The Ecotoxicological Recovery of Ely Creek and Tributaries (Lee County, Va) After Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage

The Ely Creek watershed (Lee County, VA) was determined in 1995 to be the most negatively affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) within the Virginia coalfield. This determination led the US Army Corps of Engineers to design and build passive wetland remediation systems at two major AMD seeps affecting Ely Creek. This study was undertaken to determine if ecological recovery had occurred in Ely Creek. The results indicate that remediation had a positive effect on all monitoring sites downstream of the remediated AMD seeps. At the site most impacted by AMD, mean pH was 2.93 prior to remediation and improved to 7.14 in 2004. Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys revealed that one AMD influenced site had increased taxa richness from zero taxa in 1997 to 24 in 2004. While in situ testing of Asian clams resulted in zero survival at five of seven AMD influenced sites prior to remediation, some clams survived at all sites after. Clam survival was found to be significantly less than upstream references at only two sites, both downstream of un-mitigated AMD seeps in 2004. An ecotoxicological rating (ETR) system that combined ten biotic and abiotic parameters was developed as an indicator of the ecological status for each study site. A comparison of ETRs from before and after remediation demonstrated that all sites downstream of the remediation had experienced some level of recovery. Although the remediation has improved the ecological health of Ely Creek, un-mitigated AMD discharges are still negatively impacting the watershed.     

耕地资源等值模型的建立及应用

以耕地基本产出模型为基础，结合我国农业生产中存在隐性失业等情况，提出了符合我国国情的耕地产出模型，并在建模过程中剔除了科技进步因素对产量的影响。从效用原理出发，以一定投入水平和自然条件下的拟合耕地复合产量作为衡量耕地资源质量的标准，从理论上建立了一套完整的评价方法和体系。在此基础上，以江苏省20世纪90年代耕地投入和产出数据为依据，建立了各市的耕地产出模型，并以1999年江苏省平均投入水平为标准，计算了经耕地资源等值化后的人均耕地资源拥有状况。研究结果表明，在耕地资源等值化前后，人均耕地资源拥有水平 出现了不同程度的变化，这种变化的原因在于耕地等值模型不仅考虑了耕地资源的数量，还考虑了耕地的质量，而耕地质量的高低取决人于耕地本身的基础地力和对投入的反馈能力。     

Impact of land clearing methods and cropping systems on labile soil C and N pools in the humid zone Forest of Nigeria

Labile soil C and N play vital roles in soil–plant nutrient dynamics, especially in the low input cropping system and are vulnerable to perturbation. Surface (0–0.15 m) soils from three land clearing methods (slash and burn, bulldozed non-windrowed and bulldozed windrowed) and each with two cropping systems (5-and 4-year cropping/2-year cassava fallow) were collected in the humid forest ecosystem of Nigeria.The soils were analysed for total C and N, microbial biomass C and N (SMB C and N), particulate organic matter C and N (POM C and N), water-soluble C, potentially mineralizable N (PMN) and mineral N. The size of the labile C and N and their relative contributions to the organic C and total N differed significantly among land clearing methods, irrespective of the cropping system. Soils under slash and burn had a significantly (p > 0.05) higher particulate organic matter C, N (10.80 and 0.16 g kg⁻¹, respectively) and microbial biomass C and N (1.07 and 0.12 g kg⁻¹) compared to the bulldozed windrow, regardless of the cropping system. Four years cropping/2-year cassava fallow resulted in a significant higher labile C and N, relative to 5-year cropped plots across the land clearing methods. Effect of the treatments on the concentration of PMN and mineral N mirrored the SMB N and POM N. However, the quantity of most of the labile C and N pool and crop yield obtained from the slash and burn and bulldozed non-windrowed treatment did not differ significantly. Hence, bulldozed non-windrowed clearing could be a viable alternative to slash and burn in the case of large-scale farming in ensuring reduced losses of soil organic matter and nutrient during land clearing in the humid tropics.     

Exploiting pattern and sustainable development of marginal lands in the Three Gorge Reservoir Areas

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Combining Conservation and Development on Private Lands: Lessons from Costa Rica

Privately owned parks continue to attract interest across the tropics for their ability to blend biodiversity protection with sustainable development. Despite rapid proliferation of these privately owned protected areas, the conservation community knows little about them. We interviewed owners of 68 private parks in Costa Rica to learn more about their contribution to that country's national conservation effort. Key findings include: (1) the total number of private reserves is estimated to be in the vicinity of 250; (2) reserves fell into a wide variety of categories, ranging from formal parks and ecotourism reserves to biological stations and hybrid reserves; (3) total nationwide coverage is approximately 63,832 ha, or 1.2% of the national territory; (4) reserves were protecting ecologically important habitat, particularly primary rain forest; (5) reserves were owned mostly by Costa Ricans; (6) reserves were used for a wide variety of activities, especially ecotourism and for the owners' personal enjoyment; (7) reserve owners' biggest problem was poaching of mammals; (8) reserves were protecting key corridor and buffer zone areas between and around larger national parks. Results from this study should help enhance our understanding of this little-known conservation and development tool. They should be of interest wherever biodiversity remains threatened and wherever new conservation and development partners are being sought - which includes most of the developing world.     

