasteland, i.e., degraded lands, in southern India. Building on multidisciplinary field work and results from the model GCOMAP, the aim is to (1) identify and characterize the barriers to plantation activities in four agro-ecological zones in the state of Karnataka and (2) investigate what would be required to overcome these barriers and enhance the plantation rate and productivity. The results show that a rehabilitation of the wasteland based on plantation activities is not only possible but also anticipated by the local population and would lead to positive environmental and socio-economic effects at a local level. However, in many cases, the establishment of plantation activities is hindered by a lack of financial resources, low land productivity and water scarcity. Based on the model used and the results from the field work, it can be concluded that certified emission reductions such as carbon credits or other compensatory systems may help to overcome the financial barrier; however, the price needs to be significantly increased if these measures are to have any large-scale impact.     

Fuelwood assessment at micro-watershed level in Northeast Himalaya:a case study in Manipur,India

Fuelwood is one of the major sources of energy in the domestic sector across the rural areas,especially in the developing regions across the world.The Northeastern Himalayan state of Manipur is dominated by the tribal population that largely depends on fuelwood from the nearby forest area.The entire dependence on forests for energy resources is affecting the sustainability of the forest ecosystem in the region,thus indicating the livelihood conditions.Since land-use land-cover change is the key driver to the change in resource availability of a region,the present study has tried to analyze the landcover changes over a period 28 years.The second major component affecting resource availability is the increasing population pressure that leads to changes in the land dynamics,which directly affect the resource production.Based on the existing consumption pattern,the total consumption of fuelwood in the watershed ranges fiom a minimum of 289.992 tons/year to a maximum of 3545.719 tons/year with an average of 1561.956 tons/year in the year 2009 and simulated fuelwood consumption for the year 2021 is around 1469.260 tons/year.Nine different probable scenarios of resource are proposed to calculate the stress value that can be used by the policy-makers and planners for suitable policy implementation at the micro level with a complex social system.     

Dynamics and determinants of land change in India: integrating satellite data with village socioeconomics

We examine the dynamics and spatial determinants of land change in India by integrating decadal land cover maps (1985–1995–2005) from a wall-to-wall analysis of Landsat images with spatiotemporal socioeconomic database for ~630,000 villages in India. We reinforce our results through collective evidence from synthesis of 102 case studies that incorporate field knowledge of the causes of land change in India. We focus on cropland–fallow land conversions, and forest area changes (excludes non-forest tree categories including commercial plantations). We show that cropland to fallow conversions are prominently associated with lack of irrigation and capital, male agricultural labor shortage, and fragmentation of land holdings. We find gross forest loss is substantial and increased from ~23,810 km² (1985–1995) to ~25,770 km² (1995–2005). The gross forest gain also increased from ~6000 km² (1985–1995) to ~7440 km² (1995–2005). Overall, India experienced a net decline in forest by ~18,000 km² (gross loss–gross gain) consistently during both decades. We show that the major source of forest loss was cropland expansion in areas of low cropland productivity (due to soil degradation and lack of irrigation), followed by industrial development and mining/quarrying activities, and excessive economic dependence of villages on forest resources.

     

Opportunity to restore irrigation tanks in the Cauvery delta by mining and deepening

Delta region of the Cauvery river in India is well known for paddy cultivation for centuries. Due to increased competition on river water sharing over the past century, availability and reliability of water in this region is dwindling. Changes in management practices, which caused the deterioration of traditional tank (relatively small reservoir) irrigation systems, and the difficulties in reviving them are discussed. Increasing the storage capacity of irrigation tanks for augmenting water availability for irrigation is discussed in detail. Managing the huge cost involved in deepening the heavily silted tanks in a sustainable manner is suggested through allowing mining activities in the tanks. Sample study on the suitability of soil for commercial uses indicates the possibility of mining in the tanks.     

Fuelwood assessment at micro-watershed level in Northeast Himalaya: a case study in Manipur,India

Fuelwood is one of the major sources of energy in the domestic sector across the rural areas, especially in the developing regions across the world. The Northeastern Himalayan state of Manipur is dominated by the tribal population that largely depends on fuelwood from the nearby forest area. The entire dependence on forests for energy resources is affecting the sustainability of the forest ecosystem in the region, thus indicating the livelihood conditions. Since land-use land-cover change is the key driver to the change in resource availability of a region, the present study has tried to analyze the land-cover changes over a period 28 years. The second major component affecting resource availability is the increasing population pressure that leads to changes in the land dynamics, which directly affect the resource production. Based on the existing consumption pattern, the total consumption of fuelwood in the watershed ranges from a minimum of 289.992 tons/year to a maximum of 3545.719 tons/year with an average of 1561.956 tons/year in the year 2009 and simulated fuelwood consumption for the year 2021 is around 1469.260 tons/year. Nine different probable scenarios of resource are proposed to calculate the stress value that can be used by the policy-makers and planners for suitable policy implementation at the micro level with a complex social system.     

