Social preferences towards ecosystem services provided by cloud forests in the neotropics: implications for conservation strategies

Despite the importance of neotropical cloud forests as providers of ecosystem services to society, they are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. We analysed the importance of three cloud forest reserves in central Colombia as providers of ecosystem services, as well as the social support to conservation actions in these ecosystems through willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to give up time (WTT) estimates. Our results highlight the high commitment of all users of the cloud forest areas towards the conservation of the ecosystem services provided by these strategic ecosystems. We found that the most important perceived ecosystem services were water supply and habitat maintenance for species. Our findings also suggest that the respondents’ ecological knowledge (measured as the awareness of the ecosystem services supplied by cloud forests) was an important factor in determining both WTP and WTT for conserving cloud forests. Moreover, our results indicate that WTT should be a viable technique to explore individual preferences of different stakeholders towards conservation activities in cloud forests. Based on our results, we propose a conservation strategy of cloud forests that considers different users’ socio-economic and environmental characteristics, in which both experimental and experiential knowledge should be incorporated in order to promote collective action.     

Using sustainability science to analyse social–ecological restoration in NE Japan after the great earthquake and tsunami of 2011

In the wake of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that devastated part of northeastern Japan in March 2011, proposals for reconstruction and rehabilitation are still subjects of debate. The claim by many climate scientists that large-scale extreme events can be expected in the future, with similar catastrophic effects in coastal areas, suggests the need for long-term planning that aims at building resilience, the ability for socio-ecological systems to withstand and recover quickly from natural disasters, and continue to develop. We hypothesize that ecosystems and socio-economic resilience will provide affected communities with flexible barriers against future disasters and greater protection in the long run than will hard/engineering solutions such as high seawalls aimed at ensuring only physical security. Building social/ecological resilience in the Tohoku region will increase general security and is anticipated also to contribute to an enhanced quality of life now and for generations to come. This paper argues that building resilience in the affected area requires a transformation to sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries and we describe how the links between satoyama and satoumi, traditional rural territorial and coastal landscapes in Japan, can contribute to this revitalization and to strengthening the relationship between local residents and the landscape in the affected communities. Decision makers at local, regional and national levels need to take a holistic approach based on sustainability science to understand the inter-relationships between these landscapes and ecosystems to develop a robust rebuilding plan for the affected communities. Moreover, this paper suggests that building resilient communities in Japan that demonstrate the strategic benefits of satoyama and satoumi linkages can be a model for building resilient rural and urban communities throughout the world.     

Ozone and natural systems: understanding exposure,response, and risk

Research aimed at understanding the response of plants to ozone has been conducted for over four decades but little of it has addressed intact natural systems. Even so, there is sufficient scientific information at this time to support air quality standards that will protect natural terrestrial ecosystems from ozone. What is unknown is the risk associated with continued exposure of natural systems, including both above- and below-ground components, in combination with other stresses including changing temperature and precipitation, elevated carbon dioxide, pests and pathogens, invasive species, and other activities that may fragment the landscape. Research to support an assessment of the ecological risk associated with ozone as it exists, in a milieu of stresses, must include endpoints beyond those addressed in the past, primarily productivity and species composition. To estimate the risk to society of ozone impacts on natural systems, endpoints such as the integrity of soil food webs, the quantity and quality of water supplied from terrestrial ecosystems, wildlife and recreational values, and the transfer and fate of carbon, nutrients, and water within the systems must be quantified. Not only will this research provide the basis for a sound estimate of risk, but also it will improve our understanding of fundamental ecosystem processes.     

退化生态系统的诊断特征及其评价指标体系

退化生态系统具有结构和功能简化、生产力和抗逆力低、生物多样性下降等基本诊断特征,由于区域背景和人类活动干扰的差异,生态系统退化具有不同的类型、过程和阶段。为了定量地研究退化生态系统,文中分别建立了土壤、植被、大气、水体,以及农业生态系统、区域自然－人类复合生态系统退化的评价指标体系,其中,土壤退化指标包括物理退化、化学退化、生物退化和土壤污染四类指标;植被退化则从数量、结构、功能与生产力、品质四个     

Regional-scale application of the decision support system MOIRA-PLUS: an example of assessment of the radiological impact of the Chernobyl accident on the fresh water ecosystem in Italy

