Fluctuations of Population Size and Structure in the Northern Mole Vole: Preliminary Analysis

Long-term stationary studies on the ecology of the northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinus Pall.), performed by the mark–recapture method from 1985 to 1997, have provided original data on population dynamics and structure. The analysis shows that, to reveal cyclic fluctuations of population size in this species, the period of three years should be taken as a unit of time for estimating the duration of one phase. The 12-year population cycle in E. talpinus has four distinct phases: an increase, a peak, a decline, and a minimum. At each phase, the population is characterized by certain features of family structure, age composition, birth and death rates, and the composition of migrants.     

The spatiotemporal structure of population in the Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

The spatiotemporal structure of the muskrat population has been studied by means of the prenatal radioactive marking of juveniles with 45 Ca and their subsequent recapture in the test area. The muskrat population is characterized by a cyclic type of spatial structure, with seasonal transition from a mosaic type of settling to a diffuse type and, after the breeding season, vice versa.     

Compensatory behaviour after displacement in migratory birds

Using a meta-analysis approach we re-analysed orientation cage experiments with displaced migrants found in the literature. A rather large proportion of the orientation experiments showed directional shifts after displacements, indicating ability for birds to detect and react on such displacements. There was a clear difference between overcast and experiments where birds had a view of the starry sky. In experiments under a starry sky, the birds compensated the displacements, whilst under overcast unaltered or reverse orientations were generally displayed. This indicates a role for the stars to be involved in detection of the changes in position. Such a role of celestial cues is further stressed by the results of several studies manipulating a planetarium sky. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

环境污染型项目中农村移民安置规划研究--以梅城垃圾填埋场为例

在一些环境污染型工程项目中,做好农村移民的安置规划工作尤为重要。借助世行贷款项目,通过持续的实际调研,以梅城垃圾填埋场为例,介绍了项目的建设主要内容及影响。从征地补偿安置、农村住宅房屋拆迁安置及弱势群体及妇女权益保护三个方面论述了农村移民生产生活安置方式。基于此,总结出了以下四个结论：(1)严格遵守相关法律法规、(2)征迁过程与安置工作相协调、(3)合理补偿,适当调整、(4)强化机构建设和人员能力培养。并提出了四条合理化建议。     

Environmental characteristics of urban-rural farming migrants in the Republic of Korea and their significance for rural sustainability

ABSTRACT

The number of households migrating to agricultural villages has sharply increased in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) since the late 1990s when the Asian economic crisis developed. This study investigates the environmental behaviour and the socio-economic characteristics of urban-rural migrant farming households and provides insights into their significance for rural sustainability in South Korea. The study is based on survey data collected in 2016 from a sample of 166 migrant farming households and 46 native farming households from the Namwon region in South Korea. The migrant farming households are divided into 29 return and 137 non-return farming households. It was found that most non-return migrants are organic farmers, and can be characterised as anti-urban, amenity-pursuing, green, and lifestyle migrants. It is no wonder that they have a strong intent to make their new home an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable place for their children. Thus, appropriate policy measures need to be designed in such a way to facilitate the synergy between the repopulation of rural areas by farming migrants, their uptake of organic farming, their active engagement in community rebuilding, and regional economic development.     

流动人口居留意愿的梯度变动与影响机制

随着城乡利益格局的变化,新生代流动人口的居留意愿呈现出新的特征,其变动与城市类型密切相关。利用调查数据进行分析,发现新生代流动人口的居留意愿表现出随流入地的城市类型而梯度变动的特征,即呈现出在大城市的居留意愿强,中小城市的流动性强和特大城市的返乡意愿强的特征,大城市是新生代流动人口实现留城理想与个人发展最佳的平台。但是总的来说,新生代流动人口的流动行为与第一代流动人口同中存异,没有出现根本性的改变。利用多层模型,对新生代流动人口居留意愿的影响机制进行了实证分析,发现城市类型、经济收入、社会融入与身份认同、家庭迁居、户籍可获得性是影响居留意愿的重要因素。此外,户籍可获得性与新生代流动人口身份认同交互作用显著的影响了新生代流动人口的居留意愿,并进一步增强了居留意愿在不同城市类型的差异。这体现出户籍制度对流动者的影响逐步由早期的福利隔绝向心理隔绝转变。对不同城市类型新生代流动人口居留意愿的差异进行量化分析发现,特大城市和大城市流动者的居留意愿呈现刚性,而超大城市和中小城市流动者居留意愿具有弹性。根据上述分析提出政策建议:将大城市作为吸纳流动人口的主导区域构建城市发展规划策略,发挥特大城市和大城市的集聚效应,促进区域的产业发展;在城市社区建设和城市文明建设方面,为流动人口与城市居民的相互融合提供政策支持;依托政府、社会组织与学校,提升新生代流动人口的人力资本。     

