Fuelwood assessment at micro-watershed level in Northeast Himalaya:a case study in Manipur,India

Fuelwood is one of the major sources of energy in the domestic sector across the rural areas,especially in the developing regions across the world.The Northeastern Himalayan state of Manipur is dominated by the tribal population that largely depends on fuelwood from the nearby forest area.The entire dependence on forests for energy resources is affecting the sustainability of the forest ecosystem in the region,thus indicating the livelihood conditions.Since land-use land-cover change is the key driver to the change in resource availability of a region,the present study has tried to analyze the landcover changes over a period 28 years.The second major component affecting resource availability is the increasing population pressure that leads to changes in the land dynamics,which directly affect the resource production.Based on the existing consumption pattern,the total consumption of fuelwood in the watershed ranges fiom a minimum of 289.992 tons/year to a maximum of 3545.719 tons/year with an average of 1561.956 tons/year in the year 2009 and simulated fuelwood consumption for the year 2021 is around 1469.260 tons/year.Nine different probable scenarios of resource are proposed to calculate the stress value that can be used by the policy-makers and planners for suitable policy implementation at the micro level with a complex social system.     

Variation in soil organic carbon mineralization and microbial community structure induced by the conversion from double rice fields to drained fields北大核心CSCD

Land use conversion is an important factor influencing the carbon gas exchange between land and atmosphere. The effect of land use conversion on soil organic carbon mineralization and microbial function is important for soil organic carbon sequestration and stability. This research studied the effects of land use conversion on soil chemical properties, organic carbon mineralization and microbial community structure after two years of conversion from double rice cropping (RR) to maize-maize (MM) and soybean-peanut (SP) double cropping systems in southern China. The results showed that soil pH significantly decreased by 0.50 (MM) and 0.52 (SP, P = 0.002), and dissolved organic carbon significantly increased by 23%- 35% (P = 0.016). No significant difference was found in soil organic carbon mineralization rate with the land use conversion, though the accumulated mineralization decreased after 13 days of incubation (P = 0.019). Land use conversion from paddy to upland significantly changed soil microbial community structure. The total PLFAs, bacterial, gram-positive bacterial (G+), gram-negative bacterial (G-) and actinomycetic PLFAs decreased significantly (P < 0.05), the ratio of fungal PLFAs to bacterial PLFAs (F/B) increased significantly (P = 0.006). But no significant differences in microbial groups were found between MM and SP. The accumulated mineralization at the beginning period of the incubation were significantly positively correlated with soil actinomycetic PLFAs (P = 0.034). After 13 days of incubation, soil F/B showed a positive correlation with the accumulated mineralization (P = 0.004). However, soil microbial community structure(P = 0.014)and total PLFAs(P = 0.033)showed a positive correlation with the accumulated mineralization after 108 days of incubation. Our results indicated that after conversion from paddy soils to drained soils, soil pH and total nitrogen are the key factors regulating the variations in soil microbial community structure and biomass, and then influencing soil organic carbon mineralization.     

Managing agricultural phosphorus for water quality: Lessons from the USA and China

The accelerated eutrophication of freshwaters and to a lesser extent some coastal waters is primarily driven by phosphorus （P） inputs. While efforts to identify and limit point source inputs of P to surface waters have seen some success, nonpoint sources remain difficult to identify, target, and remediate. As further improvements in wastewater treatment technologies becomes increasingly costly, attention has focused more on nonpoint source reduction, particularly the role of agriculture. This attention was heightened over the last 10 to 20 years by a number of highly visible cases of nutrient-related water quality degradation; including the Lake Taihu, Baltic Sea, Chesapeake Bay, and Gulf of Mexico. Thus, there has been a shift to targeted management of critical sources of P loss. In both the U.S. and China, there has been an intensification of agricultural production systems in certain areas concentrate large amounts of nutrients in excess of local crop and forage needs, which has increased the potential for P loss from these areas. To address this, innovative technologies are emerging that recycle water P back to land as fertilizer. For example, in the watershed of Lake Taihu, China one of the largest surface fresh waters for drinking water supply in China, local governments have encouraged innovation and various technical trials to harvest harmful algal blooms and use them for bio-gas, agricultural fertilizers, and biofuel production. In any country, however, the economics of remediation will remain a key limitation to substantial changes in agricultural production.     

珠三角土地覆被资料优选及在WRF模式中的初步应用

针对WRF模式中珠三角地区土地覆被资料不准确的现况,从国内外主要的土地覆被产品中筛选与统计年鉴资料相符的产品,与模式内置的静态资料进行对比试验以评估土地覆被资料对模拟结果的影响.试验模拟的时段设为2010—2011年1、4、7、10月.结果表明:①WRF模式内置的MODIS资料在珠三角地区对于建成区高估超过3倍,而主要土地覆被遥感产品中GLC2009资料最为接近统计年鉴和调查结果值;②GLC2009土地覆被数据相比模式内置的MODIS资料,对珠三角区域地表温度、风速、相对湿度的模拟有一定改善,2 m地表气温与观测的平均偏差从0.32℃降至0.08℃;2 m水汽压平均偏差从0.31 hPa降至0.28 hPa;10 m风速平均偏差从0.59 m·s-1降至0.38 m·s-1,其中10 m风速对于土地覆被变化最为敏感;③从空间分布上看,GLC2009资料相对内置的MODIS资料,其对整个模拟区域内的温度、湿度模拟结果有所改善,并且对珠三角城市外围区域风速模拟结果的改善明显;④模拟结果的变化是由于土地覆被类型及其比例的变化直接改变了模式中地表反照率、粗糙度、植被覆盖率、植被气孔阻抗等参数的取值引起的.     