不同种植制度对稻田旱作季节CH4和N2O排放的影响

通过大田试验研究了稻田旱作季节几种典型种植制度对CH4和N2O排放的影响,包括休闲（fallow）、油菜对照（OR-ck）、小麦对照（W-ck）、油菜施N（OR-N）和小麦施N（W-N）5个处理。试验结果表明,稻田旱作季节N2O排放明显,CH4排放量较低,甚至表现为弱的CH4汇。稻田旱作季节N2O排放除受到N肥和种植制度影响外,还受土壤含水量影响,施N处理显著促进了N2O排放,降雨后N2O排放明显。小麦和油菜施N处理N2O平均排放通量分别为18.51和13.47μg·m^-2·h^-1,季节累积排放量分别为87.31和59.48 mg·m^-2,均显著高于对照和休闲处理。不同作物种类间N2O平均排放通量无显著差异,N2O季节累积排放量则表现为小麦显著高于油菜。各处理综合温室效应（100 a）依次为：OR-N〉W-N〉W-ck〉fallow〉OR-ck。各施N处理综合温室效应以N2O为主,但各无N处理则以CH4为主,也不容忽视。     

Multiscale Indicators of Land Degradation in the Patagonian Monte,Argentina

Depletion of vegetation by overgrazing in arid environments has long-lasting effects on the environmental quality over extended geographic areas. An adequate inspection of habitat changes requires scaled up procedures that would allow assessing end-points of environmental status in broad areas that would be based on processes occurring at the plant canopy level. Our purpose was to find indicators of land degradation–conservation status for use in land monitoring programs and in planning management practices that would be amenable to further up-scaling for use with remotely sensed imagery. In several sites of the Patagonian Monte differing in the impact of grazing management, we evaluated vegetation attributes at three spatial scales. At the population scale, we found that the severity of grazing impact was characterized by the reduction of the palatable grass, P. ligularis, outside and inside shrub canopies. At the vegetation patch scale, we found that land degradation by domestic herbivore impact was characterized by changes in attributes of patch shape (radius, height, internal canopy cover) and patch abundance. At the plant community scale, we found that the structure of the plant canopy as described using Fourier analysis of cover data changed after long-term grazing impact consistently with the modifications in plant population and patch structures. We present a conceptual multiscale scenario of structural changes triggered by domestic herbivore impact, and quantitative indicators of plant structure and processes useful to develop management strategies of the Patagonian-Monte that would conserve its natural habitats. The developed end-points are also amenable for use in land conservation assessment through remotely sensed imagery.     

正本清源,系统开发整治长江各支流网系的山丘土地

长江流域泥沙问题仍值得重视。长江不同于黄河．黄河年输沙量１６亿ｔ，主要为悬移质；长江多年测得输沙量５．４亿ｔ，这仅是长江的部分泥沙量－悬移质，还有数据不详的推移质随急流滚动位移。防治泥沙的良策是上游绿化造林，但还有很大面积的陡玻耕地，以及紫色土丘陵坡耕地与石灰岩区坡耕地等，仍应重点防护；至于广大的荒山、荒坡，更应多途径合理经营，从各大、小流域；溯江而上到源头径流发生处，采取工程与生物相结合的方法，节节设防，将泥沙来源减少到最低限度。最好利用大坝兴建的空隙期间，有计划有步骤地节节设防，以延长大坝寿命，当地居民亦可获利。     

轮作休耕对劳动力转移的影响——以河北、甘肃、云南三省为例

近年来,中国耕地的不合理利用引发了一系列严重的问题,为此国家提出“探索实行耕地轮作休耕制度试点”这一重要举措。劳动力是农业的主要生产要素,归纳总结农户休耕和劳动力转移的情况,准确掌握休耕面积对劳动力转移产生的影响,对进一步推动国家轮作休耕政策、现代化发展和城镇化具有重要的战略意义。基于此,利用河北、甘肃、云南三省六县1542户农户家庭的相关调研数据,对农户休耕、劳动力转移等情况进行了分析,并运用Tobit回归模型定量分析农户休耕面积对劳动力转移数量的影响。研究结果表明：（1）研究区内农户休耕比例与户均休耕面积存在差异,且休耕比例与户均休耕面积大小均为甘肃省>云南省>河北省。（2）研究区内有62.97%的家庭存在劳动力转移现象,且休耕农户劳动力转移数量远超未休耕农户。（3）核心变量休耕面积对劳动力转移存在显著的正向影响;控制变量中,农户家庭总人口、户主性别、劳动力受教育水平、医疗支出、住宅距公路距离和劳均工资对劳动力转移存在显著的正向影响,而家庭抚养比则对劳动力转移存在显著的负向影响。