Assessment of the Conservation Efforts to Prevent Extinction of the Iberian Lynx

Abstract: The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) may be the first charismatic felid to become extinct in a high‐income country, despite decades of study and much data that show extinction is highly probable. The International Union for Conservation of Nature categorizes it as critically endangered; about 200 free‐ranging individuals remain in two populations in southern Spain. Conservation measures aimed at averting extirpation have been extensively undertaken with 4 of the former 10 Iberian lynx populations recorded 25 years ago. Two of the four populations have been extirpated. The number of individuals in the third population have declined by 83%, and in the fourth the probability of extirpation has increased from 34% to 95%. Major drivers of the pending extinction are the small areas to which conservation measures have been applied; lack of incorporation of evidence‐based conservation, scientific monitoring, and adaptive management into conservation efforts; a lack of continuity in recovery efforts, and distrust by conservation agencies of scientific information. In contrast to situations in which conservation and economic objectives conflict, in the case of the Iberian lynx all stakeholders desire the species to be conserved.     

Application of risk based inspection in refinery and processing piping

In refineries and processing plants, the enormous amount of piping is more complex in distribution than other types of equipment. In general, compared with other types of equipment in these industries, more difficulty in inspection planning is encountered.

However, under-inspection or over-inspection can occur due to the lack of jurisdictional requirements on the inspection interval and method for piping, or the inspection interval being based only on piping service classifications in the existing regulations, such as API 570. This can result in unacceptable risks, along with costly loss of resources.

To lessen the piping risk level, more and more companies have adopted and applied risk based inspection (RBI) methodology, leading to risk reduction and cost benefits since the last decade. This study applied RBI methodology to optimize the inspection strategy of the piping in a refinery and petrochemical plants in Taiwan. Two actual case studies were corroborated better with quantitative RBI methodology than without the methodology in terms of risk and cost reductions.     

基于城市腹地的乡镇通达性的时空格局及其演化——以湖北荆州市112个乡镇为例

行政边界对路网的分割效应和以出行方向机会均等为前提是当前通达性研究中的两大问题。基于2000~2011年荆州市城乡道路网空间数据库,自下而上揭示了2000~2011年荆州市乡镇通达性的时空格局及其演化特征:(1)基于城市腹地范围的乡镇通达性评价较好的模拟了乡镇的出行意愿,且实现了区内通达性与区际通达性的综合。十多年间,交通网络建设带来的城市腹地时空压缩效应显著:荆州市乡镇地域所属地级市腹地格局由荆州"一城主宰"演变为荆州和岳阳"两城瓜分",所属县级市腹地格局也经历了由"荆州独享"到"周边共享"的发展历程;(2)十多年间,荆州市乡镇通达性空间分布基本遵循距离衰减律,呈现以荆州城区为中心的环状分布格局,且时序上表现出微观动态性和宏观稳定性特征:一是,通达性空间分布呈现由低水平集聚向优化均衡的动态性发展趋势。二是,乡镇通达性空间分布结构由核心-边缘向等级圈层结构的演进。三是,乡镇通达性发育具有时空惯性,呈现显著的快速干道指向性;(3)十多年间,荆州市乡镇通达性发育呈现出"单核单轴弱扩散"→"单核多轴强扩散"→"双核多轴全扩散"的空间演化模式。     

生理药代动力学模型及其在健康风险评价中的应用研究进展

生理药代动力学(Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic,PBPK)模型在健康风险评估中的应用逐渐成为研究的焦点.简要阐述了PBPK模型的定义及发展历程,在此基础上详细介绍了PBPK模型建立的过程及其在致癌风险评估、混合物健康风险评估中的应用.最后,总结了该模型在健康风险评估应用中的受限因素,提出跨学科合作有利于解决这些受限因素,从而进一步推进该模型在混合物健康风险评价中的应用.     

