Protection versus culture-driven exploitation of wild plant resources: the case on Changbai Mountain

Under Chinese culture it is believed that herbal medicine is always safe and wild food is always healthy. Generally, the rarer a plant, the higher its value. The booming economy in China has promoted tourism development in wilderness areas and wild medicinal and food plants are part of the attraction to tourists. Conflicts between wild plant exploitation and protection have emerged in many parts of China, such as Changbai Mountain. Changbai Mountain supports numerous medicinal and food plants but many have become rare and endangered. This paper numerically evaluates 30 plant species that have relatively high conservation value for each type (medicinal, ornamental and food), and briefly describes the uses of four to five top ranked species per type that need more protection on Changbai Mountain. This paper also addresses some tree species with important timber values on Changbai Mountain. Over 90% of China's medicinal, ornamental and food plant species, as well as valuable timber trees are found in the conifer–broadleaf mixed forest zone across the boundary of Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve. It is a major challenge to protect the native biodiversity of mixed forest on Changbai Mountain and more efforts need to be made to protect rare and endangered plant species with high economic value.     

Wild plants in everyday use: conservation towards sustainable livelihoods in Nigeria

SUMMARY

Despite the declining volumes of biotic resources flowing from natural ecosystems, no sustainable rural-based programmes have been put in place to stabilize habitats and diversify products to meet the needs and livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence that agricultural expansion and rising demands for forest resources are increasingly depleting the forests. Within these extremes, daily used wild plants that sustain rural communities are under threat of over-exploitation.

This study identified major daily used wild plants in rural environments, examined their use categories, and suggested suitable ways to conserve these plants in order to improve the biodiversity capital and stabilize rural livelihoods. Results of data analysis showed that: (i) about 96 species of wild plants were in daily use for food, energy, medicine, shelter and cultural festivals; (ii) the management and utilization of daily used wild plants were based on traditional knowledge that had become inefficient as a result of resource scarcity and loss of habitats. In these circumstances, resource utilisation is leading to the loss of species; (iii) the resource users were willing to conserve wild plants on private lands to meet their ways of life. The success of wild plant conservation however, hinges on the provision of infrastructures for smallholder farmers who are willing to plant trees on their lands. There is urgent need for those responsible for conserving the forests and the environment (Federal Ministry of Environment) to design and implement suitable programmes that will accommodate the needs of the rural people in conserving wild plants in daily use in the country.     

Biogeographical distribution of acidophiles and their effects around the Zijinshan heap bioleaching plant

The Zijin heap bioleaching plant started operation by the end of 2005; due to the proximity of the Ting River, concerns rose about the migration of acidophiles outside of the heap. In this study, 53 soil samples and 51 liquid samples were collected, and the biogeographical distribution of acidophiles was investigated using clone libraries and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the physicochemical characteristics were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP). The results indicated the bioleaching system had some influence on the surrounding environment. Both microbial community and physiochemical index emerged correlation with distance of sampling sites from bioleaching system, mainly limited in the zone 30?m outside bioleaching system. Correlation analysis indicated the migration of different acidophiles was influenced by different factors. Leptospirillum had higher migration capability than the other acidophiles, and such migration capability was one of the important influence factors for its distribution. Environment factors and survival ability were the key influence factors for Acidithiobacillus, Sulfobacillus and Ferroplasma to survive in the surrounding environment.     

太湖流域河流及溪流大型底栖动物群落结构及影响因素

2012年10月对太湖流域93个样点大型底栖动物进行调查,分析西部丘陵水生态功能区和东部平原水生态功能区底栖动物群落结构及其与环境因子的关系.共采集到底栖动物104种,隶属4门8纲19目46科85属.各样点的底栖动物总密度差别很大,介于1.33~39080ind./m2.西部丘陵区的物种丰富度、物种多样性均高于东部平原区.东部平原区的优势种主要为铜锈环棱螺和霍甫水丝蚓等耐污种,而西部丘陵区的优势种中包括清洁种(毛翅目和蜉蝣目幼虫).相似性分析结果表明2个生态区底栖动物群落具有显著差异,铜锈环棱螺、霍甫水丝蚓、锯齿新米虾、大沼螺、苏氏尾鳃蚓等是造成2生态区之间群落结构差异的主要原因.典范对应分析结果表明影响底栖动物群落结构的主要因素为栖境多样性、营养状态及底质异质性.Goodnight-Whitley指数和BPI指数评价结果表明西部丘陵区整体处于轻污染状态,而东部平原区大部分采样点处于轻污染状态和中污染状态,部分采样点处于重污染状态.     

