基于RS和GIS的生态系统健康评价

生态系统健康评价可以认识区域生态系统健康状况、识别生态环境问题,为制定科学的生态保护对策提供依据,对提高可持续发展和环境管理具有重要的指导作用。文章由压力-状态-响应（P-S-R）概念模型建立了生态系统健康评价指标体系和评价模型,运用RS和GIS技术及统计学分析法,形成程序化、系统化的生态系统健康评价技术方法体系,并以高平市为案例,运用定量的方法对其生态系统健康进行综合评价及分级研究,通过对压力、状态、响应评价结果及健康综合评价结果的分析,结合高平市生态系统健康的自然条件状况与人类活动影响,探讨了影响区域健康的因素,为高平市资源的合理利用与保护提供科学依据。结果表明该技术对生态系统健康评价是切实可行的。     

公路建设对生态敏感区域生态系统稳定性的影响评估

在辨析生态系统稳定性概念的基础上分析公路建设与生态敏感区域生态稳定性关键因子之间的关系,认为公路建设项目主要与景观生态空间格局、自然生产力水平、关键生物种3个关键因子密切相关,总结形成了公路建设对区域生态系统稳定性影响的评估框架和评价方法,并运用该方法研究了拟建121省道宿迁双沟至靳桥段对洪泽湖湿地生态系统稳定性的影响.     

区域生态监测的概念、方法与应用

区域生态监测是对生态系统类型、结构与功能及各要素的现状与变化进行测定与观察,并对生态系统受胁迫与胁迫效应进行判断和评价的过程。区域生态监测结果将在评价现状和预测发展趋势的基础上,为区域生态保护、生态建设提供决策依据。辨析了区域生态监测的概念,对区域生态监测方法选择及指标体系的建立提出了建议,并就其在生态环境管理中的应用作了探讨和展望。     

生态安全:基于多尺度的考察

生态安全是内涵丰富的概念,包含生态系统、区域、全球等多重尺度,理解生态安全的尺度,是有效进行生态安全研究,进而构建全面的生态安全体系的基础。生态安全具有空间地域性、空间差异性和空间外溢性,每个尺度生态安全都有自身特征,同时尺度间又相互关联。全球尺度生态安全关系人类整体生存发展,区域尺度生态安全较容易在相应管治单元得到政策或工程的支持,生态系统尺度生态安全是理解生态安全机制最重要的尺度。不同尺度的生态安全均受自然和社会因素共同影响,根据尺度差异,全球尺度及区域尺度更关注社会因素影响,生态系统尺度更关注自然因素影响。不同生态介质的变化及影响特征,形成不同尺度生态安全问题。由于尺度不同,全球尺度生态安全评估主要采用模型法,区域尺度生态安全主要采用综合评价法、生态模型法和景观生态学方法等,生态系统生态安全尺度主要采用生态指标法和生态系统模型法。     

区域生态安全:概念及评价理论基础

借鉴国内外的研究成果,提出区域生态安全的概念是指在一定时空范围内,在自然及人类活动的干扰下,区域内生态环境条件以及所面临的生态环境问题不对人类生存和持续发展构成威胁,并且自然-经济-社会复合生态系统的脆弱性能够不断得到改善的状态。指出生态安全评价是一个多学科交叉的研究领域,其评价理论基础涉及可持续发展理论、生态系统服务功能理论、生态承载力理论、时空论和系统工程论等;生态安全是可持续发展的基础,两者具有内涵和目标的一致性;区域生态安全研究的目的就是平衡人类的自然资源利用与生存环境质量需求的矛盾,保证生态系统在持续安全的状态下提供服务;应用生态承载力的研究成果有助于补充和完善生态安全评价。区域生态安全评价强调研究对象的时空性和研究方法的系统性。多学科整合能更好地指导区域生态安全评价。     

