草海湿地生态系统健康评价

贵州省威宁草海是贵州最大的天然高原淡水湖泊,同时也是我国亚热带高原湿地生态系统的典型代表,成为中国西南地区迁徙水禽的重要越冬地和停歇地。但草海湿地生态系统由于人类活动加剧引起的其功能作用会削弱、生物多样性会降低、水体富营养化等生态环境问题多方面的影响导致其表现出明显的生态脆弱性,尤其是在其生态系统的生态环境方面表现尤为突出。如果草海受到多方面的影响不及时加以制止和消除,将直接威胁着草海湿地生态系统的稳定。本文首先从湿地的生态特征、功能和社会经济环境三个方面的30个主要影响草海生态健康的因子进行分析,并对每个因子的健康状况进行调查、分析说明。其次,利用模糊综合评价模型中的层次分析法对草海生态健康影响的30个主要因子进行了整合分析,并对草海现在的健康状况应用平均加权原则进行了评估。最后,针对草海目前的健康状况,对草海今后的防治提出了相关建议。     

氮添加对生长季寒温带针叶林土壤有效氮和酸化的影响

基于低剂量、多形态的N添加控制实验,以大兴安岭寒温带针叶林为研究对象,通过长期持续的原位增N处理,测定了2010年、2012年和2013年生长季初期(5月)和生长旺季(8月)0~10 cm土壤有效氮(NH+4-N和NO-3-N)含量以及土壤p H值.结果表明,生长季初期和生长旺季土壤有效氮均以NH+4-N为主,NO-3-N含量较低,其中NH+4-N含量占无机氮含量的96%以上.随着增N时间的延长,同生长旺季相比,增N对生长季初期0~10 cm土壤NH+4-N影响较为明显,且主要受施N类型影响.与此相反,生长旺季0~10 cm土壤NO-3-N含量高于生长季初期.N输入对生长季初期和生长旺季土壤NO-3-N影响较为明显,且低N处理更倾向于促进0~10 cm土壤NO-3-N的富集.随着时间的延长,土壤NH+4-N和NO-3-N对增N的响应都由前期的不显著向后期的显著转变.增N对生长季初期和生长旺季0~10 cm土壤p H值影响显著,其中低N处理的土壤和生长旺季阶段土壤p H值相对较低.随着增N时间的延长,土壤p H值对增N的响应也由前期的不显著向后期的显著转变.长期持续的增N处理已经使大兴安岭寒温带针叶林0~10 cm土壤产生了明显的酸化.     

土地利用变化下的生态系统服务敏感性研究——以克里雅绿洲为例

通过剖析传统的敏感性分析法,提出交叉敏感性概念,评价生态服务价值对土地利用类型转换的响应性。以克里雅绿洲为研究区域,以1991、2002 和2011 年三期遥感影像数据为基本信息源,运用交叉敏感性分析,计算生态系统服务价值对土地利用类型转换的敏感性,确定生态系统日趋敏感的土地利用变化过程,为土地管理对策提供参考依据。研究结果表明:20 a来,克里雅绿洲生态服务价值较敏感的土地利用转换类型相对稳定,主要集中在湿地和水体向荒漠和低覆盖度草地的转换;与1991 和2011 年相比,2002 年的交叉敏感性系数普遍上升,这主要是因为湿地、水体面积的减少加剧了研究区的生态脆弱性,从而表现出更大的敏感性;湿地和水体向耕地转换的交叉敏感性一直处于上升趋势,并不断接近于-1,表明生态服务价值对高强度的人为活动变得越来越敏感,从而警示地方管理部门采取必要措施制止此种转换的持续。     

HYDROLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING AND SOCIETAL ACTION1

ABSTRACT: Hydrology is both an applied practical science and a pure geophysical science. The goal of hydrology, as a geophysical science, is to achieve theories capable of explaining with satisfactory accuracy the phenomena of interest. Through the rapidly accelerating power and versatility of digital computing technology, theory development and application are immensely facilitated via increasingly sophisticated predictive modeling schemes, which are now the principal operating tools both for applied management hydrology and for basic geophysical hydrology. While this approach treats phenomena as classes or generalizations, social and behavioral scientists have long argued that human beings base their actions on percepts, i.e., on the concrete specifics of their experience. Thus, the commonly held ideal of basing policy, decisions, and public actions on the best possible science encounters a conflict in belief systems. A possible resolution of this dilemma lies in the use of observational components, which in concept-centered science serve as data to test or calibrate models. These components also serve as a great repository of natural experience that is closely attuned to the perceptual reality that propels societal action. Landscapes and sediments provide indices of real processes, whose occurrence can be expected by continuity to extend to present and future activity. More attention to research on such indices is warranted as a means of triggering perception-based action by responsible decision-makers. Grounded in reality, and tempered by their intrinsic fallibility, the scientifically powerful conceptual schemes (models) will then serve as guides to further action. The full societal benefit of hydrological science requires a balanced approach in which subdisciplines focused on environmental indices are afforded equal attention to those focused on conceptual idealization.     

