西双版纳土地利用/覆盖变化与地形的关系

 土地利用/覆盖变化是全球变化研究的重要领域。该文利用6个时期的MSS/TM/ETM影像和1:50 000DEM数据分析了1976~2007年西双版纳地区不同地形下的土地利用/覆盖变化动态, 结果表明: 1)31年间, 该区土地利用/覆盖变化剧烈, 有林地面积由1976年的69.0%下降到2007年的43.6%, 橡胶园面积由1976年的1.3%增加到2007年的11.8%; 2)有林地在海拔1 600 m以下不断减少, 而橡胶园的海拔分布上限则持续增加, 由1976年的1 000 m上升至2007年的1 400 m, 面积在400~1 000 m处占优。农业用地主要分布在海拔400～600 m, 在600 m之上迅速减少; 3)各坡度带上的有林地面积逐年减少, 橡胶园则逐年增加, 而灌木林与旱地则先升后降; 橡胶园、农业用地等主要分布在坡度较缓的区域, 坡度越大, 有林地越多; 1988年后, 橡胶园面积在坡度5°以下基本保持不变, 但在坡度大于5°的区域持续扩张; 4)坡向对橡胶园与农业用地等分布的影响较大, 南坡的橡胶发展最为迅速, 且有向北坡发展的趋势。有林地在北坡分布比例较大, 旱地在北坡分布比例较小。人口增加与橡胶园和茶园等经济种植园的不断扩展是导致西双版纳土地利用/覆盖变化的直接因素。要实现西双版纳的可持续发展, 必须控制经济种植园的盲目扩张, 科学合理垦殖, 保护热带森林。     

Future land use effects on the connectivity of protected area networks in southeastern Spain

Land-use change is a major driver of the global biodiversity crisis, mainly via the fragmentation and loss of natural habitat. Although land-use changes will accelerate to meet humankind's growing demand for agricultural products, conservation planning rarely considers future land uses and how they may affect the connectivity of ecological networks. Here, we integrate land-use models with landscape fragmentation and connectivity analyses, to assess the effects of past and future land-use changes on the connectivity of protected area networks for a highly dynamic region in southeast Spain. Our results show a continued geographical polarisation of land use, with agricultural intensification and urban development in the coastal areas, and the abandonment of traditional land use in the mountains (e.g., 1100 km² of natural vegetation are projected to be lost in coastal areas whereas 32 km² of natural vegetation would recover in interior areas from 1991 to 2015). As a result, coastal protected areas will experience increasing isolation. The connectivity analyses reveal that the two protected area networks in place in the study area, the European “Natura 2000” and the Andalusian “RENPA” networks, include many landscape connectors. However, we identify two areas that currently lack protection but contain several important patches for maintaining the region's habitat connectivity: the northwestern and the southwestern slopes of the Sierra Cabrera and Bédar protected area. Our results highlight the importance of considering future land-use trajectories in conservation planning to maintain connectivity at the regional scale, and to improve the resilience of conservation networks.     

东帕米尔高原盘羊分布与栖息地植被覆盖时空变化

2010年8月—2013年10月调查了东帕米尔高原马可·波罗盘羊(Ovis ammon polii)的分布,首次分析了2000—2010年盘羊栖息地植被覆盖时空变化。走访当地野生动物保护部门和牧民确定大概研究区域的基础上,采用经典样线法调查盘羊分布区域和分布特征,利用遥感影像技术估算2000—2010年盘羊分布区域的植被覆盖度变化。结果显示,马可·波罗盘羊主要分布在东帕米尔高原的塔什库尔干野生动物自然保护区、布伦口、木吉、吉根、哈拉峻和哈拉布拉克等地海拔在3200—520m米河谷或沟谷,分布区面积为4.70万km2。栖息地植被退化严重,在2000—2010年间适宜盘羊栖息地植被覆盖区面积由10382.63 km2下降到4444.55 km2,平均每年593.81 km2植被面积丧失。结果发现马可·波罗盘羊实体1611只,分布密度为0.99只/km2;据栖息地适宜植被覆盖面积估算,盘羊数量在3000—3500只之间,其中塔什库尔干野生动物自然保护区分布密度最大,为2.01只/km2,其他区域分布密度相对较低。全球气候变化、人为干扰、超载过牧、围栏放牧和矿业开采等因素导致马可·波罗盘羊生境遭到严重破坏,建议一方面建立红色生态区和生态补偿机制实施就地保护策略;另一方面启动实施迁地和离体保护措施,拓宽保护策略,提高保护效果。     

