新时代生态文明法律体系统筹协调与集成创新的进展和建议

在“五位一体”总体布局内,生态环保法律体系通过内外协调,进入以生态文明理念为指导的全面升级时期。绿色、循环、低碳要求的统筹协调和集成创新不断加强,明确了一些流域或区域的综合保护立法。对照生态文明体制改革要求,协同推进降碳、减污、扩绿、增长的法制建设不足,山水林田湖草沙一体化保护和系统治理的法制建设不足,一些改革措施并未写入法律法规,一些概念和部门的职责并不清晰,一些特殊区域和流域缺乏综合性保护专门立法,影响绿色、循环、低碳发展的综合绩效。建议全面开展法制梳理,提升降碳、减污、扩绿、增长类法律法规的衔接性和互助性,促进山水林田湖草沙各要素法律法规的兼容性和协同性,针对特定流域和区域的保护、重点行业的绿色、循环、低碳发展及国土空间规划、自然资源资产管理等领域开展专门立法;界定有争议的概念,区分相关监管和监测职责;加强一般立法与流域、区域保护立法的衔接。     

生态治辽,水绿山青;太子河环境提升,水专项助力蓄能

太子河是我国北方的一条典型山区型河流,其山区段包括上游山地森林和中游丘陵森林地区,主要位于"城中山,山中水,八山一水半分田"的本溪市。经十余年努力,该区域水质明显改善,但水生态问题较为突出,存在着河流生态修复的迫切需求。辽宁大学宋有涛教授承担的国家科技重大水专项"太子河流域山区段河流生态修复与功能提升关键技术与工程示范"课题(2015ZX07202-012),针对地方科技和管理需求,以“山水林田湖草”生命共同体综合治理为理念,依托“十一五”“十二五”水专项研究成果。     

我国新时期生态保护修复总体战略与重大任务

生态保护修复是美丽中国建设的重大任务,是加快推进生态文明建设的优先行动,是推动生态产品价值实现的重要基础。近年来,我国生态保护修复取得显著进展,但生态系统本底脆弱、保护修复基础薄弱、管理机制不协调等问题依然突出。在大力推进生态文明建设的新的历史时期,面对百年未有之大变局,我国生态保护修复工作所面临的形势更加严峻,与实现国家生态治理体系和治理能力现代化的要求依然存在较大差距,尚难以满足人民日益增长的优质生态产品需要。本文在总结近年来我国生态保护修复主要进展基础上,分析了未来一段时期生态保护修复面临的问题与挑战,提出新时期生态保护修复应以习近平生态文明思想为统领,以提升生态系统服务功能、协同改善生态环境质量、维护国家生态安全为核心,探索构建生态保护修复与污染防治统筹推进机制,强化监管制度设计、示范样板引领、体制机制创新,加快实现山水林田湖草整体保护、系统修复、综合治理,筑牢美丽中国生态根基。     

城镇化背景下滇池流域生态系统健康评价指标体系研究

城镇化的快速发展对云南省滇池流域生态系统健康状况产生的影响日益突出和严重。在明晰流域生态系统健康概念及特征的基础上,阐述了城镇化背景下滇池流域生态系统健康评价指标体系的构建思路与选取原则。主要是:(1)以自然条件限制因子—城镇化影响因子—流域生态系统健康指示因子为评价结构,依据流域水、土和生物资源禀赋特征;(2)城镇化对流域土地利用、对流域水资源的质和量、对流域景观结构的影响;(3)流域健康的五大要素即活力、组织结构、恢复力、生态系统服务功能和人类健康,构建了滇池流域生态系统健康评价指标体系,以期为云南省滇池流域的生态健康评价及生态建设提供科学依据。     

山水林田湖草理念在生态工程设计的应用

生态工程在城市再生水回用及深度处理发挥着重要作用,但存在侧重水质净化而缺乏系统思考的问题。为提升生态工程系统性,以邯郸市园博园清渠如许景点为案例,将山水林田湖草生命共同体理念融入设计:因地就势构建“山”,消纳场地弃渣并形成竖向落差;引入再生水缓解园区“水”资源不足;结合景观构建“田”与“湖”,发挥水质净化、水资源回用功能;利用植物构建“林”与“草”,发挥土壤保持功能;山水林田湖草相互融合形成多层次景观,实现景观服务、科研教育功能。水质监测结果及景点展示效果表明,出水水质达到设计目标、水质净化功能较理想,土壤保持、景观服务、科研教育功能在展览中有效呈现。实践证明山水林田湖草生命共同体理念在生态工程设计中应用的可行性,为工程设计提供新思路及方向。     

