Indigenous Uses, Population Density, and Conservation of Threatened Medicinal Plants in Protected Areas of the Indian Himalayas

Abstract:  For 10 years I monitored the population density of threatened medicinal plant species in seven protected areas in the Indian Himalayas. I also documented the indigenous uses of threatened medicinal plants through interviews with 138 herbal healers (83 Tibetan healers and 55 Ayurvedic healers) residing in the buffer zone villages of these protected areas. To assess the population status of threatened medicinal plant species, I sampled the 10 major habitat types in the protected areas. In all, I found 60 threatened medicinal plant species during the study period, of which 54 species occurred in the sampling plots. Twenty-two percent of threatened medicinal plant species were critically endangered, 16% were endangered, and 27% were vulnerable. Thirty-two threatened medicinal plant species were endemic to the Himalayan region. The density of threatened medicinal plant species varied with protected areas. The Valley of Flowers protected area had the highest number of threatened medicinal plant species. The "moist" habitat type was richest in these species among all 10 habitat types sampled. Arnebia euchroma (Royle ex Benth.) Johnston and Ephedra gerardiana Wall. ex Stapf. were the most common threatened medicinal plant species. The indigenous groups of healers used these threatened species in curing about 45 different ailments. Based on my findings, I believe that to ensure the long-term sustainability of threatened medicinal plants, medicinal-plant conservation areas should be established.     

Including Spatial Heterogeneity and Animal Dispersal When Evaluating Hunting: a Model Analysis and an Empirical Assessment in an Amazonian Community

Abstract:  Hunting in tropical forests is typically most intense near human settlements, and this creates gradients of decreasing animal densities toward those settlements. Within the context of this spatial pattern, we evaluated the status of game in the hunting grounds of an indigenous community in eastern Ecuador. We constructed a spatially explicit model of hunter-prey interactions that mimicked the hunting in the village and included realistic animal-dispersal rules. We compared predictions from the model with distributions of animal harvest rates and catch per unit effort of 12 game species. Six species were overharvested in part or all of the area, and two other species were probably being overharvested, although high dispersal rates complicated the interpretation. We then compared our method with methods that have been used previously. We argue that because our method provides information about the spatial extent of overharvesting, it could be particularly useful in informing decision makers about where to establish no-take areas and could therefore aid in improving the sustainability of hunting in tropical forests.     

安全在矿区可持续发展体系中的地位

以矿区可持续发展指标体系为对象,通过对大量的调查统计数据的分类统计排序分析以及模糊聚类分析等,探讨了人们对安全在矿区可持续发展体系中的地位的认识问题,并得出一个重要子集作为矿区可持续发展的重要环节     

南京地区农业资源的综合评价研究

客观、准确地评价地区农业资源,对于农业资源的开发和利用具有重要意义。本文从系统论观点出发,将地区农业资源分成自然资源和社会资源,在能够较好地反映系统结构特征、不同样点差异及满足易于收集、便于数量表示和定量处理等基本要求的基础上,选择了若干评价指标。利用综合指数法、区位商法等评价方法,对南京地区的主要农业资源（土地资源、气候资源与社会资源）进行了定量分析,并在此基础上,利用资源优势度分析法进行了综合评价。结果表明,南部小区的农业资源具有整体优势,南部和中部的资源利用较为合理,北部小区则具有较为丰富的后备资源。最后,根据各地资源要素的不同组合,简要给出了较适宜的开发途径,为该地农业资源的进一步开发与利用提供了依据。     

Suburban Areas in Developing Countries and Their Relationship to Groundwater Pollution: A Case Study of Mar del Plata, Argentina

2 were sampled in order to verify the impact of these problems on groundwater. All samples were analyzed for major ions, and about 30 of them for fecal coliforms and heavy metals. Nineteen samples were selected for pesticide analyses. The average nitrate content was 80 mg/liter, eight times the regional background value. Fecal coliforms were detected in 60% of the analyzed samples. Zinc content and a high Cl⁻/HCO₃ ⁻ ratio were observed in the surroundings of the solid waste disposal area. Moreover, lindane and heptachlor pesticides were detected in ten samples.     

