Marine reserve recovery rates towards a baseline are slower for reef fish community life histories than biomass

Ecological baselines are disappearing and it is uncertain how marine reserves, here called fisheries closures, simulate pristine communities. We tested the influence of fisheries closure age, size and compliance on recovery of community biomass and life-history metrics towards a baseline. We used census data from 324 coral reefs, including 41 protected areas ranging between 1 and 45 years of age and 0.28 and 1430 km², and 36 sites in a remote baseline, the Chagos Archipelago. Fish community-level life histories changed towards larger and later maturing fauna with increasing closure age, size and compliance. In high compliance closures, community biomass levelled at approximately 20 years and 10 km² but was still only at approximately 30% of the baseline and community growth rates were projected to slowly decline for more than 100 years. In low compliance and young closures, biomass levelled at half the value and time as high compliance closures and life-history metrics were not predicted to reach the baseline. Biomass does not adequately reflect the long-time scales for full recovery of life-history characteristics, with implications for coral reef management.     

北京市生态用地规划与管理对策

不合理土地开发加速了对自然生态系统的干扰和侵占,导致生态系统服务功能下降,危机区域生态安全,开展生态用地规划是构建区域生态安全格局的基础。合理规划和管理不同土地利用类型的数量和空间分布对区域可持续发展具有重要意义。目前我国广泛应用的土地利用分类体系主要以土地的社会经济属性为基础,忽视其生态属性,导致以提供生态系统服务为主、保障生态安全的土地缺乏保护机制,具有重要生态功能的土地得不到有效保护。以北京市为例,建立了北京市生态用地分类与规划的思路与程序,在明确北京市生态安全与生态系统服务功能的关系基础上分析了北京市生态系统服务功能重要性及其空间格局,并进行了北京市生态用地规划。研究规划了保障北京市生态安全的7类生态用地:地表水涵养与保护用地、地下水保护用地、生物多样性保护用地、水土保持用地、河流防护用地、公路防护用地和城市绿地,总面积5137.37km2,占北京市域面积的31.31%。最后从生态用地识别和划分、将生态用地融入土地利用分类体系、生态用地管理措施和对策3个方面探讨了生态用地规划和管理的方法与措施。研究结果为北京市土地利用规划和有效管理提供依据,也为其它地区的生态用地规划提供参考。     

城市可持续规划中的生态敏感区避让分析——以丽江市为例

为促进城市可持续发展,在科学合理规划城市空间格局的基础上,应突出强调保护原有特色生态环境要素,保育生态系统服务功能和原住民人居环境。作为世界文化遗产,丽江城市面貌在过去数十年发生了深刻变化,城市用地显著扩张,同时严峻的环境问题对城市可持续发展提出挑战。以丽江市为例,选取对其发展影响深远的水系元素、噪声环境因子和森林火灾3个关键生态敏感因子,提出通过分析这类生态敏感区在城市规划过程中的避让方法、程度,区划城市规划基本空间格局,以避免城市未来因生态环境问题突出而制约其发展的规划用地思路。结果表明,丽江城区周边湖泊水系、古城内部及周边原住民人口密集区都是保障城市可持续发展的生态保护重点地区,在城市用地规划中必须予以避让;该区域面积为147.2 km2,占研究区面积的11.1%。同时,明确给出了规划用地的具体空间控制范围和相应的避让原则。     