The present work illustrates the customisation and application of the decision support system MOIRA-PLUS (a MOdel-based computerised system for management support to Identify optimal remedial strategies for Restoring radionuclide contaminated Aquatic ecosystems and drainage areas) to the fresh water environment in Italy. MOIRA-PLUS is aimed at evaluating the behaviour of radiocaesium and radiostrontium in fresh water ecosystems and at assessing the appropriateness of suitable strategies for the management of contaminated water bodies by the application of multi-attribute analysis techniques. MOIRA-PLUS can be applied to complex networks of lakes, rivers and tributaries and can be straightforwardly customised utilising data and information from readily accessible sources such as official websites provided by scientific or government organisations. The present work shows an application of the decision system to 10 lakes and 18 rivers in Italy contaminated with ¹³⁷Cs of Chernobyl origin. Site-specific values of some aggregated transfer parameters were estimated for the most important Italian lakes. Although high values of fish and water consumptions were hypothesised, very low doses to public from the fresh water pathway following the accident were calculated.     

三峡库区水源涵养重要区生态系统格局动态演变特征

利用三期遥感分类数据为基础数据源,结合野外地面核查和生态空间分析方法,对三峡库区水源涵养重要区2000~2010年生态系统格局时空动态变化进行了分析。结果表明:研究区内各类生态系统空间分布差异较大,以森林和农田为主体生态系统;10a间,由于三峡水库蓄水淹没了大量农田和林地,导致森林生态系统和农田生态系统分别向湿地生态系统转化了179.99km2和191.27km2;其他生态系统(主要是人工表面)面积在时段内增加了506.63km2,主要是城镇建设占用部分森林和农田转换而来;时段内森林生态系统总的面积未发生较大减少主要是由于近年退耕还林、森林工程等生态工程的实施获得了大量补充;研究区后期的生态系统转化强度在逐渐增强,生态系统动态类型相互转化强度也显示出研究区生态系统类型的转化总体变差。     

Palm use and social values in rural communities on the coastal plains of Veracruz, Mexico

Palms are a resource of great importance in the tropics and are found in a variety of ecosystems, including the wetlands of the tropical coastal plains. In order to recover wetland ecosystems, we studied the traditional uses of wetland palms, by conducting interviews in the communities of four municipalities on the Gulf of Mexico coast. We found that people use five species of palm: Cocos nucifera, Sabal mexicana, Attalea liebmannii, Roystonea dunlapiana and Acrocomia aculeata. Main uses for the five species were for food and construction materials. Although palms are still used, traditional knowledge is declining in the younger generations, likely as a result of various social, cultural and economic factors. It is important to recover and promote the traditional use and value of palm trees, especially for the native species, because of both the economic benefits and the environmental services they provide. More participatory work with the inhabitants is needed to initiate palm breeding programs to assist in the recovery of wetland ecosystems.     

Restoration of the lower reaches of the Tarim River in China

The middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River are areas of rich biodiversity and natural resources in the inland arid region of China. However, the Tarim River and its associated wetlands have been severely damaged and fragmented during the past several decades. To restore the deteriorated ecosystem and preserve the endangered riverine vegetation along the Tarim River, a project for releasing water from upper dams to the lower reaches of the Tarim River was initiated by China’s government in 2000. Between 2000 and 2005, we monitored the responses of groundwater levels and vegetation to this mitigation along nine transects spaced at mean intervals of 45 km along the river from Daxihaizi Reservoir, the source of water conveyance, to the Lake Taitema, the mouth of the Tarim River. We found that average groundwater levels rose significantly from 8 to 4 m below ground surface. Species diversity did not change during the 5-year period, but the total vegetation coverage and canopy size of some species significantly increased. The endangered tree species, Populus euphratica, started to regenerate. Our results indicated that species diversity might recover very slowly, even if the trial water release program became a permanent river management practice. Management decisions about allocating limited water supplies among competing uses in arid regions will ultimately determine whether degraded river ecosystems, such as the Tarim River, can be restored.     

Sustainability assessment of water governance alternatives: the case of Guanacaste Costa Rica

Many new forms of water governance are emerging in response to economic and social needs and wants, as well as water-related problems such as scarcity, injustice, and conflict. However, there is little evidence on how sustainable these governance regimes are, which would be critical for making progress toward sustainable and just water governance. In this article, we present the results of a transdisciplinary multi-criteria sustainability assessment of alternative governance regimes for Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. The assessment specifies differences between sustainable and unsustainable governance regimes, while also pinpointing how the current water governance regime performs in comparison to those alternatives. The findings indicate that those governance regimes with just and deliberative stakeholder involvement, secure groundwater reserves, and healthy dry tropical ecosystems were considered sustainable and just. In contrast, the current state of water governance was found to be at high risk of digressing toward unsustainable systems where rural communities lack rights and influence, where economies favor agro-industry and high impact tourism at the expense of rural livelihoods, and where water scarcity overwhelms weak governance. This assessment study clarifies water sustainability goals, asserts the need for transformational change, and offers a pragmatic foundation for actions toward sustainable water governance.     

