The Impact of NTFP Sales on Rural Households’ Cash Income in India’s Dry Deciduous Forest

In recent years, researchers and policy makers have recognized that nontimber forest products (NTFPs) extracted from forests by rural people can make a significant contribution to their well-being and to the local economy. This study presents and discusses data that describe the contribution of NTFPs to cash income in the dry deciduous forests of Orissa and Jharkhand, India. In its focus on cash income, this study sheds light on how the sale of NTFPs and products that use NTFPs as inputs contribute to the rural economy. From analysis of a unique data set that was collected over the course of a year, the study finds that the contribution of NTFPs to cash income varies across ecological settings, seasons, income level, and caste. Such variation should inform where and when to apply NTFP forest access and management policies.     

Integrity and Rights of Plants: Ethical Notions in Organic Plant Breeding and Propagation

In addition to obviating the use of synthetic agrochemicals and emphasizing farming in accordance with agro-ecological guidelines, organic farming acknowledges the integrity of plants as an essential element of its natural approaches to crop production. For cultivated plants, integrity refers to their inherent nature, wholeness, completeness, species-specific characteristics, and their being in balance with their (organically farmed) environment, while accomplishing their “natural aim.” We argue that this integrity of plants has ethical value, distinguishing integrity of life, plant-typic integrity, genotypic integrity, and phenotypic integrity. We have developed qualitative criteria to ethically evaluate existing practices and have applied these criteria to assess whether current plant breeding and propagation techniques violate the integrity of crop plants. This process has resulted in a design of a holistic, scientific approach of organic plant breeding and seed production. Our evaluation has met considerable criticism from mainstream (crop) scientists. We respond to the following questions: (1). Can ethics be incorporated into objective crop sciences? (2). What is the nature of the intrinsic value of plants in organic farming? We argue that criteria to take integrity into account can only be assessed from a holistic perspective and we show that a holistic approach is needed to design such ethical notions in a consistent way. The ethical notions have been further elaborated by formulating human responsibility and respect towards crop plants. Responsibility and respect can only be shown by providing crop plants the right to be nurtured and to express natural behavior at all levels of integrity.     

人口密度对森林火灾发生频率的影响

人类活动是引发森林火灾的主要原因之一，在中国、日本等国家，90％以上的森林火灾是由人为因素引起的。为了量化人类活动对森林火灾的影响，本文基于日本的三级网格系统，对日本全国范围内近年来的森林火灾数据、土地利用率数据和人口密度数据进行了综合分析，研究了人口密度对火灾发生频率的定量影响规律。结果表明：森林火灾发生频率与人口密度之间呈现出幂律关系，经过一步的分析，发现两者之间存在具有边界效应的简单关系，即渐近幂律分布。本文的研究结果对于森林火灾的防治，特别是对于火险的预测具有实用意义。     

灾害易损性研究的回顾与展望

近十余年来,易损性研究成为灾害学术研究和国际社会发展减灾策略的一个主题.本文概述了易损性研究的历史发展过程,评述了易损性的三类概念,总结了易损性的四个性质,阐述了易损性识别和测量的一些基本理念和方法,指出了易损性分析在灾害研究和减灾防灾中的积极意义.     

2003年重大自然灾害回顾

2003年是全球自然灾害重灾年.根据收集到的全球自然灾害记录的数据,客观地对全球主要自然灾害的特征和分布特点进行了分析,并对其成因和发展趋势进行了初步探讨.     