化学品足迹:概念、研究进展及挑战

化学品污染被联合国环境规划署列为影响人类生存与发展的全球重大环境问题之一。为实现可持续的化学品管理,需定量评价产品生命周期内由化学品排放造成的生态影响。然而,当前的化学品风险评价指标体系往往指向零碎的危害性或毒性终点,未能综合出整体性指标来定量表征生态系统所承受的损害,亦不能衡量人类活动排放的化学品总量与环境承载容量的相对大小。作为环境足迹一员,化学品足迹继承了"足迹"指标的特点,可定量表征生态系统受化学品影响的程度,并结合生态阈值及环境承载容量,有助于评价人类活动对环境可持续性的影响,有望成为公众、企业、决策者及利益相关者之间相互交流的重要工具。本文概述了化学品足迹的基本概念及其发展历程,介绍了现有的化学品足迹计算方法及其应用于不同空间尺度下的案例研究,讨论了化学品足迹研究中存在的问题与挑战,并对其应用前景进行了展望。     

广西柳城县农业生态环境的定量评价

建立了包括生态资源、人类驱动和系统响应3方面17个指标在内的农业生态环境定量评价指标体系,结合广西柳城县的实际情况,运用模糊综合评价模型,对当地农业生态环境进行定量评价。结果表明,柳城县农业生态环境质量属于一般水平,当地自然生态条件较好,虽受人类活动影响较大,但生态系统运行依然正常。该评价结果与当地实际情况相符,表明该评价指标体系具有较强的科学性和实用性。依据评价结果,提出了改善柳城县农业生态环境的对策和建议。     

重大工程对区域生态安全的驱动效应及指标体系构建

生态安全评价是目前生态学和可持续发展研究的热点,不同尺度、不同生态系统类型的生态安全评价是目前研究的方向。对于强烈改变区域生态安全的重大工程建设来说,生态安全评价具有重要现实意义。本文从生态安全内涵的转变入手,通过对生态安全指标体系研究的进展入手,结合工程本身的特征,从驱动力-状态-响应指标入手,得出DSR范式在工程生态安全评价中应用的可行性,制定了区域生态安全评价指标体系概念框架。同时以公路工程和水利工程为例,探讨了水利和道路工程生态安全评价指标体系的选取。针对不同的评价方法的差异,分析了各种方法在应用上优缺点。     

产业生态系统的构建途径与管理方法

建立产业生态系统是循环经济最终得以实现的关键.国内外学者对产业生态系统的概念、特点、构建原则、管理理念等作了一些研究,但还缺乏对产业生态系统的特点、构建途径与管理方法方而的深入系统研究.文章对此进行了比较深入系统地研究,阐明产业生态系统具有开放性、循环性、层次性、本土性、经济性、演进性、调节性的特点;认为产业生态系统构建的关键在于建立起使物质和能量高效循环利用的生态产业链和生态产业共生网络,并从生态产业链、产业生态系统多样性、关键种企业、产业共生网络、信息网络等方面探讨了产业生态系统的构建途径;提出对产业生态系统的管理要结合区域特点,在生态产业管理理念的指导下,采取生命周期评价、产品生态设计、生态产业园的规划没计、生态产业孵化、生态产业链的风险评价等管理方法,建立起一种新型的产业生态系统管理体系,实现产业生态系统与自然生态系统的协调可持续发展.     

生态敏感性评估研究进展评述

生态敏感性评估是对区域生态系统的生态环境问题、生态潜在风险进行的预测与分析,是区域生态安全评价和生态保护的重要依据。以“生态敏感性”和“ecological sensitivity”为关键词进行文献检索,采用CiteSpace软件进行分析,系统梳理了生态敏感性评估研究进展和应用案例总结,讨论现阶段研究存在的问题与不足,并对未来生态敏感性研究提出展望。结果表明：生态敏感性从20世纪90年代提出以来,已形成了较成熟的生态敏感性评价指标体系,并在不同尺度生态敏感性评估与时空演变格局2方面取得较大进展;生态敏感性被广泛应用到生态安全格局构建、生态区划、生态修复、城市开发边界划定等规划设计与生态保护实践。未来研究需重点加强生态敏感性影响因子遴选、不同尺度评价方法以及敏感性分区阈值方法的研究。     

Evaluating eco-sustainability and its spatial variability in tourism areas: a case study in Lijiang County,China