基于生态效益的武汉城市圈土地利用结构优化

满足生态安全的土地利用结构优化是协调社会经济发展与生态环境间矛盾、实现土地持续利用的有效途径。以武汉城市圈为研究区,基于2002～2009年土地利用变更调查汇总数据,引入土壤有机碳储量和土地利用绿当量两个生态指标,评价了城市圈发展不同阶段土地利用结构的生态效益;并通过TOPSIS模型对历年土地利用结构生态合理度进行了评价。在此基础上,以经济效益和生态效益的最大化为目标,构建了2020年多目标优化模型,获得了符合城市圈发展需求的土地利用结构优化方案,呈现“四增三减三稳定”的数量格局,且生态效益指标和生态合理度均呈正向的发展趋势;进而提出了土地资源可持续利用的建议。研究结果对武汉城市圈土地利用总体规划修编、土地利用调控方案的优化以及土地可持续利用具有重要指导意义     

Bioeconomic modeling of farm household decisions for ex-ante impact assessment of integrated watershed development programs in semi-arid India

The increasing population and urbanization have serious implications for sustainable development in less-favoured areas of developing countries. In an attempt to sustain the long-term productivity of natural resources and to meet the food and non-food demands of growing population in the semi-arid tropics, the Indian government invests and promotes integrated watershed development programs. A comprehensive tool to assess the impacts of watershed development programs on both social well-being and sustainability of natural resource is currently lacking. In this study, we develop a watershed level bioeconomic model to assess the ex-ante impacts of key technological and policy interventions on the socioeconomic well-being of rural households and the natural resource base. These interventions are simulated using data from a watershed community in the semi-arid tropics of India. The model captures the interaction between economic decisions and biophysical processes and using a constrained optimization of household decision model. The interventions assessed are productivity-enhancing technologies of dryland crops and increased in irrigable area through water conservation technologies. The results show that productivity-enhancing technologies of dryland crops increase household incomes and also provided incentives for conserving soil moisture and fertility. The increase in irrigable area enables cultivation of high-value crops which increase the household income but also lead to an increase in soil erosion and nutrient mining. The results clearly indicate the necessity for prioritizing and sequencing technologies based on potential effects and trade-offs on household income and conservation of natural resources.     

基于农业用地和地形约束的陇南山区适宜人口规模估算

陇南山区地形复杂,耕地不足,经济贫困,人口对资源环境的压力较大。研究适度人口容量对于地震灾后重建、缓解贫困以及保护长江上游的生态安全具有重要意义。以人均粮食和经济水平两个指标来估算温饱、宽裕和小康3个水平上的人口承载量,测度人口和农业资源的关系。并基于地形复杂度计算劳动用工及可抚养人口。结果表明：目前陇南10县(区)的人口在温饱生活水平下尚有超载。以小康生活为标准,适宜人口规模约为135万。经营现有的农耕地和林地需要100.81万劳动力,可抚养人口191.54万人,加上城镇人口总人口为 231.03万。这个人口规模实现温饱有余而宽裕不足,难达小康目标。“人口 农业用地 劳动力”之间形成了一个怪圈,决定了陇南山区农村实现小康目标的艰巨性和复杂性。为此,陇南山区的灾后重建和区域可持续发展需要创新思路,多方并举.     

三峡库区森林植被恢复与可持续经营研究

系统的野外调查数据和历史资料分析结果表明,三峡库区森林植被在空间上发展不均匀,无明显垂直分带,且分布分散,人为干扰严重。目前,在70多个植被类型中,森林类型占25个,江岸两侧海拔800 m以下地区森林已经很少。森林类型中,马尾松、柏木林的分布面积最大,并在许多疏林中成为主要树种,主要是飞播或人工种植。库区大于25°的坡耕地占耕地面积的17.5％。库区薪炭林仅能满足农村用能总需求量的10.78％。不合理的土地利用方式和对森林的不合理砍伐导致脆弱的土壤系统和森林生态系统的严重退化、生产力下降和严重的水土流失。库区土壤年侵蚀量达到2.9亿t。三峡工程建设和移民安置对库区森林生态系统的压力和影响将是长期的。调查结果同时表明,库区植物生物多样性丰富,植物种类在5 032种以上,而且乡土树种多。分析认为,只要抓住三峡工程建设的契机,紧密结合国家天然林保护和退耕还林工程建设,充分利用良好的生物学基础,科学地封山育林,分带逐步恢复,同时,因地制宜,退耕还林,发展森林能源,建设多目标复合和多种模式并存的林业经营体系,发展经济,就能从根本上改善森林经营环境,实现森林恢复,形成合理布局的水库森林防护系统,促进三峡库区生态环境建设和可持续发展。     

