Elementary Structural Units of the Biosphere

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

Negative Off‐Site Impacts of Ecological Restoration: Understanding and Addressing the Conflict

Abstract: Ecological restoration is a key component of biological conservation. Nevertheless, unlike protection of existing areas, restoration changes existing land use and can therefore be more controversial. Some restoration projects negatively affect surrounding landowners, creating social constraints to restoration success. Just as negative off‐site impacts (i.e., negative externalities) flow from industrial areas to natural areas, restoration projects can generate negative externalities for commercial land uses, such as agriculture. Negative externalities from industry have led to government regulation to prevent human health and environmental impacts. Negative externalities from restoration projects have elicited similar legal constraint on at least one large‐scale conservation project, riparian restoration in the Sacramento River Conservation Area. The negative externalities of restoration that are perceived to be the direct result of specific goals, such as endangered species management, are likely to be more contentious than externalities arising from unintended phenomena such as weed invasion. Restoration planners should give equal consideration to off‐site characteristics as to on‐site characteristics when choosing sites for restoration and designing projects. Efforts to control externalities can lead to off‐site ecological benefits.     

城市区域生态系统服务功能--以深圳市为例

了解城市中自然生态系统的状态与作用,是进行城市科学管理的基本前提。以深圳市为例,分析城市自然生态系统的主要服务功能,并探讨其对城市居民生活质量的重要性,重点回答关于城市自然生态系统及其服务功能的3个问题:(1)各项生态系统服务功能有助于解决城市的什么问题?(2)哪些生态系统、如何参与这些生态服务?(3)通过深圳市的实例对生态系统服务进行初步量化和评价。     

中国省域城市生态适宜度综合评价

依据城市生态系统原理,从生产位、生活位、环境位3方面构建了综合衡量城市生态适宜度的指标体系和数学方法,以各个省区地级以上城市作为分析样本,通过对评价区的各领域以及生态适宜度水平综合评价,结果表明:中国省域城市生态适宜度具有的明显区域性差异,城市生态适宜度大致呈现:东部高、中西部低,南方高、北方低的格局,既与区域自然生态条件有关,也同地方社会经济发展、城市建设与管理水平相关。     

区域生态监测的概念、方法与应用

区域生态监测是对生态系统类型、结构与功能及各要素的现状与变化进行测定与观察,并对生态系统受胁迫与胁迫效应进行判断和评价的过程。区域生态监测结果将在评价现状和预测发展趋势的基础上,为区域生态保护、生态建设提供决策依据。辨析了区域生态监测的概念,对区域生态监测方法选择及指标体系的建立提出了建议,并就其在生态环境管理中的应用作了探讨和展望。     

生态系统健康与环境管理

环境管理和生态系统健康是密不可分的,生态系统健康是环境管理的目的,生态系统健康为环境管理提供了新的思路、新的方法,健康的生态系统为实现区域可持续发展提供技术支撑和发展基础.生态系统健康的发展演替过程是优化环境管理的步骤.优化的环境管理为生态系统健康发展提供宏观决策和社会经济保障.本文从学科发展的角度论述了生态系统健康产生的背景、理论基础和应用途径;从学科交叉的角度论述了生态系统健康的评价和与环境管理的关系.提出了环境管理的目标:健康的生态系统→健康的环境→健康的食品→健康的人类生态系统→健康的社会发展.     

紫外吸收剂在湖泊中的分布及其对底栖动物的毒性效应

紫外吸收剂大量用于工业材料和个人护理品中,近年来在水体中不断被检出,同时由于其高度亲脂性,易在底泥和水生生物体内富集,产生潜在的毒性效应,已成为一类新型污染物。本文综述了紫外吸收剂在湖泊环境中的分布和生物富集效应,重点分析了二苯甲酮类等典型紫外吸收剂对底栖动物的药物代谢系统、抗氧化系统及其生长发育的影响及其毒性作用机制,并对未来该领域的研究进行了展望。     

Spatial cost–benefit analysis of blue restoration and factors driving net benefits globally