Safeguarding Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in the Little Karoo,South Africa

Abstract: Global declines in biodiversity and the widespread degradation of ecosystem services have led to urgent calls to safeguard both. Responses to this urgency include calls to integrate the needs of ecosystem services and biodiversity into the design of conservation interventions. The benefits of such integration are purported to include improvements in the justification and resources available for these interventions. Nevertheless, additional costs and potential trade‐offs remain poorly understood in the design of interventions that seek to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. We sought to investigate the synergies and trade‐offs in safeguarding ecosystem services and biodiversity in South Africa's Little Karoo. We used data on three ecosystem services—carbon storage, water recharge, and fodder provision—and data on biodiversity to examine several conservation planning scenarios. First, we investigated the amount of each ecosystem service captured incidentally by a conservation plan to meet targets for biodiversity only while minimizing opportunity costs. We then examined the costs of adding targets for ecosystem services into this conservation plan. Finally, we explored trade‐offs between biodiversity and ecosystem service targets at a fixed cost. At least 30% of each ecosystem service was captured incidentally when all of biodiversity targets were met. By including data on ecosystem services, we increased the amount of services captured by at least 20% for all three services without additional costs. When biodiversity targets were reduced by 8%, an extra 40% of fodder provision and water recharge were obtained and 58% of carbon could be captured for the same cost. The opportunity cost (in terms of forgone production) of safeguarding 100% of the biodiversity targets was about US$500 million. Our results showed that with a small decrease in biodiversity target achievement, substantial gains for the conservation of ecosystem services can be achieved within our biodiversity priority areas for no extra cost.     

日本国家尺度生物多样性监测概况及其启示

为保护地球生物资源,1992年巴西里约热内卢的联合国环境与发展大会签署《生物多样性公约》,1993年正式生效。公约第7条规定了缔约方有履行识别和监测需要保护的重要的生物多样性组成部分之义务。为此,全方位、多层次的生物多样性监测网络在世界各国家和地区得以建立和开展工作。日本作为《生物多样性公约》的缔约国之一,为履约并保护其国内因经济发展而受到严重威胁的自然环境和自然遗产,整合其20世纪70年代开展的“自然环境保护基础调查”和21世纪2003年开始构建的“重要地域生态系统监测网络”,逐步形成了国家尺度的生物多样性监测体系。根据日本生物多样性中心公布的信息与数据,介绍了日本国家尺度生物多样性监测的两项主要工作,即自然环境保护基础调查和重要地域生态系统监测网络;总结了日本国家生物多样性监测的发展历程和主要特点;提出了加强中国生物多样性监测工作的建议。     

The Biodiversity Crisis and Adaptation to Climate Change: A Case Study from Australia's Forests

If current trends continue, human activities will drastically alter most of the planet's remaining natural ecosystems and their composite biota within a few decades. Compounding the impacts on biodiversity from deleterious management practices is climate variability and change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently concluded that there is ample evidence to suggest climate change is likely to result in significant impacts on biological diversity. These impacts are likely to be exacerbated by the secondary effects of climate change such as changes in the occurrence of wildfire, insect outbreaks and similar disturbances. Current changes in climate are very different from those of the past due to their rate and magnitude, the direct effects of increased atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and because highly modified landscapes and an array of threatening processes limit the ability of terrestrial ecosystems and species to respond to changed conditions. One of the primary human adaptation option for conserving biodiversity is considered to be changes in management. The complex and overarching nature of climate change issues emphasises the need for greatly enhanced cooperation between scientists, policy makers, industry and the community to better understand key interactions and identify options for adaptation. A key challenge is to identify opportunities that facilitate sustainable development by making use of existing technologies and developing policies that enhance the resilience of climate-sensitive sectors. Measures to enhance the resilience of biodiversity must be considered in all of these activities if many ecosystem services essential to humanity are to be sustained. New institutional arrangements appear necessary at the regional and national level to ensure that policy initiatives and research directed at assessing and mitigating the vulnerability of biodiversity to climate change are complementary and undertaken strategically and cost-effectively. Policy implementation at the national level to meet responsibilities arising from the UNFCCC (e.g., the Kyoto Protocol) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity require greater coordination and integration between economic sectors, since many primary drivers of biodiversity loss and vulnerability are influenced at this level. A case study from the Australian continent is used to illustrate several key issues and discuss a basis for reform, including recommendations for facilitating adaptation to climate variability and change.     