氰戊菊酯生理毒物代谢动力学模型的建立

利用生理毒物代谢动力学(PBTK)对小鼠静脉注射农药氰戊菊酯后,氰戊菊酯在体内分布转化代谢过程进行模拟,为评价农药暴露风险提供依据。小鼠静脉注射氰戊菊酯的PBTK模型构建分为5个房室:肝脏、肺、肾脏、充分灌注室和不充分灌注室,各房室内氰戊菊酯的浓度变化率由质量守恒微分方程表示。根据欧拉数值计算方法,对小鼠静脉注射氰戊菊酯后的毒物代谢动力学数据进行模拟。结果模拟预测了小鼠静脉注射0.5 mg·kg-1、2.5 mg·kg-1、10 mg·kg-1氰戊菊酯后血液、肝脏和肺中氰戊菊酯浓度变化曲线。为验证该模型的准确性,对小鼠静脉注射0.77 mg·kg-1氰戊菊酯后血液、肝脏和肺中氰戊菊酯的浓度值变化模拟值与前人的实验测量值进行比较,结果显示模拟值与实验值之间不存在显著性差异。因此利用该方法可以估测小鼠静脉注射氰戊菊酯的毒物代谢动力学数据,为评估农药暴露体内剂量数据提供了便利途径。     

柴油轿车燃用煤基F-T合成油的排放特性

依据GB 18352.3-2005Ⅰ型试验循环,对帕萨特柴油轿车燃用沪四柴油、煤基F-T合成油、体积混合比例分别为10%和50%的煤基F-T合成油-沪四柴油混合燃料的CO、NOx、HC、PM和CO2排放特性进行了试验研究,分析了该车燃用F-T合成油尾气污染物排放的环境影响特性.结果表明,GB 18352.3-2005Ⅰ型试验循环中,该车燃用煤基F-T合成油-沪四柴油混合燃料城区行驶循环排放的CO、HC、PM和CO2相对较高,城郊行驶循环排放的NOx相对较高;与沪四柴油比较,该柴油轿车燃用煤基F-T合成油-沪四柴油混合燃料后,其CO、NOx、HC、PM和CO2排放均有不同程度的降低,且产生气溶胶、酸化、全球变暖等环境影响的潜力减小.煤基F-T合成油是一种较理想的柴油替代/补充燃料.     

高强度钢代镉铝基涂层耐海洋环境腐蚀性能评价

目的评价高强度结构钢300M上电镀镉-钛、离子镀铝、无水电镀铝三种防护涂层的耐海洋环境腐蚀性能。方法采用中性盐雾试验和海洋环境大气暴露试验进行评价,并在试验后观察涂层宏观、微观形貌,分析腐蚀产物成分。结果离子镀铝涂层表面在盐雾试验96 h出现白色的腐蚀产物、336 h出现红色的腐蚀产物;电镀铝在336 h出现白色的腐蚀产物、500 h出现红色的腐蚀产物。电镀镉-钛盐雾试验1000 h没有白色腐蚀产物。离子镀铝涂层和电镀铝涂层海洋环境大气暴露试验0.5 a出现了白色的腐蚀点、1 a暴露试验后出现红色的腐蚀点,且在划叉区域出现了红色的腐蚀产物,而电镀镉-钛5 a户外暴露试验仅在划叉部分出现了少量的红色的腐蚀产物。离子镀铝涂层和电镀铝两种涂层均易发生铝涂层的点蚀,随着腐蚀时间的延长,点蚀深入,发生基体的腐蚀出现红锈。结论离子镀铝、无水电镀铝两种铝基涂层比电镀镉-钛的耐蚀性稍差,镉-钛镀层对基体有良好的牺牲阳极的作用,保护基体免受腐蚀,而铝涂层对基体的保护作用较弱,划叉部位出现红色的腐蚀。     

The Ability of Landowners and Their Cooperatives to Leverage Payments Greater Than Opportunity Costs from Conservation Contracts

