Alternatives to biodiversity offsets for mitigating the effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems

Globally, offset schemes have emerged in many statutory frameworks relating to development activities, with the aim of balancing biodiversity conservation and development. Although the theory and use of biodiversity offsets in terrestrial environments is broadly documented, little attention has been paid to offsets in stream ecosystems. Here we examine the application of offset schemes to stream ecosystems and explore whether they suffer similar shortcomings to those of offset schemes focused on terrestrial biodiversity. To challenge the applicability of offsets further, we discuss typical trajectories of urban expansion and their cascading physical, chemical and biological impacts on stream ecosystems. We argue that the highly connected nature of stream ecosystems and urban drainage networks can transfer impacts of urbanization across wide areas, complicating the notion of like‐for‐like exchange and the prospect of effectively mitigating biodiversity loss. Instead, we identify in‐catchment options for stormwater control, which can avoid or minimize the impacts of development on downstream ecosystems, while presenting additional public and private benefits. We describe the underlying principles of these alternatives, some of the challenges associated with their uptake, and policy initiatives being trialed to facilitate adoption. In conclusion, we argue that stronger policies to avoid and minimize the impacts of urbanization provide better prospects for protecting downstream ecosystems, and can additionally, stimulate economic opportunities and improve urban liveability.     

实测/预测辽河铬(Ⅵ)水生生物基准与风险评估

该研究对辽河流域重金属铬(Ⅵ)的水生生物毒性数据进行搜集与筛选,推导辽河流域铬(Ⅵ)的水生生物基准值,并对辽河流域25个采样点位采集水样,测定铬(Ⅵ)的环境暴露浓度,最后对辽河流域水生生物铬(Ⅵ)暴露的潜在风险进行评估.此外,采用美国环境保护署(US EPA)物种种间关系估算模型(ICE)对辽河流域物种毒性值进行预测,并对基于预测毒性值的水生生物基准进行推导.结果表明,辽河流域基于实测毒性数据的水生生物急性基准值(CMC)为17.73μg·L-1,慢性基准值(CCC)为12.15μg·L-1;ICE模型预测的辽河流域生物毒性值推导的CMC值为13.97μg·L-1,实测CMC值与预测值比较接近,表明ICE模型可应用于水生生物基准值的预测.铬(Ⅵ)的水质分析结果表明25个采样点位水体铬(Ⅵ)浓度较低,均达到GB 3838-2002地表水质标准中铬(Ⅵ)的Ⅰ类或Ⅱ类标准,水质状况良好;然而,在对水生生物的潜在风险方面,通过生态风险评估得出7月辽河流域25个点位中环境暴露值超过慢性基准CCC值的有7个,12月超过慢性基准CCC值的有6个,表明辽河流域个别点位铬(Ⅵ)暴露可能会对水生生物产生不可接受的风险.     

山西省沁河流域农村生活污水入河水质研究

针对农村生活污水管理的需求,在水生态功能区和水环境控制单元的基础上提出了农村生活污水入河水质核算方法.具体步骤包括:①根据地貌类型、降水蒸发量、植被和土壤类型等指标,进行水生态功能区划分;②在水生态功能分区基础上,结合水文单元和行政区边界,划定水环境控制单元;③对控制单元内的水环境容量进行计算,并调查核算各类污染源污染物排放入河量,然后基于水环境容量和污染物入河量确定农村生活污水污染物排放限值.结果表明,沁河流域可划分为2个一级水生态功能区和7个二级水生态功能区,并划分为15个水环境控制单元.以控制单元内沁河上游水质改善区为例,区域内农村生活污水COD排放限值为134.05 mg·L~(-1),且此标准下河流不满足接纳农村污水进行NH_3-N消减的条件.在以上研究成果基础上,提出了农村生活污水分区分级管理措施建议.     

基于水生态功能分区的流域水环境监测与评价研究

中国现行的监测与管理模式多将流域管理机构按照地方部门条块分割,特别是从行政上将一个完整的流域人为分开,从而造成责权交叉多,难以统一规划和协调管理.为了提高每一个生态区域及系统特点得到相应保护,合理开发和利用水生态资源,进而可持续地发展经济和规划生态资源.基于水生态功能分区要求、国省控水质手动、自动监测系统和评价指标体系的特点和经验,开展了基于水生态功能分区的流域水监测与评价研究,编制了《基于水生态功能分区的流域水环境监测与评价》指南.构建重点流域内水环境质量评价指标和评价方法,形成以水污染防治和水质改善为目标、基于水生态功能分区的水环境质量评价模型,为中国其它流域水环境评价提供借鉴及参考.     