Analysis of deforestation patterns in the Baekdudaegan preservation area using land cover classification and change detection techniques; the feasibility of restoration

The Baekdudaegan Mountain Range is a backbone of the Korean Peninsula which has special spiritual and sentimental significance for Koreans and significant ecological value to diverse organisms. Despite the importance of this region, however, the natural environment of Baekdudaegan has been severely threatened by a variety of human activity and tremendous forest fires. To make management and restoration plans for the deforested areas, it is necessary to investigate quantitatively such natural and human-induced physical changes. This study has thus attempted to quantitatively analyze land-use purposes and deforestation patterns in the Baekdudaegan preservation area by taking advantage of on-screen land cover classification and normalized difference vegetation index image-differencing techniques. The study has also attempted to review the feasibility of forest restoration by analyzing the most representative deforestation patterns in the Baekdudaegan preservation area. The land-cover classification results indicated that forests in the Baekdudaegan preservation area occupy an area of 4,794 km², approximately 90% of the total area, and nonforest is approximately 523 km². Agricultural land is the largest portion of nonforest area and occupies an area of 428 km² (82% of the nonforest area); urbanized built-up land accounts for 10% of nonforest areas (50 km²). According to results from change-detection analysis between 1987 and 2000, deforestation occurred in an area of over 240 ha and the dominant causes of deforestation were revealed as expansion of barren land (43% of the deforested area), conversion for agricultural use (34%), expansion of pasture (10%), and urban sprawl (8%). The most devastating deforestation in the Baekdudaegan area was found in agricultural field where the altitude is more than 600 m with a gentle slope of 10–20°. To restore this highland agricultural field, which has expanded along the ridgeline back to healthy forest, it seems the slope faces can be restored without slope stabilization, because the soil is rich and the slope is less than 20°; a landscape ecological approach is, however, suggested to maintain the connectivity of fragmented forest patches.     

Effects of Forest Regrowth and Urbanization on Ecosystem Carbon Storage in a Rural–Urban Gradient in the Southeastern United States

Forest regrowth after cropland abandonment and urban sprawl are two counteracting processes that have influenced carbon (C) sequestration in the southeastern United States in recent decades. In this study, we examined patterns of land-use/land-cover change and their effect on ecosystem C storage in three west Georgia counties (Muscogee, Harris, and Meriwether) that form a rural–urban gradient. Using time series Landsat imagery data including MSS for 1974, TM for 1983 and 1991, and ETM for 2002, we estimate that from 1974 to 2002, urban land use in the area has increased more than 380% (that is, 184 km²). Most newly urbanized land (63%) has been converted from forestland. Conversely, cropland and pasture area has decreased by over 59% (that is, 380 km²). Most of the cropland area was converted to forest. As a result, the net change in forest area was small over the past 29 years. Based on Landsat imagery and agricultural census records, we reconstructed an annual gridded data set of land-cover change for the three counties for the period 1850 to 2002. These data sets were then used as input to the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM) to simulate land-use effects on C fluxes and storage for the study area. Simulated results suggest that C uptake by forest regrowth (approximately 23.0 g C m⁻² y⁻¹) was slightly greater than the amount of C released due to deforestation (approximately 18.4 g C m⁻² y⁻¹), thus making the three counties a weak C sink. However, the relative importance of different deforestation processes in this area changed significantly through time. Although agricultural deforestation was generally the most important C-release process, the amount of C release attributable to urbanization has increased over time. Since 1990, urbanization has accounted for 29% of total C loss from the study area. We conclude that balancing urban development and forest protection is critically important for C management and policy making in the southeastern United States.     