新疆城市化进程中生态预警研究

对新疆城市化进程中的生态环境进行预警研究,目的是在城市化引起生态环境退化之前,以便能及时采取防范措施。构建城市化生态质量评价指标体系和可拓学评价模型,利用灰色预测模型对新疆2010～2014年的生态质量评价指标进行预测,对新疆2005～2014年城市化生态质量进行分析。研究表明：2005～2014年,资源子系统经历改善-恶化-改善的过程,生态子系统先改善后恶化,环境子系统不断改善,总体上,城市化生态质量不断改善。因此,新疆城市化进程中,应当控制人口增长,节约水资源,保证充足的水资源量和生态用水量;节约居民和工矿用地,保护绿洲,提高森林覆盖和森林病虫害防治;不断提高环境污染治理投资,减少工业三废的排放等,使城市化与生态环境耦合系统处于协调状态     

西北地区水资源—生态可持续发展的若干问题探讨

基于对西北地区大开发的关键性难题与一些违背自然规律的不良倾向的讨论 ,认为大开发的实施需要在系统科学思维的基础上综合考虑资源—环境—经济的协调发展。近年来 ,许多科学家从各种角度揭示了我国西北乃至北半球中纬度地区持续干旱的发展规律 ,对干旱化趋势与水盐失衡的分析表明 ,西北地区气候干旱化将长期存在 ,生态将继续退化 ,这种趋势是人力不可抗拒的。人为活动尤其是水资源的开发利用 ,对土壤生态的影响是非常明显的 ,应该在严格控制水资源利用总量的前提下 ,调整用水格局 ,发展节水经济 ,科学确定社会经济用水和生态用水的比例 ,保证必须的生态用水 ,大力发展生态植被。指出在分析西北生态环境问题时过于强调人为活动而忽视自然因素作用的倾向 ,讨论了水库兴修、灌溉、土地利用与改良、深层水利用、水环境脆弱性等水资源—生态建设与可持续发展中的若干关键性问题     

中国不可再生能源消耗压力驱动与强度分解

随着煤炭、石油、天然气等不可再生能源的掠夺式开采的日益严重,中国不可再生能源供需缺口日渐放大,来自于经济增长和消耗强度的冲击使得中国不可再生能源消耗压力逐年增大.在对不可再生能源供需缺口以及消耗构成分析的基础上,运用IPAT方程、LMDI分解法,对中国不可再生能源消耗压力的驱动因素进行实证分析,针对作为主要驱动因素的不可再生能源消耗强度,运用费雪指数分解法进行二次结构、效率效应分解,并就分析结果作出具体剖析.研究结论如下:①中国不可再生能源消耗压力呈现“谷峰交替”型变动趋势,消耗压力的增加主要源于经济因素的驱动,消耗压力的减弱主要源于消耗强度的抑制性驱动作用;②结构效应指数对不可再生能源消耗强度的变动发挥主要影响作用,产业结构的低碳化调整会促进工业部门内部消耗强度的降低,从而达到拉动不可再生能源整体消耗强度降低的目标.     

林业生态安全效率及其影响因素的DEA-Tobit模型分析——基于生态与产业共生关系

林业生态安全的资源投入产出效率及影响因素的研究利于实现林业生态安全建设资源的合理配置,促进林业生态-产业系统的共生发展.运用DEA-SBM模型和Malmquist指数模型对2005～2014年间我国31个省份的林业生态安全效率进行时空分析的基础上,借助PSR模型构建了林业生态安全效率的影响因素体系并利用Tobit模型进行回归分析.结果表明:林业产业发展更依赖于规模的扩张而不是技术水平的提升,这不利于生态安全的可持续发展.林业生态安全效率的动态波动较大且技术进步指数偏低,林业生态与林业产业的协调发展存在较大困难.在林业生态安全效率的影响因素体系中,城市化水平、森林消长比,生态林面积、单位面积森林蓄积,环境保护和生态建设财政支出等对林业生态安全效率的提升作用明显;人均资源总量,科研经费投入强度等对林业生态安全的发展产生较大影响.最后,提出了优化林业产业结构促进林业产业规模集约高效发展、加强创新提升技术效率促进林业生态与产业一体化发展、实现林业资源总量提升和公众生态文化建设的协调发展等对策.     

黄土高原半干旱区雨水利用与可持续农业发展研究

黄土高原半干旱区是一个特定的生态类型和重要的农业区域 ,严重的水土流失和频繁的干旱是该区农业可持续发展的主要制约因素。本文在分析雨水利用可行性的基础上 ,提出了农业发展的有效模式———集水型生态农业 ,它不仅适应于当地的雨水等自然资源条件 ,更适应生产力发展水平 ,易于在农户水平上推广 ,并且具有显著的经济、生态和社会效益 ,是实现该区农业可持续发展的战略性举措 ,同时也为“退耕还林 (草 )”开发战略的实施提供了一个思路