E-waste recycling induced polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzo-furans pollution in the ambient environment

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been determined in 30 samples, including soil, biota and plant collected from an electronic waste recycling site and its vicinage towns. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzo-furans (PCDD/Fs) were also simultaneously analyzed in 20 samples. PBDEs were detected in all soil samples and the highest was up to 789 ng/g dry weight (dw). The toxic equivalency (TEQ) of PCBs and PCDD/Fs detected in E-waste recycling site is significant higher than those in the vicinage samples. Biota and plant were also contaminated with high level of PBDEs, PCBs and PCDD/Fs in this area. High levels of the three kinds of organic compounds in the environmental samples showed that the E-waste recycling have induced serious environmental problems.     

Occurrence and distribution of organochlorine pesticides - lindane, p,p'-DDT, and heptachlor epoxide - in surface water of China

Persistent organochlorine pesticides pollutants (OCPs) have been reported to occur at relatively high concentrations in some Chinese waters. In order to map the distribution of organochlorine pesticides in the surface water throughout China, samples were collected from over 600 sites in seven major river basins and three main internal rivers drainage areas during 2003 and 2004. The surface water samples were analyzed for the representative organochlorine pesticides contaminants including lindane (gamma-HCH), p,p'-DDT and heptachlor epoxide. In general, the most frequently detected compound was lindane, being detected in 83.9% of samples (mean=31.3 ng/l; range <0.17-860 ng/l), and the highest concentration was present in the Yellow River basin. p,p'-DDT was detected in 63.1% of the samples collected (mean=14.6 ng/l; range <0.14-368 ng/l) with the highest concentration present in the Huaihe River basin. Heptachlor epoxide was detected in only 9.3% of water samples (range <0.11-10 ng/l). Measured concentrations for the three compounds were low and rarely exceed the environment quality standard for surface water of China. Lindane was more frequently detected at much higher concentrations in the rivers of northern China compared with those of southern China. The sites with higher concentration of lindane and p,p'-DDT mainly occurred in the Yellow River and Huaihe River basins, so the results of this investigation indicate that the organochlorine pesticide contamination of Yellow River and Huaihe River basins should be of particular concern relative to the other basins. When compared with other regions of the world, it appears that the Chinese surface water is moderately polluted by lindane and p,p'-DDT.     

Distribution and temporal trends of butyltins monitored by molluscs along the Chinese Bohai coast from 2002 to 2005

Thirteen areas around the Chinese Bohai coast, individuals including ten kinds of bivalves and two kinds of snails were collected during the period of 2002-2005 for the investigation of spatial distribution and temporal variations of butyltin compounds (BTs). BTs including tributyltin (TBT) and its derivates, dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT) were quantified by gas chromatography/flame photometric detection after extraction and Grignard derivatization. BTs compounds were widely existed in the samples and TBT was the dominant composition, indicating recent TBT input along Bohai coast. As a whole, BTs concentration remained high during the sampling years except a slightly decreased in samples from several sites in 2005. The contamination characteristics of BTs in different sampling sites were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) method, and the species specific bioaccumulation of BTs was also identified using cluster analysis.     

Factors influencing the quality of rural human settlements in a peripheral metropolitan area based on a structural equation model: A case study from Beijing

Rural human settlement is a significant indicator of the living standards of rural residents, and its improvement can contribute to promoting the positive interaction between inhabited environment and the social, economic, and resource environment in the countryside. Based on 557 valid questionnaires of satisfaction evaluation of human settlement in the peripheral metropolitan area of Beijing, this paper analyzed the elemental characteristics and factors influencing human settlement quality using multivariate statistical analysis and a structural equation model. The result shows that, first, the rural residents in a peripheral metropolitan area of Beijing are generally satisfied with the quality of human settlement (satisfaction rate is 66.2%). Specifically, the natural and social environment of the countryside is excellent and harmonious and corresponding standard of countryside infrastructure is advanced, but the quality of public services and follow-up management of facilities are in urgent need of improvement and the imbalance between revenue and expenditure of rural households has led to a continuous increase in the pressures of life. Second, factors such as social atmosphere, appearance of the village, entertainment, living costs, fundamental public services, and production costs have significant effects on human settlement quality in this peripheral metropolitan area, with social atmosphere as the main one. Living costs and supporting services are the main constraints to improvement in the quality of human settlement.     

基于GIS和分形理论的城市蔓延度研究——以马鞍山市为例

在快速城市化过程中,城市不断扩张而产生的蔓延现象与土地可持续发展紧密相关,合理控制城市蔓延度可以节约资源,促进城市内涵式发展。根据蔓延度内部机理和分形理论构建蔓延测度指标体系,采用GIS方法,通过分维数、空间稳定性等指数,以马鞍山市为例分析研究区城市蔓延度特征和时空差异。研究表明:(1)分形理论适用于城市蔓延度的定量研究;(2)从时间维度看,研究区内部不同区域间的蔓延趋势总体相似,但蔓延程度有所差异;(3)从空间维度看,蔓延度与分维数、建设用地破碎度呈正相关,与空间稳定性指数呈负相关。马鞍山市城市蔓延的机制是土地导向,经济发展是抑制过度蔓延的动力。     

Molecular sex identification of sable and stone marten

Sable (Martes zibellina) and stone marten (Martes foina) populations are declining sharply and both species are threatened in China. Knowing the sex ratio of a population is important for long-term conservation and development of management plans for endangered marten species. We here describe the application of a novel PCR-RFLP method for sex determination in these two marten species. We developed a new designed primer pair (ZFLB1 and ZFLB2) that yields a smaller ZFX/ZFY PCR product (246 bp), which in combination with RFLP analysis, provides a simple and reliable method for gender determination in Martes zibellina and Martes foina. The method can be used on tissue and non-invasively collected hair samples for sex identification in wild marten populations, and is powerful for monitoring population status and trend of endangered martens.     

