Responses of CH(4), CO(2) and N(2)O fluxes to increasing nitrogen deposition in alpine grassland of the Tianshan Mountains

To assess the effects of nitrogen (N) deposition on greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in alpine grassland of the Tianshan Mountains in central Asia, CH₄, CO₂ and N₂O fluxes were measured from June 2010 to May 2011. Nitrogen deposition tended to significantly increase CH₄ uptake, CO₂ and N₂O emissions at sites receiving N addition compared with those at site without N addition during the growing season, but no significant differences were found for all sites outside the growing season. Air temperature, soil temperature and water content were the important factors that influence CO₂ and N₂O emissions at year-round scale, indicating that increased temperature and precipitation in the future will exert greater impacts on CO₂ and N₂O emissions in the alpine grassland. In addition, plant coverage in July was also positively correlated with CO₂ and N₂O emissions under elevated N deposition rates. The present study will deepen our understanding of N deposition impacts on GHG balance in the alpine grassland ecosystem, and help us assess the global N effects, parameterize Earth System models and inform decision makers.     

Hiking Trails and Tourism Impact Assessment In Protected Area: Jiuzhaigou Biosphere Reserve,China

More and more visitors are attracted to protected areas nowadays, which not only bring about economic increase but also seriously adverse impacts on the ecological environment. In protected areas, trails are linkage between visitors and natural ecosystem, so they concentrate most of the adverse impacts caused by visitors. The trampling problems on the trails have been received attentions in the tremendous researches. However, few of them have correlated the environmental impacts to trail spatial patterns. In this project, the trails were selected as assessment objective, the trampling problems trail widening, multiple trail, and root exposure were taken as assessment indicators to assess ecological impacts in the case study area Jiuzhaigou Biosphere Reserve, and two spatial index, connectivity and circularity, were taken to indicate the trail network spatial patterns. The research results showed that the appearing frequency of the trampling problems had inverse correlation with the circularity and connectivity of the trail network, while the problem extent had no correlation with the spatial pattern. Comparing with the pristine trails, the artificial maintenance for the trails such as wooden trails and flagstone trails could prohibit vegetation root from exposure effectively. The research finds will be useful for the future trail design and tourism management.     

Ecological pressures on grassland ecosystems and their conservation strategies in Northern China

In this study,we identified ecological pressures on grassland ecosystems and adaptive countermeasures in Northern China.Our research revealed that the main sources of these pressures included population growth,economic development,resources exploitation,and global climate change,with human-related activities being overriding factors.Overgrazing was an important reason for grassland imbalance,causing soil erosion and desertification,especially during the sensitive spring greening phase.In steppe zones,commercial coal mining was destructive to the ecological environment.Regarding long-term strategies,we recommend that policy-makers devote more consideration to a new conceptual approach for transforming grasslands through shifting the focus from die grassland’s traditional production functions to meir ecological functions.Applying this concept,adaptive countermeasures should be developed to reduce human impacts based on the environmental capacities of grasslands.Moreover,we recommend the development of environment-friendly industries and reduction of pressures from human activities as effective measures for maintaining the balance between sustainable economic development and grassland conservation.Lastly,we suggest that restoration of degraded grasslands should conform to the principle of natural vegetation to further improve the ecological adaptability of plants and ecosystem stability.This study is expected to provide scientific support for policy-makers engaged in grassland protection.     

简论藏族聚居区可持续发展与产业结构调整导向

我国藏族人口聚居区由于受资源—环境、劳动力素质和经济发展水平等因素限制,只能选择兼顾经济—生态环境综合效益的可持续发展道路。为此,作者提出了重点开发藏区旅游服务及其相关第三产业,实现产业结构良性调整,建立具有藏区特色的新型产业结构的有关建议与构想。     

城市旅游发展的动力:理论分析与案例研究

20世纪80年代之初，深圳和珠海旅游发展的内外部条件极为类似，但是20年来两个城市旅游的发展模式却完全不同。本文研究发现：城市旅游发展取决于需求结构和相对优势两个因素的共同作用。基于旅游体验本质的需求结构的变化，决定了同一类型的旅游城市具有相似的变化规律；不同类型的旅游城市变化规律差异较大。另一方面，城市旅游驱动机制决定了相对优势的变化，旅游驱动机制演变轨迹的不同正是建成各个城市旅游目的地旅游发展模式差别的主因。由此可见，城市旅游要实现可持续发展就必须用随外部环境的变化（主要是需求结构的变化），适时培育和转变驱动机制。     