Optimal Management of a Multispecies Shorebird Flyway under Sea‐Level Rise

Every year, millions of migratory shorebirds fly through the East Asian–Australasian Flyway between their arctic breeding grounds and Australasia. This flyway includes numerous coastal wetlands in Asia and the Pacific that are used as stopover sites where birds rest and feed. Loss of a few important stopover sites through sea‐level rise (SLR) could cause sudden population declines. We formulated and solved mathematically the problem of how to identify the most important stopover sites to minimize losses of bird populations across flyways by conserving land that facilitates upshore shifts of tidal flats in response to SLR. To guide conservation investment that minimizes losses of migratory bird populations during migration, we developed a spatially explicit flyway model coupled with a maximum flow algorithm. Migratory routes of 10 shorebird taxa were modeled in a graph theoretic framework by representing clusters of important wetlands as nodes and the number of birds flying between 2 nodes as edges. We also evaluated several resource allocation algorithms that required only partial information on flyway connectivity (node strategy, based on the impacts of SLR at nodes; habitat strategy, based on habitat change at sites; population strategy, based on population change at sites; and random investment). The resource allocation algorithms based on flyway information performed on average 15% better than simpler allocations based on patterns of habitat loss or local bird counts. The Yellow Sea region stood out as the most important priority for effective conservation of migratory shorebirds, but investment in this area alone will not ensure the persistence of species across the flyway. The spatial distribution of conservation investments differed enormously according to the severity of SLR and whether information about flyway connectivity was used to guide the prioritizations. With the rapid ongoing loss of coastal wetlands globally, our method provides insight into efficient conservation planning for migratory species. Gestión Óptima de una Ruta Migratoria de Múltiples Especies de Aves Costeras Sometida a Incremento del Nivel del Mar     

Human Migration,Protected Areas,and Conservation Outreach in Tanzania

A recent discussion debates the extent of human in‐migration around protected areas (PAs) in the tropics. One proposed argument is that rural migrants move to bordering areas to access conservation outreach benefits. A counter proposal maintains that PAs have largely negative effects on local populations and that outreach initiatives even if successful present insufficient benefits to drive in‐migration. Using data from Tanzania, we examined merits of statistical tests and spatial methods used previously to evaluate migration near PAs and applied hierarchical modeling with appropriate controls for demographic and geographic factors to advance the debate. Areas bordering national parks in Tanzania did not have elevated rates of in‐migration. Low baseline population density and high vegetation productivity with low interannual variation rather than conservation outreach explained observed migration patterns. More generally we argue that to produce results of conservation policy significance, analyses must be conducted at appropriate scales, and we caution against use of demographic data without appropriate controls when drawing conclusions about migration dynamics. La Migración Humana, Áreas Protegidas y el Alcance de la Conservación en Tanzania     

Foreignness as a constraint on learning: The impact of migrants on disaster resilience in small islands

Knowledge about natural hazard management has increased significantly since Gilbert White's seminal research in 1945, yet people are still badly affected by natural hazards. A key question remains in natural hazards research: why, when all the conditions for effective disaster risk reduction are in place, do some people not take action to reduce their risk of harm? Through a questionnaire-based study we investigated the motivating factors that led residents of the Cayman Islands to prepare for annual tropical cyclones (hurricanes). Factors that increase the likelihood of individuals preparing for hurricanes are: previous experience of major storms, having linking networks and ties, having a child under the age of 15 in the home, and residency status—expatriate residents are less likely to prepare. Factors that appear to prevent adaptive behaviour include: living close to or adjacent to the coast, recent migration to the islands, and living in rented accommodation. The findings of the survey confirm that even within societies that are well prepared for tropical cyclones, there are still sub-groups who do not engage with the preparedness process. In the case of the Cayman Islands, new migrants are the most vulnerable to tropical cyclones as they tend to fall into the demographic groups least likely to prepare for cyclones, live in locations with high levels of exposure to cyclone impacts, and interact mostly with other expatriates with no previous experience of cyclone impacts. As climate change promises to bring an increasing intensity of tropical cyclones, these findings have relevance for all islands which draw on migrant workers to support economic growth.     

A retrospective statistical review of deaths owing to migration through the southeasternmost land borders of the European Union,Greece 2000–14

The land borders of Evros, Greece, have been a common entry point for undocumented migrants on their way to Europe through Turkey. Adverse conditions, however, have resulted in many human casualties over the years. On the Greek side, 334 cadavers were retrieved between 2000 and 2014. This study provides a detailed forensic account of the humanitarian disaster in Evros to create an official scientific record of the situation. It showcases the gravity of the global issue of migration relating to health and mortality, and encourages communication and continual improvement of the approach and patterns of practices surrounding the subject. A retrospective statistical research review was conducted of border‐related fatalities between 2000 and 2014, assessing the age and gender of victims, the cause of death, the location of bodies, identification rates, and country of origin. Age ranged generally from 24 to 29 years, but infants and children were among the deceased.