Improving protected area effectiveness through consideration of different human-pressure baselines

Previous assessments of the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) focused primarily on changes in human pressure over time and did not consider the different human-pressure baselines of PAs, thereby potentially over- or underestimating PA effectiveness. We developed a framework that considers both human-pressure baseline and change in human pressure over time and assessed the effectiveness of 338 PAs in China from 2010 to 2020. The initial state of human pressure on PAs was taken as the baseline, and changes in human pressure index (HPI) were further analyzed under different baselines. We used the random forest models to identify the management measures that most improved effectiveness in resisting human pressure for the PAs with different baselines. Finally, the relationships between the changes in the HPI and the changes in natural ecosystems in PAs were analyzed with different baselines. Of PAs with low HPI baselines, medium HPI baselines, and high HPI baselines, 76.92% (n=150), 11.11% (n=12), and 22.86% (n=8) , respectively, showed positive effects in resisting human pressure. Overall, ignoring human-pressure baselines somewhat underestimated the positive effects of PAs, especially for those with low initial human pressure. For PAs with different initial human pressures, different management measures should be taken to improve effectiveness and reduce threats to natural ecosystems. We believe our framework is useful for assessing the effectiveness of PAs globally, and we recommend it be included in the Convention on Biological Diversity Post-2020 Strategy.     

Comparison of macroinvertebrate community structure in urban (Shenzhen City) streams with typical habitat characteristics北大核心CSCD

2020年12月在深圳市城市区域典型生境特征溪流——城市山区源头溪流金龟河、国家地质公园保护区入海溪流杨梅坑河与黑臭水体治理后溪流石溪河,开展底栖动物多样性与生境质量状况取样,通过多元统计分析探明各溪流底栖动物群落结构差异及其主要环境影响因子.结果表明:(1)金龟河底质异质性(SI)最高;杨梅坑河水质最好且流态异质性(Fr)最优,石溪河水质最差且底质异质性(Fr)最低.(2)共采集鉴定大型底栖动物118个分类单元,隶属于3门6纲14目87科.水生昆虫均占绝对优势,其中金龟河67属(81.7%),杨梅坑河62属(95.4%),石溪河12属(52.2%).金龟河中底栖动物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、改进的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度均高于杨梅坑河与石溪河.(3)金龟河的主要功能摄食类群是滤食者(45.5%),杨梅坑河(38.3%)与石溪河(58.7%)的主要功能摄食类群均为收集者.(4)冗余分析(RDA)结果显示,氨氮、海拔、湿宽、水温、溶氧、底质异质性(SI)、电导率和流态异质性(Fr)为影响深圳市溪流的大型底栖动物群落结构的主要环境因子.研究表明:(1)深圳市的山区溪流可作为深圳市生物多样性保护的重点区域.(2)在城市溪流生态系统中,水环境化学因子并非为主要影响因子,生境多样性发挥了重要作用.(图6表3参43)     

New insights into different surfactants’ impacts on sludge fermentation: Focusing on the particular metabolic processes and microbial genetic traits

• The promoting effects for VFA generation follow the order of APG>SDBS>HTAB. • Surfactants improve the WAS solubilization/hydrolysis and acidification processes. • The VFA promotion is associated with surfactants’ distinctive characteristics. • Surfactants induce the enrichment of functional bacteria for VFA biosynthesis. • The vital genes for substrates delivery, metabolism, and VFA yields are upregulated. Surfactants were expected to exhibit positive effects on the waste activated sludge (WAS) disposal. However, the systematic comparison of different categories of surfactants on the WAS fermentation and the functional mechanisms, especially microbial metabolic traits, have not yet been precisely explored. This study revealed the positive effects of different surfactants on the volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, which followed the order of alkyl polysaccharides (APG)>sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS)>hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HTAB). Mechanistic exploration found that the presence of different surfactants improved solubilization and hydrolysis steps, and then contributed to the subsequent acidification with different efficiencies. The functional microorganisms associated with VFA generation were enriched in surfactant-conditioned reactors. Metagenomic analysis further indicated that the key genes involved in the particular process of VFA generation were over-expressed. The simultaneous bioavailable substrate improvement, functional bacterial enrichment, and metabolic activity upregulation induced by different surfactants jointly contributed to VFA promotion during WAS fermentation. This study could provide a comprehensive realization of surfactants’ impacts on the WAS fermentation process, and more importantly, it reminded the public to discern the distinct interplaying effects induced by different chemicals in regulating the WAS disposal and resource recovery.     

