Quantifying species recovery and conservation success to develop an IUCN Green List of Species

Stopping declines in biodiversity is critically important, but it is only a first step toward achieving more ambitious conservation goals. The absence of an objective and practical definition of species recovery that is applicable across taxonomic groups leads to inconsistent targets in recovery plans and frustrates reporting and maximization of conservation impact. We devised a framework for comprehensively assessing species recovery and conservation success. We propose a definition of a fully recovered species that emphasizes viability, ecological functionality, and representation; and use counterfactual approaches to quantify degree of recovery. This allowed us to calculate a set of 4 conservation metrics that demonstrate impacts of conservation efforts to date (conservation legacy); identify dependence of a species on conservation actions (conservation dependence); quantify expected gains resulting from conservation action in the medium term (conservation gain); and specify requirements to achieve maximum plausible recovery over the long term (recovery potential). These metrics can incentivize the establishment and achievement of ambitious conservation targets. We illustrate their use by applying the framework to a vertebrate, an invertebrate, and a woody and an herbaceous plant. Our approach is a preliminary framework for an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List of Species, which was mandated by a resolution of IUCN members in 2012. Although there are several challenges in applying our proposed framework to a wide range of species, we believe its further development, implementation, and integration with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species will help catalyze a positive and ambitious vision for conservation that will drive sustained conservation action.     

THEORY AND REALITY IN ALLOCATING FEDERAL RESOURCES TO WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT1

ABSTRACT: Federal spending on water resource development projects exceeds $10 billion annually. This paper examines the economic theory and practice on which the Federal water resource development plans are based. Existing theoretical and applied problems result in overinvestment. These include 1) no standard of value for the tradeoff of environmental objectives with economic objectives; 2) benefits based on “willingness to pay,” but beneficiaries pay only a fraction of a project's costs; 3) beneficiaries “shop around” among program purposes in order to reduce their commitments; and 4) benefit/cost (B/C) analyses are based on a discount rate, which is consistently below the Federal borrowing rate. Furthermore, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) frequently finds that the agency regulations are inadequate and result in inconsistent and questionable benefit computations. The President has proposed a series of water policy reforms, to reduce some of the apparent overinvestment in water resource development, but fundmental corrective action rests with the members of Congress.     

水滑石及其焙烧产物对阴离子染料酸性蓝-80的吸附

研究了水滑石(HT)及其焙烧产物(HTC)对阴离子染料酸性蓝-80的吸附特征.结果表明,在常见染料废水浓度范围内,HTC的吸附量和吸附速率都明显大于HT,HTC的吸附等温线和动力学分别符合Langmuir等温方程和粒间扩散模型.HTC对阴离子染料的去除受无机阴离子(Cl-, SO2-4 和CO2-3)的影响较小,阴离子表面活性剂十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)的存在能明显降低酸性蓝-80的吸附量.吸附量随温度的升高明显下降.     

Time discounting and the decision to protect areas that are near and threatened or remote and cheap to acquire

Should conservation organizations focus on protecting habitats that are at imminent risk of being converted but are expensive or more remote areas that are less immediately threatened but where a large amount of land can be set aside? Variants of this trade‐off commonly arise in spatial planning. I used models of land‐use change near a deforestation frontier to examine this trade‐off. The optimal choice of where to protect was determined by how decisions taken today accounted for ecological benefits and economic costs of conservation actions that would occur sometime in the future. I used an ecological and economic discount rate to weight these benefits and costs. A large economic discount rate favored protecting more remote areas, whereas a large, positive ecological discount rate favored protecting habitat near the current deforestation frontier. The decision over where to protect was also affected by the influence economic factors had on landowners' decisions, the rate of technological change, and ecological heterogeneity of the landscape. How benefits and costs through time are accounted for warrants careful consideration when specifying conservation objectives. It may provide a niche axis along which conservation organizations differentiate themselves when competing for donor funding or other support.     

Tween-80对生物淋滤法去除垃圾焚烧飞灰中重金属的影响

通过接种氧化硫硫杆菌和序批式培养试验,研究了不同浓度表面活性剂Tween-80对飞灰生物淋滤过程中重金属溶出的影响.Tween-80的作用表现为:低质量浓度促进,高质量浓度抑制,最佳质量浓度约为1.5g/L.ρ(Tween-80)为1.5 g/L时可显著提高元素硫的生物氧化速率,加速飞灰浆液的酸化,从而提高飞灰中重金属的溶出(去除)率.但是当ρ(Tween-80)超过3.0 g/L时,将对硫杆菌的生长与增殖产生抑制甚至毒害效应,使生物淋滤反应不能顺利进行.结果表明:在常规的飞灰生物淋滤处理中添加1.5g/L的Tween-80,经过15 d的淋滤,Cd,Zn,Cu与Pb的去除率最高分别达到87.1%,81.8%,72.3%与31.9%;而不加Tween-80的对照组,4种重金属的去除率分别为84.0%,74.4%,67.5%与27.1%.      

