Concentrations of (137)Cs in summer pasture plants that reindeer feed on in the reindeer management area of Finland

Samples of summer pasture plants that reindeer feed on were collected in order to study ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in different plant species and in species nested in certain site types, and to study the regional distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in the Finnish reindeer management area. Plant species were categorized by the site types of mineral soil forest (xeric heath forest and mesic heath forest) and peatland. A third category called ’other plant species’ included plants with various site types, poorly determined species and species with poor statistics. The ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in different site types differed significantly. The mean ¹³⁷Cs concentrations of the whole reindeer management area in the xeric heath forest plant species was 44 ± 27 Bq/kg dw, in the mesic heath forest plant species 75 ± 59 Bq/kg dw and in the peatland plant species 219 ± 150 Bq/kg dw. The peatland species uptake ¹³⁷Cs more efficiently than plant species of mineral soil forests. A particularly efficient collector of ¹³⁷Cs was Trichophorum sp. It is suggested that Trichophorum sp. could be used as an indicator species for reindeer summer fodder plants. The highest concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs were found in Southern Lapland and the lowest in Northern Lapland. Today, the concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in summer pasture plants that reindeer feed on in Finland are at such a level that there is no need to avoid any plant species. In the case of future nuclear fallout, reindeer grazing in peatlands would increase concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in reindeer meat.     

Both reindeer management and several other land use factors explain the reduction in ground lichens (Cladonia spp.) in pastures grazed by semi-domesticated reindeer in Finland

Roles of intensive reindeer grazing and several additional land use factors in the reduction in ground lichens (Cladonia spp.) in pastures grazed by the semi-domesticated reindeer have been argued in Finland. Our analysis showed that several factors and processes explain the standing biomass of lichens (during 2005–2008) and the recent changes in this biomass (after 1995–1996) on lichen pastures located in the 20 northernmost herding districts in Finland. The higher the long-term reindeer densities on the lichen pastures the lower was the lichen biomass. The lichen biomass was also strongly affected by the grazing system; the lowest biomass values of lichens were measured in all grazing areas that were used in the snow-free seasons. The lichen biomass in pine forests less than 80 years old and in all mountain type lichen pastures was lower than that in mature and old pine forests. The lichen biomass also decreased as the proportion of arboreal lichen pastures within a district decreased and the proportion of human infrastructure increased. The aerial drift of heavy metals from the Kola Peninsula appeared to reduce lichens in a small north-eastern part of the study area. Increases in summer precipitation and winter temperatures increased the amount of lichens, but increases in summer temperatures and winter precipitation had the opposite effect. Reindeer densities, grazing system, pasture type and the previous abiotic factors were also associated with the reduction in lichen biomass between the inventories. We conclude that several local, regional and even global factors and processes affect the state of reindeer pastures in large and complex grazing ecosystems. Therefore, more comprehensive research and management strategies for the entire reindeer herding environment are needed.     

Impacts of ecotourism in Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Nagarhole), Karnataka

Ecotourism potentially provides a sustainable approach to tourism development in national parks. The paper focuses on ecotourism impacts and the status of wildlife within the Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Nagarhole) situated in Karnataka. It explores a multitude of interactions that exist among wildlife, conservation efforts, socio-economic, and relocation attempts of the tribal people in the park. Field exploration was undertaken to identify the impacts of ecotourism. The results revealed the ongoing effort by the government to relocate the tribal people within the park and the difficulty faced by park officials to cope with the numerous impacts and conservation strategies in the park. The tourists were engaged in different ecotourism activities and made an observation on the lack of educational awareness and biophysical impacts such as littering and vegetation damage. This paper will contribute a greater understanding of the impacts of ecotourism management for sustainability of the national park.     