基于ESEF的水生态承载力评估——以太湖流域湖州市为例

以基于生态系统服务的生态足迹(ESEF)为基础的水生态承载力评估方法,综合考虑了水量支撑、水质限定和水生态稳定三方面特征,从而实现了足迹方法对水生态系统承载能力的有效表征。然而,如何界定水产品、水资源和水污染足迹以及承载力之间的关系,是目前研究的重点和难点。以太湖流域上游湖州市为例,探讨了在考虑或不考虑水质标准与环境功能分类的情况下,如何利用求并集法或求平均值法进行基于ESEF的水生态承载力评估。研究表明,两种方法均反映出湖州市人们对水生态系统服务的消费需求超出了当地水生态系统的供给能力,需求与供给之间的差距对当地水生态系统的可持续性造成影响。综合考虑水产品供给、水量支撑和水质保障三方面因素,湖州市水生态系统可承载的人口与经济规模为现状水平的95%;如果增加对水质标准和环境功能分类的考虑,则湖州市水生态系统的承载能力仅为现状水平的79%。虽然求并集法的计算结果更有说服力,但是求平均值法则提供了在更小尺度上研究的可能。     

Redressing cultural erosion and ecological decline in a far North Queensland aboriginal community (Australia): the Aurukun ethnobiology database project

Traditional environmental knowledge (usually imparted orally) is being lost from many regions of the world, requiring novel forms of transmission if this situation is to be redressed. Loss of this knowledge may be a significant contributory factor towards ecological decline. Undoubtedly, disruption to ecosystems and societies that depend on these has impacted on traditional land management practices, with negative ramifications for biodiversity. From an environmental perspective, scientists in northern Australia need to understand traditional Aboriginal methods of ‘caring for country’, such as burning regimes, so that these can be incorporated into strategies today for maintaining Australia’s rich biodiversity. However, information exchange should be two-way: as well as learning from local people, science can in turn benefit people who may have little experience of, for example, invasive species. The challenge is how can the complexity of biological knowledge from within different ontologies be represented and integrated in a way that it can be of use to scientists and local people, in order to ensure a sustainable future? The main aim of this study was to record existing local knowledge of biodiversity for the community of Aurukun (far north Queensland), integrating this knowledge with scientific data, while giving parity to both knowledge systems and protecting intellectual property rights. A cross-cultural collaboration between community members and ethnobiologists resulted in development of the Aurukun Ethnobiology Database. An interdisciplinary approach was taken to effectively model autochthonous biological knowledge and scientific data to create a database with a number of practical applications.     

Ecological and toxicological effects of inorganic nitrogen pollution in aquatic ecosystems: A global assessment

