Evaluating mortality rates with a novel integrated framework for nonmonogamous species

The conservation of wildlife requires management based on quantitative evidence, and especially for large carnivores, unraveling cause‐specific mortalities and understanding their impact on population dynamics is crucial. Acquiring this knowledge is challenging because it is difficult to obtain robust long‐term data sets on endangered populations and, usually, data are collected through diverse sampling strategies. Integrated population models (IPMs) offer a way to integrate data generated through different processes. However, IPMs are female‐based models that cannot account for mate availability, and this feature limits their applicability to monogamous species only. We extended classical IPMs to a two‐sex framework that allows investigation of population dynamics and quantification of cause‐specific mortality rates in nonmonogamous species. We illustrated our approach by simultaneously modeling different types of data from a reintroduced, unhunted brown bear (Ursus arctos) population living in an area with a dense human population. In a population mainly driven by adult survival, we estimated that on average 11% of cubs and 61% of adults died from human‐related causes. Although the population is currently not at risk, adult survival and thus population dynamics are driven by anthropogenic mortality. Given the recent increase of human‐bear conflicts in the area, removal of individuals for management purposes and through poaching may increase, reversing the positive population growth rate. Our approach can be generalized to other species affected by cause‐specific mortality and will be useful to inform conservation decisions for other nonmonogamous species, such as most large carnivores, for which data are scarce and diverse and thus data integration is highly desirable.     

Development of a Natural Practice to Adapt Conservation Goals to Global Change

Conservation goals at the start of the 21st century reflect a combination of contrasting ideas. Ideal nature is something that is historically intact but also futuristically flexible. Ideal nature is independent from humans, but also, because of the pervasiveness of human impacts, only able to reach expression through human management. These tensions emerge in current management rationales because scientists and managers are struggling to accommodate old and new scientific and cultural thinking, while also maintaining legal mandates from the past and commitments to preservation of individual species in particular places under the stresses of global change. Common management goals (such as integrity, wilderness, resilience), whether they are forward looking and focused on sustainability and change, or backward looking and focused on the persistence and restoration of historic states, tend to create essentialisms about how ecosystems should be. These essentialisms limit the options of managers to accommodate the dynamic, and often novel, response of ecosystems to global change. Essentialisms emerge because there is a tight conceptual coupling of place and historical species composition as an indicator of naturalness (e.g., normal, healthy, independent from humans). Given that change is increasingly the norm and ecosystems evolve in response, the focus on idealized ecosystem states is increasingly unwise and unattainable. To provide more open‐ended goals, we propose greater attention be paid to the characteristics of management intervention. We suggest that the way we interact with other species in management and the extent to which those interactions reflect the interactions among other biotic organisms, and also reflect our conservation virtues (e.g., humility, respect), influences our ability to cultivate naturalness on the landscape. We call this goal a natural practice (NP) and propose it as a framework for prioritizing and formulating how, when, and where to intervene in this period of rapid change. Desarrollo de una Práctica Natural para Adaptar Objetivos de Conservación al Cambio Global     

The utility of earth observation technologies in understanding impacts of land reform in the eastern region of Zimbabwe

Land tenure and land policies influence the spatial variations of land use/cover (LULC) at any given time or place. Thus, it is important to evaluate the role of land tenure policies on land cover changes. In this study, we evaluate the utility of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images in understanding the impacts of the 2000 fast track land reform (FTLR) policy on LULC in the eastern region, Zimbabwe. Landsat images for the year 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2011 were classified using traditional image classification techniques (i.e. the maximum likelihood (ML) classifier) in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. Results indicate that forested areas drastically decreased by approx. 30% between the year 2000 and 2005 (during and after the FTLR), while croplands marginally increased by (approx. 30%) the results further showed that slight increase in bare lands (degraded lands) and disturbed lands. The observed LULC changes after FTLR were mostly induced by human activities resulting from changes in land tenure. Overall, the findings of this study underscores the importance of remotely sensed data in assessing the impact of FTLR on forest resources for purposes of informed and sustainable forest management.     

