Are indigenous forest reserves sustainable? An analysis of present and future land-use trends in Bosawas,Nicaragua

SUMMARY

In recent years, indigenous tenure over forest lands has emerged as a means to conserve forests while recognizing indigenous rights. There is concern, however, that indigenous reserves may not be an appropriate policy tool for sustained forest conservation. Our research examined how recognition of indigenous common-property rights has controlled agricultural expansion and conserved forests in Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, Nicaragua. We used satellite imagery with empirical data gathered in the field on land-use institutions, population pressures, and land-use practices to compare whether indigenous communities under territorial management or public management are better able to (1) control the ‘fast threat’ of frontier expansion and (2) address the long-term ecological threats posed by indigenous land-use practices and institutional changes in the region. Our findings are that indigenous residents who share common-property rights over their territories are better able to control agricultural expansion than are indigenous residents living on public lands. With respect to the long-term threats to the region, a series of simulations of possible land-use pressures demonstrate that the enforcement of territorial boundaries and further development of indigenous forest management rules will prove crucial in determining land-use capacity and deforestation over the next 50 years.     

Facilitating resilient rural-to-urban sustainable agriculture and rural communities

ABSTRACT

This article contributes to efforts to validate a common set of parameters and principles of sustainable agriculture. Comparisons between alternative forms of sustainable agriculture and rural-to-urban community resilience are investigated. Conclusions are drawn between multiple sustainable/alternative agriculture systems and evaluated. A set of common baseline parameters and principles is proposed as a method of evolving a common structural framework for strengthening sustainability of agriculture and rural contexts. Concepts of rural-to-urban community sustainability are proposed, supporting sustainable agriculture contexts as rural and urban. In the twenty-first century, agriculture is becoming more diversified and less typified as a rural occupation. Urban agriculture is expanding as the need for fresh, affordable, accessible agriculture produce increases in urban areas. Evidence supports symbiotic relationships between sustainable agriculture and rural/urban communities, although some claim this relationship has not been clearly defined.

This article investigates sustainable agriculture from two perspectives. We ask ‘what are common parameters and principles of the various forms of sustainable agriculture,’ and ‘why urban-to-rural context.’ Organic agriculture parameters and principles are proposed as a conceptual framework toward establishing baseline parameters and principles for sustainable agriculture. Best management parameters of urban and rural sustainable agriculture in the United States and the United Kingdom are examined for their potential to develop a strengthening framework of parameters and principles of agriculture and rural-to-urban sustainability. These results are compared and evaluated for their effectiveness in redefining current sustainable agriculture practices, and their value in strengthening sustainable agriculture symbiosis with rural-to-urban community systems.     

Rehabilitation of degraded community lands for sustainable development in Himalaya: a case study in Garhwal Himalaya,India

SUMMARY

An approach to the rehabilitation of degraded community lands built on people's perceptions and traditional knowledge was developed, implemented on a small scale (6 ha plot), and evaluated in terms of economic and ecological costs and benefits over a period of 5 years in a mid-altitude (1200 m) village of Garhwal Himalaya. Rehabilitation comprised establishment of water harvesting tanks, organic management of soil, agroforestry (native multipurpose trees t traditional crops), and decision making by the whole village community. Costs and benefits under irrigated and unirrigated conditions were compared. The total cost of establishing the irrigated agroforestry system was 1.23 fold that of the unirrigated one, whereas the total benefit was 2.09 fold. The average standing above-ground biomass of the 4-year-old plantation in the irrigated agroforestry system was 11.69 t/ha compared to 8.34 t/ha in the unirrigated system. Improvement in soil properties was more pronounced in the irrigated system than in the unirrigated one. Nutrient input, an input derived largely from forest biomass, in the unirrigated system was nearly 3 times higher than that in the irrigated system. It is concluded that, considering the local and national/regional/global interests in an integrated manner, agroforestry incorporating water management would be a more effective option for rehabilitating degraded community lands than the afforestation currently being attempted by the government in the mid-altitudes of Indian Himalaya.     