Determination of endocrine disruptors in Kafue lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis) samples from the Lochinvar National Park of Zambia

Analysis of serum, whole blood and liver tissue samples from Kafue lechwe in the Lochinvar National Park of Zambia for suspected endocrine disrupting compounds revealed high concentrations for some of the compounds. 45 samples of serum, whole blood and liver tissue were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction followed by an analysis using Gas Chromatography-Electron Capture Detection (GC-ECD). The following endocrine disruptors were analyzed: deltamethrin, aldrin, endosulfan, dieldrin, pp-DDD, heptachlor, d-t-allethrin, pp-DDE, endrin and pp-DDT. For all the samples, dieldrin showed the highest concentration ranging from 1.7 to 44.4 microg/ml in serum and whole blood sample extracts and 0.10-5.1 microg/g wet weight in liver sample extracts. The most frequently detected was deltamethrin in 62% of the samples. Percent recoveries in spiked laboratory blanks ranged between 60% and 100% while calculated detection limits ranged from 0.004 to 0.21 microg/ml for all the endocrine disruptors evaluated. Where endocrine disruptors were detected, the concentrations of most of them far exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) and the extraneous maximum residue limits (EMRLs) set by the Codex Alimentarius of the United Nations (UN), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).     

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.     

Risk management strategies to cope with climate change in grassland production: an illustrative case study for the Swiss plateau

In this paper, we assess climate change impacts on an intensively managed grassland system at the Swiss Plateau using the process-based grassland model PROGRASS. Taking the CO₂ fertilization into account, we find increasing yield levels (in the range of 10–24%) and sharp increases in production risks for an illustrative climate change scenario that suggests a marked increase in temperature and decrease in summer rainfall. Climate change–induced increases in the coefficients of variation of grassland yields are in the range of 21 and 50%. This finding underpins that additional risk management strategies are needed to cope with climate-change impacts on grassland production. The outputs from the grassland model are evaluated economically using certainty equivalents, i.e., accounting for mean quasi rents and production risks. To identify potential risk management strategies under current and future climatic conditions, we consider adjustments of production intensity and farm-level yield insurance. The impact of climate change on production intensities is found to be ambiguous: farmers’ will increase intensity under unconstrained production conditions, but will decrease production intensity in the presence of a cross-compliance scheme. Our results also show that the considered insurance scheme is a powerful tool to manage climate risks in grassland production under current and future conditions because it can reduce the coefficients of variation of quasi rents by up to 50%. However, we find that direct payments tend to reduce farmers’ incentives to use such insurance scheme.     

Monitoring of radionuclides contamination of soils in Shatsk National Natural Park (Volyn region, Ukraine) during 1994-2001

The results of studies of radionuclide contamination of the soils in the western part of the territory of Shatsk National Natural Park (ShNNP), Volyn region, Ukraine, performed during 1994-2001 are presented. Based on the experimental results, the three-dimensional plot of the 137Cs density contamination for the soils at the territory under investigation has been constructed. The monitoring during 1994-2001 of the 137Cs vertical distributions in the different kinds of soils from the Park and the forecasting of the distribution changes of the depth down to 50 cm for the sod loamy sandy gleyed loamy sand soil of the Park up to 2086 have been performed.     

Transuranium radionuclide pollution in the waters of the La Maddalena National Marine Park

Following the grounding and subsequent explosion, in October 2003, of a nuclear submarine in the waters of the La Maddalena National Marine Park, fears arose of possible radioactive leakages. However, isotopic analyses on algae showed that the gamma-ray emitting artificial radionuclides that one might expect to leak from a damaged nuclear reactor (such as U-235, I-131, Cs-137) were absent, and that U-238/U-234 activities were in equilibrium with values typical of sea water; this excluded any direct anthropogenic contamination as a result of the accident. We used alpha autoradiographic techniques to detect possible traces of transuranium radionuclides; 160 samples of algae, granites, sea urchins, gastropods, limpets, cuttlefish and jellyfish were collected from the area, as well as from other Mediterranean coastlines and the Baltic Sea. All samples were autoradiographed, and selected samples further analysed by alpha spectrometry. There were no alpha track concentrations above background levels in our control Mediterranean specimens. In the samples from the La Maddalena and Baltic areas two different track distributions were observed: --those homogeneously distributed over the surfaces examined; --groups (10 to over 500) of radially distributed alpha tracks (forming "star" bursts, or "hot spots") emanating from point sources. By comparing radionuclide activities measured by alpha spectroscopy with alpha track densities, we extrapolated Pu activities for all samples. About 74% of algae had Pu activities of less than 1 Bq/kg and 0.25 Bq/kg, 16% had accumulated Pu to levels between 1 and 2 Bq/kg, and a very few specimens had concentrations between 2 and 6 Bq/kg. Plots showed that alpha tracks and stars concentrate around the northern and eastern margins of the Rada (Basin) di Santo Stefano, sites facing the nuclear submarine base on the eastern shore of the island of Santo Stefano. What is the source of these nuclides: last century's atmospheric nuclear testing, Chernobyl or a local source? Their concentrated, extremely localised occurrence seems difficult to explain in terms of left-over worldwide nuclear pollution. A local source seems more plausible.     

