The effect of protected areas on forest disturbance in the Carpathian Mountains 1985–2010

Protected areas are a cornerstone for forest protection, but they are not always effective during times of socioeconomic and institutional crises. The Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe are an ecologically outstanding region, with widespread seminatural and old‐growth forest. Since 1990, Carpathian countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine) have experienced economic hardship and institutional changes, including the breakdown of socialism, European Union accession, and a rapid expansion of protected areas. The question is how protected‐area effectiveness has varied during these times across the Carpathians given these changes. We analyzed a satellite‐based data set of forest disturbance (i.e., forest loss due to harvesting or natural disturbances) from 1985 to 2010 and used matching statistics and a fixed‐effects estimator to quantify the effect of protection on forest disturbance. Protected areas in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Ukraine had significantly less deforestation inside protected areas than outside in some periods; the likelihood of disturbance was reduced by 1–5%. The effectiveness of protection increased over time in these countries, whereas the opposite was true in Romania. Older protected areas were most effective in Romania and Hungary, but newer protected areas were more effective in Czech Republic, and Poland. Strict protection (International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN] protection category Ia‐II) was not more effective than landscape‐level protection (IUCN III‐VI). We suggest that the strength of institutions, the differences in forest privatization, forest management, prior distribution of protected areas, and when countries joined the European Union may provide explanations for the strikingly heterogeneous effectiveness patterns among countries. Our results highlight how different the effects of protected areas can be at broad scales, indicating that the effectiveness of protected areas is transitory over time and space and suggesting that generalizations about the effectiveness of protected areas can be misleading.     

辽河三角洲地区土地利用及生态服务价值变化研究

以辽河三角洲地区为例,利用修正的生态服务价值当量因子表结合服务价值评估方法,分析了3个时期土地利用格局时空动态变化特征及其服务价值变化状况。结果表明:研究区土地利用以水田为主,占56.76%,其次为湿地和建设用地,分别占15.29%和14.77%,3种土地利用类型占总面积的86.82%;1986~2000年土地利用格局变化较大,而2000~2010年土地利用格局变化程度较小,两个时段内建设用地面积都稳步增加,湿地面积均逐渐下降;研究区土地利用服务的总价值逐年减少,湿地服务价值对总服务价值的贡献度最大,占总服务价值的60%以上。     

县域土地利用规划生态环境影响评价研究——以陇县为例

以生态服务价值理论为指导,从土地利用变化动态度、生态系统服务总价值和生态价值敏感度3个方面评价陇县土地利用总体规划(2006～2020年)对区域生态环境的影响。结果表明,林地、耕地在规划期内生态系统服务价值都呈增长趋势,区域生态系统服务总价值增加了30700万元。     

Tropical deforestation in a future international climate policy regime—lessons from the Brazilian Amazon

The possibility of adopting national targets for carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from tropical deforestation in a future international climate treaty has received increasing attention recently. This attention has been prompted by proposals to this end and more intensified talks on possible commitments for developing countries beyond the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Kyoto Protocol. We analyze four main scientific and political challenges associated with national targets for emissions from tropical deforestation: (1) reducing the uncertainties in emission inventories, (2) preserving the environmental integrity of the treaty, (3) promoting political acceptance and participation in the regime, and (4) providing economic incentives for reduced deforestation. We draw the following conclusions. (1) Although there are large uncertainties in carbon flux from deforestation, these are in the same range as for other emissions included in the current Kyoto protocol (i.e., non-CO₂ GHGs), and they can be reduced. However, for forest degradation processes the uncertainties are larger. A large challenge lies in building competence and institutions for monitoring the full spectrum of land use changes in developing countries. (2 and 3) Setting targets for deforestation is difficult, and uncertainties in future emissions imply a risk of creating ‘tropical hot air’. However, there are proposals that may sufficiently deal with this, and these proposals may also have the advantage of making the targets more attractive, politically speaking. Moreover, we conclude that while a full carbon accounting system will likely be politically unacceptable for tropical countries, the current carbon accounting system should be broadened to include forest degradation in order to safeguard environmental integrity. (4) Doubts can be cast over the possible effect a climate regime alone will have on deforestation rates, though little thorough analysis of this issue has been made.