In negotiations over land‐right acquisitions, landowners have an informational advantage over conservation groups because they know more about the opportunity costs of conservation measures on their sites. This advantage creates the possibility that landowners will demand payments greater than the required minimum, where this minimum required payment is known as the landowner's willingness to accept (WTA). However, in recent studies of conservation costs, researchers have assumed landowners will accept conservation with minimum payments. We investigated the ability of landowners to demand payments above their WTA when a conservation group has identified multiple sites for protection. First, we estimated the maximum payment landowners could potentially demand, which is set when groups of landowners act as a cooperative. Next, through the simulation of conservation auctions, we explored the amount of money above landowners’ WTA (i.e., surplus) that conservation groups could cede to secure conservation agreements, again investigating the influence of landowner cooperatives. The simulations showed the informational advantage landowners held could make conservation investments up to 42% more expensive than suggested by the site WTAs. Moreover, all auctions resulted in landowners obtaining payments greater than their WTA; thus, it may be unrealistic to assume landowners will accept conservation contracts with minimum payments. Of particular significance for species conservation, conservation objectives focused on overall species richness, which therefore recognize site complementarity, create an incentive for landowners to form cooperatives to capture surplus. To the contrary, objectives in which sites are substitutes, such as the maximization of species occurrences, create a disincentive for cooperative formation. La Habilidad de Propietarios y Sus Cooperativas para Implementar Pagos Mayores que los Costos de Oportunidad en Contratos de Conservación     

Effects of Harvesting Flowers from Shrubs on the Persistence and Abundance of Wild Shrub Populations at Multiple Spatial Extents

Abstract: Wildflower harvesting is an economically important activity of which the ecological effects are poorly understood. We assessed how harvesting of flowers affects shrub persistence and abundance at multiple spatial extents. To this end, we built a process‐based model to examine the mean persistence and abundance of wild shrubs whose flowers are subject to harvest (serotinous Proteaceae in the South African Cape Floristic Region). First, we conducted a general sensitivity analysis of how harvesting affects persistence and abundance at nested spatial extents. For most spatial extents and combinations of demographic parameters, persistence and abundance of flowering shrubs decreased abruptly once harvesting rate exceeded a certain threshold. At larger extents, metapopulations supported higher harvesting rates before their persistence and abundance decreased, but persistence and abundance also decreased more abruptly due to harvesting than at smaller extents. This threshold rate of harvest varied with species’ dispersal ability, maximum reproductive rate, adult mortality, probability of extirpation or local extinction, strength of Allee effects, and carrying capacity. Moreover, spatial extent interacted with Allee effects and probability of extirpation because both these demographic properties affected the response of local populations to harvesting more strongly than they affected the response of metapopulations. Subsequently, we simulated the effects of harvesting on three Cape Floristic Region Proteaceae species and found that these species reacted differently to harvesting, but their persistence and abundance decreased at low rates of harvest. Our estimates of harvesting rates at maximum sustainable yield differed from those of previous investigations, perhaps because researchers used different estimates of demographic parameters, models of population dynamics, and spatial extent than we did. Good demographic knowledge and careful identification of the spatial extent of interest increases confidence in assessments and monitoring of the effects of harvesting. Our general sensitivity analysis improved understanding of harvesting effects on metapopulation dynamics and allowed qualitative assessment of the probability of extirpation of poorly studied species.     

Motivations Influencing the Adoption of Conservation Easements

Abstract: The use of conservation easements as a conservation mechanism for private land has increased greatly in the past decade; conservation easements now protect over 15 million ha across the United States from residential and commercial development. We used a mailed survey and in‐depth telephone interviews to determine factors that motivate private landowners in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin (U.S.A.) to place conservation easements on their properties. The mailed survey asked about characteristics of landowners, their properties, and their opinions on 9 factors related to the decision to place an easement. A follow‐up telephone interview was completed with 19 mail‐survey participants to gain an in‐depth understanding of the action and to triangulate the results with the questionnaire. Place attachment, which is a measure of personal connection to a location or property, was the greatest motivation for implementation of an easement. Results of a principal components analysis suggested contributing to the public good underlaid several of the strong motivational factors for participation. Financial reasons were the lowest ranked motivational factor; however, financial concerns may facilitate placement of an easement that would otherwise not be realized. We believe that our results may be transferable to places where land protected by easements is not dominated by traditional farming (row crops, pastures, and hay), timber harvesting, or nonextractive uses (e.g., habitat for wild animals, recreation, and protection of ecosystem services).