Effects of life history and reproduction on recruitment time lags in reintroductions of rare plants

Reintroductions are important components of conservation and recovery programs for rare plant species, but their long-term success rates are poorly understood. Previous reviews of plant reintroductions focused on short-term (e.g., ≤3 years) survival and flowering of founder individuals rather than on benchmarks of intergenerational persistence, such as seedling recruitment. However, short-term metrics may obscure outcomes because the unique demographic properties of reintroductions, including small size and unstable stage structure, could create lags in population growth. We used time-to-event analysis on a database of unusually well-monitored and long-term (4–28 years) reintroductions of 27 rare plant species to test whether life-history traits and population characteristics of reintroductions create time-lagged responses in seedling recruitment (i.e., recruitment time lags [RTLs]), an important benchmark of success and indicator of persistence in reintroduced populations. Recruitment time lags were highly variable among reintroductions, ranging from <1 to 17 years after installation. Recruitment patterns matched predictions from life-history theory with short-lived species (fast species) exhibiting consistently shorter and less variable RTLs than long-lived species (slow species). Long RTLs occurred in long-lived herbs, especially in grasslands, whereas short RTLs occurred in short-lived subtropical woody plants and annual herbs. Across plant life histories, as reproductive adult abundance increased, RTLs decreased. Highly variable RTLs were observed in species with multiple reintroduction events, suggesting local processes are just as important as life-history strategy in determining reintroduction outcomes. Time lags in restoration outcomes highlight the need to scale success benchmarks in reintroduction monitoring programs with plant life-history strategies and the unique demographic properties of restored populations. Drawing conclusions on the long-term success of plant reintroduction programs is premature given that demographic processes in species with slow life-histories take decades to unfold.     

Combining payment for crop damages and reward for productivity to address wildlife conflict

Conflict caused by wild herbivores damaging crops is an almost universal problem in conservation. We designed and implemented a game-theory-based system for supporting farmers whose crops were being heavily damaged by wild herbivores. In this community-operated system, farmers self-report their production, which is endorsed by neighboring farmers. The average deficit in production is compensated for by a payment that is directly proportional to the average deficit in production of the group and to the individual farmer's productivity. As a result, farmers are compensated for the average damage (support) and rewarded for individual productivity (reward) (i.e., support cum reward [SuR]). The design of the game is such that only honest reporting gives maximum returns. Farmers who underreport receive less payment because the SuR amount is proportionate to their self-reported productivity. The endorsing farmers, in their own self-interest, prevent overreporting. The system involves multiple game situations, the combined result of which is a stable strategy based on honesty and hard work. In 2 villages along the western boundary of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in central India, we tested the system with 75 farmers over 6 crop seasons. After a few initial attempts to cheat, honesty prevailed throughout the group. Average crop productivity increased 2.5-fold, in spite of damage, owing to increased effort by farmers. Apart from wildlife conflict resolution, the model offers a promising alternative to crop insurance and a potential behavioral green revolution in agriculture.     

Of firms and farms: agricultural ethics and the problem of compensation

Compensating farmers out of public funds for financiallosses due to adverse weather conditions and animaldiseases is fairly common in most Western countries.This government policy differs from that towardsentrepeneurs in other economic branches. Whatjustifies this differential treatment? In the firstpart of this article, three theories of justice arepresented that offer a general framework for dealingwith problems of compensatory justice. In the secondpart, the possibilities of justifiying differentialtreatment of agriculture within each of these theoriesare explored. It is concluded that compensatorypractices in agriculture require fundamentalrethinking in view of the changing technological,economic, and cultural conditions of agriculture.     

低湖平原典型湖垸水系规划数学模型——新兴垸排涝灌溉系统最优规划

以“四湖”地区典型湖垸（新兴垸）为背景，给出了典型湖垸水利系统满足综合设计排涝标准的评价准则。用大系统理论与方法，建立了该湖垸水利规划的大系统数学模型，提出了根据子系统之间的关联变量修建节制闸的设计思想，从而使排涝灌溉一体化。最后，用动态规划方法，给出了递推关系式。     

生态全息论对发展循环经济的启示

作者根据生态全息的理论，提出了推行工业生态系统和循环经济的具体步骤。发展循环经济是一个大的系统工程，涉及到经济、环境、社会的各个层面，涉及到国民经济的各个行业和企业，必须进行系统的研究和战略部署，理念不能作为目标，没有政府的支持和企业的积极参与是不行的。     

资源环境生态经济价值综论

本文在回顾经济学资源环境观的基础上 ,系统分析了资源环境生态经济价值的内涵 ;并进一步对生态学、环境经济学与可持续发展等相关研究进行分析和总结。     

降雨径流面源污染年负荷预测方法的开发——以镇江古运河为例

在对镇江古运河2009~2013年的降雨量、降雨径流污染物量监测的基础上,运用回归分析建立降雨量-径流污染方程,并采用灰色理论对未来降雨量进行预测,进而得出降雨径流面源污染年负荷值。结果表明:2014~2020年间,镇江古运河降雨径流中污染物TP、NH₃-N和SS的年负荷与降雨量同向变化,2020年降雨量达到1 381.2 mm时,污染物TP、NH₃-N和SS的年负荷可分别达到217.15 t、421.4 t、5 811.87 t,数值较大;灰色理论与回归分析结合所提出的降雨径流面源污染年负荷预测方法,能够在小样本、贫信息和波动数据序列情况下,简捷有效的对降雨径流面源污染负荷进行高精度的预测,实用与推广价值较大。     

武器装备维修器材供应效果的模糊综合评估方法研究

目的解决武器装备维修器材供应保障效果的评估问题。方法构建武器装备维修器材供应保障效果评估指标体系,结合模糊综合评估方法建立供应保障效果多层次模糊评估模型。结果模糊互补判断矩阵确定评估体系中各层指标的权重向量,使得各层指标权重分配更加科学合理,更加客观地反映了各个因素对供应保障效果的影响程度;运用新的模糊合成算子实现了各层指标隶属度的合成,达到了综合评估的最终目标。结论通过某一器材保障机构供应保障实例,验证了该方法的可行性和有效性。     

基于后悔值模型的化工园区应急避难场所选址分析

化工园区内危险源数量多,分布广,易发生火灾爆炸等突发性灾害事故,人员应急避难场所选址相对复杂。以后悔值理论为基础,结合效用函数,构建了后悔值模型对化工园区内避难场所选址问题进行研究。主要考虑了园区内各化工企业区域分布、事故影响范围、避难人数需求、事故发生概率等因素对避难所选址的影响,结合灾害时避难人数分布情况和从聚集点向避难所转移实际所需时间提出了等效时间的概念。最后将模型应用于小虎岛化工园区避难所的选址问题,并对模型中表征风险规避程度的参数θ和后悔遗憾程度的参数δ的敏感性进行了分析。     

检察机关提起环境公益诉讼理论及实践探索

在环境问题日益凸显的大背景下,环境公益诉讼备受关注。无论是新修订的《民事诉讼法》,还是2015年1月1日起正式实施的《环境保护法》,均首次将环境公益诉讼制度予以确认。党的十八届四中全会明确提出,应探索建立检察机关提起公益诉讼制度。2015年7月2日,经全国人大常委会授权,最高人民检察院对外公布了《检察机关提起公益诉讼试点方案》,环境公益诉讼迎来新的篇章。但是,检察机关提起环境公益诉讼虽优势明显,却任重道远,相关制度与机制仍在试点与完善之中。因此,本文就检察机关提起环境公益诉讼的理论与实践进行梳理,以对此问题做有益探索。