西北地区县域生态系统服务的供需匹配——以甘肃古浪县为例

作为人类福利的源泉,生态系统服务的供需特征及匹配状况反映了区域生态与环境资源的空间配置,分析其供需匹配关系是评价与优化生态系统服务管理、促进生态系统服务供需平衡的重要前提。以西北地区河西走廊东端的古浪县为例,利用气象观测、土地利用、统计年鉴等多源数据,基于InVEST模型、ArcGIS等方法,分析古浪县2017年的产水、碳固持、食物供给和土壤保持四项生态系统服务的供需及其匹配状况。结果表明：（1）古浪县产水、碳固持、食物供给和土壤保持服务供给与需求的总量均表现出供大于求的状态,其供求总量差值依次为：12.45×10⁸ m³、21.55×10⁷ t、3.8×10⁷ t、1.28×10⁷ t,且不同类型的生态系统服务供给与需求存在明显差异。（2）古浪县各项生态系统服务供需匹配类型可划分为高供给高需求、低供给高需求、低供给低需求、高供给低需求,不同区域与不同生态系统服务间的匹配模式存在明显的空间异质性。（3）古浪县生态系统服务供需匹配表现出南中北空间差异性,且呈现集中连片的态势,说明匹配类型相同的乡镇存在“相邻相似”的特征。基于对生态系统服务的供给、需求及匹配状况的分析,进一步提出了不同匹配类型下生态经济发展、城镇化建设、生态可持续化管理、国土空间规划等方面的优化对策。     

生态系统服务价值与人类活动的时空关联分析——以长江中游华阳河湖群地区为例

以1990、2002和2010年华阳河湖群地区LandSat TM影像为数据源,构建生态系统服务价值评估模型、生态系统服务价值流向损益模型和人类活动强度评估模型,应用双变量空间自相关分析生态系统服务价值和人类活动强度的时空关联特征.结果表明：1990~2010年生态系统服务价值持续减少,水域、湿地转为耕地和建设用地是价值损失的主要原因.生态系统服务价值高值区在中部和东北部水域,湖滨价值量减少最严重,北部地区价值量增加,南部减少.人类活动强度低影响区位于水域,中高影响区和中影响区交错分布于北部地区,高影响区集中在南部和西南部地区.3个时期生态系统服务价值和人类活动强度均呈空间负相关,高-低聚集分布于南部和西南部,低-高聚集主要分布于水域.     

基于多目标分布估计算法的地铁网络化应急站点选址

为提升地铁网络的应急救援能力,提出兼顾地下和地面交通两种运输方式的应急资源网络化共享模式,并建立多目标优化模型,对应急站点进行优化选址。模型以应急站点数量最少和总响应时间最短为优化目标,地铁车站重要程度为关键因素,求解各地铁车站的优化覆盖方案。提出了一种多目标分布估计算法,该算法采用拥挤比较算子和锦标赛选择算法获取优势群体,借助概率模型描述可行解的离散分布,并不断更新概率模型来实现种群的进化。运用建立的模型和算法求解北京市局部地铁网络应急站点选址问题,最终获得满足地面交通运输时效、并符合问题优化目标的Pareto最优解集。与NSGE-Ⅱ算法相比,多目标分布估计算法提前123代开始收敛,且针对最小化问题,多目标分布估计算法最优解的两个目标函数值较NSGE-Ⅱ算法分别减小64%和29%。可见,模型符合地铁应急站点选址问题的决策规则;多目标分布估计算法有效地缩小了决策空间,它比NSGE-Ⅱ算法更快地收敛,且能够获得更为优化的应急站点选址方案。     

