Optimizing conservation in species-specific agricultural landscapes

Recovery of grassland birds in agricultural landscapes is a global imperative. Agricultural landscapes are complex, and the value of resource patches may vary substantially among species. The spatial extent at which landscape features affect populations (i.e., scale of effect) may also differ among species. There is a need for regional-scale conservation planning that considers landscape-scale and species-specific responses of grassland birds to environmental change. We developed a spatially explicit approach to optimizing grassland conservation in the context of species-specific landscapes and prioritization of species recovery and applied it to a conservation program in Kentucky (USA). We used a hierarchical distance-sampling model with an embedded scale of effect predictor to estimate the relationship between landscape structure and abundance of eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna), field sparrows (Spizella pusilla), and northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus). We used a novel spatially explicit optimization procedure rooted in multi-attribute utility theory to design alternative conservation strategies (e.g., prioritize only northern bobwhite recovery or assign equal weight to each species’ recovery). Eastern meadowlarks and field sparrows were more likely to respond to landscape-scale resource patch adjacencies than landscape-scale patch densities. Northern bobwhite responded to both landscape-scale resource patch adjacencies and densities and responded strongly to increased grassland density. Effects of landscape features on local abundance decreased as distance increased and had negligible influence at 0.8 km for eastern meadowlarks (0.7–1.2 km 95% Bayesian credibility intervals [BCI]), 2.5 km for field sparrows (1.5–5.8 km 95% BCI), and 8.4 km for bobwhite (6.4–26 km 95% BCI). Northern bobwhites were predicted to benefit greatly from future grassland conservation regardless of conservation priorities, but eastern meadowlark and field sparrow were not. Our results suggest similar species can respond differently to broad-scale conservation practices because of species-specific, distance-dependent relationships with landscape structure. Our framework is quantitative, conceptually simple, customizable, and predictive and can be used to optimize conservation in heterogeneous ecosystems while considering landscape-scale processes and explicit prioritization of species recovery.     

Animal Production,Ag-gag Laws,and the Social Production of Ignorance: Exploring the Role of Storytelling

In recent years, a number of so-called “farm protection” or “ag-gag” laws have been proposed and passed in state legislatures across the USA. These laws generally ban the undercover photographing or videotaping of industrial animal agricultural production and processing facilities. Proponents of the legislation suggest that such bills protect local farm economies and prevent misinformation campaigns by animal rights activists. Diverse sets of critics have argued against the bills, suggesting that they prevent whistleblowers from exposing animal cruelty and stand in the way of the public's right to know. This paper analyzes the debate by blending theory from science and technology studies regarding the social production of knowledge and ignorance with communication theory that explores the power of storytelling in shaping public understandings of social life. It investigates the stories told by three oppositional stakeholder groups—members of industrial animal agribusiness who defend the legislation, small-scale producers and consumers who believe the legislation prevents productive transparency, as well as animal advocacy and first amendment interests who believe the legislation masks fundamental flaws in the contemporary animal agricultural system. The paper provides insight into how competing mediated narratives frame ideological battles over the present and future of animal production processes. It demonstrates how fundamental and often opposing value systems construct what we consider knowledge and non-knowledge in the context of our contemporary risk society and in the digital media age.     

Current Practice and Future Prospects for Social Data in Coastal and Ocean Planning

Coastal and ocean planning comprises a broad field of practice. The goals, political processes, and approaches applied to planning initiatives may vary widely. However, all planning processes ultimately require adequate information on both the biophysical and social attributes of a planning region. In coastal and ocean planning practice, there are well‐established methods to assess biophysical attributes; however, less is understood about the role and assessment of social data. We conducted the first global assessment of the incorporation of social data in coastal and ocean planning. We drew on a comprehensive review of planning initiatives and a survey of coastal and ocean practitioners. There was significantly more incorporation of social data in multiuse versus conservation‐oriented planning. Practitioners engaged a wide range of social data, including governance, economic, and cultural attributes of planning regions and human impacts data. Less attention was given to ecosystem services and social–ecological linkages, both of which could improve coastal and ocean planning practice. Although practitioners recognize the value of social data, little funding is devoted to its collection and incorporation in plans. Increased capacity and sophistication in acquiring critical social and ecological data for planning is necessary to develop plans for more resilient coastal and ocean ecosystems and communities. We suggest that improving social data monitoring, and in particular spatial social data, to complement biophysical data, is necessary for providing holistic information for decision‐support tools and other methods. Moving beyond people as impacts to people as beneficiaries, through ecosystem services assessments, holds much potential to better incorporate the tenets of ecosystem‐based management into coastal and ocean planning by providing targets for linked biodiversity conservation and human welfare outcomes. La Práctica Actual y los Prospectos Futuros para los Datos Sociales en la Planeación Costera y Oceánica     

Using a social–ecological framework to inform the implementation of conservation plans

One of the key determinants of success in biodiversity conservation is how well conservation planning decisions account for the social system in which actions are to be implemented. Understanding elements of how the social and ecological systems interact can help identify opportunities for implementation. Utilizing data from a large‐scale conservation initiative in southwestern of Australia, we explored how a social–ecological system framework can be applied to identify how social and ecological factors interact to influence the opportunities for conservation. Using data from semistructured interviews, an online survey, and publicly available data, we developed a conceptual model of the social–ecological system associated with the conservation of the Fitz‐Stirling region. We used this model to identify the relevant variables (remnants of vegetation, stakeholder presence, collaboration between stakeholders, and their scale of management) that affect the implementation of conservation actions in the region. We combined measures for these variables to ascertain how areas associated with different levels of ecological importance coincided with areas associated with different levels of stakeholder presence, stakeholder collaboration, and scales of management. We identified areas that could benefit from different implementation strategies, from those suitable for immediate conservation action to areas requiring implementation over the long term to increase on‐the‐ground capacity and identify mechanisms to incentivize implementation. The application of a social–ecological framework can help conservation planners and practitioners facilitate the integration of ecological and social data to inform the translation of priorities for action into implementation strategies that account for the complexities of conservation problems in a focused way.     

