An interdisciplinary review of current and future approaches to improving human–predator relations

In a world of shrinking habitats and increasing competition for natural resources, potentially dangerous predators bring the challenges of coexisting with wildlife sharply into focus. Through interdisciplinary collaboration among authors trained in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, we reviewed current approaches to mitigating adverse human–predator encounters and devised a vision for future approaches to understanding and mitigating such encounters. Limitations to current approaches to mitigation include too much focus on negative impacts; oversimplified equating of levels of damage with levels of conflict; and unsuccessful technical fixes resulting from failure to engage locals, address hidden costs, or understand cultural (nonscientific) explanations of the causality of attacks. An emerging interdisciplinary literature suggests that to better frame and successfully mitigate negative human–predator relations conservation professionals need to consider dispensing with conflict as the dominant framework for thinking about human–predator encounters; work out what conflicts are really about (they may be human–human conflicts); unravel the historical contexts of particular conflicts; and explore different cultural ways of thinking about animals. The idea of cosmopolitan natures may help conservation professionals think more clearly about human–predator relations in both local and global context. These new perspectives for future research practice include a recommendation for focused interdisciplinary research and the use of new approaches, including human‐animal geography, multispecies ethnography, and approaches from the environmental humanities notably environmental history. Managers should think carefully about how they engage with local cultural beliefs about wildlife, work with all parties to agree on what constitutes good evidence, develop processes and methods to mitigate conflicts, and decide how to monitor and evaluate these. Demand for immediate solutions that benefit both conservation and development favors dispute resolution and technical fixes, which obscures important underlying drivers of conflicts. If these drivers are not considered, well‐intentioned efforts focused on human–wildlife conflicts will fail.     

基于机器视觉的鱼类行为特征提取与分析

近年来,水污染问题备受关注。生物式水质监测成为目前国家环境保护工作的重要任务之一。为准确监测水质污染情况,本文以青鳉鱼(Oryzias latipes)为研究对象,采用非接触式的机器视觉监测技术,提取青鳉鱼的生理特征(呼吸频率)和运动特征(胸鳍和尾鳍的摆动频率),并分析这些特征与水质之间的关系。本文采用支持向量机(Support Vector Machine,SVM)准确提取鱼鳃,并根据鱼鳃呼吸面积大小变化计算出鱼的呼吸频率。基于形态学细化算法提取青鳉鱼骨架,求出胸鳍和尾鳍的摆动频率。结果显示:不同浓度铜离子暴露实验测得的青鳉鱼生理特征和运动特征与实际情况一致;通过对不同铜离子浓度下的毒性实验数据对比,发现了青鳉鱼的生理特征和运动特征会随不同的铜离子浓度发生相应变化,可以作为水质监测的评价标准。     

武汉地区水环境中全氟化合物污染水平及其分布特征

武汉作为中国氟化工行业的主要生产基地之一,其水环境中全氟及多氟类化合物(PFASs)污染情况对评估该地区水环境生态安全至关重要。采集了武汉城区10个污水处理厂进、出口污水和19个地表水样品,利用HPLC-ESI-MS/MS技术分析研究该区域水环境中PFASs污染水平及其分布特征。结果发现,武汉地区的污水和地表水样品中,PFASs污染均以短链同系物全氟丁酸(PFBA)和全氟丁基磺酸(PFBS)为主。污水处理厂进、出口污水中PFASs总浓度分别为11.8~12 700 ng·L~(-1)和19.1~9 970 ng·L~(-1)。在城区15个湖水样品中,PFASs总浓度为21.0~10 900 ng·L~(-1);在流经城区的4个江水样品中,PFASs总浓度为4.11~4.77 ng·L~(-1),比湖水样品中PFASs浓度水平低1~2个数量级。与污水中PFASs空间分布趋势一致,各湖泊水样中PFASs总体水平呈现汉口汉阳武昌的趋势,表明城市工业布局与人口密度程度直接影响城市PFASs污染空间分布。值得注意的是,与以往水环境中PFASs污染以全氟辛酸(PFOA)和全氟辛基磺酸(PFOS)为主不同,武汉地区水环境中PFASs污染以短链同系物为主,表明短链替代效应已经渐渐在中国化工领域出现,中国全氟行业在响应国际组织规范和建议的基础上做出了实质性进展。然而,对于短链PFASs的污染特征、迁移运输以及生态风险等科学问题,还需要更进一步的研究。     