辽河源头区坡耕地面源污染阻控技术研究

辽河源头区多为低山丘陵区域.由于人类对土地资源的不合理开发利用,致使森林覆盖率降低,坡耕地面积增多.为提高单位面积的农作物产量,主要措施之一就是增加化肥投入量.随着农田生态系统化肥投入量的增加,不被作物吸收的营养物质通过淋溶渗透地表径流等进入水环境中.坡耕地面源污染阻控研究是基于其产生的原因及迁移过程,采取农业耕作措施、水土保持工程措施和生物措施等相结合方式,构建坡耕地面源污染控制技术体系.     

基于第二次全国土地调查的云南省坝区县、半山半坝县和山区县的划分

云南是我国西部的典型山区省份,地形坡度<8°的坝区面积仅占土地总面积的6%左右。应用云南省第二次全国土地调查中对各县（市、区）≥1 km²坝子的调查和核定成果,选取坝区耕地面积比例、坝区土地面积比例、≥100 km²坝子数等3 个单项指标,并构建了综合指标--坝区土地综合指数,采用主导指标与综合分析相结合的方法,对全省129 个县（市、区） 进行坝区县、半山半坝县和山区县的划分。结果表明,全省有21 个县属于坝区县,37 个县属于半山半坝县,71 个县属于山区县。这一研究修订了以往云南省仅以坝区耕地面积比例为指标而划分出的坝区县、半山半坝县和山区县方案,为云南省及各地合理地进行产业布局（尤其是农业生产布局）、保护坝区优质耕地资源提供科学依据和基础支撑。     

澳大利亚新南威尔士州《污染土地管理法》及其实施效果

澳大利亚新南威尔士州1997年出台的《污染土地管理法》核心内容包括污染土地责任人的界定、初步调查令、重大污染土地的认定、治理令、自愿治理方案、继续治理令,以及污染土地治理费用的偿还,即环保署支付费用的偿还、公共权力机构执行命令时支付费用的偿还、当事人之间费用的偿还和统一基金拨款的偿还。《污染土地管理法》实施以来,效果较好。     

液氮泡沫发生器内流动特性研究

低温液氮与泡沫混合液直接接触产生氮气泡沫是一种新型的掺混形式,利用液氮高汽化比的特点,搭建液氮泡沫可视化实验装置,进行氮气-水两相流及液氮泡沫流动特性的研究。结果表明,液氮相变产生大量氮气,其与泡沫液混合产生泡沫,温度有所回升,最终趋于泡沫混合液温度;管路沿程压降较小;液氮射流破碎及流动过程可分为6个区域:低温液氮区、向上循环翻滚区、滞留区、泡沫与泡沫混合液混合区、致密泡沫区、泡沫混合液区。流体向下游流动过程中持续发泡;为防止管路结冰,需合理控制泡沫混合液与液氮流量。     

Fatal pedestrian crashes on interstates and other freeways in the United States

Introduction: More than 800 pedestrians die annually in crashes on interstates and other freeways in the United States, but few studies have examined their characteristics. Method: Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System on pedestrians fatally injured during 2015–2017 were analyzed. Chi-square tests compared characteristics of pedestrians killed on interstates and other freeways with those that died on other roads, and across crash types among freeway deaths. Land use characteristics of locations where pedestrians were killed while crossing freeways in a large state (California) were identified using Google Earth. Results: A larger proportion of pedestrians killed on freeways died on dark and unlit roads (48% vs. 32%), were male (78% vs. 68%), or were ages 20–44 (55% vs. 32%) compared with pedestrians killed on other roads. Crossing (42%) was the most common crash type among pedestrian deaths on freeways, followed by disabled-vehicle-related crashes (18%). Pedestrians who died while crossing more often had blood alcohol concentrations ≥ 0.08 g/dL (40%) than those in disabled-vehicle-related (22%) or other crashes (34%). Deaths in crossing crashes were more likely than other freeway deaths to occur on urban roads (81%), at speed limits ≤50 mph (13%), or between 18:00 and 23:59 (49%), and 58% of crossing crashes analyzed for land use were located between residential and other (e.g., commercial, recreational) uses. Over a third (37%) of deaths in disabled-vehicle-related crashes occurred at speed limits ≥70 mph. Conclusions: A surprising proportion of pedestrian deaths occur on controlled-access roads not designed for walking. Countermeasures for these crashes need to be implemented to see meaningful reductions in pedestrian fatalities overall. Practical applications: Improving roadway and vehicle lighting, requiring reflective warning devices for marking disabled vehicles, constructing pedestrian overpasses and underpasses in areas frequently crossed, and promoting alternative means of traveling between residential and commercial areas could help.