人力资本对农业现代化的影响及动态转换实证

迈入经济新常态,农业现代化发展仍然是"新四化"中的薄弱环节与战略焦点。新时期如何推动农业现代化发展存在诸多争议,现有政策架构设计和任务聚焦虽然将农业现代化提到新的高度,但过多强调物质资本对农业现代化的推动作用,在"四化"同步新时期以及"谁来种粮"困境倒逼下政策效果并不显著,而且随着"四化"同步深化,这种不兼容性可能还会凸显。现实困境与制度背离催促政策调整和路径创新。为此,本研究从人力资本视角探求其对农业现代化的影响效应及其动态转换性,旨在对这种困境成因给予解答。基于相关量化数据,本文建立普通面板模型和门槛面板模型实证研究发现:我国省级样本跨期内,人力资本对农业现代化的影响效应显著为正,且相比其他变量其边际影响系数最大;人力资本对农业现代化的影响在不同人力资本积累水平和不同工业化阶段存在显著的动态转换特征:具体来说,随着人力资本积累深化或者说当人力资本跨越相应"门槛值"后其对农业现代化的影响强度亦会发生变化,但总体来说呈现"边际收益递减"规律。从工业化阶段层面来看,随着工业化阶段转变,人力资本作用与地位会愈发凸显,尤其是其跨越第三个门槛值后迈入第四阶段后,其对农业现代化的影响效应将达到最大。研究不但揭示了农业现代化发展的"人力资本之谜",也为"四化"同步新时期推动农业现代化发展和政策调整指引了方向。此外,从控制变量层面来,农业分工、农业结构对农业现代化影响显著为负,农业研发和工业化对农业现代化影响显著为正。最后,文章基于实证结论给出了相关政策建议。     

A meta‐analysis of studies on attitudes toward bears and wolves across Europe 1976–2012

The ranges of wolves (Canis lupus) and bears (Ursus arctos) across Europe have expanded recently, and it is important to assess public attitudes toward this expansion because responses toward these species vary widely. General attitudes toward an object are good predictors of broad behavioral patterns; thus, attitudes toward wolves and bears can be used as indicators to assess the social foundation for future conservation efforts. However, most attitude surveys toward bears and wolves are limited in scope, both temporally and spatially, and provide only a snapshot of attitudes. To extend the results of individual surveys over a much larger temporal and geographical range so as to identify transnational patterns and changes in attitudes toward bears and wolves over time, we conducted a meta‐analysis. Our analysis included 105 quantitative surveys conducted in 24 countries from 1976 to 2012. Across Europe, people's attitudes were more positive toward bears than wolves. Attitudes toward bears became more positive over time, but attitudes toward wolves seemed to become less favorable the longer people coexisted with them. Younger and more educated people had more positive attitudes toward wolves and bears than people who had experienced damage from these species, and farmers and hunters had less positive attitudes toward wolves than the general public. For bears attitudes among social groups did not differ. To inform conservation of large carnivores, we recommend that standardized longitudinal surveys be established to monitor changes in attitudes over time relative to carnivore population development. Our results emphasize the need for interdisciplinary research in this field and more advanced explanatory models capable of capturing individual and societal responses to changes in large carnivore policy and management.     

Runoff variation affected by precipitation change and human activity in Hailiutu River basin,China

For recent years,runoff generation and hydrological processes in Hailiutu River basin have been greatly changed by climate change and human activity,especially water and soil conservation construction.In this study,the trends in precipitation,evapotranspiration(ET)and river runoff as well as the effects of precipitation change and human activity on runoff variation have been studied.The results showed that during 1960-2000,annual precipitation and river runoff,monthly precipitation and ET in September and October as well as monthly runoff in all months showed a significant decrease.In addition,peak flow and base flow had a large decrease.Under the joint influence of precipitation change and human activity,the mean annual runoff decreased by 35 million m3 from the baseline period(1960-1985)to the change period(1986-2000),which accounted for 60.9%and 39.1%of the total runoff decrease,respectively.Precipitation change played a primary role in the decrease of annual runoff whereas human activity,particularly water and soil conservation construction,also had remarkable impacts on runoff variation.     

