Valuation of Ecological Resources and Functions

/ Ecological resources are natural resources that provide certain necessary but overlooked system maintenance functions within ecosystems. Environmental economics is in search of an appropriate analysis framework to determine economic values of such resources. This paper presents a framework that estimates and compiles the components of value for a natural ecosystem. The framework begins with the ecological processes involved, which provide functions within the ecosystem and services valued by humans. We discuss the additive or competive nature of these values, and estimate these values through conventional and unconventional techniques. We apply the framework to ecological resources in a shrub-steppe dryland habitat being displaced by development. We first determine which functions and services are mutually exclusive (e.g., farming vs soil stabilization) and which are complementary or products of joint production (e.g., soil stabilization and maintenance of species). We then apply benefit transfer principles with contingent valuation methodology (CVM), travel cost methodology (TCM), and hedonic damage pricing (HDP). Finally, we derive upper-limit values for more difficult-to-value functions through the use of human analogs, which we argue are the most appropriate method of valuation under some circumstances. The highest values of natural shrub-steppe habitat appear to be derived from soil stabilization.KEY WORDS: Natural resource economics; Ecological economics; Ecological resources; Shrub-steppe; Environmental valuation; Cost; Benefit; Value     

Changes in Upland Wildlife Habitat on Farmland in Illinois 1920–1987

/ An index of upland wildlife habitat was developed to investigate patterns and changes in habitat over time, using four years (1920, 1940, 1964, 1987) and the state of Illinois as an example. The index was composed of two subdivisions that described, at the county level, the quantity of wildlife habitat and a third subdivision that described farming disturbances that impacted the quality of the habitat. Data came from the US Census of Agriculture. The first subdivision that reflected quantity of habitat was called the wildlife habitat subdivision and was the sum of percentage woodland on farms, percentage farmland in nonrow crops, and percentage farmland in set-aside programs. The second subdivision that reflected the quantity of habitat was termed the soil-related features subdivision and was the sum of the percentage of farmland that was not highly erodible, the percentage of farmland in soil-protecting crops, and the percentage of farmland in conservation tillage. The third subdivision, reflecting the quality of the habitat, was the farming disturbance subdivision and was the sum of the percentage of grazing and the percentage of land on which fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides were applied. Overall, major decreases occurred between 1920 and 1987 in the subdivisions reflecting the quantity of wildlife habitat and a major increase occurred in the subdivision associated with farming disturbance, reflecting the intensification of agriculture in the state. However, there was variability throughout the state, with some counties being more favorable to wildlife (as measured by the subdivisions) than others. Most of the changes within the state for the subdivisions reflecting quantity of upland wildlife habitat occurred during 1940 while changes in the farming disturbance subdivision (reflecting habitat quality) occurred in 1964. By 1987, the western and southern parts of Illinois were the most favorable for wildlife as reflected in all three subdivisions. Upland wildlife harvest indices were related to the subdivisions in 1964 and 1987, when harvest indices were available. Cottontail and northern bobwhite harvests were higher in counties with higher amounts of the wildlife habitat subdivision in both years. Cottontail harvest was also higher in counties with lower levels of the farming disturbance subdivision in 1964 and higher levels of soil-related features subdivision in 1987. Indices at the county level have the potential to be used in a multiscale analysis to investigate the impact of policy changes on large-scale areas of the Midwest and to develop regional perspectives of the impacts of agriculture on upland wildlife and their habitats.KEY WORDS: Upland wildlife; Habitat; Agriculture; Illinois     

Choosing Indicators of Natural Resource Condition: A Case Study in Arches National Park, Utah, USA

/ Heavy visitor use in many areas of the world have necessitated development of ways to assess visitation impacts. Arches National Park recently completed a Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) plan. Integral to this plan was developing a method to identify biological indicators that would both measure visitor impacts and response to management actions. The process used in Arches for indicator selection is outlined here as a model applicableto many areas facing similar challenges. The steps were: (1) Vegetation types most used by visitors were identified. Impacted and unimpacted areas in these types were sampled, comparing vegetation and soil factors. (2) Variables found to differ significantly between compared sites were used as potential indicators. (3) Site-specific criteria for indicators were developed, and potential indicators evaluated using these criteria. (4) Chosen indicators were further researched for ecological relevancy. (5) Final indicators were chosen, field tested, and monitoring sites designated. In Arches, indicators were chosen for monitoring annually (soil crust index, soil compaction, number of used social trails and soil aggregate stability) and every five years (vegetation cover and frequency; ground cover; soil chemistry; and plant tissue chemistry).KEY WORDS: Biological indicators; Recreation impacts; Recreation management; Desert soils; Trampling     

Contemporary Western Rural USA Economic Composition: Potential Implications for Environmental Policy and Research