13项关键技术取得重大突破太子河流域山区段河流生态修复与功能提升关键技术与工程示范课题

(课题编号:2015ZX07202-012)遵循"山水林田湖草"生命共同体综合治理理念,本课题以营造太子河的"八百里地佳山水"为目标,开展以北方山区型河流生态修复与功能提升为重点的成套技术研发:(一)突破集成"汇水区—河岸带—河道"三位一体修复技术体系,维持水生态功能连续,改善山区型河流上游生境质量和生物多样性状况太子河流域山区段上游为季节性河流,河道底质以卵石为主,河岸带坡面侵蚀严重,汇水区以石灰岩基质土壤为主,植物群落单一,沿河农田开发、放牧等人为干扰较为严重。     

滇池污染与治理的生态学分析

从生态学角度分析了滇池富营养化形成的原因，认为滇池富营养化是滇池流域各子生态系统受到破坏所造成的结果。提出治理滇池应该用生态学的原理和方法分别修复受到破坏的各子生态系统，恢复各子生态系统的合理结构、高效功能和协调关系，并把各子生态系统整合为一个整体协调、自我维持、自我演替的滇池流域生态系统，才能最终实现滇池富营养化治理。     

水生态环境保护回顾与展望：从污染防治到三水统筹

水生态环境保护事关美丽中国目标的实现。本文阐释了我国从水污染防治向水环境、水生态、水资源“三水”统筹转变的新时代水生态环境保护内涵，从国内视角梳理我国水污染防治实践取得的成效，识别美丽中国水生态环境保护面临的制约性问题，首次在全国层面与欧美发达国家的水环境质量、水生态保护和水资源保障情况进行国际对标分析，提出以水生态系统保护目标为指引、以流域生态环境空间管控为基础、以“三水”统筹系统治理为路径、以治理体系和治理能力现代化为保障的水生态环境保护战略建议。     

大伙房水库上游地区生态补偿标准研究

相对于自然生态保护其他方面,江河断流、湖泊湿地萎缩、水源涵养功能退化、水土流失加剧等流域污染问题,水资源保护存在的“上游投入、下游得利”不合理现象,不断加剧水资源质量的衰减和水体环境的恶化。本文以维持流域生态系统平衡及生态服务功能,调整流域相关利益方生态及其经济利益分配关系为依据,根据流域面临的生态保护、污染治理和水资源合理利用等问题特点,以大伙房水库上游地区为例,构建以生态系统服务功能价值和机会成本理论为基础的生态补偿标准估算模型,对流域生态补偿资金进行分配,探索建立不同类型、各有侧重、因地制宜的生态补偿标准,在试点和实践中调整完善,为国家建立流域生态补偿机制和政策提供模式和经验。     

丝路经济带地质公园资源禀赋与法律保护研究

丝绸之路经济带地质遗迹保护与地质公园旅游资源整合开发,是旅游业向纵深发展的重要表现和主要途径。研究发现,地学调查与评价是做好地质遗迹保护的前提和基础,也是进行全域旅游规划和创建的重要依据。国家公园是自然生态空间的重要组成部分,在维护国家生态安全中居于核心地位。山水林田湖草是一个生命共同体,需要用系统思维统筹治理。从法治视角指出,丝路经济带生态治理的举措是打造"多元共治"治理体系。区域协同不仅强调区域治理的过程和效用,还强调通过区域治理达成的内部同一。     

Conversion of temperate forests into heaths: Role of ecosystem disturbance and ericaceous plants

Fire and logging in nutrient-poor temperate forests with certain ericaceous understory plants may convert the forests into heaths. The process of disturbance-induced heath formation is documented by using examples ofCalluna in western Europe,Kalmia in Newfoundland, andGaultheria (salal) in coastal British Columbia. In a cool, temperate climate, rapid vegetative growth ofCalluna, Kalmia, and salal following disturbance results in increasing organic accumulation (paludification), nutrient sequestration, soil acidification, and allelochemicals. These are thought to be the main reasons to conifer regeneration failure in disturbed habitats. If continuation in forest is a land-use objective, then temperate forests with an ericaceous understory should not be logged unless effective silvicultural methods are devised to control the ericaceous plants and restore forest regeneration. Preharvest vegetation control may be considered as an option. Failure to control the understory plants may lead to a long-term vegetation shift, from forest to heathland, particularly in nutrient-poor sites. Successful methods of controllingKalmia andGaultheria, however, have yet to be developed. While theKalmia- andGaultheria- dominated heathlands are undesirable in Canada and the Pacific Northwest, a wide range ofCalluna heathlands of western Europe are being conserved as natural and seminatural vegetation.     