中国典型河湖水体铅的水生生物安全基准与生态风险评价

采用物种敏感度排序法(SSR)对我国铅的淡水水生生物安全基准进行推导,并以太湖为例进行了流域水生生物安全基准推导。对于难以获得的本土生物毒性数据,开展了相应的毒性试验。获得了我国国家与太湖流域铅的水生生物安全基准值,基准最大浓度(CMC)分别为63.92、104.26μg·L-1,基准连续浓度(CCC)分别为1.21、4.06μg·L-1。同时,对我国主要河流以及太湖流域进行了铅的生态风险评价,联合概率曲线法显示影响5%水生生物种类的概率分别为66.22%和43.19%,熵值法则显示中国主要河流存在较大的铅暴露风险,因此,我国铅的潜在生态风险较大,主要河流与太湖流域存在铅污染问题。     

Bioreduction of hexavalent chromium by Exiguobacterium indicum strain MW1 isolated from marine water of Paradip Port,Odisha, India

Hexavalent chromium-tolerant (1500?mg/L) bacterium MW1 was isolated from harbour water of Paradip Port and evaluated for Cr(VI) reduction potential. The isolate was identified as Exiguobacterium indicum by biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence methods. Salt tolerance of the bacterium was evaluated in a wide range of NaCl concentrations (0.5–13%, w/v). The Cr(VI) reduction of the strain was evaluated and optimised with varied Cr(VI) concentrations (100–1000?mg/L), pH (5.0–9.0), temperature (30–40°C) and shaking velocity (100–150?rpm) in two different minimal media (M9 and Acetate). Under optimised conditions, after 192?h of incubation nearly 92%, 50% and 46% reduction in the M9 minimal medium and 91%, 47% and 40% reduction in the acetate minimal medium were observed for 100, 500 and 1000?mg/L of Cr(VI), respectively. The exponential rate equation for Cr(VI) reduction yielded higher rate constant value, that is, 1.27?×?10^?2?h^?1 (M9) and 1.17?×?10^?2?h^?1 (Acetate) in case of 100?mg/L and became lower for 500 and 1000?mg/L Cr(VI) concentrations. Further, the association of bacterial cells with reduced product was ascertained by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, UV–Vis–DRS and field-emission scanning electron microscope–energy-dispersive X-ray analyses. The above study suggests that the higher reducing ability of the marine bacterium E. indicum MW1 will be suitable for Cr(VI) reduction from saline effluents.     

Fine‐resolution conservation planning with limited climate‐change information

Climate‐change induced uncertainties in future spatial patterns of conservation‐related outcomes make it difficult to implement standard conservation‐planning paradigms. A recent study translates Markowitz's risk‐diversification strategy from finance to conservation settings, enabling conservation agents to use this diversification strategy for allocating conservation and restoration investments across space to minimize the risk associated with such uncertainty. However, this method is information intensive and requires a large number of forecasts of ecological outcomes associated with possible climate‐change scenarios for carrying out fine‐resolution conservation planning. We developed a technique for iterative, spatial portfolio analysis that can be used to allocate scarce conservation resources across a desired level of subregions in a planning landscape in the absence of a sufficient number of ecological forecasts. We applied our technique to the Prairie Pothole Region in central North America. A lack of sufficient future climate information prevented attainment of the most efficient risk‐return conservation outcomes in the Prairie Pothole Region. The difference in expected conservation returns between conservation planning with limited climate‐change information and full climate‐change information was as large as 30% for the Prairie Pothole Region even when the most efficient iterative approach was used. However, our iterative approach allowed finer resolution portfolio allocation with limited climate‐change forecasts such that the best possible risk‐return combinations were obtained. With our most efficient iterative approach, the expected loss in conservation outcomes owing to limited climate‐change information could be reduced by 17% relative to other iterative approaches.     