不同轮作制度下施肥对冬小麦田间杂草群落及小麦生长的影响

为探讨不同轮作制度下长期施肥对冬小麦Triticum aestivum L.田间杂草及小麦生长的影响,我们在三个长期田间肥效试验定位点,研究3种轮作制度下(冬小麦-大豆Glycine max (L.) Merr.(WS)、冬小麦-夏玉米Zea Mays L.(WM)、冬小麦-中稻Oryza sativa(WR))长期不同施肥模式对冬小麦田间杂草群落及小麦生长的影响.研究表明,在3种轮作制度下,平衡施加N、P、K肥或者NPK肥配施有机肥均可以显著降低冬小麦田杂草密度、地上生物量和田间光照透过率,促进冬小麦生长,并提高冬小麦产量和地上生物量;而且在冬小麦-大豆轮作和冬小麦-中稻轮作的冬小麦田中平衡施加N、P和K肥可以在控制杂草密度的同时保持一个较均一的杂草群落.3种轮作制度下各指标相对值比较发现,3种轮作制度改变施肥对冬小麦田间光照透过率影响程度的顺序与3种轮作制度改变冬小麦田中施肥对杂草密度和地上生物量影响程度的顺序相同;另外,在冬小麦-大豆轮作和冬小麦-中稻轮作制度下杂草密度与冬小麦田间光照透过率之间的相关系数也很高(R≥0.7906),说明施肥对冬小麦田间光照透过率的改变可能是施肥影响冬小麦田间杂草群落的主要途径之一.轮作制度改变冬小麦田中施肥对优势杂草种类数和杂草生物多样性影响的程度差别不大,这可能是因为轮作改变施肥对田间杂草的影响并没有达到引起田间杂草物种消亡的程度.结果表明,在3种轮作制度中施肥对冬小麦田间杂草群落及小麦生长的影响虽有差异,但都显示出施肥在抑制田间杂草发生、维持杂草生物多样性和提高作物产量上的作用.     

土默川平原不同盐渍化土壤酶活性特征的研究

为探讨土默川平原不同盐渍化程度土壤酶活性的特征,选取轻度、中度、重度盐渍化土壤为对象,采用滴定法、比色法研究了0～40 cm土壤蔗糖酶、过氧化氢酶、脲酶、碱性磷酸酶4种酶活性不同季节的变化特征。结果表明:随盐渍化程度加剧,4种酶活性均呈现逐渐降低的趋势,蔗糖酶活性变化在0.65～36.55 mg·g-1、过氧化氢酶活性变化在2.76～3.35 mL·g-1、脲酶活性变化在0.003～0.018 mg·g-1、碱性磷酸酶活性变化在0.10～0.98 mg·g-1;土壤蔗糖酶、脲酶、碱性磷酸酶随土层加深酶活性降低,而过氧化氢酶活性表现为20～40 cm土层高于0～20 cm;不同盐渍化程度土壤酶活性的季节性变化趋势不同,过氧化氢酶和蔗糖酶活性的季节性变化呈先升高后下降的趋势,脲酶和碱性磷酸酶活性的季节性变化呈先升高后下降再升高再下降的趋势,碱性磷酸酶随时间的推移酶活性逐渐上升,且土壤酶活性出现峰值也不同,蔗糖酶和脲酶出现在8月,过氧化氢酶出现在7月,碱性磷酸酶出现在9月;不同盐渍化程度土壤酶活性在一个生长季内变化幅度表现为轻度>中度>重度盐渍化;不同盐渍化土壤碱性磷酸酶与脲酶、蔗糖酶活性呈极显著正相关,与过氧化氢酶活性呈极显著负相关,蔗糖酶与脲酶活性呈极显著正相关。因此,土默川平原不同盐渍化程度土壤酶活性及其季节性变化差异显著,土壤盐分含量影响着该地区土壤酶活性的变化。     

Foundations of community disaster resilience: well-being,identity, services,and capitals

If community disaster resilience is to mature into a robust and lasting area of research, methodologically facilitated dialogue between empirical observations and theory is necessary. However, methodological and empirical research has outpaced community disaster resilience theory. To address this gap, a theoretical framework called WISC is presented. WISC is named after four constructs of the framework: well-being, identity, services, and capitals. WISC relates the two concepts of community and infrastructure, broadly defined, to the four constructs it is named after. The 4 constructs are respectively defined by 29 variables. The broadest interpretation of WISC is that infrastructure supports and facilitates components of community within human settlements. Infrastructure is represented as combinations of capitals and services; community is represented by connections of identity and well-being. Ultimately, well-being of a community is dependent on that community's collective capital. But these two constructs are mediated by the intervening constructs of identity and services. WISC goes beyond existing frameworks by addressing essential elements of theory building that have been overlooked in the literature, while synthesizing other frameworks and areas of knowledge. WISC provides a powerful foundation for posing and evaluating hypotheses, improving data collection efforts, and, most importantly, enabling critical theory building.     

A review of coastal community vulnerabilities toward resilience benefits from disaster reduction measures

The coast has always been an area of significant hazards. In situations of community self-sufficiency, consequences of coastal hazards might be isolated to regions directly affected by the hazard. But, in the current global economy, fewer and fewer communities are isolated; damage to one location frequently has consequences around the globe and coastal community resilience can have broad-reaching benefits. Hazard responses for the built coastal environment have typically been resistance: constructing stronger buildings, enhancing natural barriers or creating artificial barriers. These approaches to hazard reduction through coastal engineering and shoreline defence efforts have been crucial to sustained coastal development. However, as coastal forces continue or magnify and resources become scarcer, resistance alone may be less effective or even unsustainable, and interest in resilience has grown. Resilience is a community's ability either to absorb destructive forces without loss of service or function, or to recover quickly from disasters. Community resilience encompasses multiple elements, ranging from governance to structural design, risk knowledge, prevention, warning systems and recovery. This paper focuses on hazards of coastal communities, and provides a review of some recent engineering efforts to improve the resilience elements of risk knowledge and disaster warnings for coastal disaster reduction.     

