Livelihood change and livelihood sustainability in the uplands of Lembang subwatershed, West Sumatra, Indonesia, in a changing natural resource management context

This paper analyzes livelihood change and livelihood sustainability of households in the upland part of the Lembang subwatershed, West Sumatra, in response to changes in the natural resource management context during the last decade. Using the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF), we measured livelihood changes at two separate points in time, 1996 and 2006, and assessed their environmental, economic, social, and institutional sustainability. We found that people with a low income had less access to capital assets than people from middle- and high-income groups. Our analysis revealed, however, that access to capital assets increased over time, and that poor households experienced economic improvement, indicating an overall increase in economic sustainability. Environmental sustainability, however, is threatened by intensive agricultural practices such as high agrochemical input and intensive soil tillage on steep slopes, leading to pollution and soil erosion. Social sustainability is also a matter of concern: while social exclusion has been reduced, income inequity has increased. Institutional sustainability is likely to remain uncertain, as local institutions for natural resource management are still weak, despite the fact that decentralization has been implemented during the last 8 years. External facilitation is needed to improve the livelihood of upland people while, at the same time, enhancing the sustainability of watershed management. Strengthening local institutions, conserving natural resources, and promoting environmentally sound agricultural practices are the three most important policies to be promoted within the watershed.     

Assessing the Potential Impacts to Riparian Ecosystems Resulting from Hemlock Mortality in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is spreading across forests in eastern North America, causing mortality of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis [L.] Carr.) and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana Engelm.). The loss of hemlock from riparian forests in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) may result in significant physical, chemical, and biological alterations to stream environments. To assess the influence of riparian hemlock stands on stream conditions and estimate possible impacts from hemlock loss in GSMNP, we paired hardwood- and hemlock-dominated streams to examine differences in water temperature, nitrate concentrations, pH, discharge, and available photosynthetic light. We used a Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify stream pairs that were similar in topography, geology, land use, and disturbance history in order to isolate forest type as a variable. Differences between hemlock- and hardwood-dominated streams could not be explained by dominant forest type alone as forest type yields no consistent signal on measured conditions of headwater streams in GSMNP. The variability in the results indicate that other landscape variables, such as the influence of understory Rhododendron species, may exert more control on stream conditions than canopy composition. The results of this study suggest that the replacement of hemlock overstory with hardwood species will have minimal impact on long-term stream conditions, however disturbance during the transition is likely to have significant impacts. Management of riparian forests undergoing hemlock decline should, therefore, focus on facilitating a faster transition to hardwood-dominated stands to minimize long-term effects on water quality.     

文化景观遗产的可持续发展浅析——以杭州西湖为例

文化景观是自然、文化和历史的完美结合体,文化景观遗产的设立不但改变了世界遗产对价值的认识,而且拓宽了世界遗产的实践领域。从世界文化景观遗产入手,分析了它的分布现状及其原因;介绍了我国两项文化景观遗产之一的西湖,同时利用SWOT分析法对西湖进行分析,总结西湖的可持续发展趋势。通过综合分析,提出我国文化景观申遗和保护的建议。     

乌蒙山山脉药用植物资源调查研究

通过野外考察、标本采集、资料查阅整理及标本鉴定,对乌蒙山山脉药用植物资源进行了调查。结果表明,乌蒙山山脉共有药用植物272科1189属3184种（含变种和亚种）,其中地衣植物8科9属13种、苔藓植物40科74属116种、蕨类植物45科108属358种、裸子植物10科22属37种、被子植物169科976属2660种。对其物种组成、生态类型、分布、优势科属、药用部位、功效等进行了统计分析,对常用中药、国家重点保护野生药材、民间习用药物进行了简要介绍,并对其开发利用提出了建议。     

Is tourism damaging ecosystems in the Andes? Current knowledge and an agenda for future research

Despite the popularity of tourism and recreation in the Andes in South America and the regions conservation value, there is limited research on the ecological impacts of these types of anthropogenic use. Using a systematic quantitative literature review method, we found 47 recreation ecology studies from the Andes, 25 of which used an experimental design. Most of these were from the Southern Andes in Argentina (13 studies) or Chile (eight studies) with only four studies from the Northern Andes. These studies documented a range of impacts on vegetation, birds and mammals; including changes in plant species richness, composition and vegetation cover and the tolerance of wildlife of visitor use. There was little research on the impacts of visitors on soils and aquatic systems and for some ecoregions in the Andes. We identify research priorities across the region that will enhance management strategies to minimise visitor impacts in Andean ecosystems.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-014-0550-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The effect of nitrogen additions on oak foliage and herbivore communities at sites with high and low atmospheric pollution

To evaluate plant and herbivore responses to nitrogen we conducted a fertilization study at a low and high pollution site in the mixed conifer forests surrounding Los Angeles, California. Contrary to expectations, discriminant function analysis of oak herbivore communities showed significant response to N fertilization when atmospheric deposition was high, but not when atmospheric deposition was low. We hypothesize that longer-term fertilization treatments are needed at the low pollution site before foliar N nutrition increases sufficiently to affect herbivore communities. At the high pollution site, fertilization was also associated with increased catkin production and higher densities of a byturid beetle that feeds on the catkins of oak. Leaf nitrogen and nitrate were significantly higher at the high pollution site compared to the low pollution site. Foliar nitrate concentrations were positively correlated with abundance of sucking insects, leafrollers and plutellids in all three years of the study.     

