Biomimicry: How the environment serves as a guide for technological advancements

Multiple ecological tactics, like the ones described here, can be imitated to strongly affect these two components in the construction sector. This article provides an in-depth examination of the literature on biomimicry-based strategies intended to enhance building designs. This analysis is motivated by the rising need for energy legislation to achieve future local goals and provide a framework for use in Panama. These biomimicry-based methods have undergone more review and evaluation, and the incorporation of organism-based design for three of Panama's climate types has been proposed. Therefore, a SWOT analysis assisted in realizing the full potential that biomimicry-based techniques might have in raising the likelihood of satisfying local and international regulatory standards. In order to design constructions using biomimicry, multidisciplinary collaboration is required. This gives a competitive edge for better-trained human resources and expands horizons in the conventional construction industry. Finally, the analysis provided here might act as the preliminary step for the additional technical assessment using numerical and experimental procedures.     

旅游和区域大气污染对四川九寨沟气溶胶的贡献

2010年4月~2011年4月,在九寨沟连续监测了总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)和水溶性无机离子的浓度.结果表明:旅游活动显著增加了空气中TSP、SO42-、Ca2+、K+、NH4+和NO3-的含量,而Na+、Mg2+和Cl-则主要来自自然源;旅游强度最高时期(6~10月),降水对空气的清洗作用最强,气溶胶污染程度为全年最低;旅游强度较低时期(1~3、4~5和11~12月),降水量较低且西北沙尘易在春季抵达九寨沟,所以气溶胶污染程度较高;区域燃煤可能是气溶胶[SO42-]:[NO3-]比值较高的原因;生物质燃烧可能是K+在秋末至次年初春较高的原因之一.九寨沟大气环境已明显受当地旅游活动和污染物长距离传输的影响.     

广东省国家级自然保护区2000─2010年生态系统服务价值演变

运用GIS和RS技术,分析了2000年、2010年广东省11个国家级自然保护区的土地利用变化特征,并采用修正的生态系统服务价值系数结合土地利用面积,对不同时期保护区的生态系统服务价值进行了计算. 结果表明:2000─2010年,广东省自然保护区草地、农田、湿地、水域和建设用地面积均有所增加,分别为18.58、81.24、1.91、86.47、70.79 hm2,而林地、未利用地面积则分别减少了166.25、92.75 hm2. 不同土地利用类型的生态系统服务价值量均发生变化,除未利用地外,其余生态系统服务价值均有所增加. 其中,水域和林地2类生态系统服务价值分别增加了728.07×107和463.90×107元,增加最显著. 自然保护区内各项生态系统服务价值均有所增加,其中,维护生物多样性价值、水文调节价值和废物处理价值增加最为显著,食物生产价值增加最少. 2000─2010年广东省11个自然保护区生态系统服务价值增加了1 199.70×107元,增长率为28.02%,表明自然保护区保护和管理成效较好.      

生态文明建设要点探索

生态文明是继工业文明之后更高层次的文明,而环境保护是生态文明建设的主要内容。在综合分析生态文明建设的目标、任务、本质、路径、关键和保障等理论问题的基础上,提出生态文明建设的要点:生态文明建设的目标是人与自然和谐,核心任务是生态环境保护,本质是发展方式的转变,关键是科技创新驱动,保障是制度建设。认为通过生态文明建设,可最终实现人类社会的可持续发展。     

厦门汀溪水库溶解有机氮对有毒藻种的生物有效性及其化学本质

为探究厦门汀溪水库溶解有机氮(DON)对有毒藻种的生物有效性及其化学本质,采用水样分子质量和极性分级技术,进行铜绿微囊藻 (Microcystis aeruginosa)培养实验.结果表明,汀溪水库中DON含量呈季节性差异,在枯水期比较高,而丰水期比较低.汀溪水库DON在不同季节中的主要成分都是疏水组分和>3kDa组分.汀溪水库DON的生物有效性为65.20%.较疏水组分和>3kDa组分而言,亲水组分和￡3kDa组分DON更易被铜绿微囊藻利用.从水环境和水源保护角度出发,应首先考虑消除DON中的亲水性组分和小分子质量组分.     

