“Down in the forest something stirred”: issues raised by the Lyndhurst planning inquiry

The Planning Inquiry is used in Britain as a vehicle for resolving conflicts between energy developments and land use in areas of high ecological or amenity value. This is a report of one such inquiry; the Lyndhurst Inquiry which has been regarded as a test case of establishing oil and gas reserves against the importance of environmentally sensitive areas. The ultimate decision is seen as indicative of the complexity of issues involved.     

Conservation tillage: best management practice for nonpoint runoff

Decisionmakers are in the process of selecting remedial measures for controlling nonpoint pollution runoff. Conservation tillage (CT) is being looked to as one of the major recommended practices. Many different systems exist and vary in the amount of crop residue left and soil roughness produced. Therefore, varying results occur in terms of yield and potential water quality impacts. Differences vary with type of tillage system, soils, geographic region, and the farmer's management. The purpose of this review is to provide material to decisionmakers that points out the assets and liabilities of the various CT systems. Tillage effects on soil characteristics and plant growth are presented and include a discussion of soil moisture and temperature, weed and insect control, nutrient availability, and yields. Water quality aspects are addressed through a discussion of the effects CT systems have on sediment, water, pesticide, and phosphorus loss.This work was supported by the Soil Science Department, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V, Chicago, Illinois. (Grant No. G005139-01).     

AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM: AN EVALUATION1

The Agricultural Conservation Program (ACP), is undergoing a new, rigorous evaluation to determine its effectiveness in conserving the Nation's agricultural soils and waters. ACP deals with many types of conservation practices, but the focus here is on the evaluation of soil and water related practices. ACP has depended heavily on the State and private forestry services, Soil Conservation Service, and the Cooperative Extension Services, for technical expertise. Thus, the process is an evaluation of the effectiveness of a “team of agencies,” as well as of the program itself. Results of the evaluation have helped to develop new thrusts which have moved ACP further into the position of treating the total conservation problem. Phase I has its limitations. It did not address the impact of wind erosion, water quality, change in productive capacity, soil quality, wildlife habitat, off site and farm income impacts. It does show that ACP has and is doing a very good job in meeting its stated purposes. It is clear that ACP's effectiveness can be improved with more and better advanced planning and more intensive use of soil maps, the USLE, and other scientific tools. ACP is headed in this direction.     

Understanding the social impacts of enforcement activities on illegal wildlife trade in China

Illegal wildlife trade enforcement is a cornerstone conservation strategy worldwide, yet we have a limited understanding on its social impacts. Using Chinese online wildlife seizure news (2003–2018), we evaluated the interactions among enforcement operations, news frequency, and social engagement (i.e., whistle-blowing) frequency. Our results showed that intensive enforcement operations, which commenced after 2012, have social impacts by increasing the frequency of all seizure news significantly by 28% [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 5%, 51%] and those via whistle-blowing by 24% [95% CI: 2%, 45%], when compared to counterfactual models where possible confounding factors were accounted for. Furthermore, we revealed the potential interaction between enforcement seizure news with and without social engagement, and the consequential social feedback process. Of the species identified from ‘whistle-blowing’ news, up to 28% are considered as high conservation priorities. Overall, we expanded our understanding of the enforcement impacts to social dimensions, which could contribute to improving the cost-effectiveness of such conservation efforts.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01686-9.     

江苏自然保护区现状及其可持续发展对策的探讨

建立自然保护区是对生物多样性进行就地保护的重要措施。笔者在对江苏省盐城、大丰国家级自然保护区调查的基础上,分析了江苏省自然保护区在经济发展、法制建设、管理体制、资金及社区建设等方面面临的问题,并提出自然保护区可持续发展的相应对策。