The impacts of warfare and armed conflict on land systems

ABSTRACT

Land-use decisions can change abruptly in response to shocks, and warfare and armed conflicts are among the most drastic and globally frequent shocks. Yet, our understanding of where armed conflict affects land systems, how land-use patterns are impacted, and how far-reaching and persistent these changes are, is partial. We used a spatially detailed dataset on armed conflict and a literature review to explore these questions. A number of key insights emerged from our study: (1) warfare and armed conflict affect land systems mainly in more densely populated areas, regardless of the dominating land use; (2) warfare and armed conflict can impact land systems in major ways, but these effects are diverse and not unidirectional; (3) warfare and armed conflict primarily affects land systems locally, but can forge telecouplings; and (4) although the impact of warfare and armed conflict is often immediate, it can instigate long-lasting land-use legacies.     

The costs and benefits of working with one's spouse: A two‐sample examination of spousal support,work–family conflict,and emotional exhaustion in work‐linked relationships

Although the prevalence of employees working within the same workplace or occupation with their spouse has increased, relatively little research has examined their experiences. On the basis of the boundary and conservation of resources (COR) theories, we argue that higher levels of work–family role integration among work‐linked couples will lead to higher levels of spousal support resources and lower levels of work–family conflict. This will, in turn, lead to lower emotional exhaustion among employees in a work‐linked relationship. Among two samples of employees in a variety of occupations, we found that being in a work‐linked relationship was associated with both higher spousal instrumental support as well as different forms of work–family conflict. The interaction between spousal support and work–family conflict was associated with emotional exhaustion. We discuss the implications of these findings for boundary and COR theories in terms of movement of resources across work–family boundaries and resource relevance in the strain process. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Do meerkat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Suricata suricatta</Emphasis>) pups exhibit strategic begging behaviour and so exploit adults that feed at relatively high rates?

Adults vary in their generosity in provisioning the young and their sensitivity to the need of the young. Do the young modulate their behaviour so as to specifically target more high-provisioning adults? This is especially likely in situations with mobile, nutritionally dependent young. We studied cooperatively breeding meerkats Suricata suricatta, in which pups beg to parents and other adults in the group. We found that the young begged differently when next to different adults and that they are consistent in how they beg when next to each adult. Pups next to adults that provision at high rates beg at higher rates and spend longer with them, and these adults are generally more sensitive to increases in begging rate. Such behaviour has adaptive benefits to offspring in terms of increased likelihood of being fed. However, offspring do not appear to be actively seeking out high-provisioning adults or increasing their begging behaviour when they encounter one. Pups did not appear to actively discriminate between adults in their association or begging behaviour. We suggest instead that the relationship between an adult's relative contribution to pup feeding and the behaviour of its accompanying pup is driven by adult behaviour, with responsive adults that feed pups at a relatively higher rate preferentially associating with fast-begging hungry pups.     

中国草地资源利用：生产功能与生态功能的冲突与协调

草地生态系统具有多功能性,既提供多种畜牧产品,同时也具有多样化的生态服务,诸如防风固沙、保持水土、维持生物多样性等。因此,健康的生态系统是生产功能与生态服务和谐并存的统一体。我国有各类天然草地 4×10⁸hm²,其中80%的草地主要分布在干旱、半干旱的北方地区,即主要分布在兴安岭-燕山-吕梁山-秦岭-西藏高原东缘一线以西的广大地区, 这一地区自然条件差,生态系统脆弱。因此,草地生态系统具有保障北方地区畜牧业发展和维护我国生态安全的双重角色。1949年以来,我国草地资源利用中由于长期追求生产功能最大化,忽视了对生态功能和服务的养护,造成生态系统退化,从而影响生态服务的发挥,导致了生产功能与生态服务的冲突。一是在突出生产功能的政策导向下,片面追求草地生产功能最大化,导致大量优质草地被大面积开垦,天然草地资源缩减,出现结构性和功能性的生态退化,生态服务功能受到显著损害。二是由于生产要素投入不足,使得草地系统输出和输入不平衡,难以维持正常的物质和能量循环过程,从而导致生产功能与生态功能的冲突。这主要是由于草地资源是我国的公共财产资源,即使实行草地承包制度后,所有权和使用权的分离,加上缺少政策制度的约束,因此形成了牧民对草地资源的掠夺式利用。三是我国畜产品生产需求增长与生态功能保护需求的矛盾愈加突出。在草地资源开发利用中“重用轻养”的失误既阻碍了我国草地畜牧业的现代化进程,更加剧了我国草地生产功能与生态服务的冲突。所以,在我国人口趋多,耕地趋少,粮食趋紧、畜产品消费趋增的态势下,充分利用占国土面积41%的草地资源,建立生态保护约束下的草地资源利用模式,协调草地生态系统的生产功能和生态服务关系,是解决我国耕地资源不足、维护我国生态安全的重要途径。     