贵州铅锌矿区土壤和作物重金属生态风险与迁移特征

土壤中积累高含量的重金属对生态环境和人体健康存在潜在风险.以贵州省某铅锌矿区农田土壤和作物为研究对象,运用GIS空间制图分析了重金属的分布与来源,采用潜在生态风险指数(RI)评价了重金属的潜在生态风险,利用美国环保署(USEPA)推荐的人体健康风险评估方法量化了居民暴露于铅锌矿周围土壤重金属的健康风险.结果表明,土壤中ω(As)、ω(Cd)、ω(Cr)、ω(Cu)、ω(Hg)、ω(Ni)、ω(Pb)和ω(Zn)平均值分别为：58、7.9、175、64、0.461、65、1 539和2 513 mg·kg^-1,均显著高于贵州省表层土壤元素背景值.土壤As、Cd、Cu、Hg、Pb和Zn含量在空间分布上极不均匀,其受到了强烈的铅锌矿冶炼等人为扰动.RI评价显示,土壤重金属存在极强、较强等级为主的综合潜在生态风险,Cd为主要的生态风险因子. 22%和10%的玉米籽实样品中Pb和As分别超过了食品安全国家标准中的重金属污染阈值.人体健康风险评价显示,暴露于土壤重金属对成人和儿童存在非致癌健康风险,对儿童存在一定的致癌健康风险.土壤pH值是影响Cd生物有效性和土壤-作物系统C...     

基于人类行为视角的市县国土空间总体规划管控措施编制思路探究

在明确国土空间规划应融合多规,以主体控制线统一管控分区,强化底线约束,实施用途管制的前提下,管控措施编制对国土空间规划管控策略、管控体系的构建与实施至关重要。本研究的目的是探索基于人类行为的市县国土空间总体规划管控措施编制思路。尝试从人类行为视角进一步延伸管控思路,并衔接现行法律法规、部门规章等管控文件作为编制参照,根据人类行为与自然资源、国土空间的作用关系,结合行为开展与分区用途是否匹配,推导相关行为在对应市县国土空间总体规划管控分区的管控措施,以期为实现国土空间规划精准落地和国土空间资源保护与开发精细化管理提供参考。     

桐梓河流域输沙量变化及其对气候和人类活动的响应

基于桐梓河流域二郎坝水文站1975-2015年长时间序列降水、蒸散量及输沙量数据,通过累积距平法、Morlet小波分析和Hurst指数等数理统计方法;定量分析了流域40年以来输沙量的演变过程以及未来变化趋势,并应用累积量斜率变化率比较法定量评估了研究区降雨量变化和人类活动对流域输沙量变化的影响和贡献率。研究结果表明：（1）40年来流域降水量介于608.10~1132.70 mm之间,其平均值为829.00 mm,呈不显著减小趋势,年均减小量为-3.10 mm/a。（2）流域年输沙量介于0.44万~478.01万t,其平均值为64.68万t,呈极显著减少趋势,减少速率为-4.13万t/a。未来流域输沙量呈持续递减趋势,但10年后将呈现出增加趋势。（3）1989年为流域输沙量的突变年份,1989年以前呈现上升趋势,1989年之后呈显著下降趋势,且突变年份后输沙量较突变年份前减少了76.82%。（4）输沙量存在12年左右的年代际震荡周期,形成了两个高震荡周期和一个低震荡中心,高震荡周期位于1976-1979年以及1986-1992年,低震荡周期位于1979-1985年。（5）多年季节输沙量呈持续性减少趋势,夏季输沙量在8年之后可能呈现出增加趋势,而其他季节则不存在持续性周期。（6）以1975-1989为基准期,降水量和人类活动对流域输沙量的贡献在1990-2015年分别达到4.87%和95.14%;如果考虑蒸发量对流域输沙量的影响,则人类活动对桐梓河流域径流量变化的贡献率在2003-2015年会增加到98.65%。流域输沙量在1990-2015年的减少主要由人类活动控制,人类活动每年导致输沙量减少1.57万t。     

距离相关分析法在航空维修人为差错分析中的应用

目的为有效预防人为差错,制定相应可靠的预防机制和措施提供科学依据。方法将距离相关分析法应用到航空维修人为差错综合分析中,计算出航空维修人为差错相关系数,对各个影响因素进行数学化表达。结合距离相关分析理论,对相关系数进行定性分析。结果该方法切实可行,分析结果易于理解,影响航空维修人为差错的各个因素之间有着密不可分的联系。因组织管理与因业务技能因素导致的人为差错的相关系数为0.983。结论制定预防航空维修人为差错的措施时,应将各个因素进行综合考量。