福建省生态足迹和生态承载力的动态变化

利用生态足迹理论,计算分析了福建省1999～2003年5年间的生态足迹变化过程.结果表明,福建省人均生态足迹由1999年的1.428 hm²上升至2003年的1.658 hm²,人均生态承载力由1999年的0.683 hm²减少到2003年的0.607 hm²,生态赤字逐年提高,生态足迹与生态承载力之间的矛盾加剧,生态环境处于不安全状态.生态足迹供需结构分析表明,福建省人均生态足迹供需存在严重的不平衡,其需求以草地和化石燃料为主,两者占总量的55.74%～63.43%,而供给以耕地为主,草地仅占人均生态承载力的0.77%～0.82%,化石燃料的供给几乎为零.5年间万元GDP生态足迹总体上呈下降趋势,表明福建省的资源利用率不断提高.与此同时,结合福建省经济发展现状和资源分布特点,提出了减少区域生态赤字的对策.     

中国2002年省域生态足迹分析

采用中国实际单产法计算和分析了2002年中国各省市生态足迹及其构成,发现各省市生态足迹及其构成差异较大,其中人均耕地足迹由陕西的0.078 hm²增加到北京的0.126 hm²,人均草地足迹由江西的0.020 hm²增加到西藏的0.372 hm²,人均林地足迹由贵州的0.020 hm²增加到北京的0.209 hm²,人均水域足迹由西藏的0.001 hm²增加到上海的0.011 hm²,人均建筑用地足迹由贵州的0.013 hm²增加到内蒙古的0.054 hm²,人均化石能源足迹由广西的0.251 hm²增加到山西的2.854 hm².东部、南部省市各地类多处于生态赤字状态,北部、西部省市各地类多处于生态盈余状态.从生态足迹、人均GDP和万元GDP足迹的相互关系来看,各地区存在较大的差异,如人均生态足迹为1 hm²·cap^-1的省份包括福建、河南、四川、安徽、云南、陕西和贵州,其人均GDP由福建的1.35万元降至贵州的0.3万元,而万元GDP足迹却由福建的0.74 hm²增至贵州的3.51hm².因此,要缓解中国资源短缺与经济发展之间的矛盾,要首先从人均生态足迹大、经济发展落后、万元GDP足迹高的省市入手,改变其经济增长方式和产业结构,使经济的发展对资源的依赖性逐渐降低,提高资源利用效率,提高其足迹经济产出率,大力发展经济,实现生态、资源、经济的可持续发展.     

The studies of ecological environmental quality assessment in Anhui Province based on ecological footprint

Under the dual pressures of the socio-economic development and the increase in population density, the ecological environmental quality issues in Anhui Province have become increasingly prominent, which seriously handicap the sustainable development of regional economy, and it is more important to evaluate ecological environmental quality. By using the data of ecological environment, society, economy and population in Anhui Province, this paper measures ecological footprint, ecological environmental carrying capacity and ecological deficit and surplus in Anhui Province based on ecological footprint. The results show that ecological environmental quality in Anhui Province is not in the best state of the coordinated development, and the relationship between the supply and the demand of per ecological footprint almost is not in balance.     

Decoupling – shifts in ecological footprint intensity of nations in the last decade

The ecological price of economic growth is a heavily debated issue, where ideologies often neglect factual information. In this paper, through the relationship of the ecological footprint and GDP, we examine the tendencies of eco-efficiency in the first decade of the 21st century. We conclude that the average ecological footprint intensity of countries have improved significantly in the given period. In 2009, 50 percent less area was needed to produce a unit of GDP. Many countries could reach the so-called strong decoupling − these countries could increase GDP while decreasing the ecological footprint in absolute terms. We also repeated the analysis of a scientific article published in 2004. We managed to update data and identify ecologically positive tendencies. In ten years, the average of the world’s ecological footprint intensity has significantly improved, it halved all in all. We found that 90 percent of the countries started to move to the direction of sustainable development. Among the studied 131 countries, 40 experienced strong decoupling (absolute decrease of resource use), in 77 countries weak decoupling occurred (relative decrease of resource use), and there were only 14 countries, where no decoupling could be observed (relative increase of resource use).     

An evaluation framework based on sustainability-related indicators for the comparison of conceptual approaches for ecological networks

Ecological networks (EN) are designed to maintain biodiversity and ecological processes by protecting habitats and their linkages. By considering the functional role of the landscape, EN can support the integration of ecological sustainability with human activities. Although all EN share the same general objectives, there are many different approaches for determining the spatial configuration of their components. The choice of an approach for the design of an EN has a major impact on the spatial configuration, ecological value, and ease of implementation of the resulting network. We applied different approaches to construct EN for the Saint-François River watershed (8700 km²) in southern Quebec, Canada. The approaches were based on single-species, multi-species, and landscape modeling categories. All of the resulting EN were evaluated using ecological, economic, and social spatial thematic indicators (TI) relevant to sustainable landscape management. This allowed us to quantitatively assess the impact of each approach and to establish their relative performance within a common framework. Our results showed that the conceptual approach for EN has a direct influence on their spatial configuration and performance. Single-species-, multi-species- and landscape-based categories produced very different EN. These results emphasize the importance of the selection of focal species and/or key environments for the design of EN. Our results also highlight the importance of adequately defining the desired objectives and expected functions of an EN, knowing that the results of the conceptual approach will be modified depending on the environment. Results are discussed in relation to the objectives sought by the implementation of the EN, spatial scale, and land use. Our evaluation framework is a useful tool for mitigating uncertainties associated with EN by facilitating the integration of stakeholders’ priorities and landscape management objectives.     