A multispecies assessment of wildlife impacts on local community livelihoods

Conflicts between the interests of agriculture and wildlife conservation are a major threat to biodiversity and human well-being globally. Addressing such conflicts requires a thorough understanding of the impacts associated with living alongside protected wildlife. Despite this, most studies reporting on human–wildlife impacts and the strategies used to mitigate them focus on a single species, thus oversimplifying often complex systems of human–wildlife interactions. We sought to characterize the spatiotemporal patterns of impacts by multiple co-occurring species on agricultural livelihoods in the eastern Okavango Delta Panhandle in northern Botswana through the use of a database of 3264 wildlife-incident reports recorded from 2009 to 2015 by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Eight species (African elephants [Loxodonta africana], hippopotamuses [Hippopotamus amphibious], lions [Panthera leo], cheetah [Acinonyx jubatus], African wild dogs [Lycaon pictus], hyenas [Crocuta crocuta], leopards [Panthera pardus], and crocodiles [Crocodylus niloticus]) appeared on incident reports, of which 56.5% were attributed to elephants. Most species were associated with only 1 type of damage (i.e., either crop damage or livestock loss). Carnivores were primarily implicated in incident reports related to livestock loss, particularly toward the end of the dry season (May–October). In contrast, herbivores were associated with crop-loss incidents during the wet season (November–April). Our results illustrate how local communities can face distinct livelihood challenges from different species at different times of the year. Such a multispecies assessment has important implications for the design of conservation interventions aimed at addressing the costs of living with wildlife and thereby mitigation of the underlying conservation conflict. Our spatiotemporal, multispecies approach is widely applicable to other regions where sustainable and long-term solutions to conservation conflicts are needed for local communities and biodiversity.     

广州市城市生态用地空间冲突与生态安全隐患情景分析

生态安全隐患区域的空间检测和获取对城市生态安全保护起到重要的作用。论文利用智能计算模型和空间分析技术,对广州市城市生态用地空间冲突与生态安全隐患进行了多情景模拟和分析。研究表明：① 空间冲突区域主要分布在城市边缘区。在城市生态用地占广州市总面积的15%、30%和50%情景下,分别占空间冲突总面积的95.40%、86.28%和77.45%,白云、花都、天河和番禺是空间冲突发生的主要区域。与之相反,城市核心区冲突区域面积所占比例逐渐增加。在50%情景时,空间冲突区域面积急剧增加,广州市城市生态用地控制指标面临着巨大的空间冲突压力。② 城市生态安全隐患区域主要分布在城市边缘区,在50%情景时,城市边缘区的隐患区域面积占隐患区域总面积的74.13%,白云区和花都区是生态安全隐患区域分布最集中的区域。而位于城市核心区的隐患区域,面临着更大的生态安全压力。研究结果可为城市生态安全的监控和预警提供参考,为城市生态保护提供可借鉴的方法和分析工具。     

The cost of sexual coercion and heterospecific sexual harassment on the fecundity of a host-specific, seed-eating insect (Neacoryphus bicrucis)

