Developing Metapopulation Connectivity Criteria from Genetic and Habitat Data to Recover the Endangered Mexican Wolf

Restoring connectivity between fragmented populations is an important tool for alleviating genetic threats to endangered species. Yet recovery plans typically lack quantitative criteria for ensuring such population connectivity. We demonstrate how models that integrate habitat, genetic, and demographic data can be used to develop connectivity criteria for the endangered Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), which is currently being restored to the wild from a captive population descended from 7 founders. We used population viability analysis that incorporated pedigree data to evaluate the relation between connectivity and persistence for a restored Mexican wolf metapopulation of 3 populations of equal size. Decreasing dispersal rates greatly increased extinction risk for small populations (<150–200), especially as dispersal rates dropped below 0.5 genetically effective migrants per generation. We compared observed migration rates in the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM) wolf metapopulation to 2 habitat‐based effective distance metrics, least‐cost and resistance distance. We then used effective distance between potential primary core populations in a restored Mexican wolf metapopulation to evaluate potential dispersal rates. Although potential connectivity was lower in the Mexican wolf versus the NRM wolf metapopulation, a connectivity rate of >0.5 genetically effective migrants per generation may be achievable via natural dispersal under current landscape conditions. When sufficient data are available, these methods allow planners to move beyond general aspirational connectivity goals or rules of thumb to develop objective and measurable connectivity criteria that more effectively support species recovery. The shift from simple connectivity rules of thumb to species‐specific analyses parallels the previous shift from general minimum‐viable‐population thresholds to detailed viability modeling in endangered species recovery planning. Desarrollo de Criterios de Conectividad Metapoblacional a Partir de Datos Genéticos y de Hábitat para Recuperar al Lobo Mexicano en Peligro de Extinción     

Environmental cost of using poor decision metrics to prioritize environmental projects

Conservation decision makers commonly use project‐scoring metrics that are inconsistent with theory on optimal ranking of projects. As a result, there may often be a loss of environmental benefits. We estimated the magnitudes of these losses for various metrics that deviate from theory in ways that are common in practice. These metrics included cases where relevant variables were omitted from the benefits metric, project costs were omitted, and benefits were calculated using a faulty functional form. We estimated distributions of parameters from 129 environmental projects from Australia, New Zealand, and Italy for which detailed analyses had been completed previously. The cost of using poor prioritization metrics (in terms of lost environmental values) was often high—up to 80% in the scenarios we examined. The cost in percentage terms was greater when the budget was smaller. The most costly errors were omitting information about environmental values (up to 31% loss of environmental values), omitting project costs (up to 35% loss), omitting the effectiveness of management actions (up to 9% loss), and using a weighted‐additive decision metric for variables that should be multiplied (up to 23% loss). The latter 3 are errors that occur commonly in real‐world decision metrics, in combination often reducing potential benefits from conservation investments by 30–50%. Uncertainty about parameter values also reduced the benefits from investments in conservation projects but often not by as much as faulty prioritization metrics.     

The Value of Using Feasibility Models in Systematic Conservation Planning to Predict Landholder Management Uptake

Understanding the social dimensions of conservation opportunity is crucial for conservation planning in multiple‐use landscapes. However, factors that influence the feasibility of implementing conservation actions, such as the history of landscape management, and landholders’ willingness to engage are often difficult or time consuming to quantify and rarely incorporated into planning. We examined how conservation agencies could reduce costs of acquiring such data by developing predictive models of management feasibility parameterized with social and biophysical factors likely to influence landholders’ decisions to engage in management. To test the utility of our best‐supported model, we developed 4 alternative investment scenarios based on different input data for conservation planning: social data only; biological data only; potential conservation opportunity derived from modeled feasibility that incurs no social data collection costs; and existing conservation opportunity derived from feasibility data that incurred collection costs. Using spatially explicit information on biodiversity values, feasibility, and management costs, we prioritized locations in southwest Australia to control an invasive predator that is detrimental to both agriculture and natural ecosystems: the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). When social data collection costs were moderate to high, the most cost‐effective investment scenario resulted from a predictive model of feasibility. Combining empirical feasibility data with biological data was more cost‐effective for prioritizing management when social data collection costs were low (<4% of the total budget). Calls for more data to inform conservation planning should take into account the costs and benefits of collecting and using social data to ensure that limited funding for conservation is spent in the most cost‐efficient and effective manner.     

医院低碳经济管理路径探索研究

在建设两型社会的大背景下,我院积极探索低碳经济管理途径,通过实施‘‘四权分离物品管理机制”、全成本核算、打造数字化医院和低碳医疗等手段初步实现了低碳经济管理,并取得了极大的经济效益和社会效益。     

高中速过滤器的选择

介绍了高中速过滤器的应用环境、工作原理和结构组成,并从结构组成及工艺环境和实际应用性价比方面,提出实际工作时选择高中速过滤器的注意事项。     

刮油刮渣机的结构设计与应用选择

介绍了刮油刮渣机的工作原理和基本结构组成及应用结构方式,并从工艺环境及应用选择的性价比方面,提出实际工作时选择刮油刮渣机的注意事项,达到设备的最大合理化应用。     

城镇污水处理排放标准改革的费效分析

从费用效果角度对提高城镇污水处理排放标准的科学性和可实施性进行探讨,利用污染源普查数据,通过城镇污水治理投资和运行函数的构建,计算不同处理规模和排放标准下的污水处理投资和运行费用,在全国层面上计算提高污水处理排放标准所需费用和污染物的减排效果.研究表明：污水处理厂的投资和运行费用的增加随着污水处理规模的增加而递减.以污...     

钢渣处理技术的环境性能比较

随着钢铁工业的快速发展,大量钢渣弃置堆积,不仅成为环境污染源,而且占用大量的土地。目前钢渣处理技术较多,其中主要的处理方法有冷弃法、热闷法、热泼法、浅盘法、水淬法、风淬法等。本研究采用生命周期评价方法,对主要钢渣处理技术进行评估,定义了生命周期评估边界和清单指标,建立了清单计算模型,得到了不同钢渣处理技术的生命周期清单。为了提高结果的可信性,对模型进行了不确定性分析。结果表明滚筒法和风淬法的环境性能较好,是值得推广的钢渣处理技术。     

煤炭企业环境成本核算及控制浅议

随着我国环境保护方面的法律法规逐步完善,以及公众对环保的日益重视,对煤炭环境成本进行核算十分必要.本文论述了煤炭企业环境成本核算的重要性,分析了煤炭企业现有成本核算存在问题,提出了完善煤炭企业环境成本核算的对策.     

论水处理工程中的节能

人们在污水处理厂的建设中对污水处理工艺的先进性、可靠性以及工程投资大小考虑较多,而对污水处理厂建成后的运营管理考虑较少,因而造成许多污水处理厂建成后由于运营成本过高而不能正常运行。从能耗角度出发,分析造成运行成本高的主要原因以及相应采取的措施。