城市地表形态对热环境的影响——以上海市为例

基于遥感与GIS技术,利用Landsat7-ETM+影像反演地表温度,用社会经济统计数据、土地利用现状数据和道路交通网络数据计算城市景观形态参数以表征地表特征,从行政区(县)、5km间距同心环带和局部区块3个水平上划分空间单元建立数据样本,分析城市地表形态对热环境空间分布格局的影响。结果表明:(1)景观混合度和景观分裂度对地表温度有恒定的负向影响,区块连通性与地表温度负相关;(2)景观分裂度对热环境的影响取决于地类属性:分裂度大的增温地类,地表增温效应弱;分裂度大的降温地类,地表降温效应强;(3)人口密度和经济密度可对地表温度产生恒定正向影响;(4)人口密度、建设用地比例和房屋建筑比例是分布在区(县)尺度、同心圆环尺度和典型区块尺度上影响地表热环境最显著的地表形态要素。     

环境模型在风险评估中的应用

环境模型方法是化学品风险评估中经常使用的方法。环境模型可提供化学品的浓度、归趋和主要迁移转化途径等信息,目前已被广泛应用于各类环境系统中。本文对该方法使用的一般步骤进行介绍,并对我国的环境模型工作提出了几点建议。     

Citizens of local jurisdictions enhance plant community preservation through ballot initiatives and voter-driven conservation efforts

Open space areas protected by local communities may augment larger scale preservation efforts and may offer overlooked benefits to biodiversity conservation provided they are in suitable ecological condition. We examine protected areas established by local communities through ballot initiatives, a form of direct democracy, in California, USA. We compare ecological conditions of wooded habitats on local ballot protected sites and on sites protected by a state-level conservation agency. Collectively, we found few differences in ecological conditions on each protected area type. Ballot sites had greater invasive understory cover and larger trees. Community dissimilarity patterns suggested ballot sites protect a complementary set of tree species to those on state lands. Overall, geographic characteristics influenced onsite conditions more than details of how sites were protected. Thus, community-driven conservation efforts contribute to protected area networks by augmenting protection of some species while providing at least some protection to others that might otherwise be missed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01469-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

一次冷锋过程中我国区域空气污染边界层特征

利用常规地面气象和探空资料、ERA-interim再分析资料、以及全国PM_2.5浓度数据,针对2015年3月7~11日一次冷空气南下的锋面天气过程中,我国华北、华东地区出现的大范围空气污染,开展了高空各层天气形势分析,以及本次过程中污染区域由北至南6个城市（北京、章丘、郑州、南阳、武汉、长沙）边界层气象要素的垂直结构及其时空演变特征的研究.结果表明：在污染前期（3月7~8日）中高纬度500hPa平直的纬向环流和地面均压场,为污染天气的发生和维持以及空气污染物的集聚提供了有利的环流场.污染中期（3月8~10日）冷空气南下,地面冷高压向华东地区移动,重污染区域随冷高压前部的弱低压场或均压场由北向南移动.伴随着天气系统移动,六个地面观测站的边界层特征在时空上表现出相似性,由北向南各站在污染期间先后出现多层逆温,风速较小,逆温层下相对湿度较大.此次多层逆温的形成是由于夜间近地面辐射冷却、冷锋移动过程中产生的锋面逆温以及边界层以上的下沉运动造成的.本研究揭示了在天气系统移动中,位于天气系统相同部位站点的边界层结构具有共同的特征,及其与空气污染的关系.     

Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) probe for effectively sampling of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in waters and sediments

The passive sampling technique, diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) has attracted increasing interests as an in-situ sampler for organic contaminants including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). However, its effectiveness has been questioned because of the small effective sampling area (3.1 cm²). In this study, we developed a DGT probe for rapid sampling of eight PFAS in waters and applied it to a water-sediment system. It has a much larger sampling area (27 cm²) and as a result lower method quantification limits (0.15 – 0.21 ng/L for one-day deployment and 0.02 – 0.03 ng/L for one-week deployment) and much higher (by > 10 factors) sampling rate (100 mL/day) compared to the standard DGT (piston configuration). The sampler could linearly accumulate PFAS from wastewater, was sensitive enough even for a 24 hr deployment with performance comparable to grab sampling (500 mL). The DGT probe provided homogeneous sampling performance along the large exposure area. The use of the probe to investigate distributions of dissolved PFAS around the sediment-water interface was demonstrated. This work, for the first time, demonstrated that the DGT probe is a promising monitoring tool for trace levels of PFAS and a research tool for studying their distribution, migration, and fate in aquatic environments including the sediment-water interface.     

环境污染区域国土资源信息查询系统设计研究

传统系统存在查询速度慢、CPU利用率低、耗费时间长、性能差等问题,为此,对环境污染区域国土资源信息查询系统进行设计.建立信息查询系统框架结构,分析图形信息采集和属性信息采集,设计属性数据库结构;针对系统软件部分,设计图形数据采集,构建查询文件,查询系统页面显示,由此实现国土资源信息的查询.通过实验对该查询系统设计的性能进行测试,并得出实验结论.实验结果表明,该系统具有资源信息查询速度快,CPU利用率高,实用性强等优势,为中国国土资源信息查询带来便利.