Factors and Processes Shaping Land Cover and Land Cover Changes Along the Wisconsin River

Land use can exert a powerful influence on ecological systems, yet our understanding of the natural and social factors that influence land use and land-cover change is incomplete. We studied land-cover change in an area of about 8800 km² along the lower part of the Wisconsin River, a landscape largely dominated by agriculture. Our goals were (a) to quantify changes in land cover between 1938 and 1992, (b) to evaluate the influence of abiotic and socioeconomic variables on land cover in 1938 and 1992, and (c) to characterize the major processes of land-cover change between these two points in time. The results showed a general shift from agricultural land to forest. Cropland declined from covering 44% to 32% of the study area, while forests and grassland both increased (from 32% to 38% and from 10% to 14% respectively). Multiple linear regressions using three abiotic and two socioeconomic variables captured 6% to 36% of the variation in land-cover categories in 1938 and 9% to 46% of the variation in 1992. Including socioeconomic variables always increased model performance. Agricultural abandonment and a general decline in farming intensity were the most important processes of land-cover change among the processes considered. Areas characterized by the different processes of land-cover change differed in the abiotic and socioeconomic variables that had explanatory power and can be distinguished spatially. Understanding the dynamics of landscapes dominated by human impacts requires methods to incorporate socioeconomic variables and anthropogenic processes in the analyses. Our method of hypothesizing and testing major anthropogenic processes may be a useful tool for studying the dynamics of cultural landscapes. Received 7 December 2000; accepted 2 October 2001.     

The Circumpolar Arctic vegetation map

Abstract. Question: What are the major vegetation units in the Arctic, what is their composition, and how are they distributed among major bioclimate subzones and countries? Location: The Arctic tundra region, north of the tree line. Methods: A photo‐interpretive approach was used to delineate the vegetation onto an Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) base image. Mapping experts within nine Arctic regions prepared draft maps using geographic information technology (ArcInfo) of their portion of the Arctic, and these were later synthesized to make the final map. Area analysis of the map was done according to bioclimate subzones, and country. The integrated mapping procedures resulted in other maps of vegetation, topography, soils, landscapes, lake cover, substrate pH, and above‐ground biomass. Results: The final map was published at 1:7 500 000 scale map. Within the Arctic (total area = 7.11 × 106 km²), about 5.05 × 10⁶ km² is vegetated. The remainder is ice covered. The map legend generally portrays the zonal vegetation within each map polygon. About 26% of the vegetated area is erect shrublands, 18% peaty graminoid tundras, 13% mountain complexes, 12% barrens, 11% mineral graminoid tundras, 11% prostrate‐shrub tundras, and 7% wetlands. Canada has by far the most terrain in the High Arctic mostly associated with abundant barren types and prostrate dwarf‐shrub tundra, whereas Russia has the largest area in the Low Arctic, predominantly low‐shrub tundra. Conclusions: The CAVM is the first vegetation map of an entire global biome at a comparable resolution. The consistent treatment of the vegetation across the circumpolar Arctic, abundant ancillary material, and digital database should promote the application to numerous land‐use, and climate‐change applications and will make updating the map relatively easy.     

Habitat modelling of juvenile Hilsa Tenualosa ilisha (Clupeiformes) in the coastal ecosystem of the northern Bay of Bengal,Bangladesh

Hilsa shad Tenualosa ilisha comprises the largest and most valuable single fishery of Bangladesh. This study was conducted to identify suitable habitats for Hilsa juvenile in the northern Bay of Bengal along the coast of Bangladesh using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) based Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) of water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, turbidity, current, depth and rainfall. Landsat imagery and 8 thematic layers were analyzed with ENVI and GIS capabilities, and developed as a series of GIS models to identify and prioritize the appropriate habitats for Hilsa juvenile. The study covered 29.484 km² water body and revealed that 56% (16.388 km²) is the most suitable, 21% (6.054 km²) is moderately suitable and 24% (7.042 km²) is not suitable which was consistent with field verification. The assemblage of marinebrackish-freshwater ecosystems with favourable ecological parameters and rainfall patterns are very much important for supporting juvenile Hilsa in the study area. The results are useful for habitat-specific sanctuary development as the efficient conservation may lead to higher production of adult Hilsa and increase the economic benefit to the fishers.     

长江流域生态系统格局演变及驱动力

长江流域生态系统格局复杂,多种社会经济、政策和自然因素对土地利用变化的影响使得生态环境发生变化。分析了2000年至2015年长江流域生态系统格局和演变特征,及主要驱动力对生态系统变化的贡献。15年间,共有约6.4万km~2的生态系统类型发生变化,城镇增长67.5%,农田缩减7.5%,森林增加2.1%,剧烈的生态系统变化集中于下游,以及中上游的大城市,城镇聚集区以及退耕还林区。生态系统景观破碎化程度和景观多样性提高。上、中、下游生态系统格局、构成差异较大,15年间,上游和下游森林显著增加,下游城镇显著扩张、农田和湿地显著缩减,上游湿地增加最为显著。城镇化是生态系统格局演变的首要驱动力,对生态系统变化的贡献率达48.0%,长江下游城镇化的贡献率高达64.5%。生态保护与恢复工程是第二驱动力,对生态系统变化的贡献率为32.8%,在上游高达47.8%。水资源开发和农业开发贡献率分别为8.5%和9.9%,此外,气候变化促使高原湖泊面积增大。为保护长江流域生态系统的可持续发展,需划定生态保护红线,合理规划城市化进程中的土地利用,保护优质耕地,禁止重要湿地的开发。     