Investigating the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis by utilizing the ecological footprint as an indicator of environmental degradation

This study investigates the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis using a country’s ecological footprint as an indicator of environmental degradation. Ninety-three countries were examined, categorized by income. The fixed effects and the generalized method of moments results clearly showed an inverted U-shaped relationship between the ecological footprint and GDP growth, which represents the EKC hypothesis in upper middle- and high-income countries but not in low- and lower middle-income countries. This relationship only occurs in a stage of economic development in which technologies are available that improve energy efficiency, energy saving and renewable energy, which are not accessible for countries with low income due to their high cost. Moreover, energy consumption, urbanization, and trade openness increase environmental damage through their positive effect on the ecological footprint of most countries across all income groups. However, financial development reduces environmental degradation in lower middle-, upper middle- and high-income countries. This relationship confirms that loans from banks are primarily given to firms that establish investments in projects that are mostly environmentally friendly. From the results of this study, a number of recommendations can be provided for the investigated countries.     

Evaluating the use of Myotis daubentonii as an ecological indicator in Mediterranean riparian habitats

In recent years, interest and concern regarding biodiversity conservation have grown remarkably not only among conservationists but also amongst a wider public beyond scientific institutions. The monitoring of fauna and flora over long periods of time has been satisfactorily proven to be a viable tool for quantifying how environmental changes affect natural communities. Some bat species are regarded as good bioindicators, mainly due to their longevity and high sensitivity to environmental changes. Myotis daubentonii is one of the species most closely associated with riparian habitats in the north-east Iberian Peninsula, and is used as an ecological indicator in specific monitoring programs such as the Waterway Survey (United Kingdom) and the QuiroRius (Spain). Nonetheless, there is still great controversy as to whether M. daubentonii is a good biological indicator or not. While some authors accept it as a bioindicator, others point to the studies carried out in the U.K., Poland, Switzerland and Germany that show a remarkable increase in the numbers of this bat when pollution increases in canalized rivers, which suggest that it is in fact a generalist species.Due to the lack of information regarding habitat-quality requirements in Daubenton’s bats in the Mediterranean region and the species’ potential as a bioindicator in riparian habitats, we aimed to 1) examine how QuiroRius data match other well-established biological indicators (IBMWP for invertebrates and QBR for riparian forests); 2) analyse how environmental variables at both local and landscape scales affect the presence of M. daubentonii; and 3) describe how environmental traits influence the relative abundance of M. daubentonii.A total of 104 streams below 1000 m a.s.l. were simultaneously sampled using bat, macroinvertebrate and vegetation bioindicators. Despite having similar conservation aims, these three bioindicators did not provide consistent images of overall ecosystem quality and thus a multidisciplinary approach is necessary for a full analysis of the health of these riparian ecosystems. M. daubentonii were found more frequently in wide rivers with well-structured native riparian forests; on the other hand, landscape composition at broader scales and altitude had no influence on bat presence/abundance.Thus, we suggest that QuiroRius could be used as a complementary bioindicator for analysing riparian forest quality but cannot be used alone as a tool for evaluating correctly overall riparian ecosystem health. Both relative abundance and/or presence/absence could be used as bioindicator surrogates given that the effect of microhabitat environmental predictors had similar impact on both these measures.     

Stability,sensitivity and uncertainty rates in the flow equations of ecological models

In previous work by the authors about dynamic system modeling, basic ecosystems concepts and their application to ecological modeling theory were formalized. Measuring how a variable effects certain processes leads to improvements in dynamic systems modelling and facilitates the author’s study of system diversity in which model sensitivity is a key theme. Initially, some variables and their numeric data are used for modeling. Predictions from the constructed models depend on these data. Generic study of sensitivity aims to show to what degree model behavior is altered by modification of some specific data. If small variations cause important modifications in the model’s global behavior then the model is very sensitive in relation to the variables used. If uncertain systems are considered, then it is important to submit the system to extreme situations and analyze its behavior. In this article, some indexes of uncertainty will be defined in order to determine the variables' influence in the case of extreme changes. This will permit analysis of the system’s sensitivity in relation to several simulations.     

