Studying citizen science through adaptive management and learning feedbacks as mechanisms for improving conservation

Citizen science has generated a growing interest among scientists and community groups, and citizen science programs have been created specifically for conservation. We examined collaborative science, a highly interactive form of citizen science, which we developed within a theoretically informed framework. In this essay, we focused on 2 aspects of our framework: social learning and adaptive management. Social learning, in contrast to individual‐based learning, stresses collaborative and generative insight making and is well‐suited for adaptive management. Adaptive‐management integrates feedback loops that are informed by what is learned and is guided by iterative decision making. Participants engaged in citizen science are able to add to what they are learning through primary data collection, which can result in the real‐time information that is often necessary for conservation. Our work is particularly timely because research publications consistently report a lack of established frameworks and evaluation plans to address the extent of conservation outcomes in citizen science. To illustrate how our framework supports conservation through citizen science, we examined how 2 programs enacted our collaborative science framework. Further, we inspected preliminary conservation outcomes of our case‐study programs. These programs, despite their recent implementation, are demonstrating promise with regard to positive conservation outcomes. To date, they are independently earning funds to support research, earning buy‐in from local partners to engage in experimentation, and, in the absence of leading scientists, are collecting data to test ideas. We argue that this success is due to citizen scientists being organized around local issues and engaging in iterative, collaborative, and adaptive learning.     

Contributions of paraecologists and parataxonomists to research,conservation, and social development

Citizen science has been gaining momentum in the United States and Europe, where citizens are literate and often interested in science. However, in developing countries, which have a dire need for environmental data, such programs are slow to emerge, despite the large and untapped human resources in close proximity to areas of high biodiversity and poorly known floras and faunas. Thus, we propose that the parataxonomist and paraecologist approach, which originates from citizen‐based science, is well suited to rural areas in developing countries. Being a paraecologist or a parataxonomist is a vocation and entails full‐time employment underpinned by extensive training, whereas citizen science involves the temporary engagement of volunteers. Both approaches have their merits depending on the context and objectives of the research. We examined 4 ongoing paraecologist or parataxonomist programs in Costa Rica, India, Papua New Guinea, and southern Africa and compared their origins, long‐term objectives, implementation strategies, activities, key challenges, achievements, and implications for resident communities. The programs supported ongoing research on biodiversity assessment, monitoring, and management, and participants engaged in non‐academic capacity development in these fields. The programs in Southern Africa related to specific projects, whereas the programs in Costa Rica, India, and Papua New Guinea were designed for the long term, provided sufficient funding was available. The main focus of the paraecologists’ and parataxonomists’ activities ranged from collection and processing of specimens (Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea) or of socioeconomic and natural science data (India and Southern Africa) to communication between scientists and residents (India and Southern Africa). As members of both the local land user and research communities, paraecologists and parataxonomists can greatly improve the flow of biodiversity information to all users, from local stakeholders to international academia.     

生态足迹与可持续发展初步分析——以北京市、沈阳市、哈尔滨市为例

生态足迹从具体的生物量角度研究自然资本消耗的空间，为核算地区资本利用状况提供框架，进而可判断区域可持续发展状态。文章在简要介绍生态足迹的概念与计算模型基础上，定量研究了北京市、沈阳市、哈尔滨市等三城市2003年－2006年4年间的生态足迹和生态承载力的变化规律和特征。根据计算进行分析，结果表明人类负荷超过其生态容量，生态承载均不能满足生态足迹的需求，社会经济处于一种不同程度不可持续的发展状态。为使城市生态建设可持续的发展提出生态恢复建议及措施。     

填埋场渗漏检测高压直流电法等效电路模型的建立

通过对400V、350V、300V高压直流工作电压下小型模拟填埋场实验数据的分析 ,提出了简化的模型等效电路 .由于高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)衬层的存在使得模型具有了整流特性 ,其电容大小将随着衬层面积和供电电压的增加而增加 ;供电电极的接触电阻与大地的电阻率成正比 ,与电极的粗细及入土深度有关 .同时 ,接触电阻主要由电极附近的土壤电阻决定 ,大于10倍电极半径以外的土壤对接触电阻的影响不超过全部电阻的10% ,故降低电极附近土壤的电阻率可有效地降低电极的接触电阻 .     