Marine coastal ecosystems, commonly referred to as blue ecosystems, provide valuable services to society but are under increasing threat worldwide due to a variety of drivers, including eutrophication, development, land-use change, land reclamation, and climate change. Ecological restoration is sometimes necessary to facilitate recovery in coastal ecosystems. Blue restoration (i.e., in marine coastal systems) is a developing field, and projects to date have been small scale and expensive, leading to the perception that restoration may not be economically viable. We conducted a global cost–benefit analysis to determine the net benefits of restoring coral reef, mangrove, saltmarsh, and seagrass ecosystems, where the benefit is defined as the monetary value of ecosystem services. We estimated costs from published restoration case studies and used an adjusted-value-transfer method to assign benefit values to these case studies. Benefit values were estimated as the monetary value provided by ecosystem services of the restored habitats. Benefits outweighed costs (i.e., there were positive net benefits) for restoration of all blue ecosystems. Mean benefit:cost ratios for ecosystem restoration were eight to 10 times higher than prior studies of coral reef and seagrass restoration, most likely due to the more recent lower cost estimates we used. Among ecosystems, saltmarsh had the greatest net benefits followed by mangrove; coral reef and seagrass ecosystems had lower net benefits. In general, restoration in nations with middle incomes had higher (eight times higher in coral reefs and 40 times higher in mangroves) net benefits than those with high incomes. Within an ecosystem type, net benefit varied with restoration technique (coral reef and saltmarsh), ecosystem service produced (mangrove and saltmarsh), and project duration (seagrass). These results challenge the perceptions of the low economic viability of blue restoration and should encourage further targeted investment in this field.     

Factors influencing perceptions of aquatic ecosystems

While factors influencing perceptions of drinking water have been well studied, those of aquatic ecosystems have been to lesser extent. We conducted a review to improve awareness of these factors. Environmental factors found to influence public perceptions of aquatic ecosystems were presence/absence of water plants and algae, presence/absence of floating debris, the odor, movement (for flowing waters) and clarity/turbidity of the water, and the type, condition, setting, naturalness, and overall aesthetic appeal of the ecosystem. Sociocultural factors found to influence public perceptions of aquatic ecosystems included age, education, gender, and place-based knowledge. We provide perspectives of how managers can better meet the diverse social demands placed on aquatic ecosystems. The importance and benefits of considering these perspectives may be especially beneficial where significant multi-generational and culturally relevant place-based knowledge exist.     

A strategy for wildlife management in depopulating rural areas of Japan

Former ranges of wild animals have been reestablished in many developed countries. However, this reestablishment has led to increasing human–wildlife conflict in agroforest ecosystems. In Japan, human–wildlife conflict, such as crop raiding by and ecological impacts of wild ungulates and primates, is a serious problem in depopulated rural areas due to these animal range expansions and increased abundances. Japan's human population is predicted to decline by 24% by 2050, and approximately 20% of agricultural settlements will become completely depopulated. In this scenario, anthropogenic pressures on wildlife (e.g., hunting and habitat alteration) will continue to decrease and human–wildlife conflict will increase due to increasing wildlife recovery. Japan's local governments plan to slow range recovery, prevent species reestablishment, or remove recolonizing large mammals through lethal control. This strategy, however, is not cost-effective, and workforce shortages in depopulated communities make it infeasible. Moreover, the suppression of wildlife prevents the recovery of ecological functions and thus would degrade regional biodiversity. The declining pressure on wildlife that accompanies human depopulation will prevent the restoration of any past states of human–wildlife interaction. We suggest human-used areas in rural landscapes be aggregated in compact cities and that in transition zones between human settlements and depopulated lands that land-sharing approaches be applied. Concentrating management efforts in compact cities may effectively decrease human–wildlife conflict, rather than intensifying human pressures. Reforestation of depopulated lands may lead to recovery of wildlife habitats, their ecosystem functions, and regional biodiversity due to minimization of negative anthropogenic effects (land-sparing approach). Balancing resolution of human–wildlife conflict and ecological rewilding could become a new, challenging task for regional wildlife managers.