AN APPLICATION RUNOFF MODEL STRATEGY FOR UNGAGED WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: Mathematical models for predicting watershed surface flow responses are available, most of which are elaborate nonlinear numerical surface and channel flow models linked with infiltration models. Such models may be used to make predictions for ungaged areas, assuming an acceptable fitting of the model to the topography and roughness of the real system. For some application purposes, these models are impractical because of their complexity and expensive computer solutions. A procedure is developed that uses a complex model of an ungaged area to derive a simpler parametric nonlinear system model for repetitious simulation with input sequences. The predicted flow outputs are obtained with the simpler model at significant savings of money and time. The procedures for constructing a complex kinematic model of a 40 acre (161,880 m²) reference watershed and deriving the simpler system model are outlined. The results of predictions from both models are compared with a selected set of measured events, all having essentially the same initial conditions. Peak discharges ranged from 3 to 118 ft³/sec (0.085 to 3.34 m³/sec), which includes the largest event of record. The inherent limitations of lumped systems models are demonstrated, including the bias caused by their inability to model infiltration losses after rainfall ceases. Computer costs and times for the models were compared. The derived simple model has a cost advantage when repeated use of a model is required. Such an applications hydrologic model has an engineering tradeoff of reduced accuracy, and lumping bias, but is more economical for certain design purposes.     

Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Urban ecological studies, including focus on cities, suburbs, and exurbs, while having deep roots in the early to mid 20th century, have burgeoned in the last several decades. We use the state factor approach to highlight the role of important aspects of climate, substrate, organisms, relief, and time in differentiating urban from non-urban areas, and for determining heterogeneity within spatially extensive metropolitan areas. In addition to reviewing key findings relevant to each state factor, we note the emergence of tentative "urban syndromes" concerning soils, streams, wildlife and plants, and homogenization of certain ecosystem functions, such as soil organic carbon dynamics. We note the utility of the ecosystem approach, the human ecosystem framework, and watersheds as integrative tools to tie information about multiple state factors together. The organismal component of urban complexes includes the social organization of the human population, and we review key modes by which human populations within urban areas are differentiated, and how such differentiation affects environmentally relevant actions. Emerging syntheses in land change science and ecological urban design are also summarized. The multifaceted frameworks and the growing urban knowledge base do however identify some pressing research needs.     

Neighbourhood characteristics and urban gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area: staffing and voluntarism,food production,infrastructure, and sustainability practices

Urban gardens are important sources of sustenance for communities with limited access to food. Hence, this study focuses on food production in gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area in Northwest Ohio. We administered surveys to 150 garden managers from November 2014 to February 2015 in our attempt to better understand how neighbourhood racial composition and poverty levels are related to staffing and voluntarism, food production and distribution, the development of infrastructure, and the adoption of sustainability practices in urban gardens. The results from 30 gardens are presented in this paper. We used Geographic Information Systems to map the gardens and overlay the map with 2010 census data so that we could conduct demographic analyses of the neighbourhoods in which the gardens were located. Though the gardens were small – two acres or less – up to 46 varieties of food were grown in a single garden. Gardens also operated on small budgets. Food from the gardens was gifted or shared with friends, family, and neighbourhood residents. Gardens in predominantly minority neighbourhoods tended to have fewer institutional partners, less garden infrastructure, and had adopted fewer sustainable practices than gardens in predominantly White neighbourhoods. Nonetheless, residents of predominantly minority and high-poverty neighbourhoods participated in garden activities and influenced garden operations. Volunteering and staffing were racialised and gendered.     

Using Paleo Reconstructions to Improve Streamflow Forecast Lead Time in the Western United States

In water stressed regions, water managers are exploring new horizons that would help in long‐range streamflow forecasts. Oceanic‐atmospheric oscillations have been shown to influence streamflow variability. In this study, long‐lead time streamflow forecasts are made using a multiclass kernel‐based data‐driven support vector machine (SVM) model. The extended streamflow records based on tree ring reconstructions were used to provide a longer time series data. Reconstructed data were used from 1658 to 1952 and the instrumental record was used from 1953 to 2007. Reconstructions for oceanic‐atmospheric oscillations included the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, and North Atlantic Oscillation. Streamflow forecasts using all four oscillations were made with one‐year to five‐year lead times for 21 gages in the western United States. This is the first study that uses both instrumental and reconstructed data of oscillations in SVM model to improve streamflow forecast lead time. SVM model was able to provide “satisfactory” to “very good” forecasts with one‐ to five‐year lead time for the selected gages. The use of all the oscillation indices helped in achieving better predictability compared to using individual oscillations. The SVM modeling results are better when compared with multiple linear regression model forecasts. The findings are statistical in nature and are expected to be useful for long‐term water resources planning and management.     

