Evaluation of ecological restoration success in mining‐degraded lands

This review article analyzes the importance of assessing the success of ecological restoration by using four indicators: assemblage of the plant and animal communities; enzyme activity; litter accumulation and decomposition; and the improvement of soil quality. These indicators can be used alone or in combinations. Even though the Society for Ecological Restoration International provided a primer containing nine attributes to use as standards for measuring ecological restoration, only three of these attributes could be easily applied due to their low costs and low time requirements. These three attributes include: diversity, vegetation structure, and ecological processes. This review article emphasizes that the criteria for the selection of the indicator species should be based upon: habitat types, abundance of species, ease of measuring, quantifying and interpreting the results, gradual enhancement with time and cost‐effectiveness, sensitivity, variability of response, size, residential status, and requirements of the area. Principal component analysis was applied to calculate the reclaimed mine soil quality index (RMSQI) and the forest soil quality index (FSQI) and the RMSQI value was compared with FSQI (optimum index value of reference ecosystem) to evaluate the restoration success. Available phosphorus, exchangeable magnesium, organic carbon, clay content, field moisture, available nitrogen, electrical conductivity, and pH are identified as the most influential parameters that regulate the health of reclaimed mine soil. Exchangeable calcium, magnesium, cation exchange capacity, sand, silt, clay content, field moisture, available phosphorus, and pH are the controlling properties for forest soil. The observed values of the above‐stated soil indicator properties were converted into a unitless score (0–1.00) and integrated into index calculations (RMSQI and FSQI). The contribution of each soil indicator properties on the calculated index was analyzed, which provides insight into the reason for the measured index. A higher RMSQI indicates better ecological restoration success. The calculated RMSQI was found to be 0.473 in the reclaimed dump, which is 6% lower than the reference ecosystem.     

Physical and Chemical Connectivity of Streams and Riparian Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Synthesis

Streams, riparian areas, floodplains, alluvial aquifers, and downstream waters (e.g., large rivers, lakes, and oceans) are interconnected by longitudinal, lateral, and vertical fluxes of water, other materials, and energy. Collectively, these interconnected waters are called fluvial hydrosystems. Physical and chemical connectivity within fluvial hydrosystems is created by the transport of nonliving materials (e.g., water, sediment, nutrients, and contaminants) which either do or do not chemically change (chemical and physical connections, respectively). A substantial body of evidence unequivocally demonstrates physical and chemical connectivity between streams and riparian wetlands and downstream waters. Streams and riparian wetlands are structurally connected to downstream waters through the network of continuous channels and floodplain form that make these systems physically contiguous, and the very existence of these structures provides strong geomorphologic evidence for connectivity. Functional connections between streams and riparian wetlands and their downstream waters vary geographically and over time, based on proximity, relative size, environmental setting, material disparity, and intervening units. Because of the complexity and dynamic nature of connections among fluvial hydrosystem units, a complete accounting of the physical and chemical connections and their consequences to downstream waters should aggregate over multiple years to decades.     

河岸带地下水营养元素和有机质变化及与洪水的响应关系研究

河岸带地下水和河水存在复杂的交互作用,地下水和地表水存在明显的补排关系,洪水事件是影响河岸带地下水水质波动的重要水文过程. 以黄河湿地国家级自然保护区孟津湿地为研究对象,通过河岸带地下水营养元素指标(特别是小浪底水库调水调沙期间)野外定位观测,深入分析了河岸带地下水水质变化及其与洪水的响应关系. 结果表明,河岸滩区的农业开发存在明显的氮、磷下渗流失风险. 临近河岸的农耕旱作区,是河流与人工湿地之间一个特殊的氮污染物控制单元,对地下水和河流之间的氮迁移隔离起着极为重要的作用. 在人工湿地,农家粪作为底肥加入可能是磷下渗流失的重要源头,进入地下水中的磷顺着水力坡度还发生着显著的横向迁移,尤其在调水期横向迁移更加明显. 河岸滩区的开发类型及其耕作制度对地下水的硝氮含量产生重要的影响. 在鱼塘区,常年的土壤厌氧环境加重了氮的下渗迁移和积累;在荷塘区,春夏季节,土壤淹没呈厌氧环境,氮迁移和硝化作用显著,在秋冬季节,土壤呈好氧环境,氮硝化作用显著发生,全年氮达到相对平衡的状态;距离河岸50～200 m之间氮的硝化-反硝化作用强烈,是一个高效的微生物氮净化单元. 人工湿地施用的农家粪是有机物流失的重要源头,河岸滩区土壤质地呈沙性,渗透能力强,土壤保水保肥能力差,在此区进行农业活动,尤其是人工湿地开发中大量施用肥料,容易造成土壤表层有机质和氮磷养分因灌溉而导致的下渗流失,进而污染地下水与河水,较由降雨引起的地表径流流失显得更为突出. 距离河道50～200 m的范围是重要的污染净化单元,为典型的滩区地下水-河流的水陆交错带. 该区域的合理保护,对于保护河流水质和地下水水质十分重要.     