羟基自由基氧化降解水中土臭素的效率与机制

土臭素(Geosmin,GSM)是一种由蓝绿藻及放线菌产生,具有令人讨厌土霉味的化合物.地表水中存在土臭素,尽管量少,但因传统水处理工艺难以去除,大大降低了饮用水的感官质量.本文采用大气压强电场电离放电结合水力射流空化方式制备的羟基自由基(Hydroxyl radicals,·OH)对水中GSM进行氧化降解,研究了氧化剂投加剂量、接触时间因素的影响,并根据气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)全扫描获取的中间产物探讨了·OH氧化降解GSM的机制.实验结果表明:当氧化剂投加剂量为0.8 mg·L~(-1),管路中接触反应6 s,可把初始浓度100 ng·L~(-1)的GSM降解到10 ng·L~(-1)以下;提高氧化剂投加量至2.6 mg·L~(-1),接触反应180 s,可氧化降解500 ng·L~(-1)的GSM至10 ng·L~(-1)以下,达到我国《生活饮用水卫生标准》(GB5749—2006).在GSM水样中加入叔丁醇(Tertiary butyl alcohol,TBA)·OH淬灭剂,GSM氧化降解效果明显降低,间接证明了降解GSM的主要物质为·OH.对氧化降解GSM的中间产物分析表明·OH可以破坏GSM双环结构并最终将其矿化成CO_2和H_2O.     

宁波市地表水重金属污染现状和健康风险评价

为评价中国华东沿海城市地表水重金属的污染现状和潜在生态风险,以宁波为例,在城区地表水中采集了255个水样,检测了6种重金属(Cd、Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb和Zn)的含量水平,计算了重金属的健康风险指数和致癌风险指数.结果表明,宁波市地表水中重金属平均浓度的大小顺序为:ZnPbCrNiCdCu;有3种重金属超过国标GB 3838-2002中的Ⅴ类限值,且严重顺序为CdPbCr,电镀废水、金属加工废弃物、交通污染物、染料和涂料废物是主要污染源.70%以上的地表水存在健康风险,镇海区和海曙区风险最高,3种潜在风险最大的重金属及顺序为:CdCrPb.地表水对成年人和未成年人的致癌风险指数平均值分别达到临界值的17 600倍和24 800倍,且95%以上因Cr引起,人口密集的商业区致癌风险指数接近全市平均水平的2倍.宁波市地表水重金属污染严重,相关部门应当足够重视.     

两种沉水植物对风浪及持续高水位胁迫的适应性研究

以两种沉水植物马来眼子菜(Potamogeton malainus)和狐尾藻(Myriophyllum spicatum)为研究对象,通过原位模拟试验,比较在相同水位变化幅度下不同高水位持续胁迫水平(分别以T0、T1、T2、T3表示恒静止、持续4 d、持续8 d和持续12 d)对沉水植物的生物量、植株伸长、具体形态指标和光合荧光特性的影响,并同步分析滆湖大洪港内两处风浪差异区(湖岸区M1和湖心区M2)两种沉水植物相应的适应性和形态变化的特征.结果表明,马来眼子菜和狐尾藻都表现出了较好的环境适应性,T0时任意两处的两种植物生物量和株高均最大;在风浪扰动较小区域(M2),持续高水位减弱了两种植物的伸长和生长(p0.01),并显著限制其在地上生物量的投资和茎干横向的分支(p0.05).在风浪扰动较大区域(M1),持续高水位对两种沉水植物产生了相同的形态变化,并显著降低各梯度下其Fv/Fm和快速光响应曲线(p0.05),但M1处两种沉水植物的光合能力均显著大于M2处.狐尾藻对风浪扰动和长时间水位胁迫能表现出更强抗弱光性和光合作用能力.因此,持续高水位胁迫下(小于8 d)两种沉水植物对一定程度水动力仍有较好的形态和生长适应性,对特定水文波动特征进行合理应对以保持沉水植物活力和维持湖泊生态系统具有指导作用.     

危险废物环境风险防控关键问题与对策

国家高度重视生态文明建设和环境保护工作,固体废物尤其是危险废物的风险防控是加强生态文明建设和改善环境质量的关键.我国当前危险废物环境风险防控面临的形势主要是产生量大且持续增加、污染事故频发和环境风险凸显、利用处置短板明显以及综合利用风险防控明显不足;面临该严峻形势的关键原因,包括管理制度顶层设计不够完善、风险防控基础研究薄弱、环评的作用未充分发挥和管理支撑体系不够完善.针对面临严峻形势的关键问题,建议从4个方面加强危险废物风险防控:①加强危险废物减量化、资源化和无害化的协同,强化产生者主体责任;②强化危险废物环境影响评价监管的事前、事中和事后监管机制;③建立《国家危险废物管理名录》,统一协调危险废物的污染防治和利用处置管理;④完善危险废物管理标准规范体系,提高监管能力和建设全过程信息化监管系统.