Predicting deer-vehicle collisions in an urban area

Collisions with deer and other large animals are increasing, and the resulting economic costs and risks to public safety have made mitigation measures a priority for both city and wildlife managers. We created landscape models to describe and predict deer-vehicle collision (DVCs) within the City of Edmonton, Alberta. Models based on roadside characteristics revealed that DVCs occurred frequently where roadside vegetation was both denser and more diverse, and that DVCs were more likely to occur when the groomed width of roadside right-of-ways was smaller. No DVCs occurred where the width of the vegetation-free or manicured roadside buffer was greater than 40 m. Landscape-based models showed that DVCs were more likely in more heterogeneous landscapes where road densities were lower and speed limits were higher, and where non-forested vegetation such as farmland was in closer proximity to larger tracts of forest. These models can help wildlife and transportation managers to identify locations of high collision frequency for mitigation. Modifying certain landscape and roadside habitats can be an effective way to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.     

MANGANESE CYCLE IN IMPOUNDMENT WATER

Manganese entering impounded water will undergo a cyclic transformation. Oxidation precipitates manganese from top waters. At the bottom of the lake, biological activity will render manganese soluble by both intracellular as well as extracellular activity. The study was made to demonstrate that biological reduction and transformation, organometallic complexation, together with the presence of carbon dioxide and the lowering of pH all have some effect on the solubility of manganese. Dissolved manganese may be brought back to top waters during the lake overturn and therefore deteriorates the water quality.     

Biodiversity and biotechnology

The maintenance of biodiversity is urged from many quarters and on grounds ranging from aesthetic considerations to its usefulness, particularly for biotechnology. But regardless of the grounds for preserving biodiversity, writers are generally in agreement that it should be preserved. But, in examining the various references biodiversity, such as species diversity, genetic diversity, and habitat diversity, it is apparent that we cannot aim to preserve biodiversityas such, since there are a number of conflicts in any such undertaking. In preserving one aspect of biodiversity, we damage another aspect. Five arguments which attempt to ground our moral concern for biodiversity are reviewed and critiqued, not only for their consistency but also for their power to move us to action. The final section of the paper shows how conflicts in the values of personal and environmental health can impair ethical action and especially policy formation.An earlier version of this paper was read at the conference on Agriculture, Food, and Human Values: Tradition and Change, Orlando, Florida, October 7–9, 1987.     

Surface applied water treatment residuals affect bioavailable phosphorus losses in Florida sands

Water treatment residuals (WTR) can reduce runoff P loss and surface co-application of P-sources and WTR is a practical way of land applying the residuals. In a rainfall simulation study, we evaluated the effects of surface co-applied P-sources and an Al-WTR on runoff and leacheate bioavailable P (BAP) losses from a Florida sand. Four P-sources, namely poultry manure, Boca Raton biosolids (high water-soluble P), Pompano biosolids (moderate water-soluble P), and triple super phosphate (TSP) were surface applied at 56 and 224kgPha(-1) (by weight) to represent low and high soil P loads typical of P- and N-based amendments rates. The treatments further received surface applied WTR at 0 or 10gWTRkg(-1) soil. BAP loss masses were greater in leachate (16.4-536mg) than in runoff (0.91-46mg), but were reduced in runoff and leachate by surface applied WTR. Masses of total BAP lost in the presence of surface applied WTR were less than approximately 75% of BAP losses in the absence of WTR. Total BAP losses from each of the organic sources applied at N-based rates were not greater than P loss from TSP applied at a P-based rate. The BAP loss at the N-based rate of moderate water-soluble P-source (Pompano biosolids) was not greater than BAP losses at the P-based rates of other organic sources tested. The hazards of excess P from applying organic P-sources at N-based rates are not greater than observed at P-based rates of mineral fertilizer. Results suggest that management of the environmental P hazards associated with N-based rates of organic materials in Florida sands is possible by either applying P-sources with WTR or using a moderate water-soluble P-source.     

Sources and Transport of Phosphorus to Rivers in California and Adjacent States,U.S., as Determined by SPARROW Modeling

The SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed attributes) model was used to simulate annual phosphorus loads and concentrations in unmonitored stream reaches in California, U.S., and portions of Nevada and Oregon. The model was calibrated using de‐trended streamflow and phosphorus concentration data at 80 locations. The model explained 91% of the variability in loads and 51% of the variability in yields for a base year of 2002. Point sources, geological background, and cultivated land were significant sources. Variables used to explain delivery of phosphorus from land to water were precipitation and soil clay content. Aquatic loss of phosphorus was significant in streams of all sizes, with the greatest decay predicted in small‐ and intermediate‐sized streams. Geological sources, including volcanic rocks and shales, were the principal control on concentrations and loads in many regions. Some localized formations such as the Monterey shale of southern California are important sources of phosphorus and may contribute to elevated stream concentrations. Many of the larger point source facilities were located in downstream areas, near the ocean, and do not affect inland streams except for a few locations. Large areas of cultivated land result in phosphorus load increases, but do not necessarily increase the loads above those of geological background in some cases because of local hydrology, which limits the potential of phosphorus transport from land to streams.