Sustainability Assessment of Future Scenarios: Methodology and Application to Mountain Areas of Europe

BioScene (scenarios for reconciling biodiversity conservation with declining agriculture use in mountain areas in Europe) was a three-year project (2002–2005) funded by the European Union’s Fifth Framework Programme, and aimed to investigate the implications of agricultural restructuring and decline for biodiversity conservation in the mountain areas of Europe. The research took a case study approach to the analysis of the biodiversity processes and outcomes of different scenarios of agri-environmental change in six countries (France, Greece, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) covering the major biogeographical regions of Europe. The project was coordinated by Imperial College London, and each study area had a multidisciplinary team including ecologists and social and economic experts, which sought a comprehensive understanding of the drivers for change and their implications for sustainability. A key component was the sustainability assessment (SA) of the alternative scenarios. This article discusses the development and application of the SA methodology developed for BioScene. While the methodology was objectives-led, it was also strongly grounded in baseline ecological and socio-economic data. This article also describes the engagement of stakeholder panels in each study area and the use of causal chain analysis for understanding the likely implications for land use and biodiversity of strategic drivers of change under alternative scenarios for agriculture and rural policy and for biodiversity management. Finally, this article draws conclusions for the application of SA more widely, its use with scenarios, and the benefits of stakeholder engagement in the SA process.     

Water Footprint of the Palestinians in the West Bank1

Abstract: Water in the West Bank of Palestine is a key issue due to its limited availability. Water is used from own sources for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Moreover, water is consumed in its virtual form through consumption of imported goods, such as crops and livestock, the production of which used water in the country of production. In addition, wastewater in many parts of the West Bank is disposed off without treatment into the wadis, deteriorating the quality of the water resources in the area and, therefore, further reducing the quantity of good quality water available. This paper calculates the water footprint for the West Bank. The consumption component of the water footprint of the West Bank was found to be 2,791 million m³/year. Approximately 52% of this is virtual water consumed through imported goods. The West Bank per capita consumption component of the water footprint was found to be 1,116 m³/cap/year, while the global average is 1,243 m³/cap/year. Out of this number 50 m³/cap/year was withdrawn from water resources available in the area. Only 16 m³/cap/year (1.4%) was used for domestic purposes. This number is extremely low and only 28% of the global average and 21% of the Israeli domestic water use. The contamination component of the water footprint was not quantified but was believed to be many times larger than the consumption component. According to the official definition of water scarcity, the West Bank is suffering from a severe water scarcity. Therefore, there is a need for a completely new approach towards water management in the West Bank, whereby return flows are viewed as a resource and that is geared towards a conservation oriented approach of “use, treat, and reuse.”     

西部山地小城镇经济模式生态化问题

当前西部山地区域小城镇经济基础普遍薄弱,并且随着城镇化的进一步加快,以及人们急于摆脱贫困所采取的非生态化行为愈演愈烈,山地生态环境系统所承受的压力日益加剧,因此当前在西部山地小城镇正面临着经济发展与生态环境系统维护的双重挑战。通过分析西部山地小城镇发展的基本现实,指出经济模式与生态环境系统相互协调的重要意义,并阐述了小城镇经济模式选择所应具有的生态化思维。在此基础上,提出了实现西部山地小城镇经济模式生态化的对策,应致力于转变传统的乡村工业发展模式、推进产业结构的调整和以现代产业化方式发展生态农业。     

四川白河自然保护区大熊猫对生境的利用

利用路线法在野外调查了四川九寨沟县白河自然保护区：109个样点的大熊猫粪便等痕迹及其所处生境的特征，共发现有29个大熊猫活动样点，其中，大熊猫粪便样点27个、食迹样点2个．把各样点的各种生境特征作为因素，把每一因素的不同情况设置为水平，进行独立性检验．检验的结果表明白河的大熊猫：1)主要在halt2600～3120m取食；2)偏好在有水源的生境活动；3)对坡向有明显的选择性；4)对华西箭竹有明显的偏好，且在生长良好、盖度较高的生境活动频繁；5)明显回避有挖药活动的生境，偏好在没有人类干扰的生境活动。