澧水流域生态系统服务价值与生态补偿策略

为了协调区域经济发展与生态保护的关系,以澧水流域为研究对象,采用修正的生态系统服务价值系数分析了2001—2013年该区域生态系统服务价值(ESV)的变化情况,并构建灰色模型对2016—2025年生态系统服务价值进行预测,同时综合考虑研究区域经济发展水平,引入生态补偿优先级(ECPS)对不同区域生态补偿的迫切程度进行了量化. 结果表明:①2001—2013年,澧水流域生态系统服务价值从2001年的313.70×108元降至2013年的313.32×108元;GM(1,1)模型预测结果显示,2025年澧水流域生态系统服务价值将降至311.22×108元. ②澧水流域8个县(市/区)的生态系统服务价值和生态补偿优先级存在较大差异,澧水上游(桑植县)和中游(永定区、武陵源区、慈利县、石门县)为整个澧水流域提供了良好的生态服务,属于“生态输出”地区,应该优先得到生态补偿;而下游(澧县、临澧县、津市市)的生态优先级较小,属于“生态消费”地区,应当率先进行生态支付. 研究结果有利于制订合理的生态补偿价格,调节生态保护利益相关者之间的利益关系,有助于当地政府研究制订比较完整的生态补偿政策决策.      

The Impending Peak and Decline of Petroleum Production: an Underestimated Challenge for Conservation of Ecological Integrity

Abstract: In the last few decades petroleum has been consumed at a much faster pace than new reserves have been discovered. The point at which global oil extraction will attain a peak (“peak oil”) and begin a period of unavoidable decline is approaching. This eventuality will drive fundamental changes in the quantity and nature of energy flows through the human economic system, which probably will be accompanied by economic turmoil, political conflicts, and a high level of social tension. Besides being a geological and economic issue, peak oil is also a fundamental concern as it pertains to ecological systems and conservation because economics is a subsystem of the global ecosystem and changes in human energy‐related behaviors can lead to a broad range of effects on natural ecosystems, ranging from overuse to abandonment. As it becomes more difficult to meet energy demands, environmental considerations may be easily superseded. Given the vital importance of ecosystems and ecosystem services in a postpetroleum era, it is crucially important to wisely manage our ecosystems during the transition period to an economy based on little or no use of fossil fuels. Good policies can be formulated through awareness and understanding gained from scenario‐based assessments. Presently, most widely used global scenarios of environmental change do not incorporate resource limitation, including those of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Considering the potential magnitude of the effects of peak oil on society and nature, the development of resource‐constrained scenarios should be addressed immediately. Ecologists and conservation biologists are in an important position to analyze the situation and provide guidance, yet the topic is noticeably absent from ecological discussions. We urge politicians, corporate chief executives, thought leaders, and citizens to consider this problem seriously because it is likely to develop into one of the key environmental issues of the 21st century.     

Ecological and economic impacts of green roofs and permeable pavements at the city level: the case of Corvallis,Oregon

A city's spatial footprint is covered by extensive impervious building roofs and paved surfaces, which contribute to greater storm-water runoff, more surface pollutants, and less carbon sequestration, hence, worse ecosystem services. This research conducts an empirical study on the ecological and economic impacts of a citywide adoption of green roofs and permeable pavements in Corvallis, OR. The effects on ecosystem services of using green roofs and pervious pavements for a low impact development are modelled using Integrated Value of Ecosystem Services Trade-offs and compared to those from the City's current conventional development without green roofs and pervious pavements. The differences are analysed for ecological impact by storm-water yield, storm-water purification, and carbon sequestration and economic impact by a cost-benefit comparison. The results indicate that low impact development, especially intensive green roofs on commercial/industrial buildings and permeable pavements for parking lots, plays a significant role, even with a higher initial implementation cost, for long-term urban sustainability.     