Evaluating Management of Protected Areas: Integrating Planning and Evaluation

/ An approach to evaluating the effectiveness of management of protected areas is proposed. This approach has been used in developing an evaluation strategy for the Fraser Island World Heritage Area in Australia. The main component of the strategy is built upon the desired outcomes specified in the management plan for the area and thus provides a basis for assessing the extent to which the plan's objectives are being achieved. A series of monitoring programs have been proposed to enable this assessment. Examples of monitoring programs developed as part of the evaluation strategy are presented. A second component of the strategy monitors the implementation of the management plan. A management information system has been developed to record and report on the extent to which the specific actions specified in the management plan have been implemented. The strategy is discussed in relation to seven objectives set for the evaluation program in its design phase.KEY WORDS: Planning; Evaluation; Monitoring; Management; Protected areas     

秦巴集中连片特困区多维贫困度量及其空间格局

连片特困区贫困是特殊的区域性贫困,实现持久脱贫,关键在于识别和评估区域的贫困程度以及深究其致贫原因。基于此,通过构建经济维度硬现状、社会维度软现状及自然维度潜在状态3维的多维贫困度量指标体系,应用均方差权重法测算了2006、2010及2014年秦巴集中连片特困区及各子区域的多维贫困度,并分析了多维贫困及其各维度的时空演变规律。结果表明：（1）秦巴集中连片特困区多维贫困度得分偏高,表明该区域贫困程度较深,且多维贫困在不同贫困维度上呈现显著差异。（2）2006—2014年秦巴集中连片特困区多维贫困度都呈减弱趋势,且表现出以甘肃省徽县至湖北省房县为轴带的中部地区集聚的空间演变趋势。（3）在整体多维贫困显著改善的同时,不同连片扶贫区及不同的贫困维度在减贫路径上也体现出不同的演化特征。所得结论为该区域内县域尺度贫困类型特征识别以及扶贫工作前期评估以及后期验收成效等提供一定技术支持,也为后期实施因地制宜的脱贫措施提供科学的辅助决策支撑。     

中国环境监测总站内蒙古生态监测分站介绍

2009年12月25日,环保部复函批转了《中国环境监测总站转型发展纲要》,纲要提出,加强“天地一体化”的生态环境监测与评价技术研究,推动国家生态环境监测网络建设,在重要生态功能保护区和典型地区7—9个有条件的环境监测站加挂总站生态环境监测分站牌子,开展遥感与地面监测相结合的生态监测。2010年5月底长沙会议提出,将全面启动能力评价和筛选工作,力争在今明年选出一批挂牌。本文详细介绍了争取加挂总站生态监测分站的内蒙古生态监测分站情况。     

Evaluation of phosphorus removal from wastewater by soils in rural areas in China

Low-cost, easy-maintenance and high-e ciency decentralized wastewater treatment technologies are urgently needed in rural areas of China. Processes with high potential for phosphorus removal are of great interest. However, commonly used treatment methods often do not meet the strict criteria for removing phosphorus from rural wastewater. In order to search an economic and simple technology for phosphorus removal from the common bio-technologies e uent, seven soil types collected from di erent rural areas in China were investigated for their ability to remove phosphorus. X-ray di raction (XRD) was used to analyse the mineral structure, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) was used to analyse the geochemical composition of the soil samples. Three primary minerals – quartz, albite and montmorillonite – were clearly detected. The samples were divided into two soil types, acidic soils and alkaline soils, based on their pH values. The geochemical composition study indicated that a higher percentage of Ca and Mg occurred in alkaline soils (pH > 8) than in acidic soils (pH < 6.5). Adsorption isotherms from batch experiments fitted the Langmuir and Freundlich models well, the maximum P adsorption capacities ranged from 0.256 to 1.598 mg P/g, indicating a high phosphorus removal potential for all of these soils. The P fractions extracted revealed that the sum of NaOH-extracted inorganic P (NaOH-Pi) was the major P component in the acidic soils, and CaCO3-bound phosphorus (Ca-P) in the alkaline soils. Dynamic adsorption simulation showed that these soils have the ability to remove phosphorus from wastewater.     

厦门贝类养殖区重金属的含量分布特征与潜在生态危害评价

根据2005年4月和10月厦门贝类养殖区环境调查资料,着重对贝类养殖区海水、表层沉积物中重金属的含量分布进行分析,并对贝类养殖区的生态环境进行质量评价及潜在生态危害评价.结果表明:厦门贝类养殖区海水中Cu、Pb、Cd、Zn、Hg、As的平均含量分别为1.06 μg/L,1.23 μg/L, 0.05 μg/L,6.28 μg/L,0.033 μg/L,1.01 μg/L;沉积物中Cu、Pb、Cd、Zn、Hg、As的平均含量分别为20.0×10-6,39.5×10-6,0.07×10-6,97.3×10-6,0.05×10-6,7.20×10-6.生态质量评价结果表明,贝类养殖区海水重金属的含量符合第二类海水水质标准要求,处于清洁水平.养殖区沉积物重金属的含量符合第一类海洋沉积物质量标准,属于较清洁水平.潜在生态危害评价结果,Hg、As和Cd的潜在生态危害系数大于Cu、Pb、Zn,表明和Hg、As、Cd的潜在危害大于Cu、Pb、Zn,但整个养殖区沉积物中重金属的潜在危害属于轻微,养殖环境良好.