Identification of agricultural factors for improving sustainable land resource management in northern Thailand: A case study in Chiang Mai Province

This paper aims to identify the land-use factors benefiting sustainable land management in terms of environmental conservation. For evaluating the impacts of land use on the environment, the following parameters were used: chemical fertiliser and pesticide use, land-use structure and diversity. The farmers' income, land tenure and farming scale were selected for their influence on agricultural sustainability. The analysis shows a rapid increase in use of chemical fertiliser and pesticide in the past 40 years, and an observable increase in land-use diversity. The amount of chemical fertiliser used per unit area in large-scale farming was lower than that at small scales, but large-scale farming consumes more pesticide than small-scale farming. A significant negative correlation was observed between the proportions of the holdings possessing land and the holdings using the chemical fertiliser. In order to achieve sustainable agriculture, it is necessary to manage crop systems and land use towards selecting new strains and varieties of crops and fruits with a lower demand for chemical fertiliser and a higher resistance to disease and pests, balancing large- and small-scale farming, and ensuring land tenure and economic incentives.     

Integrated effects of slope aspect and land use on soil nutrients in a small catchment in a hilly loess area,China

This study addressed the integrated effect of slope aspect and land use on soil nutrients in a loess hilly catchment in the western Loess Plateau of China. Soil samples were collected from five land-use types: wasteland, cropland, woodland, shrubland and abandoned cropland, at two depths (0–20 and 20–40 cm) in the middle slope position of both north-facing and south-facing slopes. Soil nutrient changes and the relationships between soil nutrients and slope aspect were investigated, based on statistical analysis and expert knowledge. Soil organic matter, total N, total P, nitrate nitrogen and available K of the 0–20 cm soil layer differed significantly between land uses and slope aspects. Soil nutrients in the north-facing slope were better than in the south-facing slope. Revegetation has an enrichment effect, especially on soil organic matter, total N, total P, nitrate nitrogen and available K. Planting of trees, shrubs and grasses could improve soil fertility and favours a policy of revegetation and sustainable land use in the hilly loess area of China. Conversion of slope farmlands into more sustainable land uses, such as shrubland or grassland is a cost-efficient way to achieve soil conservation and ecological restoration. Terracing and the use of agro-techniques for soil conservation, such as furrow-ridging tillage and leaving crop residues on fields, can increase the input of C to soils. Growing crops in rotation with alfalfa and beans could be a promising choice for the sustainability of agriculture and the environment.     

Farmer's perception and response towards land policy and eco-environment based on participatory rural appraisal: A case study in the Loess hilly area,China

Based on a survey of 107 farm households by means of participatory rural appraisal, this paper presents a region-level analysis of farmer's perception and response towards land policies and eco-environment in the Loess hilly area, China. The surveyed farmers are divided into two groups, farmers on non-irrigated farmland and farmers on irrigated farmland. The results indicate that most farmers mainly depend on cropland, especially the farmers on non-irrigated farmland. Farmers believe that stability and persistence of land policies are important, and most hold a positive attitude towards the Grain-for-Green Programme. The farmers on irrigated farmland have a more favourable attitude to environmental conservation than the farmers of non-irrigated farmland. Nearly 80% of interviewees consider that the local eco-environment has improved in the last ten years. About 45% never consider the environmental impact of their agriculture practices. About 55% think drought is the most important reason for eco-environment deterioration, overgrazing and serious soil erosion. Soil and water conservation is not conscious and voluntary behaviour for farmers, it is only a measure to guarantee their basic agricultural production and to improve their living conditions. Results indicate that farmers on nonirrigated land find engineering approaches more beneficial to agronomic methods. However, the farmers on irrigated farmland pay more attention to improving farmland quality.     