We provide a global assessment, with detailed multi-scale data, of the ecological and toxicological effects generated by inorganic nitrogen pollution in aquatic ecosystems. Our synthesis of the published scientific literature shows three major environmental problems: (1) it can increase the concentration of hydrogen ions in freshwater ecosystems without much acid-neutralizing capacity, resulting in acidification of those systems; (2) it can stimulate or enhance the development, maintenance and proliferation of primary producers, resulting in eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems; (3) it can reach toxic levels that impair the ability of aquatic animals to survive, grow and reproduce. Inorganic nitrogen pollution of ground and surface waters can also induce adverse effects on human health and economy. Because reductions in SO2 emissions have reduced the atmospheric deposition of H2SO4 across large portions of North America and Europe, while emissions of NOx have gone unchecked, HNO3 is now playing an increasing role in the acidification of freshwater ecosystems. This acidification process has caused several adverse effects on primary and secondary producers, with significant biotic impoverishments, particularly concerning invertebrates and fishes, in many atmospherically acidified lakes and streams. The cultural eutrophication of freshwater, estuarine, and coastal marine ecosystems can cause ecological and toxicological effects that are either directly or indirectly related to the proliferation of primary producers. Extensive kills of both invertebrates and fishes are probably the most dramatic manifestation of hypoxia (or anoxia) in eutrophic and hypereutrophic aquatic ecosystems with low water turnover rates. The decline in dissolved oxygen concentrations can also promote the formation of reduced compounds, such as hydrogen sulphide, resulting in higher adverse (toxic) effects on aquatic animals. Additionally, the occurrence of toxic algae can significantly contribute to the extensive kills of aquatic animals. Cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates and diatoms appear to be major responsible that may be stimulated by inorganic nitrogen pollution. Among the different inorganic nitrogenous compounds (NH4+, NH3, NO2-, HNO2NO3-) that aquatic animals can take up directly from the ambient water, unionized ammonia is the most toxic, while ammonium and nitrate ions are the least toxic. In general, seawater animals seem to be more tolerant to the toxicity of inorganic nitrogenous compounds than freshwater animals, probably because of the ameliorating effect of water salinity (sodium, chloride, calcium and other ions) on the tolerance of aquatic animals. Ingested nitrites and nitrates from polluted drinking waters can induce methemoglobinemia in humans, particularly in young infants, by blocking the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin. Ingested nitrites and nitrates also have a potential role in developing cancers of the digestive tract through their contribution to the formation of nitrosamines. In addition, some scientific evidences suggest that ingested nitrites and nitrates might result in mutagenicity, teratogenicity and birth defects, contribute to the risks of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and bladder and ovarian cancers, play a role in the etiology of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and in the development of thyroid hypertrophy, or cause spontaneous abortions and respiratory tract infections. Indirect health hazards can occur as a consequence of algal toxins, causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, hepatoenteritis, muscular cramps, and several poisoning syndromes (paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, amnesic shellfish poisoning). Other indirect health hazards can also come from the potential relationship between inorganic nitrogen pollution and human infectious diseases (malaria, cholera). Human sickness and death, extensive kills of aquatic animals, and other negative effects, can have elevated costs on human economy, with the recreation and tourism industry suffering the most important economic impacts, at least locally. It is concluded that levels of total nitrogen lower than 0.5-1.0 mg TN/L could prevent aquatic ecosystems (excluding those ecosystems with naturally high N levels) from developing acidification and eutrophication, at least by inorganic nitrogen pollution. Those relatively low TN levels could also protect aquatic animals against the toxicity of inorganic nitrogenous compounds since, in the absence of eutrophication, surface waters usually present relatively high concentrations of dissolved oxygen, most inorganic reactive nitrogen being in the form of nitrate. Additionally, human health and economy would be safer from the adverse effects of inorganic nitrogen pollution.     

Considerations on the role of natural ecosystems in the eventual contamination of man and his environment

After the Chernobyl event, the problem of contamination of natural and semi-natural ecosystems has been particularly salient even where these nonagricultural land areas appear to generate only a small fraction of the annual food intakes of certain populations. A concise discussion of some features of natural ecosystems is presented here, with the objective of stimulating a closer inspection of the relative impact of these natural ecosystems on the eventual dose to man. The ability of natural systems to scavenge considerable amounts of contamination is emphasized and it is suggested that there is a need for further work to quantify the importance of these environments, relative to agricultural systems, in terms of producing eventual transfers to man.     

On the Multifunctional Role of the Biota in the Self-Purification of Aquatic Ecosystems

Principles of the theory of the ecological mechanism of water self-purification based on multiple functions of the biota in freshwater and marine ecosystems are formulated. In developing this theory, the results of the author's experiments with filtering hydrobionts have been used. These results indicate that the water self-purification mechanism is vulnerable to the impact of some pollutants and, in particular, surfactants. Conclusions drawn on the basis of the theory have practical significance for biodiversity conservation and for the sustainable use of the biological resources of aquatic ecosystems.     

基于水生态功能区的巢湖环湖带生态服务功能评价

水生态功能区被认为是流域生态环境保护、治理与修复的基本单元,以其为基础进行生态服务功能评估对于流域内的土地利用结构优化配置、生态环境保护、治理与修复等都有重要的意义。选取巢湖环湖带,采用物质量的方法,对其12种生态服务功能进行评价,其中陆域生态系统4种,水域生态系统8种。研究结果表明:(1)研究区生态系统服务功能空间差异明显,南部和东北部较高,西北部和东南部较低;而研究区单位面积生态服务功能西部较高,东部较低;(2)生态服务功能总量较高的区域,其单位面积生态服务功能并不一定高;(3)环湖带生态系统服务功能的管理和恢复既要考虑生态服务功能总量的大小,也要考虑单位面积生态服务功能的大小,依据实际情况区别对待,生态服务功能较强的地区,应积极发挥其生态功能的优势,在保护与治理并重的情况下充分发挥其生态服务功能;生态服务功能较弱的地区,应采取一定的措施,在保护的基础上对其生态服务功能进行恢复。     

