Consumer response to integrated pest management and certification

This study investigated consumer awareness of integrated pest management (IPM) and the effects of two marketing strategies. Specific objectives were to find whether eastern Massachusetts farmstand and farmers' market customers purchasing sweet corn care how their food is grown, whether they are aware of IPM, whether they would prefer to buy IPM-certified sweet corn and why, and whether the marketing methods presently available to IPM-certified growers can enhance awareness of IPM. In 1993, the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with the IPM Program at the University of Massachusetts began a pilot IPM certification program for sweet corn and strawberries, designated ‘Partners with Nature’ (PWN). This study compared a ‘passive’ and ‘active’ PWN marketing strategy with a control that did not have any PWN publicity. The passive strategy was simply display of a PWN certificate and poster. The active strategy also included newspaper advertisements, clear labeling of corn as IPM-certified at the point of selection, a PWN sticker placed on bags of corn at payment, personally thanking customers for ‘buying our IPM-certified sweet corn’, and IPM brochures available to customers. Thirty purchasers of IPM-grown corn were interviewed at each of six farmstands and six farmers' markets.The dominant reason why customers patronize farmstands and farmers' markets was convenience. As found by other northeastern surveys, awareness of IPM was low: only 19% had heard of IPM before the survey, and only 38% of these could mention a specific method used in IPM. Although 45% of the respondents initially said that they did not care how their food is grown, 85% said that they would prefer to buy IPM-certified sweet corn after hearing a short definition. The definition gave only environmental benefits, but 74% of the customers preferring IPM-certified corn said they would buy it because it is safer or healthier. Most of the respondents claimed that they would be willing to pay 10% more for IPM-certified corn. Simply displaying an IPM poster had no significant results on consumer preference for IPM-grown produce, but active marketing significantly raised awareness of IPM and the PWN program.This study demonstrated the willingness of customers to support IPM because they believe it will have positive consequences for human health and environmental quality. It is concluded that sweet corn marketing based on IPM certification positively influenced consumer reactions to IPM; and a more extensive, diverse marketing strategy would enhance consumer awareness and support.     

甘肃国家级自然保护区旅游资源的游憩价值评估

旅游资源经济价值的量化能促进资源的合理开发和保护利用,对旅游资源价值的评估是监测旅游资源的保护与可持续开发利用效果的理论基础。以甘肃国家级自然保护区为研究对象,运用游憩费用法对甘肃国家级自然保护区旅游资源的游憩价值进行了评估,计算出其游憩总价值。这些结果可为甘肃国家级自然保护区的旅游资源管理决策和旅游资源补偿提供一定的参考。     

城口大巴山自然保护区现状及保护措施

在保护区物种资源和生态系统调查的基础上，结合保护区的实际情况和国家西部大开发生态环境保护政策，提出了保护区生物多样性保护措施。     

The conservation benefits of cost-effective land acquisition: A case study in Maryland

Economic theory asserts that to achieve maximum conservation benefits land acquisition needs to be cost effective. Yet the most common planning technique used by land conservation organizations is ‘benefit-targeting’ that focuses only on acquiring parcels with the highest benefits and ignores costs. Unlike most of the literature which focuses on covering problems, this research applies optimization techniques to achieve maximum aggregate conservation benefits for an ongoing land acquisition effort in the Catoctin Mountain Region in central Maryland. For this case study, optimization yields additional conservation benefits worth an estimated $3.1–$3.9 million or achieves the same level of conservation benefits but at a cost savings ranging from $0.9 to $3.5 million, depending on the initial budget size. Finally, the highest efficiencies are achieved in low budget scenarios, like those most prevalent in conservation efforts.     

Has recent climate warming affected the dates of bird arrival to the Il℉men Reserve in the Southern Urals?

The results of regression and correlation analyses of long-term data (1971–2005) on the dates of arrival of 16 bird species to the Il’men State Nature Reserve (the Southern Urals) show that they have not changed in most of these birds, unlike in many countries of Europe and North America. This is explained primarily by the absence of any significant trends in the dynamics of spring air temperatures in the study region. Only the herring gull Larus argentatus and the lapwing Vanellus vanellus have shown a significant tendency to arrive earlier, while the garganey Anas querquedula has shown a tendency to arrive on later dates in the past two decades. Nevertheless, interannual fluctuations in the dates of arrival are well manifested in both early arriving species wintering in Europe and late-arriving species wintering in Africa. These fluctuations largely depend on temperature conditions in spring. As a rule, almost all species studied—from waterbirds to passerines—appear in the Il’men Reserve earlier in years with early and warm springs than in cold years. Hence, spring weather is the key factor determining the dates of arrival of migratory birds to the study region.     