云南高原常见湖滨湿地植物群落对生活污水氮的净化研究

湿地植物具有净化水质的特殊功能,研究不同湿地植物群落对生活污水净化效果及机理,对退化湿地的恢复与人工湿地的构建具有重要的理论和现实意义。选取小黑三棱＋杉叶藻＋荇菜（Com.Sparganium simplex＋Hippuris vulgaris＋Nymphoidespeltatum）、水葱＋睡菜＋荇菜（Com.Scirpus validus＋Menyanthes trifoliate＋Nymphoides peltatum）、菰＋荸荠＋荇菜（Com.Zizaniacaduciflora＋Heleocharis yunnanensis＋Nymphoides peltatum）和香蒲＋睡菜＋眼子菜（Com.Typha przewalskii＋Menyanthestrifoliate＋Potamogeton distinctus）等4种云南高原常见湖滨湿地植物群落作为实验材料进行水质净化模拟研究。结果表明：供试植物都能较好的适应生活污水环境,各植物全株氮质量分数在12.37～19.55 mg.g-1之间,各群落植物氮累积量为229～269 mg.m-2,对生活污水脱氮贡献率为10.11%～11.21%;各群落对生活污水TN的去除率都在75%以上,均显著高于无植物对照组（P〈0.05）,其中水葱＋睡菜＋荇菜（Scirpus validus＋Menyanthes trifoliate＋Nymphoides peltatum）群落对生活污水TN去除效果显著优于其他3种群落（P〈0.05）,去除率高达（93.79±1.27）%;试验期间,各群落污水N03--N与TN浓度之间显著负相关（r=–0.597,P〈0.05）,能很好的揭示氮的去除过程;各群落植物净增生物量与群落TN累积量显著正相关（r=0.953,P〈0.05）,表明收割植物可充分发挥湿地植物的脱氮潜力;植物群落能有效增强和促进湿地系统对污水中氮的净化能力,各植物群落对污水TN去除贡献率在29.24%～43.57%之间,群落内植物生长特性及其种间关系是各植物群落水质净化效果存在显著差异的主要原因。     

植被根系及其土壤理化特征在高寒小嵩草草甸退化演替过程中的变化

以野外样地调查和室内分析法研究了不同退化演替阶段高寒小嵩草草甸的植被根系空间变化和土壤环境因子间的关系。结果表明,不同退化演替阶段高寒小嵩草草甸群落植被根系和蕴育植被根系的土壤量发生了明显的变化。特别是0~10 cm土层的植被根系在重度退化阶段显著高于其它退化演替阶段（P〈0.05）,而蕴育植被根系的＂载体＂量在重度退化阶段显著低于其它退化演替阶段（P〈0.05）,根土比（根和土的重量比）明显高于其它退化演替阶段（P〈0.05）;随着退化演替阶段的进行,高寒小嵩草草甸群落物种数、地上部分、植被根系锐减,群落结构和功能明显发生变化;不同退化演替阶段,植被根系（0~40 cm）的垂直分布、根土比与土壤容重、土壤含水量以及土壤中N、P含量存在一定的相关性;不同退化演替阶段高寒小嵩草草甸土壤理化特性的变化影响草地群落地上部分和植被根系;土壤的稳定性是草地生产稳定和恢复的重要因素,在评价与改良退化草地时,要充分了解土壤的退化程度。在高寒草甸地下根系取样方法难以统一,而且土壤表层根系和土壤很难难以分离,加之根系采样破坏性大、工作量大,根土比可能是指示高寒草甸退化程度相对可靠的量化指标。     

程海藻类植物种群结构和数量的周年变化特征

2009年10月—2010年9月,在程海湖设置了3个断面9个采样点,对程海藻类植物进行了逐月采样调查。结果表明：程海藻类植物种类175种（变种）,种类组成结构特点以硅藻、绿藻、蓝藻为主;数量组成结构特点则是蓝藻占绝对优势,表现出典型的富营养化蓝藻型特征。细胞丰度为390.16×104~51 435.0×104个.L-1之间,年平均4 851.75×104个.L-1。年内时间分布呈现出3次波峰与3次波谷,每一次高峰的出现都伴随着不同种类为主的蓝藻水华暴发;水平分布在种类上无明显差异,数量上则表现出南部断面最低,中部断面次之,北部断面最高;垂直分布以表层最多,底层最低,5.0~20.0 m水柱中差异不明显。与1985年相比,种类组成中硅藻比重下降而蓝绿藻比重上升,一些对环境敏感的种类消失,优势种群发生演变,年内数量变动由单峰型发展为多峰型,湖泊富营养化进一步发展。提出了大力削减入湖污染物、增强湖泊生态系统的功能等控制富营养化的对策建议。