The willingness to pay to remove billboards and improve scenic amenities

We use the contingent valuation method to measure the amount citizens are willing to pay to improve scenic mountain-view amenities through the removal of billboards. Our approach addresses both the perceived property rights as well as the perceptions of the status quo in the southern Appalachian Mountains. We find that individuals who retire to the mountains have different preferences for land use and mountain views than individuals who have ancestors who lived in Watauga County. In the aggregate, we find that citizens are willing to pay almost one-half million dollars to remove billboards from Watauga County roadsides. This study provides insights to the debate surrounding land use along public roads.     

Land Use Change and Land Degradation in Southeastern Mediterranean Spain

The magnitude of the environmental and social consequences of soil erosion and land degradation in semiarid areas of the Mediterranean region has long been recognized and studied. This paper investigates the interrelationship between land use/cover (LULC) changes and land degradation using remotely sensed and ancillary data for southeastern Spain. The area of study, the Xaló River catchment situated in the north of the Alicante Province, has been subjected to a number of LULC changes during the second half of the 20th century such as agricultural abandonment, forest fires, and tourist development. Aerial photographs dating back to 1956 were used for the delineation of historic LULC types; Landsat ETM+ data were used for the analysis and mapping of current conditions. Two important indicators of land degradation, namely, susceptibility to surface runoff and soil erosion, were estimated for the two dates using easily parametrizable models. The comparison of 1956 to 2000 conditions shows an overall “recuperating” trend over the catchment and increased susceptibility to soil erosion only in 3% of the catchment area. The results also identify potential degradation hot-spots where mitigation measures should be taken to prevent further degradation. The readily implemented methodology, based on modest data requirements demonstrated by this study, is a useful tool for catchment to regional scale land use change and land degradation studies and strategic planning for environmental management.     

Comparison of vegetation conditions along two backcountry trails in Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia (Canada)

Vegetation conditions, i.e., plant cover, species richness, and the presence of exotic species, are compared along a high-use trail (Berg Lake Trail--BLT) and a low use trail (Mt. Fitzwilliam Trail--FWT) in Canada's Mt. Robson Provincial Park. We established 71 paired quadrats (1 m x 1 m), and assessed the amount of vegetation cover and species richness by four main lifeforms, i.e., woody species, herbaceous species, ferns, and moss, lichen and fungi. The following hypotheses were tested: (1) differences exist between control and trailside quadrats in vegetation cover, species richness and floristic diversity, and (2) differences exist between the high and low-use trails in the above-mentioned three parameters. Results show that for the majority of variables the differences between the control and trailside quadrats are statistically not significant. Variables showing significant differences are relative vegetation cover (for BLT only), exposed soil (BLT and FWT), herbaceous cover (FWT), moss, lichen and fungi cover (BLT), overall species richness (BLT), and herbaceous species richness (BLT). Ruderal and exotic species are present but only on trailside quadrats of the high-use trail. Results indicate that the Park administration's strategy to disperse use in the Mt. Robson Provincial Park should be examined critically, and some guidelines for acceptability of changes should be developed.     

空分站大型空压机组的噪声治理

介绍了采用局部敞开式隔声罩隔音降噪技术治理空分站大型空压机组噪声的治理方案及取得的效果.     

Policy implementation of catchment-scale flood risk management: Learning from Scotland and England

Recent years have seen a gradual adoption of a “catchment-scale” approach to flood risk management into European policy-making which, amongst other objectives, promotes rural land use change to reduce flood risk. While some exploratory studies of land managers’ attitudes exist, research is lacking on how public policies can be mobilised locally to implement these ideas. Two local initiatives were analysed in the transboundary River Tweed basin in Scotland and England during which public authorities negotiated with land managers. A combination of documents (N = 21) and interviews (N = 63) forms the basis of the data analysed. The results showed that implementation is highly dependent on the local policy framework, the activities of implementers, and land managers’ responses to (combination of) policy instruments. Several factors were identified influencing implementation such as devolution arrangements (i.e. from national to regional/local), the level of local interest on flood risk, local attitudes to compromise and collaboration, available policy instruments, and the existence of participatory catchment organisations. With limited scope for stand-alone regulatory action or funding in the short term, synergies and measures promoting co-benefits in flood risk management should be further sought in the Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans, as well as in cross-compliance and the new agri-environment-climate strategies of the common agricultural policy.