Studying eco-sustainability of tourism areas is part of sustainable development research. In tourism areas, the ecosystem comprises both the environment and the human system. The environmental system is basically physical, whereas the human system, consisting of both tourists and residents, is the dominant factor driving ecosystem change. If the combined influence of tourists and residents exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment, which is the ecological threshold of eco-sustainability in the tourism area, then the structure, function and stability of the environment will degenerate. Hence, eco-sustainability assessment of tourism areas should be based on analyses of the relationship between the influence of tourists and residents on the environment and the environmental carrying capacity. Using ecological footprint and tourism ecological footprint models, we developed and applied a synthetic assessment index system for eco-sustainability of tourism areas in Lijiang County, Yunnan Province, China, to conduct a quantitative spatial assessment for 2001. The eco-sustainability of Lijiang was high, with a harmonious relationship between regional socioeconomic development and the ecological environment. There were significant spatial differences in eco-sustainability among 24 towns in the region because of spatial heterogeneity in socioeconomic status, tourism development and environmental elements.     

基于属性理论的长株潭城市群生态系统健康评价

城市生态系统是一种高度人工化的自然-社会-经济复合生态系统,其健康状况直接影响到城市的可持续发展。针对城市生态系统健康评价标准的不确定性问题,在构建评价指标体系的基础上,提出了基于属性理论的城市生态系统健康评价模型及评价方法。以长株潭城市群为研究区域,运用该模型和方法对其生态系统健康进行了综合评价。评价结果表明：长株潭城市群的生态系统现状属于一般健康类,其中自然生态子系统对区域整体健康状况有较大影响,评价结果与实际情况大体吻合。通过对各子系统层的健康度分析,识别了健康限制因素,并提出了相应的调控措施。采用属性理论方法开展城市生态系统健康评价,能较好地识别系统层综合健康状况和子系统层的健康状况,具有一定的实用价值,其评价结果为促进城市生态建设,有效实施生态系统健康管理提供了科学依据。     

Mapping cumulative impacts of mining on sediment retention ecosystem service in an Australian mining region

Mining development can potentially lead to cumulative impacts on ecosystems and their services across a range of scales. Site-specific environmental impact assessments are commonly assessed for mining projects; however, large-scale cumulative impacts of multiple mines that aggregate and interact in resources regions have had little attention in the literature and there are few examples where regional-scale mining impacts have been assessed on ecosystem services. The objective of this study is to quantify regional-scale cumulative impacts of mining on sediment retention ecosystem services. We apply the sediment delivery ratio model of Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs to calculate and map the sediment retention and export using a synthetic catchment model and a real case study under different mining scenarios in an Australian mining region. Two impact indices were created to quantify the cumulative impacts associated with a single mine and the interactions between multiple mines. The indices clarified the magnitude of impacts and the positive/negative impacts associated with regional-scale sediment retention and export. We found cumulative impacts associated with multiple mines’ interaction occurred but the influence of these interactions was relatively weak. This research demonstrated the potential for utilising ecosystem services modelling for the quantitative assessment of the cumulative impacts. Such research provide decision-makers and planners with a tool for sustainable regional and landscape planning that balances the needs of mining and the provision of ecosystem services.     

Landscape trajectory of natural boreal forest loss as an impediment to green infrastructure

Loss of natural forests by forest clearcutting has been identified as a critical conservation challenge worldwide. This study addressed forest fragmentation and loss in the context of the establishment of a functional green infrastructure as a spatiotemporally connected landscape-scale network of habitats enhancing biodiversity, favorable conservation status, and ecosystem services. Through retrospective analysis of satellite images, we assessed a 50- to 60-year spatiotemporal clearcutting impact trajectory on natural and near-natural boreal forests across a sizable and representative region from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Scandinavian Mountain Range in northern Fennoscandia. This period broadly covers the whole forest clearcutting period; thus, our approach and results can be applied to comprehensive impact assessment of industrial forest management. The entire study region covers close to 46,000 km² of forest-dominated landscape in a late phase of transition from a natural or near-natural to a land-use modified state. We found a substantial loss of intact forest, in particular of large, contiguous areas, a spatial polarization of remaining forest on regional scale where the inland has been more severely affected than the mountain and coastal zones, and a pronounced impact on interior forest core areas. Salient results were a decrease in area of the largest intact forest patch from 225,853 to 68,714 ha in the mountain zone and from 257,715 to 38,668 ha in the foothills zone, a decrease from 75% to 38% intact forest in the inland zones, a decrease in largest patch core area (assessed by considering 100-m patch edge disturbance) from 6114 to 351 ha in the coastal zone, and a geographic imbalance in protected forest with an evident predominance in the mountain zone. These results demonstrate profound disturbance of configuration of the natural forest landscape and disrupted connectivity, which challenges the establishment of functional green infrastructure. Our approach supports the identification of forests for expanded protection and conservation-oriented forest landscape restoration.     

