The Conservation Status and Conservation Strategy of Picea neoveitchii

Abstract

Picea neoveitchii is an endemic species in China. It had been listed as an endangered species in red data books. It scatters in several locations of south slope of the Qinling Mountain of China. Upon reviewing the related literature, discussing with leading scholars on gymnosperm, ecology and plant conservation, the field survey was carried out in four locations. There are eleven mature individuals and two seedlings surviving in its natural habitats. With the survey of quadrat method in four locations, related community index were calculated such as relative important value (RIV), species richness, similarity index, diversity index and evenness index etc. The community could be sorted and characterized as three groups based on the community parameters. The analysis of vegetation table elucidates that Picea neoveitchii is a dominant species with low grouping rate in most surveyed sites.

The RAPD analysis shows target species has intraspecific genetic variability. The estimation of Shannon's phenotypic diversity index (Ho) also explains the difference of genetic variations of different locations.

Due to the lack of enough knowledge and professional guide of conservation biological perspective, Picea neoveitchii had been clear-cut for timber production. The extent of occurrence and area of occupancy declined rapidly from 1950s to 1990s. According to the Conservation Category guideline proposed by the World Conservation Union, the conservation status of Picea neoveitchii was reevaluated as Critically Endangered (CR) B2b C2a D. Upon research in areas of ecology, molecular biology, cluster analysis of environmental parameters, a practical conservation strategy is recommended in this research.     

The valuation of wetland conservation in an urban/peri urban watershed

This study estimates the social benefits of wetland conservation in the Credit River watershed, located in an urban/peri urban area in Southern Ontario, Canada. A stated preference approach was employed to value wetland conservation programs which ranged from retaining the existing wetlands to restoring various levels of acres of wetlands over the 2009–2020 period. A total of 1,407 households completed an internet-based survey which presented trade-offs in binary choice scenarios framed as referenda. Responses were analyzed using various models, one of which was a latent class analysis which segmented respondents into three classes. This econometric approach uncovered significant preference heterogeneity for wetland conservation. Assignment of respondents to the classes suggested that about one-third of the sample was willing to pay small amounts to retain the existing wetlands. An additional third was willing to pay several hundred dollars a year for retention and small positive amounts for additional restoration. The final third were apparently willing to pay considerable sums for retention, but lesser amounts for additional restoration. However, further analysis revealed that respondents in this third class largely constituted yea-sayers. These results suggest caution in interpreting associated economic valuation estimates and highlight the importance of attempting to understand hypothetical bias in wetland and other such valuation studies.     

Safe as houses? Indoor air pollution and health

Indoor air pollution has long been the Cinderella of the environmental world: left at home, out of sight and out of mind. But as our knowledge of indoor pollution grows, policy-makers are coming to realise that improving indoor environments can deliver big gains for public health. The new front line on air quality will be on our own doorsteps.     

Changes in the nature of sewage sludge organic matter during a twenty-one-month incubation

Six sewage sludges from five sewage treatment plants in Australia were incubated for up to 21 months. Carbon losses at the end of the 21-mo incubation varied substantially. The remaining organic matter was isolated by treatment with hydrofluoric acid (HF) and characterized using a range of solid-state (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques. By every measure (signal distribution in cross polarization [CP] and Bloch decay [BD] spectra, carbon NMR observability determined by spin counting, and the appearance of proton spin relaxation editing subspectra), the chemical composition of the residual organic matter appeared to be little different from that of the original sludges, even for those sludges that experienced the greatest carbon losses. Importantly, these NMR properties distinguish sewage sludge organic matter from soil organic matter. Thus, it should be possible to follow the decomposition of sewage sludge organic matter applied to soils in the field using solid-state (13)C NMR spectroscopy.     

The design of child restraint system (CRS) labels and warnings affects overall CRS usability

A study was conducted that assessed the effectiveness of different child restraint system (CRS) label/warning designs on users' installation performance. Forty-eight paid participants installed a convertible CRS in a vehicle, and two child test dummies in a CRS, using one of four label conditions. The label conditions were: (1) no labels, (2) the manufacturer's labels that were already affixed to the CRS ("Current"), (3) labels that were designed according to a combination of the current U.S. regulations concerning CRS labels and recently proposed changes to these regulations ("Proposed"), and (4) labels that were designed according to human factors principles and guidelines, and that were based on a hierarchical behavioral task analysis ("Optimal"). Results demonstrated that, overall, the Optimal labels resulted in higher usability ratings and better task performance. This indicates that labels designed using human factors and task analyses that identify critical task information requirements for label features will result in increased user compliance with instructions, higher usability, and improved task performance. Surprisingly, having no labels on the CRS resulted in better installation performance than when either the Current or the Proposed label conditions were used. This indicates that label design can decrease task performance; the actual physical design of a CRS may be just as critical as label content in the installation choices provided to the user. Collectively, results suggest that implementation of the proposed changes to the U.S. regulations concerning CRS labeling would likely not result in increased performance or usability compared to existing manufacturer labels that follow the current guidelines. In order to achieve significantly better ease-of-use and task performance, it would be necessary to implement features of the Optimal label condition.     

PREDICTING PEAK STREAM FLOW FROM AN UNDISTURBED WATERSHED IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS1

ABSTRACT: Data from a small forested catchment were used to model peak stream flow as a function of basic hydrologic variables associated with 112 rain storms. Rainfall depth and initial stream flow rate accounted for 87.1 percent of peak flow variability. Forty expressions of rainfall intensity (describing both the temporal sequence of intensity for 20 equal storm intervals, and maximum intensity for 20 separate interval lengths) were used in an attempt to improve the predictability of basic models. None of the intensity parameters improved predictability by as much as 2 percent, apparently because the most intense rainfall bursts generally occurred near the beginning of storm periods. Mean rainfall intensity for entire storms was generally as effective as any of the shorter interval intensities, and its use helped to linearize the relationship between peak flow and rainfall depth and duration.     

What are expert systems and how can they contribute to Planning?

The possible role of computer‐based expert systems in town and country planning has yet to be formalised and many planners are not aware of the potential and limitations of software developments in this area. This paper defines expert systems for planners, explains their operation and outlines a possible area, within the development control process, where such systems could provide a beneficial contribution to planning.     

Supporting major new nickel developments: can Western Australia do it again?

As with several other metals, the recession of the early 1990s combined with events in the former Soviet Union, placed major strains on the world nickel market and made the operation of several established mines uneconomic. The subsequent world economic recovery, combined with the emergence of new mining and processing technologies, seems at face value to have opened the way for new and expanded nickel mines in Western Australia to expand their share of world production. Against the background of an established oligopolistic market structure and major nickel finds elsewhere, this study assesses the likelihood of major new nickel developments taking place.