Research progress of heavy metals in desert—visual analysis based on CiteSpace

In this paper, Web of Science (a database) is used to retrieve related literature in the field of heavy metal pollution in desert. CiteSpace is used to make a quantitative and qualitative evaluation on the literature in the field on the basis of a brief analysis on the research status, research focus, and evolution process in the field. Through CiteSpace visual analysis, a comparative analysis is given on related literature in terms of annual number of published papers, author groups, and their countries and regions, journals, publishing institutions, highly cited papers, research focuses, and burst terms, so as to explore the research status and future development trend of the field on a global scale. The results are shown as follows: (1) The literature in the field was originally published in 2000; the number of published papers increased steadily. The literature was mostly published on high-quality journals, the USA topped in terms of the number of published papers, and the research results achieved by developed countries had a greater influence. Chinese Acad Sci topped with the highest centrality and most published papers, which have made outstanding contributions to the field and occupy a leading position in the field. However, the fact is that there lacks communication and cooperation among research institutions. The most influential journal is Science of the Total Environment. (2) The hot research words in the field are as follows: heavy metal, soil, pollution, lead, desert, cadmium, and microelement. (3) In the field, burst terms have transformed from atmospheric deposition, biomonitoring, and phytoremediation to trace element, stream sediment, street dust, and water quality, and finally transformed to river and sediment. New words keep emerging in the research, and more and more attention is paid to the issue of heavy metal pollution in river sediment, which will be a future research hotspot in the field.

     

Exploring volatility of carbon price in European Union due to COVID-19 pandemic

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System is the most important means for the EU to achieve carbon neutrality, but it has been severely...     

Monitoring and evaluation of antibiotic resistance genes in three rivers in northeast China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have become an important public health problem. In this study, we used metagenomic sequencing to analyze the...     

Impact of particle sizes on health risks and source-specific health risks for heavy metals in road dust

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - To analyze the impact of particle sizes on sources and related health risks for heavy metals, road dust samples in Beijing were collected and sifted...     

Generation estimation and material flow analysis of retired mobile phones in China

The generation estimation of retired mobile phones is launched with the sales and new method using the revised sales data and amount of the subscribers. Several assumptions have been made due to the insufficient sources of the data. The sales data of legal mobile phones are calculated with the authoritative and continuous official data. The sales data of smuggled and counterfeit mobile phones in China are also estimated based on the behavior data collected from the questionnaires. The results of generation estimation show that there are 636.52 million mobile phones retired in 2020, compared with 14.44 million in 1999 and several negative values in 2000, 2001, and 2008. The annual total mass of retired mobile phones in China escalated with the contributions of both the increasing generation amount and constant mass of the single unit. There are 50,921.60 ton of mobile phones retired in 2020 compared with 1155.20 ton in 1999, while the peak is 58,131.20 ton in 2019. There are 26,066.80 ton of retired mobile phones are stockpiled in 2020, while 16,152.40 ton and 8702.40 ton of retired mobile phones are reused as a whole unit and recycled, respectively. In the retired mobile phones that are recycled, 4600.50 ton material is recovered and 1216.50 ton components are reused, while 2885.40 ton residues need final disposal. The amount and dynamic characteristics of metals in the retired mobile phones are also calculated. Based on the results, several policy implications are made to improve sustainable management system of retired mobile phones in China.

     

Environmental courts and foreign direct investments: evidence from China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - As China’s pollution problems worsen, environmental disputes are increasing rapidly. However, only 1% of environmental disputes can be resolved...     

XPS and NMR analyze the combined forms of Pb in Cladophora rupestris subcells and its detoxification

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the combined forms of Pb in Cladophora rupestris (L.) (C. rupestris) were investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and...