Effects of Landscape Features on the Distribution and Sustainability of Ungulate Hunting in Northern Congo

Abstract: Understanding the spatial dimensions of hunting and prey population dynamics is important in order to estimate the sustainability of hunting in tropical forests. We investigated how hunting offtake of vertebrates differed in mixed forest and monodominant forest (composed of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei) and over different spatial extents within the hunting catchment around the logging town of Kabo, Congo. In 9 months of recall surveys with hunters, we gathered information on over 1500 hunting trips in which ungulates were 65% of the species killed and 82% of harvested biomass. Hunters supplied information on animals killed and the hunting trip, including the area visited (i.e., hunting zone; 11 separate zones within a 506 km² catchment or commonly hunted area). Over 65% of all animals were killed in monodominant forest, which made up 28% of the hunting catchment, and zones with small amounts of monodominant forest were used most frequently by hunters. Given the large offtakes from monodominant forests, we suggest that animal dispersal may be maintaining high, localized harvests in these areas. We believe hunters preferred to hunt in monodominant forest because the understory was accessible and that areas with small amounts of monodominant forest and large amounts of mixed forest were more productive. The variation in hunting pressure we found between and within hunting zones differs from past examinations of spatial variation in hunting offtake, where entire hunting catchments were considered population sinks and areas with low to no hunting (no‐take zones) were outside hunting catchments. Future use of no‐take zones to manage hunting should incorporate variability in offtake within hunting catchments.     

水利工程建设项目安全生产违规行为分析及监管模式优化

为优化水利工程建设项目安全监管模式、提高安全监管效能,选取山东省2020年重点水利工程质量安全监督报告进行统计分析,梳理出项目法人、代建单位、施工单位、监理单位、设计单位的安全生产违规行为共计1289个,以行为安全“2-4”模型为理论依据,对高频不安全行为产生的原因和规律进行研究。结果显示:水利工程建设项目五方参建单位的高频不安全行为中,安全管理体系程序文件不完善及执行过程不佳的组织不安全行为累计649频次,组织成员安全知识、意识、习惯不佳产生的个人不安全行为累计331频次。据此提出可将监管重点放在对参建单位管理体系的建立与运行上进行组织不安全行为控制,进而控制组织成员个人不安全行为,达到事故预防的目的。     

Changing legislative thinking in China to better protect wild animals and human health

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inadequacy of China's legal protection of wildlife. Long-standing illegal wildlife trade in China and worldwide increases the risk of zoonotic infectious diseases. We sought to improve the understanding of China’ legal system for the protection of wildlife, which has at its core the wildlife protection law, by systematically evaluating the laws and regulations of China's Wildlife Protection Framework. We examined how existing legal documents (e.g., the Wildlife Protection Law 2018) are directly or indirectly related to wildlife conservation. The inherent defects of wildlife protection legislation include a narrow scope of protection, insufficient public participation, and inconsistent enforcement among responsible agencies. Solutions to improve China's Wildlife Protection Law include expanding the legal protection of wildlife, and improving monitoring of wildlife protection. Strengthening legislation will be the basis for effective regulation of the use of wild animals. We advocate the establishment of a sound wildlife protection legal system for resolving conflicts between humans and wild animals and preventing zoonotic disease, such a system will have a profound impact on the sustainable development of China's wildlife resources.