Estimation of soil carbon saturation and carbon sequestration potential of an agro-ecosystem in China

Soil is believed to be the most important sink for sequestering atmospheric carbon. Hence, estimating soil carbon sequestration potential has been carried out for different regions and agricultural practices. However, soil carbon saturation (SCS), a fundamental concept for estimating soil carbon sequestration potential, has not been estimated for countries or regions. In this study, we estimated SCS of agricultural land for most provinces in China for 1990 by the DNDC model, a carbon and nitrogen biogeochemical cycle model, in order to provide a basis for farmers to select the land use, tillage and fertilization regimes to sequester more carbon. The result showed that SCS was as low as 0.48% in Tianjin and up to 5.14% in Tibet. There was a positive correlation between SCS and the proportion of paddy field in a province. In 1990, cropland soil carbon sequestration potential (SCSP) in China was -0.969 Gt C (-2.706 to 0.767 Gt C). This suggests that agricultural soil will be a carbon source to the atmosphere if agricultural practices are not altered. However, SCSP differed between provinces in China. SCSP was highest in Tibet (7.9 t C ha-1) and lowest in Heilongjiang Province (-60.8 t C ha-1), with a gradual decrease from south to north in China.     

Temporal and spatial assessment of natural resource use in China using ecological footprint method

China has about 20% of the world's population. With rapid economic development and substantial population increase, China is now faced with severe conflicts between limited natural resources and increasing resource requirements. In this study, we used the ecological footprint method to assess the resource demand and supply conditions of each land use in China between 1978 and 2003. In order to provide insight into the spatial heterogeneity of resource demand and supply conditions, we also assessed the ecological footprint at provincial level in 2002. An ecological footprint curve method was introduced to compare differences in natural resource use, economic development and technological progress among different countries and provinces. The results showed that the ecological footprint, biocapacity and ecological deficit per capita for China have all been increasing during 1978–2003. The ecological footprints per person in northern and eastern China were larger than those in southern and western China. The ecological deficits per person in southern and eastern China were more severe than those in northern and western China. Though the resource use efficiency has increased considerably during 1978–2003, it was still much lower than those of the Netherlands, France, South Korea, Mexico, the Philippines and India.     

Towards sustainability: Objectives,strategies and barriers for cleaner production in China

The paper explores the objectives, strategies and barriers to cleaner production (CP) implementation in China. Successful demonstration projects in China have shown that CP is a strategy for reducing pollution and costs, increasing competitiveness and achieving an integrated balance between economic and environmental benefits. As such, it is an inevitable choice and important contribution to sustainable development. However, it has not progressed enough as a strategy for continuous improvement since its effects are limited to industrial sectors or regions. CP implementation can be assisted by further popularization, policy system improvement, perception and awareness raising and technology innovation. These dimensions are the key tasks and incentives for all levels of government, enterprises and social organizations in moving toward sustainability.     

中国湖泊水生植被退化现状与对策

以中国东部湖区与云贵湖区的若干湖泊为例,论述了中国湖泊水生植被退化的现状与问题。这些问题主要是水生植被分布面积缩小,水生植物分布深度下降,总生物量下降,物种多样性下降,耐污性较强的植物发展迅速。区别于国内外其它研究主要是从水生植物自身的生理学角度阐述水生植被退化的原因,本文是从人口密度、人口压力、经济发展、城市化进程等社会因素方面深层次分析了中国水生植被退化的因素,并且提出了可能的恢复对策与恢复过程中可能存在的问题。认为水生植被恢复,在截污的基础上,营造水生植被适宜生长的小生境至关重要。由于水生植被恢复与自然演替是一个同时存在的动态过程,以及水生植被恢复指标的不可确定等,所以水生植被生态恢复无论在基础理论研究方面还是生态工程实施技术上都有许多值得进一步探讨和研究之处。     

Urban forest in China: Development patterns,influencing factors and research prospects

Urban forest is a very important part of urban ecosystems and provides significant ecosystem services. It benefits urban communities environmentally, aesthetically, recreationally and economically. This article reviews the development status, development patterns and influencing factors of urban forest in China. There are four typical development patterns of urban forest in China: the forest city, garden city, ecological economics and forest greenbelt. Social, climatic, economic and other factors influence urban forest development in China. Social factors include government behaviour, laws and regulations, science and technology, education and culture, public awareness and participation, ecological planning and management. Climatic factors include rainfall, temperature and sunlight. Economic factors include urban economic level and funding for urban forest. In future, government, NGOs and the private sector should be considered more in the planning and management of urban forest. The social, climatic and economic factors should be taken into account when improving urban forest management. Research on urban forest from the academic and the management viewpoint should be strengthened. This can improve the development and management of urban forest in China and in other developing countries.     