近40 a秦岭生境质量时空变化特征及驱动机制

运用InVEST模型,研究秦岭生境质量时空变化及驱动机制,以期为秦岭生态文明建设与秦岭区域可持续发展提供理论依据。结果表明：秦岭土地利用方式以林地和草地为主,主要分布于中、西部,耕地与建设用地主要分布在东、南部。人类对秦岭干扰程度在2000年后开始增加,土地利用变幅超过总面积的2%。1980年、1990年、2000年、2010年、2020年,秦岭的平均生境质量（范围0—?1）分别为0.7592、0.7594、0.7586、0.7585、0.7617,均处于“较高”等级。空间分布上,秦岭生境质量中、西部等级高,而东、南部等级低。在像元尺度上,秦岭生境质量较为稳定,显著变化的区域面积仅为2.74%。显著升高的区域主要集中在西南部略阳、勉县等区县,显著降低的区域主要集中在东部的洛南、商州等区县。秦岭的生境质量表现出显著的空间集聚特征,21世纪后,秦岭高质量生境集聚区域面积扩张,低质量的生境集聚区域面积降低。土地利用程度是影响秦岭生境质量最大的驱动因子,与之呈现显著的负相关关系,且影响范围分布于全域。秦岭生境质量的降低源于人类活动引起生境威胁源——建设用地与耕地的扩张,而生境质量的升高可能源于...     

Effects of grassland conversion to croplands on soil organic carbon in the temperate Inner Mongolia

This study investigated the effects of grassland conversion to croplands on soil organic carbon (SOC) in a typical grassland-dominated basin of the Inner Mongolia using direct field samplings. The results indicated that SOC contents decreased usually with increasing soil depth, with significant differences between the upper horizons (0-30cm) and the underlying horizons (30-100cm). Also, SOC densities decreased with an increase in the depth of soils. Average SOC densities in the upper horizons were 2.6-3.7 and 6.0-8.3kgCm(-2) for desert grassland-cropland sites (sites 1 and 2) and meadow-cropland sites (sites 3 and 4), respectively, with significant differences between grasslands and croplands (P<0.05). However, the SOC densities in the underlying horizons did not significantly differ between the land uses. The SOC densities up to 100cm depth were much higher in the meadow-cropland sites than in the desert grassland-cropland sites, reaching approximately 16 and 6kgCm(-2), respectively. The SOC: total nitrogen (TN) ratios were approximately 10, with no significant difference among the soil horizons of grasslands and croplands. The conversion of grasslands to croplands induced a slight loss of SOC, with a range of from -4% to 22% for the 0-100cm soil depth over about a 35-year period, in the temperate Inner Mongolia.     

战略环境影响评价中生物多样性影响评价特点

随着战略环境影响评价（Strategic Environmental Assessment,简称SEA）的发展,SEA被越来越广泛地用于生物多样性影响评价。由于受人类对生物多样性的研究和认识水平的限制,目前在国内外还没有成熟的方法用于生物多样性的影响评价,以致于生物多样性的影响评价内容不够具体和全面。从生物多样性的景观、生态系统、物种和基因4个层次分析了生物多样性影响评价在SEA中应用的限制因素。在此基础上,提出景观层次影响评价可以通过寻求易于测度的关键景观要素进行评价,宏观把握景观变化给生物多样性带来的影响趋势;生态系统层次影响评价应充分考虑各种替代方案的比较,避免敏感目标的生物多样性重大损失;物种层次的影响评价选择重要的目标物种作为主要评价依据;受研究水平限制,基因层次的影响评价还不具有普遍意义。