Local and regional variability in snow conditions in northern Finland: A reindeer herding perspective

Weather station measurements were used to force the SNOWPACK snow model and combined with reindeer herders’ experiences to study the local and regional variations in snow conditions in a Finnish reindeer herding area for the 1981–2010 period. Winter conditions varied significantly between the four selected herding districts and between open and forest environments within the districts. The highest snow depths and densities, the thicknesses of ground ice, and the lengths of snow cover period were generally found in the northernmost districts. The snow depths showed the strongest regional coherence, whereas the thicknesses of ground ice were weakly correlated among the districts. The local variation in snow depths was higher than the regional variation and limits for rare or exceptional events varied notably between different districts and environments. The results highlight that forests diversify snow and foraging conditions, e.g., ground ice rarely forms simultaneously in different environments. Sufficient and diverse forest pastures are important during the critical winter season if reindeer herding is pursued on natural grazing grounds also in the future.     

北疆退牧还草工程效益、存在的问题及对策

新疆实施退牧还草工程以来,不仅有效的保护了天然草地,改善了区域生态环境,而且促进了畜牧业生产结构、牧区生产和生活方式的改变,提高了牧民的收入。但在工程实施的同时,仍存在建设内容单一、规划设计、草地围栏管护与利用监管不落实、饲料粮补助标准偏低等问题。如何因地制宜做好退牧还草工程,本文针对北疆退牧还草工程实施中存在的问题,提出了相应的对策与建议。     

考虑从众阈值和主体特征的人群疏散元胞自动机模型*

为研究从众行为对人群疏散效率的影响,建立考虑从众阈值和主体特征的人群疏散元胞自动机模型,通过引入从众阈值反映人群中不同个体的从众选择程度,耦合每个主体不同特征属性、不同人员认知能力导致的疏散从众选择差异,利用元胞自动机模拟人群运动状态及动态演化过程,探究从众行为对人群疏散过程的作用规律。结果表明:人群疏散中选择从众行为的人员比例与整体疏散效率存在对应关系,本模型原始工况下,当人群中约60%的人员做出从众选择时,疏散效率相对最优。     

Impacts of climate warming on reindeer herding require new land-use strategies

Climate in the Arctic has warmed at a more rapid pace than the global average over the past few decades leading to weather, snow, and ice situations previously unencountered. Reindeer herding is one of the primary livelihoods for Indigenous peoples throughout the Arctic. To understand how the new climate state forces societal adaptation, including new management strategies and needs for preserved, interconnected, undisturbed grazing areas, we coupled changes in temperature, precipitation, and snow depth recorded by automatic weather stations to herder observations of reindeer behaviour in grazing areas of the Laevas Sámi reindeer herding community, northern Sweden. Results show that weather and snow conditions strongly determine grazing opportunities and therefore reindeer response. We conclude that together with the cumulative effects of increased pressures from alternative land use activities, the non-predictable environmental conditions that are uniquely part of the warming climate seriously challenge future reindeer herding in northern Sweden.     

藏猪扰动作用下的高寒草甸土壤退化特征及微生物群落结构变化

微生物作为土壤生态系统的重要组成部分,对环境干扰异常敏感,可以反映土壤的健康状况.人类活动导致高寒泥炭土壤面临退化风险,生产力下降、碳汇功能丧失,进而影响土壤微生物的群落结构及多样性.藏猪放牧是我国高海拔藏区一种特有的放牧方式,是导致高寒草甸土壤退化的重要干扰因素之一.应用16S rRNA高通量测序技术对比分析了藏猪放牧干扰和对照（无藏猪放牧）条件下的滇西北高寒草甸泥炭土壤微生物群落结构变化及其对干扰的响应特征.结果表明,藏猪放牧导致土壤微生物α多样性显著降低,且群落结构发生明显变化.高寒草甸泥炭土壤的主要优势菌为变形菌门（Proteobacteria）、酸杆菌门（Acidobacteria）和绿弯菌门（Chloroflexi）.与门水平相比,干扰前后土壤微生物在属水平上的差异更明显,其中鞘氨醇单胞菌属（Sphingomonas）和薄层菌属（Hymenobacter）的相对丰度在干扰后的土壤中显著增加,而硝化螺菌属（Nitrospira）和红游动菌属（Rhodoplanes）则显著降低.Venn图分析进一步发现,干扰与对照土壤样品中分别有71和136个核心OTU.干扰条件下的土壤特有微生物主要包括伯克霍德氏菌（Burkholderiales）、假单胞菌（Pseudomonadales）、鞘脂单胞菌（Sphingomonadales）等,这些微生物主要聚集在目水平,可以作为干扰条件下的指示微生物.CCA排序表明,硝化螺菌属和红游动菌属的微生物对含水率、速效磷、有机质等土壤环境变量的响应较为敏感.该研究结果为揭示高寒草甸泥炭土壤退化与微生物群落结构及多样性之间的关系提供了理论借鉴.     

Effects of Modern Forest Management on Winter Grazing Resources for Reindeer in Sweden

Boreal forests in Sweden are exploited in a number of ways, including forestry and reindeer husbandry. In the winter, reindeer feed mainly on lichens, and lichen-rich forests are a key resource in the herding system. Commercial forestry has mainly negative effects on reindeer husbandry, and conflicts between these two industries have escalated over the last century. This article reviews the effects of modern forest management practices on the winter resources available for reindeer husbandry. Forestry affects reindeer husbandry at both the stand level and the landscape level and over various time scales. Clear-cutting, site preparation, fertilization, short rotation times, and forest fragmentation have largely resulted in a reduced amount of ground growing and arboreal lichens and restricted access to resource. This article also discusses alternative forestry practices and approaches that could reduce the impacts of forestry on reindeer husbandry, both in the short and long term.     

Human use and conservation planning in Alpine areas of Northwestern Yunnan,China

Alpine areas in northwestern Yunnan, China possess globally significant levels of biodiversity and are important locally for livelihood activities such as livestock grazing and medicinal plant collection. Because local land use has important impacts on alpine conditions and communities have significant capacity to manage alpine resources, we emphasized local collaboration during the initial stages of conservation planning. Our collaboration with local communities investigated how livelihood strategies affect the condition of alpine resources in northwestern Yunnan and how future conservation efforts can be compatible with local livelihoods. We sampled three livestock herding sites, each within a different alpine sub-region, using open-ended interviews and maximum variation sampling. According to interviewees, livestock grazing within the alpine zone currently does not appear to be negatively impacting the availability of forage. Medicinal plant collection, however, is showing unsustainable trends. Tourism is as yet a nascent industry, but is seen as having great potential by those interviewed. It is clear that with increases in population, access to regional markets, and tourism, northwestern Yunnan’s rich alpine resources will require careful management. In addition to the data collected, we found that the methodology used may be widely applicable to organizations with limited resources that wish to engage local communities during the formative stages of regional-level conservation planning.