赤泥强化型河岸带模拟系统对再生水中磷去除效果的研究

为了探讨不同比例赤泥施入量对再生水磷去除效果的影响以及植物在再生水净化过程的作用,利用赤泥中富含钙、铁、铝等金属氧化物对磷具有较强吸附性能的特点,构建了室内赤泥强化型河岸带模拟系统.结果表明,赤泥最适施入质量分数为2.5%～5.0%,此时TP去除率为82%～76%,出水磷浓度约为0.22～0.29 mg/L,SRP/TP比值为74%～75%.当赤泥施入量为2.5%时,相比无植物系统,有植物系统的磷净化效率提高了4%,约为86%,出水磷浓度为0.17mg/L.这些结果表明赤泥可以适当比例直接掺混于河岸带的土壤中,这为其提高对再生水中磷的去除能力提供了一种新途径.     

植物修复在水环境生态修复中的应用

介绍了平原河网水资源现状及问题成因,对植物修复在水环境生态修复中的应用作了详细的论述,分析了其存在的问题,展望了植物修复应用的发展方向。     

Urban Stream Rehabilitation: A Design and Construction Case Study

/ This paper describes the fundamental design features, and construction methods and sequence, of a rehabilitation project on a small suburban creek in Moscow, Idaho, USA. A meandering channel pattern was reestablished for approximately 280 m of straightened, dredged channel, a new floodplain was excavated, and the new riparian zone was replanted. The new stream channel was sized to accommodate an estimated natural bankfull discharge ( approximately 5.6 cms), and floodplain design attempted to match the conveyance of the old enlarged channel (14-20 cms). The project was coordinated by a local nonprofit environmental organization, and the design and construction were tailored to donated materials and a largely volunteer labor force. A high-magnitude flood event (ca. 50-year recurrence interval) six months after construction had no significant impact on the newly constructed channel and revetments, but underscored the need for important detailing of the structures. The use of volunteer labor, while entailing certain benefits, complicates project planning and construction. The most general lesson learned from this project is that sponsoring agencies and clients need to be informed of the many steps and sequencing of properly constructed, complex stream rehabilitation projects as well as the high time and cost requirements for these tasks. KEY WORDS: Stream corridor restoration; Channel design; Streambank revetments     

生态修复技术在保护水库水源地中的应用

为改善和保证库区水体水质 ,有必要对生态系统受到破坏的水库水源地进行生态修复。结合水库水源地的自然、社会特点 ,提出对保护区内涧河、入库口门、库区等处及水土保持生态修复的设想 ,使水体水质得到净化 ,进而保证水库供水的可持续发展。     

深圳福田红树林生态系统生态恢复对策研究

红树林是具有独特结构与功能的生态系统 ,对退化红树林生态系统进行恢复与重建是提高红树林生态系统生物多样性的重要途径。分析了深圳福田红树林生态系统的退化状况 ,提出生态恢复的目标 ,并从水污染控制、红树植物引种驯化、丰富食物链和景观规划的角度提出生态恢复的措施 ,最后讨论有待进一步研究的问题。     

LANDSCAPE‐SCALE ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF CUMULATIVE IMPACTS TO RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS: PAST,PRESENT, AND FUTURE1

ABSTRACT: Analyses of cumulative impacts to riparian systems is an important yet elusive goal. Previous analyses have focused on comparing the number of hectares impacted to the number of hectares restored, without addressing the loss of riparian function or the effect of the spatial distribution of impacts. This paper presents an analysis of the spatial distribution of development‐related impacts to riparian ecosystems, that were authorized under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Impacts on habitat structure, contiguity, and landscape context were evaluated using functional indices scaled to regional reference sites. Impact sites were mapped using GIS and analyzed for spatial associations. Positive spatial autocorrelation (i.e. clustering of impact sites) resulted from the piecemeal approach to impact assessment, which failed to prevent cumulative impacts. Numerous small projects in close proximity have resulted in adverse impacts to entire stream reaches or have fragmented the aquatic resources to a point where overall functional capacity is impaired. Additionally, the ecological functions of unaffected areas have been diminished due to their proximity to degraded areas. A proactive approach to managing cumulative impacts is currently being used in Orange County, California as part of a Corps of Engineers sponsored Special Area Management Plan (SAMP). The SAMP process is evaluating the ecological conditions and physical processes of the study watersheds and attempting to plan future development in a manner that will guard against cumulative impacts.     

Boosting large-scale river connectivity restoration by planning for the presence of unrecorded barriers

Conservation decisions are invariably made with incomplete data on species’ distributions, habitats, and threats, but frameworks for allocating conservation investments rarely account for missing data. We examined how explicit consideration of missing data can boost return on investment in ecosystem restoration, focusing on the challenge of restoring aquatic ecosystem connectivity by removing dams and road crossings from rivers. A novel way of integrating the presence of unmapped barriers into a barrier optimization model was developed and applied to the U.S. state of Maine to maximize expected habitat gain for migratory fish. Failing to account for unmapped barriers during prioritization led to nearly 50% lower habitat gain than was anticipated using a conventional barrier optimization approach. Explicitly acknowledging that data are incomplete during project selection, however, boosted expected habitat gains by 20–273% on average, depending on the true number of unmapped barriers. Importantly, these gains occurred without additional data. Simply acknowledging that some barriers were unmapped, regardless of their precise number and location, improved conservation outcomes. Given incomplete data on ecosystems worldwide, our results demonstrate the value of accounting for data shortcomings during project selection.