Response of ecological storage and conservation to land use transformation: A case study of a mining town in China

Rapid land use transformation shaped by agriculture, industrialization and population urbanization has a great influence on ecological environment. Based on theory of ecosystem service functions, this study aims at revealing the response of ecological storage and conservation to each unit area of land use transformation. Taking Cishan Town, a mining town in China, as a case study, this paper estimates the “past-present-future” ecological storage impacted by the process, result and possibility of land use transformation. The local land use and industrial distribution show that the active areas of land use transformation are also the areas of concentration of human (industrial) activities. Ecological storage shows the different responses to land use ways. And then this study combines the ecological storage indices with the indices of ecosystem pattern and land condition into the“5A” framework (active state, active degree, active possibility, active balance and active condition) for grading ecological conservation, and then assigns all regions of Cishan Town into different grades through membership functions for complex mapping of ecological conservation. The research results show that the ecological conservation in Cishan goes toward two extreme grades (best grade and worst grade). Uneven and unbalanced land use transformation is the main cause of that. Hence, rational and timely reflection of impact of land use transformation on ecological storage and conservation can assist land use planners and local government in adjusting land use ways and balancing regional ecology and economy.     

Evaluation of ecosystem health for regional development in the southwestern Beijing, China

Ecosystem health assessment is one of the most important issues in regional ecological quality and safety studies. It also has a great significance to ecological conservation and regional development. This study focused on assessing the health status of forest, agriculture and urban ecosystems in the southwestern Beijing, China, including the Fangshan and Fengtai Districts. Based on field surveys and data collection, an assessment index system containing the vigor, organization and resilience factors was developed to measure the ecosystem health. Each index was scored from 1 to 5, representing five levels that contribute to the whole ecosystem health. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to measure the weights of each index and three factors, and thus an overall score for a certain ecosystem was calculated. The results show that the forest ecosystem in the Fangshan District had higher health value than the Fengtai District, while the urban ecosystem had a slightly lower value in the Fangshan District than the Fengtai District. Both districts show lower resilience values in forest and urban ecosystems. Maintaining the ecosystem health will definitely benefit the long-term development of two districts. This study suggested that an approach for assessing the regional ecosystem health could be further developed to address spatial and synergy relationships between ecosystems and the three health factors.     

A framework designation for the assessment of urban ecological risks

Urban ecological risks stemming from urbanization are increasing and limiting the capability of China to effectuate sustainable urban development. Therefore, addressing urban ecological risks is an urgent need. Numerous factors are involved in urban ecological risks, including air, water, and soil. Additionally, risk sources and risk receptors are complex and diverse. In this study, urban ecological risks are defined as adverse effects and possibility of impacts on urban ecosystem services resulting from urbanization. Urbanization is recognized as the risk source, and the urban ecosystem is considered the risk receptor. Based on this understanding, the components of urban ecological risks are defined, and the relationships between the components of urban ecological risks are illuminated by establishing an indicator system. Based on previous studies on urban ecological risks, an explicit framework for identification, assessment, and management of urban ecological risks is proposed. For purposes of identification, there are three types of risk sources: population growth, industrial development, and the expansion of built land. Stressors include the accumulation of contaminants, consumption of resources, and occupation of space. Assessment endpoints are divided into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. In response to urban ecological risks having multiple stressors and multiple assessment endpoints, we assessed risks both with a single stressor/single endpoint and comprehensive ecological risks. In our framework, the physical or material assessment of ecosystem services is adopted as the core method for the analysis of urban ecological risk, because it is believed that the analysis of urban ecological risk should be based on the physical or material assessment of ecosystem services instead of the value assessment of ecosystem services. The results of the single value assessment of urban ecosystem services will cause the deviation from the purpose of urban ecosystem services assessment. The purpose of urban ecosystem services assessment is to maintain and/or improve the capability of urban ecosystems of providing physical or material services, and further to reduce or avoid the occurrence risks of unsustainable cities. Additionally, a multi-level characterization method was adopted for the results of urban ecological risk assessment. In this study, we established a platform to manage urban ecological risks based on landscape ecology and environmental internet of things technologies, and to effectuate online urban ecological risk identification, assessment, and management via this platform.     