古田山国家自然保护区针阔叶混交林植物物种多样性特征

利用样方法进行野外群落调查.共调查了6个样地,每个样地大小为20m×20 m,研究古田山自然保护区针阔叶混交林植物物种多样性特征.结果表明:古田山针阔混交林的科、属、种组成多样性较高,植物种类丰富.组成复杂.群落的属种多样性>科属多样性>科种多样性.从灌木层、乔木层至草本层物种多样性依次递减,乔木层和灌木层的物种多样性指数明显大于草本层物种多样性指数.     

鼎湖山自然保护区土壤有机碳、微生物生物量碳和土壤CO2浓度垂直分布

选取鼎湖山3种植被类型(季风常绿阔叶林,针阔叶混交林和马尾松林),按0～15,15～30,30～45cm土层取样,测量了各土层土壤有机碳(SOC)质量分数,熏蒸培养法测量了微生物生物量碳(Cmic),同时用气象色谱法测量了地表和土壤15、30、45、60cm处CO2体积分数,并用静态箱/碱石灰吸收法测量了土壤呼吸速率。结果如下:(1)随土层的加深,SOC质量分数降低,0～15cmSOC显著高于其他两层,季风常绿阔叶林SOC显著高于其他两种植被类型;(2)土壤碳密度和土壤有机碳含量垂直分布规律一致,0～15cm土壤碳密度显著高于其他两层;(3)0～30cm土层微生物生物量占总土壤微生物生物量的81%～92%,随土层加深微生物生物量迅速降低。微生物生物量和土壤有机碳的比值表明,三种植被类型土壤均处于土壤碳积累中,深层土壤碳积累程度高于表层;(4)土壤CO2浓度随土层的加深迅速升高,主要与土壤透气性有关。     

基于分区的多目的地TCM模型及其在游憩资源价值评估中的应用——以九寨沟自然保护区为例

作为评估户外游憩价值的经典方法,旅行费用法穴TCM雪主要存在3种基本模型,即分区旅行费用法穴ZTCM雪、个人旅行费用法穴ITCM雪和随机效用法穴RUM雪。尽管这3种模型在理论和实践上都已相当成熟,却均无非常完善的方法来解决广为存在的多目的地环程旅行问题,致使该问题成为TCM研究应用中的难点和热点。论文根据九寨沟的实际情况,首次提出应用基于分区的多目的地TCM模型穴MZTC雪来评估九寨沟的游憩价值,得到2002年九寨沟自然保护区的总游憩价值为15.61×108元,人均1246.10元;其中消费者剩余为4.71×108元,人均375.92元,与国外最新游憩价值综述研究的结果非常接近。     

Tourism’s Impacts on Natural Resources: A Positive Case from China

Tourism development may result in negative impacts on natural resources owing to overuse and mismanagement. However, tourism may also play positive roles in natural resource conservation, which has rarely been verified in practice, although some researchers have demonstrated this in theory. In this article, taking the Jiuzhaigou Biosphere Reserve as a case study area, we conducted an analysis for the environmental impacts from tourism development based on social survey and interpretation of remote sensing images. The results show that the natural environment was not degraded and some indicators are even improving because all the residents have participated in tourism and given up farming and hunting. It is concluded that it is possible to use tourism as a way to balance natural resource conservation and economic development under the preconditions of making effective policies to encourage and help local people participate in tourism business and to benefit from it.     

Potential solar radiation pattern in relation to the monthly distribution of giant pandas in Foping Nature Reserve, China

Solar radiation is an important parameter in ecological process modeling, hydrological modeling and bio-physical modeling. However, models focusing on solar radiation in relation to giant panda habitat and seasonal distribution are limited. The research aims to form spatial models of 12 month solar radiation patterns and to investigate the relation between the solar radiation patterns and the monthly distribution patterns of giant pandas. The solar radiation model of Kumar et al. was adopted for this study in Foping Nature Reserve (NR), China. By comparing twelve monthly solar radiation patterns and calculating statistics such as maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation of the solar radiation, diversified solar radiation patterns over different months were obtained. Maximum solar radiation occurred in June and July, while minimum solar radiation occurred in December and January. The annual sum of solar radiation was 6954 MJ/m² in Foping NR. The range in solar radiation was smaller in hot months and larger in cold months. Radio tracking data of giant pandas were collected for twelve months and the ensuing maps were overlaid with the twelve-month solar radiation map to analyze the relation between the giant panda's monthly distribution and solar radiation. Our results showed that giant pandas prefer areas with lower solar radiation in warm months and select areas with higher solar radiation in cold months, which illustrates that the distribution of giant pandas is indeed affected by solar radiation. To a certain degree, it also explains the behavior of seasonal movement by giant pandas in Foping NR.