Achieving sustainable rural development in Southern China: the contribution of bamboo forestry

Bamboo forests, due to their special characteristics and ecological functions, play an important role in sustainable forest management and rural development in China. Over the past two decades, China has successfully established millions of hectares of bamboo forest, which has restored fragile ecosystems, provided benefits to local communities, alleviated rural poverty and eased timber shortages. However, there is potential for further improvements to the bamboo forest estate. This paper analyses the current state of bamboo forest resources and management, and the roles of the bamboo forest industry in social development, economic growth and ecosystem protection in China. We examine the main issues related to governance systems, local economic development and traditional management practices. Finally, we suggest some directions for future development.     

Disadvantages and future research directions in valuation of ecosystem services in China

We have reviewed the development, background and valuation history of ecosystem services in China and abroad, and highlight the importance of ecosystem services and the necessity of their valuation at various temporal and spatial scales. Through critical review of the literature, we have elucidated disadvantages in studies of ecosystem services in China, including the lack of a definite purpose for the valuation of ecosystem services, improper emphasis of valuation studies, stifled application of the contingent valuation method, weak power of research panels in the field, and the absence of the participation of government officials. In addition, we discuss some case studies from Western countries which tracked changes in the total economic value (TEV) of ecosystem services across different states of ecological disturbance and evaluated changes in the TEV under different management regimes. These studies may be useful in guiding future research in China. In essence, there are three major aspects involved in the valuation of ecosystem services: improving accuracy of valuation, association of results of valuation with policy and management decisions, and transfer of payments for ecosystem services. We suggest three priorities for future research in China: to develop an ecosystem service valuation model, to enhance the relevance of valuation studies to policy development, and to reward the protectors of ecosystem services.     

Under the shadow of Asian Brown Clouds: Unbalanced regional productivities in China and environmental concerns

China has seen rapid economic growth over the past two decades, but severe environmental problems have accompanied this, such as the looming danger of Asian Brown Clouds. This paper analyzes the regional development of China by examining economic performance and environmental factors. Technical efficiency and productivity changes in 31 regions of China are computed for the period 1997–2001. In the case of regional GDP, the fast-developing eastern (coastal) regions experience higher technical efficiency and productivity growth than the inland central and western regions. When environmental factors are incorporated, the eastern regions still perform better than inland regions, both from static and dynamic analysis. This phenomenon is termed the 'double deterioration' of the inland areas in China. Double deterioration is attributed to the lack of economic resources to replace highly-polluting production equipment and technology in those less developed regions.     

Group size,heterogeneity and collective action outcomes: Evidence from community forestry in Nepal

In the context of ongoing theoretical debate on the role of group size and heterogeneity in affecting collective action outcomes, this study analyzed associations of group size, and intra-group heterogeneities arising from ethnic, educational and livelihood-related differences with conditions of selected forests managed (formally or informally) by local user groups in the middle hills of Nepal. Four biological variables, basal area of trees, density of trees, density of saplings and richness of plant species, were chosen to represent the condition of the forests. The findings show significant differences in biological condition of the forests managed by different size forest user groups and levels of ethnic, educational and livelihood-related heterogeneities. These differences, however, are inconsistent across the dependent variables representing forest condition, indicating that they were not necessarily caused by the size of the user groups or the group heterogeneities, but could be the result of other factors, such as the history of forest land use and degradation, composition of tree species and institutional arrangements governing the forests.     

Water quality of Lugu Lake: Changes,causes and measurements

Lugu lake is an alpine lake in Yunnan Province in western China. It is famous for its beautiful scenery and the special culture of Mosuo people in this area. The lake is becoming contaminated and eutrophicated because of the huge number of visitors and improvements in agriculture during the last decade. This paper uses the water quality index (WQI) as an indicator to describe trends in contamination of Lugu Lake from 1995 to 2004 and analyses several parameters to determine the causes and consequences of contamination. We found that the dominant cause was pollution from tourism and suggest some feasible measures to prevent further deterioration of the lake water quality.     