Habitat Change and Plant Demography: Assessing the Extinction Risk of a Formerly Common Grassland Perennial

Abstract:  An important aim of conservation biology is to understand how habitat change affects the dynamics and extinction risk of populations. We used matrix models to analyze the effect of habitat degradation on the demography of the declining perennial plant Trifolium montanum in 9 calcareous grasslands in Germany over 4 years and experimentally tested the effect of grassland management. Finite population growth rates (λ) decreased with light competition, measured as leaf-area index above T. montanum plants. At unmanaged sites λ was <1 due to lower recruitment and lower survival and flowering probability of large plants. Nevertheless, in stochastic simulations, extinction of unmanaged populations of 100 flowering plants was delayed for several decades. Clipping as a management technique rapidly increased population growth because of higher survival and flowering probability of large plants in managed than in unmanaged plots. Transition-matrix simulations from these plots indicated grazing or mowing every second year would be sufficient to ensure a growth rate ≥1 if conditions stayed the same. At frequently grazed sites, the finite growth rate was approximately 1 in most populations of T. montanum . In stochastic simulations, the extinction risk of even relatively small grazed populations was low, but about half the extant populations of T. montanum in central Germany are smaller than would be sufficient for a probability of survival of >95% over 100 years. We conclude that habitat change after cessation of management strongly reduces recruitment and survival of established individuals of this perennial plant. Nevertheless, our results suggest extinction processes may take a long time in perennial plants, resulting in an extinction debt. Even if management is frequent, many remnant populations of T. montanum may be at risk because of their small size, but even a slight increase in size could considerably reduce their extinction risk.     

Effects of the Presence of Official‐Looking Volunteers on Harassment of New Zealand Fur Seals

Abstract: An increased number of tourists viewing animals in the wild have increased stress on these animals (hereafter wildlife). Many wildlife‐viewing locations rely on voluntary compliance with posted regulations to protect animals from tourists because of the expense of employing on‐site enforcement personnel. Voluntary compliance, however, is ineffective. The presence of official‐looking volunteers may decrease the incidence of wildlife harassment by tourists. To test this possibility, we observed tourists interacting with 5‐ to 12‐month‐old New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) at the popular Ohau Stream waterfall while in the absence or presence of a young woman in plain sight wearing a neon vest (i.e., observer) and when an observer was not present. We observed 254 tourist groups at the waterfall when young seals were present. The percentage of groups in which at least one person harassed (approached, touched, or threw objects) a young seal was two‐thirds lower when the official‐looking observer was present. Frequency of harassment was inversely related to observer presence. Programs in which volunteers work at tourist sites are popular in countries with high tourism rates, such as New Zealand. Our results show that a relatively inexpensive and effective tourism‐management strategy may be to post such volunteers as observers at sites where tourists view wildlife.     

朱亭森林公园旅游开发初探

通过对株洲县朱亭森林公园的旅游开发基本条件进行了多层面的分析，并且对朱亭森林公园如何进行旅游开发规划建设做了初步探讨．对类似朱亭森林公园背景条件的森林旅游资源非优型森林公园的旅游开发具有现实的借鉴指导意义．     

湖南观光休闲农业旅游资源及其开发研究

湖南作为内陆农业大省和旅游资源大省，具有独特的“潇湘”自然生态环境本底，丰富多彩的乡村景观资源，较为优越的区位交通条件，发展观光休闲农业具有得天独厚的优势和潜力、但在开发观光休闲农业旅游资源时，应坚持市场导向，准确定位；突出乡土特色，提升文化品位；加强对乡村景观资源及其环境的保护，走可持续发展之路。     

风景名胜区旅游环境适宜性分析--以中山陵园风景名胜区为例

根据适宜性分析方法,以中山陵园风景名胜区为例,提出了风景名胜区旅游环境适宜性分析的自然状况、环境感应和环境质量3方面8个评价因子,通过网格调查法,从单因子和多因子两方面评价了它的旅游环境适宜性。结果表明,景区内部生态环境优良,尤其是声环境、绿地覆盖率和大气质量,但水环境和垃圾问题不可忽视,同时大部分土地不宜再开发利用,景区外围局部和紫金山登山路径沿线生态环境相对较差。最后针对分析结果,提出通过土地置换、清洁生产、循环旅游等措施改善景区的旅游环境。