面向生态系统服务的森林生态系统经营:现状、挑战与展望

森林生态系统是地球陆地生态系统的主体,它具有很高的生物生产力和生物量以及丰富的生物多样性,对全球生态系统和人类经济社会发展起着至关重要和无可替代的作用。伴随着人口的不断增长和经济社会的迅猛发展,对森林资源和森林生态系统服务的需求不断高涨,而且人类对森林资源价值的认识也发生了很大程度的改变。推进森林资源可持续经营,增加森林总量、提高森林质量、增强生态功能,已成为中国林业可持续发展乃至推进中国生态文明建设和建设美丽中国的战略任务。本文全面综述了森林生态系统经营发展历程,分析了森林生态系统经营的现状和存在问题,在此基础上,提出整合基于生态系统管理与满足现代人类福祉对森林多重需求的新的森林生态系统经营理念,面向生态系统服务的森林生态系统经营理念是未来的发展趋势。森林经营发展战略表现为:1)从单纯的森林面积数量扩张,转变到提高单位面积的森林生产力和森林质量;2)从单一追求木材生产逐步转变为多目标经营,将森林林产品单一的经营目标转变为广泛的生态、经济和社会等多目标经营;3)森林经营重点从林分水平转变为森林景观的经营,强调森林景观的时空异质性和动态变化,权衡和协同多种生态系统的服务功能,倡导森林景观的多样性和连通性,提高森林与其它土地利用模式镶嵌构成的复合景观的可持续性和稳定性,增强森林生态系统对气候变化影响的适应能力;4)森林生态系统经营将从依赖传统经验的主观决策转变为信息化、数字化和智能化的决策,发展森林生态系统经营决策支持系统和森林景观恢复与空间经营规划系统。     

基于GIS的湖北省森林生态系统定位观测研究网络规划

森林生态系统定位观测研究站可为森林经营和生态效益评估提供基础数据。以湖北省为例,设计森林生态系统定位观测研究网络的指标体系,基于球状模型进行普通克里格插值,与GIS的空间叠置分析相耦合,生成湖北省生态地理区划和生态功能区划;建立森林生态站网络规划的有效分区,进行森林生态站站点布设,构建了湖北省森林生态系统定位观测研究网络;总结讨论了该网络的合理性和保障措施、与其它生态站网络的比较和网络规划的局限性。结果表明:该网络将湖北省划分成12个分区,共布设16个森林生态站,其中计划建设12个生态站,已经建设4个生态站;不仅可以监测湖北省81.8%的森林面积,88.9%的生态功能区面积,98.2%的重点生态功能区面积和87.5%的生物多样性保护优先区面积,而且9个森林生态站分布与湖北省4个重点生态功能区和3个生物多样性保护优先区相匹配。该网络可以实现森林生态系统生态要素的连续观测与清查,为森林生态服务功能和生态效益评估,以及重大生态工程提供数据支撑和辅助决策分析依据。     

Reducing Urban Disaster Risk by Improving Resilience in China from a Planning Perspective

ABSTRACT

This article aims to examine the implications of improving urban resilience that emerge from Chinese practices for reducing urban disaster risk. First, the concept of urban resilience is discussed, the goal of which is to shape a “culture of resilience” to the largest extent possible in order to reduce urban risk. Urban resilience encompasses broad and diverse areas, and thus can be improved in many ways. This article primarily discusses the planning process. Second, the main focus of the discussion on planning process to improve urban resilience is that of the urban risk management planning of Shenzhen, China. This was the first local urban government project in China to have comprehensively and broadly assessed and reduced urban risk, and it is covered along with the Chinese legislation system and current urban resilience programs in China. The findings show that both the Chinese central government and local governments are paying more and more attention to urban resilience through various legislation and programs, even if they are not using the same terminology as other countries.     

低盐度围隔调控环境浮游纤毛虫群落结构与动态

为了解施肥与水质调控对养殖水体中原生动物的影响,2008年6-10月,对低盐度围隔调控环境中浮游纤毛虫种群结构及动态变化进行了研究.通过活体观察和标本固定染色法共检测到浮游纤毛虫48种,分属于3纲11目37属,其中寡毛目纤毛虫种类8种;缘毛目7种,腹毛目和盾纤目均为6种;优势种多为富营养化水体中或耐污性种类,如圆筒状拟铃壳虫(Tintinnopsis cylindrata)、球形急游虫(Stranbidium globosaneum)、海洋帆口虫(Pleuronema marinum)、蚤状中缢虫(Mesodinium pulex)、毛板壳虫(Coleps hirtus)、瓜形膜袋虫(Cyclidium citrullus)等.围隔不同施肥处理,对纤毛虫的群落组成与动态变化影响显著,试验期间,围隔中纤毛虫种类平均值最高为9种,最低为4种;密度平均值最高为112.30cells·ml-1,最低为19.50 cells·ml-1;10个围隔中纤毛虫种类平均分别为6～7种,密度平均为52.56 cells·ml-1;施有机肥培藻的围隔,优势种始终是嗜污性较强的纤毛虫.纤毛虫动态与浮游藻类动态变化密切相关,二者的密度变化特点为前期和后期低,中期较高;但多样性的变化规律相反,纤毛虫的多样性表现为前期和后期低,中期较高,藻类的多样性表现为前期和后期高,中期较低.     