从水质水量相结合的角度再论黄河的水资源

建立了流域水资源数量与质量联合评价的方法,发展了可利用水资源量的概念和计算方法,以及水资源功能容量和水资源功能亏缺的概念和计算方法,提出了水环境功能容量和功能亏缺的概念和计算方法.根据黄河流域1997—1999年间主要水文站点逐月的水质监测数据、水文数据及各取水口逐月的取水量数据,对黄河流域的水资源进行了水质水量综合评价.结果表明,在1997、1998和1999年,黄河可利用的水资源总量分别为2 5 5 3 9×10 8m3、3 43 41×10 8m3和3 5 5 44×10 8m3,分别占总天然径流量的80 2 % ,78 2 %和82 0 % .黄河水资源功能容量和亏缺在这3年间的平均值分别为42 3 5 0×10 8m3,78 97×10 8m3.对主要污染指标CODMn来说,黄河的水环境功能容量和功能亏缺在这3年间的平均值分别为2 95 71 5 4kg和199 70kg ;对主要污染指标NH+ 4 N来说,平均值分别为3 774 2 6kg和113 0 8kg .因此,与CODMn相比,NH+ 4 N对黄河可利用水资源总量的影响更大.水资源功能容量和水环境功能容量均分别显著大于水资源功能亏缺和水环境功能亏缺,说明在绝大部分情况下,黄河实际的水质要优于达到水资源功能所要求的水质     

庐山风景名胜区旅游环境容量分析

运用有关旅游环境容量的理论与方法,通过资源空间容量、生态环境容量、经济发展容量和当地居民心理容量4个子系统进行分析,得出庐山风景名胜区旅游环境容量综合值为12804人次/d,其中生态环境容量中的水环境容量是最主要的限制因子。最后指出庐山风景名胜区以牯岭镇为单一中心的空间格局和旅游路线是造成庐山旅游压力的根本原因,并提出相应的解决措施。     

土壤性质对水稻土中外源镉与铅生物有效性的影响

为定量了解土壤理化性质对进入土壤中的外源镉和铅生物有效性的影响,采集了性质相差较大的16个水稻土,通过添加Cd(或Pb)培养和老化处理(Cd的加入量为0、0.2、0.5、1、2和5 mg·kg-1;Pb加入量为0、20、50、100、200和500 mg·kg-1,培养时间为1年),研究了不同土壤中Cd(或Pb)负荷与土壤中水溶态和交换态Cd(或Pb)的关系.结果表明,随着Cd(或Pb)污染水平的提高,土壤中水溶态和交换态Cd(或Pb)均显著增加,但不同土壤中水溶态和交换态Cd(或Pb)随土壤Cd(或Pb)积累的增加幅度有很大的差异.相关分析表明,水稻土中水溶性Cd(或Pb)主要与土壤Cd(或Pb)污染水平和pH值有关;而交换态Cd(或Pb)主要与土壤Cd(或Pb)污染水平、pH值、CEC及质地等有关.数据显示,pH值较高、质地较黏的土壤可大大减缓因污染引起的CA和Pb生物有效性的提高.     

Applying assessments of adaptive capacity to inform natural-resource management in a changing climate

Adaptive capacity (AC)—the ability of a species to cope with or accommodate climate change—is a critical determinant of species vulnerability. Using information on species’ AC in conservation planning is key to ensuring successful outcomes. We identified connections between a list of species’ attributes (e.g., traits, population metrics, and behaviors) that were recently proposed for assessing species’ AC and management actions that may enhance AC for species at risk of extinction. Management actions were identified based on evidence from the literature, a review of actions used in other climate adaptation guidance, and our collective experience in diverse fields of global-change ecology and climate adaptation. Selected management actions support the general AC pathways of persist in place or shift in space, in response to contemporary climate change. Some actions, such as genetic manipulations, can be used to directly alter the ability of species to cope with climate change, whereas other actions can indirectly enhance AC by addressing ecological or anthropogenic constraints on the expression of a species’ innate abilities to adapt. Ours is the first synthesis of potential management actions directly linked to AC. Focusing on AC attributes helps improve understanding of how and why aspects of climate are affecting organisms, as well as the mechanisms by which management interventions affect a species’ AC and climate change vulnerability. Adaptive-capacity-informed climate adaptation is needed to build connections among the causes of vulnerability, AC, and proposed management actions that can facilitate AC and reduce vulnerability in support of evolving conservation paradigms.     

辐射环境监测能力评估

以辐射环境监测作为环境监管基础,提出了辐射环境监测能力评估体系以及评估指标,并对全国省级环保系统辐射环境监测机构的能力进行了初步统计分析,为提高我国辐射环境监测能力,掌握目前辐射环境监测能力和核与辐射应急能力提供依据。     

厦门市生态足迹动态分析

生态足迹（ecological footprint,EF）方法是一种衡量自然资源可持续利用的生物物理定量评价工具,能够反映出一个区域在一段时期内的可持续发展过程及其影响因子。文章基于生态足迹的理论模型,以恒定世界产量为前提,分析了厦门市1997年-2005年的生态足迹动态变化。结果表明,在这期间厦门市的人均生态足迹超过了人均生态承载力,并且两者之差（即生态赤字）不断增加。此外,通过分析总结了影响厦门市生态足迹以及生态赤字的关键性因子,这为厦门市的可持续发展决策提供了支持和依据。