川西亚高山植被恢复过程中的土壤和地被物水源涵养能力评价

运用以空间代替时间,以糙野青茅草地、柳树灌丛、白桦林、混交林、冷杉林为植物自然恢复的序列,采用环刀法和实地调查-水浸法研究了川西亚高山植被恢复过程中土壤和地被物的持水能力。结果表明：土壤容重随深度增加而加大、随植被恢复而降低;土壤持水能力随深度增加而降低、随植被恢复而增加,表现为混交林>冷杉林>柳树灌丛>白桦林>草地;地被物储量及其持水能力随植被恢复极显著增加,其组成由草地的凋落物为主到冷杉林时以苔藓为主;生态系统土壤和地被物的持水能力随着恢复而显著提高,表现为混交林>冷杉林>柳树灌丛>白桦林>草地。因此,亚高山植被自然恢复能显著增加区域生态系统的土壤和地被物持水,适度增加阔叶树亦有利于促进川西亚高山恢复植被的土壤持水     

Bioavailability links mode of action can improve the long-term field risk assessment for tilapia exposed to arsenic

The objective of this paper was to develop a mechanistic-based framework to explicitly incorporate the factors controlling the bioavailability, toxicodynamics and mode of action to enhance predictive ability of arsenic (As) toxicity to protect the health of farmed tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus. We linked the biotic ligand model and damage assessment model to develop a toxicokinetic model for elucidating the site-specific temporal changes of As bioavailability and to characterize how the fish regulate the metal toxicity. We built a bioavailability-mode of action-based growth toxicity model by linking a bioenergetic growth model and damage assessment model to predict how the As affects on the tilapia growth in the entire life span in site-specific field ecosystems. Here we show that the proposed model well describes the water-chemistry-dependent toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics variations of As to tilapia. We selected two local tilapia farms with different water chemistries located at southwestern Taiwan coast region to implement the proposed algorithm to predict the risk of As exposure. Results indicate that the growth toxicity of O. mossambicus in Taihsi is more sensitive than that in Peimen. We found that the effect of ion competition on the As bioavailability and their ecotoxicological effects on tilapia are more obvious in Taihsi comparing with that in Peimen. We suggested that the proposed bioavailability- and mode of action-based framework can be used to capture the biological response and regulation of tilapia to As exposures. It is applicable for a site-specific and long-term ecotoxicological risk assessment.     

A review and model assessment of (32)P and (33)P uptake to biota in freshwater systems

Bioaccumulation of key short-lived radionuclides such as ¹³¹I and ^32,33P may be over-estimated since concentration ratios (CRs) are often based on values for the corresponding stable isotope which do not account for radioactive decay during uptake via the food chain. This study presents estimates for bioaccumulation of radioactive phosphorus which account for both radioactive decay and varying ambient levels of stable P in the environment. Recommended interim CR values for radioactive forms of P as a function of bioavailable stable phosphorus in the water body are presented. Values of CR are presented for three different trophic levels of the aquatic food chain; foodstuffs from all three trophic levels may potentially be consumed by humans. It is concluded that current recommended values of the CR are likely to be significantly over-estimated for radioactive phosphorus in many freshwater systems, particularly lowland rivers. Further research is recommended to field-validate these models and assess their uncertainty. The relative importance of food-chain uptake and direct uptake from water are also assessed from a review of the literature. It can be concluded that food-chain uptake is the dominant accumulation pathway in fish and hence accumulation factors for radioactive phosphorus in farmed fish are likely to be significantly lower than those for wild fish.     

Ecological role of lipids and fatty acids in the early postembryonic development of the daubed shanny, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptoclinus maculatus</Emphasis> (Fries, 1838) from Kongsfjorden,West Spitsbergen in winter

The dynamics of lipid and fatty acid composition of the muscles (flesh) and lipid sac in L. maculatus early life stages of different age collected in Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, Norway), in winter, during the polar night was studied. We showed that the total lipid content in the muscles increases on account of energetic triacylglycerols derived from the lipid sac, which is resorbed in juveniles as they switch to a demersal mode of life. The fatty acid spectrum directly reflects age-dependent and seasonal features of L. maculatus early life stages. The results of the study elucidate the specific role of lipids and fatty acids in the ecological and biochemical mechanisms related to ontogenic development of fish from the family Stichaeidae, particularly arctic-boreal L. maculatus, which assumed to become increasingly frequent in the Spitsbergen water area. They are important for understanding the ability of organisms to maintain and preserve the functional stability of ecosystems as a whole, especially under conditions of climate change in the Arctic.