天然水体中铵态和硝态氮δ15N的测定

介绍了一种天然水体中铵态和硝态氮δ15N的测定方法,包括3个步骤:(1)离子交换法富集水中铵态和硝态氮;(2)蒸馏法进一步提纯铵态和硝态氮;(3)阳离子树脂萃取由转化和蒸馏得到的铵态氮,并将树脂干燥后送入元素分析仪串联质谱(EA-IRMS)测定δ15N.用这种方法处理NH4Cl和KNO3配制的人工模拟水样和野外采集的天然水样,发现δ15N-NH4+和δ15N-NO3-测定的准确性高、重复性好,人工模拟水样δ15N-NH4+的测定值和标准值相差0.560‰,δ15N-NO3-的测定值和标准值相差0.341‰,所有水样重复间的标准偏差在0.008‰—0.384‰之间.测定方法需要的水样体积较少,水样处理速度较快,离子交换后水样中的铵态和硝态氮可长期保存,适合野外天然水体δ15N测定.     

The obtaining of biosphere reserve decrees in Mexico: analysis of three cases

SUMMARY

During eight years, the Biological Research Center of the Northwest promoted the federal decrees to attain legal protection of three key zones for biodiversity conservation in Mexico: La Sierra de La Laguna, El Desierto del Vizcaíno, and E1 Archipiélago Revillagigedo Biosphere Reserves. In this work, we discuss the biological and socioeconomical importance of these three regions, the necessary steps to attain a Presidential decree in Mexico, and the required strategies to promote local and political support for each decree. In a country like Mexico, the promotion of one Presidential decree to declare a zone as a biosphere reserve must successfully address two different goals: the technical and the political. The technical phase can be successfully completed by a research centre or university in 6 to 12 months; while the political phase may or may not be successfully completed. If successful, in our experience, it can be attained with 2 to 96 months of continuous efforts.     

基于自然保护区属性的管理成本分析

从自然保护区的管理成本构成入手,分析了自然保护区属性对不同尺度上管理成本的影响方式,在分类总结自然保护区管理成本的分析方法基础上,提出基于自然保护区属性的管理成本分析流程。该研究结果可为准确掌握自然保护区管理成本规模与构成、科学评估与预测资金投入后的使用效率与保护效果提供支持,并可为揭示自然保护区复合生态系统格局与过程提供新思路。     

Matching the Multiple Scales of Conservation with the Multiple Scales of Climate Change

Abstract:  To anticipate the rapidly changing world resulting from global climate change, the projections of climate models must be incorporated into conservation. This requires that the scales of conservation be aligned with the scales of climate-change projections. We considered how conservation has incorporated spatial scale into protecting biodiversity, how the projections of climate-change models vary with scale, and how the two do or do not align. Conservation planners use information about past and current ecological conditions at multiple scales to identify conservation targets and threats and guide conservation actions. Projections of climate change are also made at multiple scales, from global and regional circulation models to projections downscaled to local scales. These downscaled projections carry with them the uncertainties associated with the broad-scale models from which they are derived; thus, their high resolution may be more apparent than real. Conservation at regional or global scales is about establishing priorities and influencing policy. At these scales, the coarseness and uncertainties of global and regional climate models may be less important than what they reveal about possible futures. At the ecoregional scale, the uncertainties associated with downscaling climate models become more critical because the distributions of conservation targets on which plans are founded may shift under future climates. At a local scale, variations in topography and land cover influence local climate, often overriding the projections of broad-scale climate models and increasing uncertainty. Despite the uncertainties, ecologists and conservationists must work with climate-change modelers to focus on the most likely projections. The future will be different from the past and full of surprises; judicious use of model projections at appropriate scales may help us prepare.     

Improving visitor management approaches for the changing preferences and behaviours of country park visitors in Hong Kong

This study identified the changing preferences of country park visitors in Hong Kong and the potential for such changes to have further negative impacts on the ecologically sensitive areas of country parks. A questionnaire was used to collect feedback from 644 country park visitors to understand their preferences and visitation patterns. To investigate visitors’ preferences and behaviours and to develop better visitor management strategies, the survey data were compared with studies conducted 20 years ago. The results showed that the most popular nature‐based activities of 20 years ago, namely, picnicking and barbecuing, have significantly declined in popularity, while other activities, namely, nature studies and nature photography, have surged in popularity in recent years. These changes in visitor preferences have directly increased the negative impacts of visitors on country parks as they dispersed away from the high intensity recreation zones to the ecological sensitive areas. This emerging group of country park visitors has not been fully considered in the existing approach to visitor management and may irreversibly impact the ecological value of country parks. In this study, visitor management in Hong Kong's country parks was reviewed based on these research findings, and potential improvements were suggested.