纳米银在环境水样和实验介质中的理化性质和毒性效应

纳米银在自然环境中的理化性质可能严重影响其环境效应,本文的目的是为了比较纳米银在自然水样和实验介质条件下的理化性质和毒性效应.实验表征了粒径4 nm表面包裹物为油胺的纳米银,在不同介质条件下的粒径和团聚性,并进一步研究了不同环境介质条件下纳米银暴露对枯草芽孢杆菌的毒性效应.透射电镜照片显示油胺包裹的4 nm纳米银在环境介质中发生明显团聚.油胺包裹的4 nm纳米银暴露会抑制培养基中细菌的生长速率,降低生理盐水溶液中细菌的存活率.纳米银在实验条件下对细菌的毒性呈一定剂量效应关系,但是在环境水样中剂量效应关系不明显.低浓度纳米银在环境水样中的毒性比其在实验介质中弱.纳米银的透析袋暴露实验中,细菌的存活率有显著提升,揭示纳米银与细菌的直接相互作用对毒性效应有重要作用.与实验条件的培养基和生理盐水介质相比,环境水样中的纳米银更趋向以团聚形式存在,与细菌的相互作用几率减小,因此纳米银在环境介质中对细菌的毒性会降低.     

多环芳烃在松花江水环境中的富集及对生态环境的影响

松花江底质中的多环芳烃含量远远高于江水,蚌体内也富集了较高倍数的多环芳烃,鲶鱼体内多环芳烃的含量大于食物链较低级层次的蚌.由于饮食结构的改变,通过食物链的富集进入禽蛋及人体的多环芳烃数量及含量是极少的,对人体健康暂不构成太大的威胁.     

Scaling Uncertainties in Estimating Canopy Foliar Maintenance Respiration for Black Spruce Ecosystems in Alaska

A major challenge confronting the scientific community is to understand both patterns of and controls over spatial and temporal variability of carbon exchange between boreal forest ecosystems and the atmosphere. An understanding of the sources of variability of carbon processes at fine scales and how these contribute to uncertainties in estimating carbon fluxes is relevant to representing these processes at coarse scales. To explore some of the challenges and uncertainties in estimating carbon fluxes at fine to coarse scales, we conducted a modeling analysis of canopy foliar maintenance respiration for black spruce ecosystems of Alaska by scaling empirical hourly models of foliar maintenance respiration (R_m) to estimate canopy foliar R_m for individual stands. We used variation in foliar N concentration among stands to develop hourly stand-specific models and then developed an hourly pooled model. An uncertainty analysis identified that the most important parameter affecting estimates of canopy foliar R_m was one that describes R_m at 0 ^∘C per g N, which explained more than 55% of variance in annual estimates of canopy foliar R_m. The comparison of simulated annual canopy foliar R_m identified significant differences between stand-specific and pooled models for each stand. This result indicates that control over foliar N concentration should be considered in models that estimate canopy foliar R_m of black spruce stands across the landscape. In this study, we also temporally scaled the hourly stand-level models to estimate canopy foliar R_m of black spruce stands using mean monthly temperature data. Comparisons of monthly R_m between the hourly and monthly versions of the models indicated that there was very little difference between the estimates of hourly and monthly models, suggesting that hourly models can be aggregated to use monthly input data with little loss of precision. We conclude that uncertainties in the use of a coarse-scale model for estimating canopy foliar R_m at regional scales depend on uncertainties in representing needle-level respiration and on uncertainties in representing the spatial variability of canopy foliar N across a region. The development of spatial data sets of canopy foliar N represents a major challenge in estimating canopy foliar maintenance respiration at regional scales.     

基于ARIMA模型的区域水生态足迹时间序列分析

20世纪末以来,生态足迹理论应用研究成为生态经济学的一个热点,而生态足迹指标的可预测性一直是研究中争论的一个焦点。通过分析1949—1998年广州市的水生态足迹变化,并对计算结果进行ARIMA模型时间序列预测分析,以揭示广州水资源利用和水产品消耗的发展变化规律,并根据其发展变化规律预测广州市未来水生态足迹的变动。结果表明,ARIMA(2,2,2)模型能较好的拟合广州市1949—1993年期间水生态足迹变化,经1994—1998年实际计算结果验证所建模型,误差在5%左右;应用ARIMA(2,2,2)预测广州市1999—2008年的人均水生态足迹,结果分别为:0.5935,0.656 2,0.714 7,0.779 0,0.840 2,0.901 55,0.964 11,1.025 57,1.087 44,1.149 43 hm2,预测结果表明广州市1999—2008年期间的人均水生态足迹仍呈较快上升趋势,居民对于水产品的需求提高以及城市发展、人口增加等社会经济因素是导致这种趋势产生的主要原因。