Prioritizing Conservation Effort through the Use of Biological Soil Crusts as Ecosystem Function Indicators in an Arid Region

Abstract: Conservation prioritization usually focuses on conservation of rare species or biodiversity, rather than ecological processes. This is partially due to a lack of informative indicators of ecosystem function. Biological soil crusts (BSCs) trap and retain soil and water resources in arid ecosystems and function as major carbon and nitrogen fixers; thus, they may be informative indicators of ecosystem function. We created spatial models of multiple indicators of the diversity and function of BSCs (species richness, evenness, functional diversity, functional redundancy, number of rare species, number of habitat specialists, nitrogen and carbon fixation indices, soil stabilization, and surface roughening) for the 800,000‐ha Grand Staircase‐Escalante National Monument (Utah, U.S.A.). We then combined the indicators into a single BSC function map and a single BSC biodiversity map (2 alternative types of conservation value) with an unweighted averaging procedure and a weighted procedure derived from validations performance. We also modeled potential degradation with data from a rangeland assessment survey. To determine which areas on the landscape were the highest conservation priorities, we overlaid the function‐ and diversity‐based conservation‐value layers on the potential degradation layer. Different methods for ascribing conservation‐value and conservation‐priority layers all yielded strikingly similar results (r= 0.89–0.99), which suggests that in this case biodiversity and function can be conserved simultaneously. We believe BSCs can be used as indicators of ecosystem function in concert with other indicators (such as plant‐community properties) and that such information can be used to prioritize conservation effort in drylands.     

Estimation of the impact of oil palm plantation establishment on greenhouse gas balance

Estimates of emissions indicate that if tropical grassland is rehabilitated by oil palm plantations, carbon fixation in plantation biomass and soil organic matter not only neutralises emissions caused by grassland conversion, but also results in the net removal of about 135 Mg carbon dioxide per hectare from the atmosphere. In contrast, the emission from forest conversion clearly exceeds the potential carbon fixation of oil palm plantings. Forest conversion on mineral soils to promote continued oil palm mono cropping causes a net release of approximately 650 Mg carbon dioxide equivalents per hectare, while the emission from peat forest conversion is even higher due to the decomposition of drained peat and the resulting emission of carbon oxide and nitrous oxide. The conversion of one hectare of forest on peat releases over 1,300 Mg carbon dioxide equivalents during the first 25-year cycle of oil palm growth. Depending on the peat depth, continuous decomposition augments the emission with each additional cycle at a magnitude of 800 Mg carbon dioxide equivalents per hectare. The creation of ‘flexibility mechanisms’ such as the clean development mechanism and emission trading in the Kyoto Protocol could incorporate plantations as carbon sinks in the effort to meet emission targets. Thus, for the oil palm industry, grassland rehabilitation is an option to preserve natural forest, avoid emissions and, if the sequestered carbon becomes tradable, an opportunity to generate additional revenue. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Pollution-induced successions in forests of the Kola Peninsula

Trends of changes in the successional status of northern taiga forests exposed to technogenic pollution in the Kola Peninsula are discussed. Main studies of digression in spruce and pine forests are characterized on the basis of the dynamics of species composition of phytocenoses and chemical composition of atmospheric fallout, soils, and dominant plants.     

Advancing urban ecosystem governance in Ljubljana

Extensive green areas generate a recognizable green identity of Ljubljana. Due to the challenges of climate change and urbanization the city's spatial policy highlights revitalization of degraded urban areas, preserving the quality and scope of the existing green network and the protection of multifunctional natural areas surrounding the city. Article describes the project of Rakova Jelša Park as a good example of these policies. With an NGO initiative a former degraded area with illegal dumping and non-indigenous vegetation was transformed into recreational park with increased biocultural diversity. Important lesson of the project is that opening up space for public use not only prevents degradation, but also improves the quality of urban ecosystems. One of the challenges for the city's future sustainable ecosystem development will be a more active cooperation with its citizens in the green infrastructure policy and later also a partial transfer of responsibility for green areas to them.     

Establishing Eco-compensation Mechanism in Bohai Sea Waters under Framework of Ecosystem Approach

Ecosystem approach, a new comprehensive approach to the conservation and management of natural resources, has received universal concern and approval in the world, and it requires the application of the eco-compensation mechanism. Some basic ideas for establishing the marine eco-compensation mechanism are: payers and payees can be identified through analyzing marine ecosystem service changes and impacts on the stakeholders; financial transfer payment and environmental taxes and fees can be used as the main channels for compensation; payment standard can be set up by following the principle of a compromise between calculated theoretic results and “price bargaining”. Focusing on the key human impact on marine ecosystem in Bohai Sea, some preliminary ides on eco-compensation application are given: reform the ongoing charge system of pollutant discharge and enhance its incentives to reduce land pollutants; implement eco-compensation for freshwater demand between Bohai Sea and the river basins for the purpose of increasing freshwater inflow; popularize and strengthen the existing eco-compensation on fishery resources management, and implement the charge system of eco-compensation on reclamation from the sea for land construction.