Integrating field surveys and remote sensing data to study distribution, habitat use and conservation status of the herpetofauna of the Comoro Islands

We studied the non-marine reptile and amphibian species of the volcanic Comoro archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean, a poorly known island herpetofauna comprising numerous microendemic species of potentially high extinction risk and widespread, non-endemic and often invasive taxa. According to our data, the Comoro islands are inhabited by two amphibian species and at least 28 species of reptiles although ongoing genetic studies and unconfirmed historical records suggest an even higher species diversity. 14 of the 28 currently recognized species of terrestrial reptiles (50%) and the two amphibians are endemic to a single island or to the Comoro archipelago. The majority of species are most abundant at low elevation. However, a few endemic species, like the gekkonid lizards Paroedura sanctijohannis and Phelsuma nigristriata, are more common in or even confined to higher altitudes. We created habitat maps from remotely sensed data in combination with detailed species distribution maps produced using comprehensive data from field surveys between 2000 and 2010, literature, and historical locality records based on specimens in zoological collections. Using these data, we assessed the conservation status of the endemic terrestrial reptiles and amphibians according to the IUCN Red List criteria. Our results show that although little area of natural forest remains on the Comoros, many species are abundant in degraded forest or plantations. Competition and predation by invasive species appears to be the most important threat factor for the endemic herpetofauna, together with habitat degradation and destruction, which further favours invasive species. We propose the status Endangered for three species, Vulnerable for one species, Near Threatened for six species, Least Concern for four and Data Deficient for two species. The endemic subspecies Oplurus cuvieri comorensis is proposed for the status Critically Endangered. Based on the results of this study, seven areas of importance for reptile and amphibian conservation on the Comoros are identified. This study shows how remote sensing data can contribute to increasing accuracy and objectiveness of conservation assessments.     

Linking ecological and social systems in cities: urban planning in Finland as a case

The loss of urban green space as a result of urbanization threatens the overall biodiversity of urban areas, and prompts us to consider the importance of existing urban nature more carefully. Because urban ecological systems are in intense interaction with human-social systems, it is fruitful to create an interdisciplinary research and planning framework to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity in urban areas. For this purpose, we adapted a suitable theoretical and conceptual scheme for the setting of Finnish urban development, which provides an example of a situation where a lot of nature has so far remained inside and around urban area. The adapted scheme focuses on the land use change as a result of urban land use planning and development, and may provide a way to address the important variables and feedback mechanisms between information flowing from ecological systems and drivers from the social system. Furthermore, we outlined a more specific framework around the Finnish urban detailed planning process in order to study the interactions between these systems further. After addressing ecology-oriented questions of quantity, quality and needs of urban nature, and human-oriented drivers, such as flow and incorporation of information, knowledge, values and institutions, we identified several challenges in integrating the components of ecological and social systems. Creating common conceptual ground for different actors and disciplines, improving communication in the process, matching contradictory values and perceptions, and improving stakeholder participation would be in the best interest of nature and people of urban areas.     

Remotely sensed landscape heterogeneity as a rapid tool for assessing local biodiversity value in a highly modified New Zealand landscape

The widespread conversion of natural habitats to agricultural land has created a need to integrate intensively managed landscapes into conservation management priorities. However, there are no clearly defined methods for assessing the conservation value of managed landscapes at the local scale. We used remotely sensed landscape heterogeneity as a rapid practical tool for the assessment of local biodiversity value within a predominantly agricultural landscape in Canterbury, New Zealand. Bird diversity was highly significantly correlated with landscape heterogeneity, distance from rivers and the Christchurch central business district, altitude and average annual household income, indicating that remotely sensed landscape heterogeneity is a good predictor of local biodiversity patterns. We discuss the advantages and limitations of using geographic information systems to determine local areas of high conservation value.