Effects of Pond Draining on Biodiversity and Water Quality of Farm Ponds

Farm ponds have high conservation value because they contribute significantly to regional biodiversity and ecosystem services. In Japan pond draining is a traditional management method that is widely believed to improve water quality and eradicate invasive fish. In addition, fishing by means of pond draining has significant cultural value for local people, serving as a social event. However, there is a widespread belief that pond draining reduces freshwater biodiversity through the extirpation of aquatic animals, but scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of pond draining is lacking. We conducted a large‐scale field study to evaluate the effects of pond draining on invasive animal control, water quality, and aquatic biodiversity relative to different pond‐management practices, pond physicochemistry, and surrounding land use. The results of boosted regression‐tree models and analyses of similarity showed that pond draining had little effect on invasive fish control, water quality, or aquatic biodiversity. Draining even facilitated the colonization of farm ponds by invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), which in turn may have detrimental effects on the biodiversity and water quality of farm ponds. Our results highlight the need for reconsidering current pond management and developing management plans with respect to multifunctionality of such ponds. Efectos del Drenado de Estanques sobre la Biodiversidad y la Calidad del Agua en Estanques de Cultivo     

Modelling the potential damage-reducing benefits of flood warnings using European cases

In most OECD countries, emergency response to accidents and natural disasters is very dependent on a trained workforce of emergency services volunteers: fire, rescue, medical, care and relief. With its large area, sparsely settled population, and frequent periods of low rainfall, Australia is particularly vulnerable to the threat posed by wildfires. There are an estimated 220,000 rural fire volunteers (in a population of 20 million) in eight state and territory volunteer rural fire services. These fire services have experienced significant decreases in volunteer numbers over the past decade, a trend which is true also of North American volunteer fire services. An investigation suggests that the decrease is driven by two related sets of factors: economic and demographic. Globalisation and deregulation of the economy, and technological innovation, have resulted in structural changes in the nature of work: privatisation, casualisation, self-employment, and demands for increased productivity. These factors make it more difficult for members of communities to volunteer, regardless of their motivation to do so. Further, like many other OECD countries, Australia's birth rate has fallen over the last three decades, resulting in a decline in the proportion of the population aged between 25 and 45 years—a trend that is unlikely to be reversed in the foreseeable future. These economic and demographic changes make it difficult for Australian volunteer rural fire agencies to meet their community protection responsibilities. Responding to these challenges may require radical changes in the way that these fire services are organised and supported.     

Knowledge Production and Learning for Sustainable Landscapes: Seven Steps Using Social–Ecological Systems as Laboratories

There are multiple challenges regarding use and governance of landscapes’ goods, functions and intangible values for ecosystem health and human well-being. One group of challenges is to measure and assess principal sustainability dimensions through performance targets, so stakeholders have transparent information about states and trends. Another group is to develop adaptive governance at multiple levels, and management of larger geographical areas across scales. Addressing these challenges, we present a framework for transdisciplinary research using multiple landscapes as place-based case studies that integrates multiple research disciplines and non-academic actors: (1) identify a suite of landscapes, and for each (2) review landscape history, (3) map stakeholders, use and non-use values, products and land use, (4) analyze institutions, policies and the system of governance, (5) measure ecological, economic, social and cultural sustainability, (6) assess sustainability dimensions and governance, and finally (7) make comparisons and synthesize. Collaboration, communication and dissemination are additional core features. We discuss barriers bridges and bridges for applying this approach.     

Mainstreaming investments in watershed services to enhance water security: Barriers and opportunities

Watersheds are under increasing pressure worldwide, as expanding human activities coupled with global climate change threaten the water security of people downstream. In response, some communities have initiated investments in watershed services (IWS), a general term for policy-finance mechanisms that mitigate diverse watershed threats and promote ecosystem-based adaptation. Here, we explore the potential for increasing the uptake and impact of IWS, evaluating what limits its application and how institutional, financial, and informational barriers can be overcome. Our analysis complements the growing literature on individual programs by identifying levers at regional and global scales. We conclude that mainstreaming IWS as a cost-effective strategy alongside engineered approaches will require advances that (i) lower institutional barriers to implementation and participation in IWS; (ii) introduce structural market changes and standards of practice that account for the value of watersheds’ natural capital; (iii) develop practical tools and metrics of IWS costs and benefits; and (iv) share success stories of replicable institutional and financial models applied in varied contexts.