/ The rural West of the United States is considered strongly antienvironment. The traditional economic reliance of the area on natural resources has long explained this antienvironment stance. The region consistently elects federal officials who as a group consistently vote against environmental bills and seek to undo existing federal environmental regulation. These politicians defend their antienvironment actions based on their perception of the economic composition and interests of the region. Recent studies, however, have suggested that rural residents are increasingly concerned about environmental issues. These studies, however, lack a consistent theoretical basis. This article uses an alternative economic typing system to examine the economic composition of rural Idaho and suggests that the results found using the alternative typing system might provide a theoretical basis to explain why some studies are finding increased rural environmental support. The results show that rural Idaho is much more economically diverse using this alternative typing methodology compared to the outcomes of traditional USDA economic methodologies. The policy and research implications of these findings are examined.KEY WORDS: Rural; Environmental policy; Economic composition     

Isotopes, Wool, and Rangeland Monitoring: Let the Sheep Do the Sampling

3 and C₄ plant species consumed by animals. Sheep sample vegetation continuously throughout a year, and as their wool grows it integrates and stores information about their diet. In subtropical and tropical rangelands the majority of grass species are C₄. Since sheep prefer to graze, and their wool is an isotopic record of their diet, we now have the potential to develop a high resolution index to the availability of grass from a sheep's perspective. Isotopic analyses of wool suggest a new direction for monitoring grazing and for the reconstruction of past vegetation changes, which will make a significant contribution to traditional rangeland ecology and management. It is recommended that isotopic and other analyses of wool be further developed for use in rangeland monitoring programs to provide valuable feedback for land managers.     

江苏油田腐蚀钢管抗震性能试验研究

对在高温高压恶劣环境中工作的原油集输管道进行了材质机械性能和结构强度的试验研究。结果表明：①腐蚀管道材质的强度极限应力σｂ和屈服极限应力σＳ的变化很小,故材质的机械性能无明显变化;②腐蚀管道焊缝的强度极限应力仅为管材强度极限应力的５５１３％;③腐蚀管道因局部点蚀造成的管壁穿孔,使管道的结构强度大幅度下降,塑性降低,延伸率减小,抗震性能明显削弱。试验研究结果给出了油田已建管道震害预测工作的评判依据,并为管道防腐研究提供了新线索。     

南京地区滑坡与崩塌特征分析及地震可能引起的崩塌危险区预测

对南京地区已发生的滑坡与崩塌区进行调查。用园弧法计算滑坡前的安全系数在考虑在地震力作用下,用静力法对边坡稳定性作定量分析。以期对本区地震滑坡与崩塌危险区作出预测。     

MapObjects在城市道路交通噪声管理中的应用

从Visual Basic控件技术出发，介绍了建立在对象链接与嵌入技术基础上由美国ESRI公司的采用GIS控件MapObjects的运行机制及特点。结合该控件在城市道路交通噪声信息管理系统开发中的应用，对系统的建设目标、结构及开发模式做了介绍；以对北京市道路交通噪声信息管理系统的开发为例，对系统的功能作了简要说明。     

Mass Transport in Vegetated Shear Flows

Submerged aquatic vegetation has the potential to greatly improve water quality through the removal of nutrients, particulates and trace metals. The efficiency of this removal depends heavily upon the rate of vertical mixing, which dictates the timescale over which these constituents remain in the canopy. Continuous dye injection experiments were conducted in a flume with model vegetation to characterize vertical mass transport in vegetated shear flows. Through the absorbance–concentration relationship of the Beer–Lambert Law, digital imaging was used to provide high-resolution concentration profiles of the dye plumes. Vertical mass transport is dominated by the coherent vortices of the vegetated shear layers. This is highlighted by the strong periodicity of the transport and its simple characterization based on properties of the shear layer. For example, the vertical turbulent diffusivity is directly proportional to the shear and thickness of the layer. The turbulent diffusivity depends upon the size of the plume, such that the rate of plume growth is lower near the source. In the far-field, mass is mixed more than twice as rapidly as momentum. Finally, plume size is dictated predominantly by X, a dimensionless distance that scales upon the number of vortex rotations experienced by the plume.     

青霉菌对活性艳蓝 KN-R的吸附作用

研究了青霉菌(Penicillium X5)对活性艳蓝KN—R的吸附作用．通过对培养液的波谱分析和宏观现象的观察，结果表明，在72h内，脱色是由吸附引起的．当染料的浓度为100mg/L时，活菌体对染料的吸附率可达88．66％．本实验还研究了对实际应用和吸附过程有影响的几个因素，包括葡萄糖、NaCl、温度和pH.结果表明：葡萄糖浓度在0-20g／L时，随着葡萄糖浓度的增加，菌体的干重相应增加，说明对活性艳蓝KN—R的吸附具有促进作用，但浓度在10-20g／L时，吸附作用不显著；而随着NaCl浓度(0-2％)的增加，吸附率却显著降低．最佳脱色温度为25℃，pH为4．0．活菌体与死菌体的生物吸附均符合Langmuir方程，活菌体比死菌体具有更好的吸附性能．吸附在菌丝体上的染料可以用甲酵进行洗脱，菌丝球在下次使用前用蒸馏水冲洗至pH中性，此菌丝球可重复使用3次．固8表2参11