Impact of population growth and land-use change on water resources and ecosystems of the arid Tarim River Basin in Western China

Time series data on population change, economic development, climate change, water volume and quality and oasis land-use change were collected to study the interactions between these factors in the arid Tarim River Basin, China. The study reveals that precipitation and stream flow in headwater streams increased, but stream flow in the main Tarim River had reduced significantly over the past three decades. This implies that human activity, rather than climate change, dominated the recent environmental changes in the river basin. As a result of population growth and cultivated land expansion in the upper and middle reaches of the river, severe problems of water shortage, water pollution, death of natural vegetation, soil salinization, desertification and sand-dust storms have occurred, particularly in downstream areas of the river basin. These problems have had serious negative effects on the health of local people and sustainable social economic development in the region. Some development strategies are proposed to deal with these problems.     

Characteristics of geological hazards in South China coastal areas and impact on regional sustainable development

Prevention and treatment of geological hazards is important for the sustainable development of human society. Surface geological hazards alone caused direct economic losses of ¥3.47 billion, with 768 deaths and 785 injuries in Guangdong Province, South China, from 1994 to 2005. The major factors causing geological hazards can be categorised into three types: geo-environmental, climatic-meteorological and human activity. Accompanied by rapid economic development and population growth, human activities can cause geological hazards that are as serious as those caused by natural factors. The authors propose some suggestions for prevention and treatment of geological hazards to achieve sustainable development on the Chinese coast.     

Evaluating environmental and economic benefits of yellow dust storm-related policies in north China

Yellow-dust storms (YDSs) have attracted increasing attention worldwide in the past decade. They can extensively disrupt socioeconomic activities and pose hazards to ecosystems, as well as to human health. In recent years, China has invested multi-billions of dollars to mitigate the impact of YDSs. However, the effectiveness of such YDS control programmes has rarely been evaluated. This research develops a causal model to quantify the environmental benefits of YDS control programmes in China, and further employs regional economic models to evaluate the ensuing economic impacts. The economic benefits generated from the YDS control programmes should remain stable across the years, primarily because of the multiplier effect of the investments, while the environmental benefits tend to decline over time. Our results suggest that YDS control programmes should consider stimulating local economic activities in addition to environmental goals in order to be cost-effective and sustainable in the long term.     

乌鲁木齐城市地表温度时空变化与贡献度研究

伴随着新疆首府乌鲁木齐市经济快速发展,人口持续增加、城市化进程不断加快,地表温度也发生极其显著的变化.以乌鲁木齐市中心城区为研究对象,利用1990—2018年的4期Landsat卫星影像和中国科学院土地利用/覆被分类数据,采用地表温度反演、重心转移模型、空间聚类分析以及计算贡献度指数等方法,定量研究乌鲁木齐市城市化进程...     

中国矿区土地退化因素调查:概念、类型与方法

矿区是受人类活动高强度干扰和加速侵蚀的区域,其生态破坏与环境污染导致严重的土地退化,造成土壤质量下降、生物多样性丧失,给我国矿山环境管理与恢复治理带来新的问题与挑战,亟待辨识与查明导致矿区土地退化的主要驱动因素.笔者通过综合分析土地退化概念、类型和成因,进一步界定了矿区范围,阐明了矿区土地退化的内涵,分析了导致矿区土地退化的生态破坏、环境污染与自然侵蚀等驱动因素的研究进展.基于此,将矿区土地退化划分为生态破坏导致的土地退化、环境污染导致的土地退化和自然侵蚀导致的土地退化3大类型,提出了一套矿区土地退化因素调查的指标体系与方法建议.     

中国土地退化的分类与分级

在参照国际上土地退化评价指标体系的基础上,结合中国实际,从代表性、普遍性和可操作性原则出发,提出了中国土地退化的初步分类与分级标准。中国土地退化可划分为风蚀作用下的土地退化、水蚀作用下的土地退化、物理退化和化学退化4类,土地退化程度分为轻度、中度、强度和极强度退化4级,并拟定4类土地退化的评价标准。     

我国土著菌群生态养猪技术的应用现状与前景分析

传统养猪造成的环境污染问题日趋严重.近几年我国从日本、韩国引进一种发酵床养猪技术,也称土著菌生态养猪技术.从土著菌养殖技术原理、技术模式、应用效果、存在问题、改进措施、应用前景等几个方面进行了综述与分析.