Nutrient export by rivers to the coastal waters of China: management strategies and future trends

We analyzed past and future trends in river export of dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to the coastal waters of China, for a selection of rivers, as calculated by the Global NEWS models (Nutrient Export from WaterSheds). Over the period 1970–2000, river export of dissolved nutrients increased considerably, especially of dissolved inorganic N and P. Anthropogenic sources of N and P in rivers have become increasingly important, in particular N and P losses from agriculture. We tested the sensitivity of calculated nutrient export by rivers to changes in selected controlling factors. The calculated export of dissolved N and P is sensitive to changes in hydrology, synthetic fertilizer use and manure excretion in river basins. Changes in sewage inputs have large effects on dissolved inorganic P export. We analyzed future trends up to 2050 for several scenarios to illustrate the combined effects of selected management options. In the Base Scenario, the N and P export by the selected rivers increases considerably between 2000 and 2030. The increase continues from 2030 to 2050 except for DIP. Strategies to reduce N and P export by rivers include changes in agriculture, sewage and energy use. Changes in agriculture have the largest impact on future dissolved N and P river export to the coastal waters of China. The effectiveness of reduction strategies differs between nutrient forms and basins.     

Swidden agriculture in a protected area: the Matsigenka native communities of Manu National Park, Peru

In this study, we investigate whether traditional swidden agriculture on nutrient-poor tropical soils can sustainably support a growing indigenous population within Manu National Park, Peru. Based on interviews with 50 Matsigenka farmers, as well as GPS mapping and field visits, we established the location and size of all 124 swidden gardens cultivated in 2000 and 2001. Using a GIS-based soil map of Manu Park, we identify the total extent of potential arable land (1) throughout the park zones currently available for Matsigenka habitation, and (2) within the vicinity of the two study communities. Taking into account current per capita garden size, cultivation and fallow practices, we calculate the maximum human carrying capacity of swidden agriculture for (1) all available park zones and (2) the immediate vicinity of the two current communities. Even given the second, highly limited scenario, the sustainable human carrying capacity is estimated to be 2,138 individuals, which is far higher than the current population of about 420 people. Thus, arable land does not appear to be a limiting factor for the growth of the indigenous population in Manu Park at the current time. Other possible limiting factors for population growth are identified and discussed. We conclude that a conservation policy of population stabilization around the current settlements is viable in that it will not result in reduced resource availability over the next few decades, and that the challenge is to identify and mitigate the forces causing population fissioning and spread. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

基于公众科学及分众传播的国家公园宣传推广——以神农架国家公园为例

构建以国家公园为主体的自然保护地体系,是我国生态文明建设的重要举措.国家公园建设的主要目标是加强自然生态系统的原真性完整性保护,实现国家所有、全民共享、世代传承,保障国家生态安全,促进人与自然和谐共生.其中公众参与和文化宣传是国家公园建设的核心内容之一.基于国家公园文宣现状,从公众参与与公众科学、科学传播和分众传播的角度,以神农架国家公园为例,从议题设置、内容生产、平台建设、信息互通、福祉共享等方面提出宣传建议,为提升国家公园整体形象和品牌价值,服务国家自然保护地建设提供参考.     

Ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation under forestation scenarios: options to improve management in the Vez watershed,NW Portugal

Ensuring forest protection and the delivery of forest ecosystem services is a central aim of the European Union’s biodiversity strategy for 2020. Therefore, accurate modelling and mapping of ecosystem services as well as of biodiversity conservation value is an important asset in support of spatial planning and policy implementation. The objectives of this study were to analyse the provision of the multiple ecosystem services under two forestation scenarios (eucalyptus/pine vs. oak) at the watershed scale and to evaluate their possible trade-offs with the biodiversity conservation value. The Vez watershed, in northwest Portugal, was used as case study area, in which soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) was applied to simulate the provision of hydrological services, biomass and carbon storage services. Biodiversity conservation value was based on nature protection regimes and on expert judgement applied to a land cover map. Results indicated large provision of ecosystem services in the high and low mountain sub-basins. The overall performance for water quantity and timing is better under the shrubland and oak forest scenarios, when compared to the eucalyptus/pine forest scenario, which perform better for flood regulation and erosion control services, especially in the low mountain sub-basin. The current shrubland dominated cover also shows good performance for the control of soil erosion. The oak scenario is the one with less trade-offs between forest services and biodiversity conservation. Results highlight SWAT as an effective tool for modelling and mapping ecosystem services generated at the watershed scale, thereby contributing to improve the options for land management.     

Sedimentology models from activity concentration measurements: application to the “Bay of Cadiz” Natural Park (SW Spain)

A previous study on seabed sediments of the Bay of Cadiz (SW of Spain) enabled us to identify several relations between sedimentological variables and activity concentrations of environmental radionuclides such as ¹³⁷Cs, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K. In this paper the study has been extended to a large neighbouring inter-tidal area in order to establish if the above mentioned models can be generalized. As a result we have determined that the measured activity concentrations are closely to the values predicted by the theoretical models (correlation coefficient range = 0.85–0.93).     

基于管理分区的神农架国家公园生态监测指标体系构建

国家公园管理目标的实现依赖于大量监测数据和信息的支持,然而国家公园不同管理分区往往具有不同的管理目标,因此对于监测数据具有不同的需求.为满足国家公园不同管理分区管理的差异性需求、提高生态监测指标体系的针对性和监测效率,探讨了基于管理分区的国家公园生态监测指标体系构建的可行性,并以神农架国家公园为例,应用面向国家公园管理目标的生态监测指标体系构建方法,构建出两个管护小区的生态监测指标体系.研究结果表明神农架国家公园两个管护小区在监测内容和监测指标上都存在差异,反映出两个小区管理目标的差异.这在一定程度上说明基于管理分区的生态监测指标体系更具有针对性,能够满足不同管理分区的监测需求,可为我国国家公园不同管理分区生态监测指标体系的构建提供借鉴.     

矿业遗迹保护研究--以浙江遂昌金矿国家矿山公园为例

资源枯竭型矿业城市的经济转型问题是日前非常受关注的热点问题。保护好矿区内存留的矿业遗迹，建立矿山公园，是该类矿业城市进行经济转型实现可持续发展的最佳选择之一。矿业遗迹是矿山公园的核心景观，探讨矿业遗迹保护的理论与实践，对矿山公园建设意义重大。本文以浙江遂昌金矿国家矿山公园为例，对矿区内各类矿业遗迹进行科学全面的分类与等级评价．探讨矿业遗迹保护的理论与原则，提出保护模式及具体的保护措施。文中结合实例进行的矿业遗迹保护理论与实践的综合性探索研究。对我国矿业遗迹保护和矿山公园建设具有一定的借鉴意义。     

Population dynamics of wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) on the Taimyr Peninsula: A simulation model

A simulation model, based on original and published data, has been developed to determine the period and amplitude of natural population cycles of wild reindeer on the Taimyr Peninsula and reveal the role of hunting in these cycles. The results of simulations show that hunting in the late 20th century has smoothed out the cycles. Considering natural factors of population regulation, uncontrolled elimination of part of the population by hunting should maintain the average long-term abundance at a level lower than potentially possible under natural dynamics, leading to negative ecological and economic consequences.