土地非农化生态价值损失估算

随着城镇化、工业化的快速推进,我国城乡建设用地快速扩展使农用地保护面临巨大挑战,从经济机制上防止土地过度非农化尤为重要.该文对土地非农化生态价值损失过程机制进行了理论探索,建立了价值损失估算方法,并以江汉平原为例进行案例分析.研究表明:单纯的市场机制没有考虑土地非农化造成的生态价值损失,无法实现土地资源最佳配置,非农化规模偏大;土地非农化生态价值损失巨大,1987-2010年江汉平原因此累计损失73 692.11万元,人均承担49.25元;不同类型土地的生态价值损失强度有所差异,每公顷的自然保留地、水域、林地、草地、耕地非农化价值损失分别为2.459 8万元/a,2.036 7万元/a,1.262 9万元/a,0.524 1万元/a,0.354 8万元/a.文章认为,发展与保护始终是土地资源优化配置必然要面对的难题,土地非农化是社会经济发展过程中的必然现象,也是一个土地生态服务功能不断减少和消亡的过程.土地非农化虽然在一定程度上提高了土地的经济效益和社会效益,但生态效益损失巨大,可能会导致总效益净减.土地过度非农化在很大程度上是由于传统市场体系仅部分考虑了土地的经济、社会功能,而几乎完全没有考虑其生态价值导致的.作为一类负外部性,土地非农化过程中的生态价值损失如果不能得到及时遏制,快速增长的城乡建设用地需求将使农地保护面临巨大威胁,这需要将生态价值纳入土地价值体系,计入征地成本,并在一定程度上提高现行土地价格体系的合理性,防止建设用地的过度扩张,减少生态价值损失.     

Economic Globalization and Industrial Pollution

Abstract

In order to study the relationship between economic globalization and industrial pollution, this paper developed the theoretical framework and used simultaneous equations. The result shows that economic globalization has influences on the industrial pollution mainly by the direct effect of scale, structure and technology as well as the indirect effect of income and policy. Considering all the factors, economic globalization, especially foreign direct investment (FDI), will reduce industrial pollution, in which technology spillover effect plays an important role.     

Relationships between net primary productivity and stand age for several forest types and their influence on China's carbon balance

Affected by natural and anthropogenic disturbances such as forest fires, insect-induced mortality and harvesting, forest stand age plays an important role in determining the distribution of carbon pools and fluxes in a variety of forest ecosystems. An improved understanding of the relationship between net primary productivity (NPP) and stand age (i.e., age-related increase and decline in forest productivity) is essential for the simulation and prediction of the global carbon cycle at annual, decadal, centurial, or even longer temporal scales. In this paper, we developed functions describing the relationship between national mean NPP and stand age using stand age information derived from forest inventory data and NPP simulated by the BEPS (Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator) model in 2001. Due to differences in ecobiophysical characteristics of different forest types, NPP-age equations were developed for five typical forest ecosystems in China (deciduous needleleaf forest (DNF), evergreen needleleaf forest in tropic and subtropical zones (ENF-S), deciduous broadleaf forest (DBF), evergreen broadleaf forest (EBF), and mixed broadleaf forest (MBF)). For DNF, ENF-S, EBF, and MBF, changes in NPP with age were well fitted with a common non-linear function, with R(2) values equal to 0.90, 0.75, 0.66, and 0.67, respectively. In contrast, a second order polynomial was best suitable for simulating the change of NPP for DBF, with an R(2) value of 0.79. The timing and magnitude of the maximum NPP varied with forest types. DNF, EBF, and MBF reached the peak NPP at the age of 54, 40, and 32 years, respectively, while the NPP of ENF-S maximizes at the age of 13 years. The highest NPP of DBF appeared at 122 years. NPP was generally lower in older stands with the exception of DBF, and this particular finding runs counter to the paradigm of age-related decline in forest growth. Evaluation based on measurements of NPP and stand age at the plot-level demonstrates the reliability and applicability of the fitted NPP-age relationships. These relationships were used to replace the normalized NPP-age relationship used in the original InTEC (Integrated Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon) model, to improve the accuracy of estimated carbon balance for China's forest ecosystems. With the revised NPP-age relationship, the InTEC model simulated a larger carbon source from 1950-1980 and a larger carbon sink from 1985-2001 for China's forests than the original InTEC model did because of the modification to the age-related carbon dynamics in forests. This finding confirms the importance of considering the dynamics of NPP related to forest age in estimating regional and global terrestrial carbon budgets.     

Major Forest Types and the Evolution of Sustainable Forestry in China

In this article, we introduce China’s major forest types and discuss the historical development of forest management in China, including actions taken over the last decade toward achieving SMF. Major challenges are identified, and a strategy for SFM implementation in China is presented. China’s forests consist of a wide variety of types with distinctive distributional patterns shaped by complex topography and multiple climate regimes. How to manage this wide array of forest resources has challenged forest managers and policy-makers since the founding of the country. Excessive exploitation of China's forest resources from the 1950s to the late 1990s contributed to environmental problems and calamities, such as floods, soil erosion, and desertification. At the start of the new millennium, the Chinese government decided to shift its emphasis from timber production towards the achievement of sustainable forest management (SFM). With a series of endeavors such as the implementation of the “Six Key Forestry Projects” and the reform of forest tenure policies, and the adoption of a classification system for China's forests, a beginning has been made at reversing the trend of environmental degradation that occurred throughout the latter half of the last century. At the same time, huge challenges remain to be tackled for the development of forestry in China.