Post-fire vegetation regrowth detection in the Deiva Marina region (Liguria-Italy) using Landsat TM and ETM+ data

Obtaining quantitative information about the recovery of fire-affected ecosystems is of utmost importance from the management and decision-making point of view. Nowadays the concern about natural environment protection and recovery is much greater than in the past. However, the resources and tools available for its management are still not sufficient. Thus, attention and precision is needed when decisions must be taken. Quantitative estimates on how the vegetation is recovering after a fire can be of help for evaluating the necessity of human intervention on the fire-affected ecosystem, and their importance will grow as the problem of forest fires, climate change and desertification increases.This article performs a comparison of methods to extract quantitative estimates of vegetation cover regrowth with Landsat TM and ETM+ data in an area that burned during the summer of 1998 in the Liguria region (Italy). In order to eliminate possible sources of error, a thorough pre-processing was carried out, including a careful geometric correction (reaching RMSE lower than 0.3 pixels), a topographic correction by means of a constrained Minnaert model and a combination of absolute and relative atmospheric correction methods. Pseudo Invariant Features (PIF) were identified by implementing an automated selection method based in temporal Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which has been called multi-Temporal n-Dimensional Principal Component Analysis (mT-nD-PCA).Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA) was compared against quantitative vegetation indices which are based on well known traditional vegetation indices like Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI). Accuracy assessment was performed by regressing vegetation cover results obtained with each method against field data gathered during the fieldwork campaign carried out in the study area. Results obtained showed how vegetation cover fractions extracted from the NDVI based quantitative index were the most accurate, being superior to the rest of the techniques applied, including SMA.     

Effects of Human Trampling on Populations of Soil Fauna in the McMurdo Dry Valleys,Antarctica

Abstract: Antarctic ecosystems are often considered nearly pristine because levels of anthropogenic disturbance are extremely low there. Nevertheless, over recent decades there has been a rapid increase in the number of people, researchers and tourists, visiting Antarctica. We evaluated, over 10 years, the direct impact of foot traffic on the abundance of soil animals and soil properties in Taylor Valley within the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. We compared soils from minimally disturbed areas with soils from nearby paths that received intermediate and high levels of human foot traffic (i.e., up to approximately 80 passes per year). The nematodes Scottnema lindsayae and Eudorylaimus sp. were the most commonly found animal species, whereas rotifers and tardigrades were found only occasionally. On the highly trampled footpaths, abundance of S. lindsayae and Eudorylaimus sp. was up to 52 and 76% lower, respectively, than in untrampled areas. Moreover, reduction in S. lindsayae abundance was more pronounced after 10 years than 2 years and in the surface soil than in the deeper soil, presumably because of the longer period of disturbance and the greater level of physical disturbance experienced by the surface soil. The ratio of living to dead Eudorylaimus sp. also declined with increased trampling intensity, which is indicative of increased mortality or reduced fecundity. At one site there was evidence that high levels of trampling reduced soil CO₂ fluxes, which is related to total biological activity in the soil. Our results show that even low levels of human traffic can significantly affect soil biota in this ecosystem and may alter ecosystem processes, such as carbon cycling. Consequently, management and conservation plans for Antarctic soils should consider the high sensitivity of soil fauna to physical disturbance as human presence in this ecosystem increases.