Reference Conditions of Alpine Streams: Physical Habitat and Ecology

Natural and near-natural streams are rare in the densely populated areas of the Alps. A variety of anthropogenic impacts have resulted in the alteration and sometimes even complete destruction of these systems. Nowadays it is difficult to find un-impacted streams that are strongly needed to define the natural variability and ecosystem processes. The results from freshwater inventories and habitat assessments conducted in protected areas in Austria (Nationalpark Hohe Tauern) and Italy (Naturpark Rieserferner-Ahrn) were used to develop a comprehensive typology of Alpine streams. Three different levels were used to discriminate between the distinct stream/river types: source (glacial vs. non-glacial), hierarchy (i.e. location within the stream system) and topography/ channel morphology. Important characters defining the structure and function of these stream types are gradient, substrate composition, flow pattern and riparian vegetation. Benthic fauna assemblages from 99 near-natural stream segments in glacial and non-glacial systems demonstrated the effect of glaciation on abundance levels of the total macroinvertebrate fauna, EPT taxa (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) and the chironomid subfamily Diamesinae in different altitudes. A general decrease of abundances with increasing altitude was found. While stream segments with a degree of glaciation >10% primarily showed reduced abundances at all altitudes, lower (<10%) or no glaciation did not influence invertebrate abundances at lower reaches. Due to the near-natural conditions of the selected stream segments, a valuable definition of reference conditions of Alpine streams based on habitat characteristics is available. As a basis it offers excellent opportunities to conduct holistic interdisciplinary studies in protected areas in the future.     

Some Rheological Properties of Latex from Parthenium argentatum Gray Compared with Latex from Hevea brasiliensis and Ficus elastica

Latex was purified from Parthenium argentatum Gray (guayule), Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg. (the Brazilian or para rubber tree), and Ficus elastica Roxb. (the Indian rubber tree) in ammonium alginate at pH 10. The rheological properties of the different latices (rubber particle suspensions) were determined and compared using flow temperature ramps. Latex from all three species became more viscous with increasing rubber particle concentration and decreasing temperature. At any particular temperature and concentration, latex from F. elastica was by far the most viscous, whereas the H. brasiliensis latex was the least viscous. In addition, the tendency for the latex to coagulate increased with increasing temperature and increasing particle concentration. F. elastica latex was highly sensitive to temperature, H. brasiliensis latex was the least sensitive, and P. argentatum latex demonstrated intermediate properties. The underlying causes of these differences in latex rheology are not clear but may partially relate to the particle size (largest in F. elastica and smallest in H. brasiliensis), the particle size distribution, and/or to the considerable differences in the biochemical components of the monolayer biomembrane that surrounds the various rubber particles. Differences in the molecular weight of the rubber contained within the rubber particles seem less likely to play a role because the particles remain intact in this study.     

发挥地方资源优势,促进油茶产业化

本文对实行油茶产业化的必要性和可能性进行了详细论述,并为发展南方丘陵地方特色经济林-油茶林资源,促进其产业化提供了有利的对策。     

自然资源系统的演化及其动力机制

在概述了自然资源和自然资源系统含义的基础上，分析了自然资源系统在人类发展的不同阶段（采集狩猎社会、原始农业社会、传统农业社会、工业社会、后工业社会、知识经济社会）的演化过程及其主要特征，并从自然界和人类活动两个方面探讨了自然资源系统演化的动力机制。     

EFFECTS OF PRESCRIPTIVE RIPARIAN BUFFERS ON LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA,USA1

ABSTRACT: Forest buffers adjacent to water bodies are widely prescribed in forest management to protect ecological functions of riparian systems. To date, buffers have been applied on the landscape uniformly without quantifying their effectiveness or the effects they have on landscape characteristics. Our objective was to quantify landscape characteristics (amount of edge and interior forest) when buffers were applied to water bodies in a 100 by 100 km area of northern Minnesota. We used a Landsat classified image in a geographic information system platform to apply two buffer widths ?28.5 m and 57 m — to water bodies, including nonforested wetlands, intermittent or perennial streams, and lakes. A total of 107,141 ha (18.3 percent) of the forest area was adjacent to and within 28.5 m of these water bodies, while 201,457 ha of forest was within 57 m, representing 34.4 percent of the total forest area. Imposing a 28.5 m buffer on water bodies increased the amount of edge and interior forest in the study area. When water bodies were buffered with a 57 m forest strip, we found a slight increase in forest edge from the current condition, and this buffer width resulted in the largest amount of interior forest. Interior forest increased with the 57 m buffer due to the density of water bodies in this region; adjacent water bodies coalesced when buffers were applied and formed isolated forest islands that contained forest interior habitat. Instead of wholesale application of set width riparian buffers, we suggest that ecological conditions of riparian areas be evaluated on a site level and that areas that currently provide important riparian conditions be maintained on the landscape with appropriate management practices.