超声冲击处理改善X80管线钢环焊缝接头疲劳性能研究

目的 验证超声冲击处理(UIT)对X80钢管环缝焊接接头疲劳性能的延寿效果。方法 分别开展X80管线钢GMAW自动焊环缝超声冲击前后的疲劳试验,根据国际焊接学会(IIW)的规范处理试验数据,并对结果进行对比。结果 稳定地控制管道内壁焊根区域的显微未熔合等焊接缺陷,是保证X80管线钢环焊缝具有优异抗疲劳性能的关键延寿途径之一。采用最大应力固定为屈服强度+全厚度小尺寸试件的焊接接头疲劳试验方法能够替代足尺寸或全尺寸焊接结构疲劳试验,也适用于评价超声冲击处理焊接接头的疲劳性能。在严格控制错边量的前提下,X80管线钢GMAW环缝可以达到BS7608 D级设计曲线要求。结论 超声冲击处理可以显著提高X80管线钢环缝接头的疲劳性能,大约延长疲劳寿命4~10倍左右。     

共存物及其投加方式对Tween 80 在中砂上吸附损失的影响

通过静态吸附实验,研究了25℃条件下,表面活性剂冲洗液Tween 80在中砂上的吸附,以及CaCl2、SDS和木质素磺酸盐(木质素磺酸钠和木质素磺酸铵)对其吸附量的影响.结果表明,向Tween 80溶液中加入CaCl2和SDS都可以显著增加其吸附量.投加量越多,吸附量越大,当投加量达到一定程度后,吸附达到饱和,不会继续增大.SDS以预吸附的方式注入同样会导致Tween 80吸附量升高.而木质素磺酸盐与Tween 80共混则可大大降低Tween 80的吸附量.随着投加量的增加,Tween 80吸附量明显下降.在低投加比例(1:10)时,木质索磺酸铵效果较好,可以减少20%-75%的吸附量.而木质素磺酸钠只能减少10%-60%.当投加较高比例(1:2)时,两者都口1以明显降低Tween 80的吸附量,可达70%-90%.而采用木质素磺酸盐预吸附的方式注入的效果较混合注入要好,相同投加最的情况下,所降低Tween 80的吸附量是混合注入时的1.2-1.8倍.因此.在表面活性剂原位冲洗过程中用木质素磺酸盐进行预冲洗,能够减少表面活性剂吸附量,降低冲洗成本,可以作为原位冲洗过程中降低吸附损失的一种手段.     

Improvement of antifouling characteristics in a bioreactor of polypropylene microporous membrane by the adsorption of Tween 20

Surface modification by physical adsorption of Tween 20 was accomplished on polypropylene microporous membranes(PPMMs). Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(ATR/FT-IR)and field emission scanning electron microscope(FE- SEM)were used to characterize the chemical and morphological changes on the membrane surfaces.Water contact angles and relative pure water fluxes were measured.The data showed that the hydrophilic performance for the modified membranes increased with the increase in the adsorption amount of Tween 20 onto the surface or into the pores of polypropylene microporous membranes.To test the antifouling property of the membranes by the adsorption of Tween 20 in a membrane bioreactor(MBR),filtration for active sludge was performed using synthetic wastewater.With the help of the data of water fluxes and the FE-SEM photos of the modified PPMMs before or after operating in a MBR for about 12 d,the PPMMs with monolayer adsorption of Tween 20 showed higher remained flux and stronger antifouling ability than unmodified membrane and other modification membranes studied.     

微生物对芘和苯并[a]芘污染土壤的修复

将枯草芽孢杆菌、白腐真菌和分离筛选菌群分别用于芘和苯并[a]芘污染土壤的修复,比较其修复性能,并对表面活性物剂Tween80和葡萄糖对修复效果的影响规律做了初步探讨.结果表明,60 d时,枯草芽孢杆菌和分离筛选菌修复芘污染的土壤,芘的残留率分别为7.58%±0.59%和8.69%±61.35%,空白残留率为48.18%...     

白腐菌锰过氧化物酶对2,2’,4,4’-四溴联苯醚的降解

多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)是一类在环境中普遍存在的全球性有机污染物,对这类污染物环境行为的研究虽然已有较多报道,但是微生物降解方面尤其是针对单一胞外酶降解的研究还比较少。文章以白腐菌模式菌种Phanerochaete chrysosporium为对象,研究其分泌的胞外酶锰过氧化物酶(MnP)对环境中最常检测到的2,2’,4,4’-四溴联苯醚(BDE47)的好氧降解,考察不同β-环糊精浓度对该酶降解BDE47的影响,并初步探讨了胞内细胞色素P450的作用。结果表明,MnP能有效降解BDE47,在培养15 d后,扣除空白损失,降解率达到70%左右。低浓度和高浓度的环糊精对MnP降解BDE47无显著性影响。胞内细胞色素P450对BDE47的降解没有明显贡献。