Two species of seed-eating true bugs, Neacoryphus bicrucis (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) and Margus obscurator (Heteroptera: Coreidae) co-occur on ragwort, Senecio tomentosus, in southern Georgia, USA. Males of both species sometimes engage in chases and protracted grappling with females that flee initial mountings. Sometimes genital coupling occurs while the wriggling female is restrained in the male's grasp. Chases, grappling, and mounting attempts are misdirected toward heterospecific females, heterospecific males, or conspecific males. In a laboratory study, confinement of mated N. bicrucis females with either conspecific or heterospecific males reduced fecundity by approximately one-half relative to mated females confined only with other females. Perhaps as a consequence of this, N. bicrucis females frequently leave areas of high host plant density, where they prefer to oviposit, when males are abundant. The abundance of each species is positively correlated with host plant density but the two species rarely occur together on the same plants. This may be an effect of heterospecific courtship which induces the flight of N. bicrucis more than the flight of M. obscurator. The laboratory results suggest that copulations following chases and grappling represent sexual harassment, not a mechanism of active female choice for a vigorous mate. As sexual harassment imposes high fitness costs that favor abandonment of host plants, it may, when misdirected, incidentally limit habitat use by ecologically similar species. Received: 3 October 1998 / Received in revised form: 21 January 1999 / Accepted: 14 February 1999     

Facilitating biodiversity conservation through partnerships to achieve transformative outcomes

Conservation biology is a mission-driven discipline that must navigate a new relationship between conservation and science. Because conservation is a social and political as well as an ecological project, conservation biologists must practice interdisciplinarity and collaboration. In a comparative study of 7 cases (Jaguars in the Chaco, Grevy's zebra in Kenya, Beekeeping in Tanzania, Andean cats in Argentina, Jaguars in Mexico, Lobster fishing, and Black bears in Mexico), we examined motivations for collaboration in conservation, who can collaborate in conservation, and how conservation professionals can work well together. In 5 case studies, successful conservation outcomes were prioritized over livelihood benefits. In the other 2 cases, livelihoods were prioritized. All case studies employed participatory approaches. There were multiple external actors, including local and Indigenous communities, nongovernmental organizations, agencies, regional and national governments, and international organizations, which enhanced conservation and wider sustainability outcomes. Key collaboration aspects considered across the case studies were time (mismatch between relationship building and project schedules), trust required for meaningful partnerships, tools employed, and transformative potential for people, nature, and the discipline of conservation biology. We developed guidelines for successful collaboration, including long-term commitment, knowledge integration, multiscalar and plural approaches, cultivation of trust, appropriate engagement, evaluation, supporting students, and efforts for transformation.     

高速铁路列车运行冲突管理研究现状综述

在定义高速铁路列车运行冲突的基础上,分析列车运行冲突的产生机理,从4个不同角度对列车运行冲突进行分类。归纳并分析列车运行冲突管理的研究历程及国内外对列车运行冲突管理问题研究的现状。分析表明,国内外对列车运行管理的研究主要是依托列车运行图优化和调度指挥系统开发而进行的,对列车运行冲突管理的专门和系统研究尚缺,没有适合我国国情和路情的高速铁路列车运行冲突管理体系。指出冲突分析、冲突化解和基于冲突管理的列车运行调整方法及运行图优化技术等问题是我国高速铁路冲突管理的主要内涵,将时变性、冲突可蔓延性、分割管理和复杂性等归结为高速铁路冲突管理的特点。     

基于非对称演化博弈的应急疏散人员行为冲突研究

为了真实地描述紧急疏散过程中人员行为冲突的演化过程,提高疏散效率,基于非对称性演化博弈模型,首先,从生理角度出发,界定人员之间的非对称性;其次,基于非对称性“鹰鸽博弈”模型,探析各人员策略选择的规律,分析非对称性因子、冲突的成本收益对系统稳定与合作状态概率的影响;最后,在此基础上,探讨博弈双方的合作心理收益对系统演化的影响。研究结果表明：非对称性因子越大,冲突的单位成本越小,越有利于人员合作行为的演化;较大的合作心理收益促使双方开展合作。非对称性“鹰鸽博弈”模型揭示应急疏散情形下人员冲突行为的演化规律,为推动疏散人员开展合作,减少冲突,提高突发事件下的疏散效率提供参考。