Gathered wild food plants in the upper valley of the Serchio River (Garfagnana), Central Italy

A study of the traditional gathered food plants in the upper valley of the Serchio river (Garfagnana), Lucca Province, north-west Tuscany, central Italy, was carried out. One hundred thirty-three species (including fungi), belonging to 48 families, were encountered. The geographical isolation of the valley and the survival of old gastronomic traditions have permitted a rich popular knowledge to be main-tained. In particular, the tradition of preparing in springtime a characteristic vegetal soup (minestrella) based on about forty wild vegetables in a very restricted area of the valley might be correlated with influences of pre-Roman civilisations. An uncommon specific food utilization ofBryonia dioica andPrunus laurocerasus as well as the consumption in some districts ofFagus sylvatica seeds,Taxus baccata andCrocus napolitanus fruits as snacks and the very common use ofClematis vitalba shoots seem to demonstrate a well established tradition to use unpalatable vegetal sources. Ethnopharmacological aspects of the consumption of these species are discussed.

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Piante Spontanee ad Uso Alimentare Raccolte Nella Parte Superiore della Valle del Serchio (Garfagnana), Italia Centrale

Resumen  E’ stato effettuato uno studio sulla raccolta tradizionale di piante ad uso alimentare nella parte superiore della valle del Serchio (Garfagnana), Provincia di Lucca, Toscana nord-occidentale, Italia centrale. 133 specie (inclusi funghi), appartenenti a 48 famiglie, sono state censite. L’isolamento geografico della valle e la sopravvivenza di vecchie tradizioni gastronomiche hanno permesso ad una ricca conoscenza popolare di mantenersi inalterata fino ai nostri giorni. In particolare, la tradizione della preparazione in primavera di una caratteristica zuppa vegetale (minestrella) basata talvolta su più di quaranta specie spontanee in un ’aerea molto ristretta della valle potrebbe essere messa in relazione ad influenze di civiltà pre-romane in quel territorio. L’utilizzazione alimentare non comune diBryonia dioica ePrunus laurocerasus così come il consumo di semi diFagus sylvatica, di frutti diTaxus baccata eCrocus napolitanus come snack e I’uso molto comune di giovaniparti aeree diClematis vitalba sembrano dimostrare una consolidata tradizione ad usare fonti vegetali non palatabili. Aspetti etnofarmacologici legati al consumo di queste specie vengono discussi.

     

Integrating hardware, software and mindware for sustainable ecosystem development: Principles and methods of ecological engineering in China

Grounded in human ecological philosophy, ecological engineering in China seeks to find an alternative way to realize sustainable development at ecosystem level through total metabolism of resources, systematic coupling of technologies and cultivation of people's behavior. Here the key is integration of ‘hardware’, ‘software’ and ‘mindware’. Eight design principles of ecological engineering based on eco-cybernetics are discussed, which fall into three categories: competition, symbiosis and self-reliance. The fundamental tasks of ecological engineering are to develop a sustainable ecosystem through the integrative planning of its structure, function and processes by encouraging totally functioning technology, systematically responsible institutions and ecologically vivid culture. A campaign of ecological engineering development in China is introduced, including 29 national comprehensive experimental communities for sustainable development, 51 pilot studies of eco-county development, and 100 ecological demonstration districts. Some fruitful theoretical and applied results have been gained and the case of Dafeng eco-county development is introduced.     

Management framework for sustainable development indicators in the State of Selangor, Malaysia

The perception that better information on environment and development is the determinant of effective rational decision- and policy-making processes provide the impetus for global interest in the use of sustainable development indicators (SDIs). Accordingly, proposals for SDIs are framed either on organisational goals or on disciplinary and multidisciplinary theories—aiming to reduce uncertainties in choosing the best alternative among a set of options concerning sustainability. Despite the fact that many SDI initiatives are explicitly aimed at improving policy-making, it is not apparent that political settings and organisational realities are taken into consideration in designing the framework for sustainability assessment. Ignoring the realities of policy-making dynamics can result in poor institutionalisation of the SDI development process, and therefore reduced impact of indicators. Linkage of SDIs to policy processes must also take into account the complex role of information in policy processes. The importance of societal values, cultural contexts and behaviour of bureaucracies must be understood and used to assist the assessment of progress towards sustainability using SDIs. Essentially, objective knowledge must be tampered with pragmatism in governance. This paper highlights the case of SDI development in the state of Selangor where the notion of instrumental rationality is balanced with the ‘incrementalism’ of the policy process that provided the foundation for institutionalising the reporting and use of SDIs. The ideals and paradoxes of participatory decision-making, the principles of the rational model and decision-making processes within a state government are critically examined.     

A Systems Perspective on the Conservation and Erosion of Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge in Central India

Many scholars are concerned that globalization and scientization of local management systems threatens the survival of valuable indigenous knowledge of agriculture and agroforestry. This paper addresses such concerns by drawing on a field study of knowledge about tree and crop cultivation in central India to examine dynamics of knowledge system change. It uses concepts from systems studies, including hierarchy, adaptability, connectedness, and scale, to show how parts of indigenous knowledge systems might be more likely to be lost or preserved under various socio-economic circumstances. It then suggests some concrete lessons for those interested in conserving indigenous knowledge: that knowledge is best conserved in situ; that concepts can be more important to communicate and preserve than mere facts or practices; that researchers might identify those parts of a knowledge system most in need of conservation attention; and that technical innovation might allow local-scale indigenous knowledge to interface more effectively with large-scale global technologies.