基于受益人口的洞庭湖流域生态系统土壤保持服务重要性格局

生态系统服务概念明确指出,生态系统条件和过程只有对受益者产生效用才能成为服务。近年来,生态系统服务研究强调了生态系统及其受益者之间空间连接的重要性,但现有研究大都侧重生态系统服务的供给,对受益者考虑不足。研究以洞庭湖流域为例,运用通用土壤流失方程(USLE)和流域水文路径分析,提出了基于受益人口的生态系统土壤保持服务评价方法。结果表明：(1)从生态系统角度,洞庭湖流域生态系统土壤保持重要区域面积2.80万km²,主要分布于土壤保持强度较高的沅江流域(38.14%)和湘江流域(39.73%),从受益者角度,土壤保持重要区域面积1.57万km²,主要集中于受益人口较多的湘江流域(92.95%);(2)与基于生态系统角度的结果相比,考虑受益人口后有1.71万km²土壤保持重要区域因受益人口较少(12362人),土壤保持重要性降低,主要包括沅江流域的武陵山、雪峰山等地,另有0.48万km²地区因受益人口较多(53628人),被新增识别为土壤保持重要区域,主要包括湘江流域的南岭、罗霄山脉等地;(3)综合生态系...     

Status and conservation of Hinde's Babbler Turdoides hindei,a threatened species in an agricultural landscape

Njoroge, P. & Bennun, L. A. 2000. Status and conservation of Hinde's Babbler Turdoides hindei, a threatened species in an agricultural landscape. Ostrich 71 (1 & 2): 69–72.

Hinde's Babbler is a restricted-range species endemic to Central Kenya. In recent years it appears to have suffered a marked reduction of population within its range. Using active searching and playback of vocalisations, we assessed the species' status in three study areas (Kianyaga, Mukurweini and Machakos) between July 1993 and May 1994. Distribution of the babbler was closely linked to river valleys and swamps, and to the presence of dense thicket vegetation. In Kianyaga and Mukurweini, clearance for intensive cultivation has removed most natural vegetation. Here the babblers rely on small (ranging from 5 m² to 0.81 ha) patches of the exotic weed Lantana camara for shelter and nest sites. In Machakos (a lower altitude site with less rainfall) the birds occurred in riverine thicket that has not yet been cleared. Densities in Machakos were substantially lower (0.81 individuals per km²) than in Kianyaga and Mukurweini (3.8 and 3.0 individuals per km² respectively). A questionnaire survey of local people in Kianyaga showed that killing of birds for food and clearing of Lantana patches are serious threats to this species. Hinde's Babbler occurs in only one small protected area; its conservation within a severely modified agricultural landscape is a substantial challenge that calls for innovative approaches.     

Development of a spatially explicit approach for mapping ecosystem services in the Brazilian Savanna – MapES

The objective of the presented study is the development of a spatially explicit approach for mapping ecosystem services (MapES) by using specific knowledge about the Cerrado biome (Brazilian Savanna). This biome covers an area of about 2 million km², i.e. nearly 24% of the total area of Brazil, and has come under substantial pressure during the last 50 years caused by strong land-use/land-cover change, mostly due to agricultural expansion and urbanization. Because of its fast transformation rate, there is an enormous demand for knowledge, and its application, about the effects of land-use/land-cover on the capacity of providing or maintaining ecosystem services. The MapES approach was developed using a vast existing knowledge base. After analyzing and structuring this knowledge the relationships between land-use/land-cover and the potential to provide or maintain eight ecosystem services (Erosion Control, Runoff Control, Water Supply, Water Quality Maintenance, Soil Quality Maintenance, Biodiversity Maintenance, Food Production and Energy Production) were parametrized. In addition, the approach was developed as spatially explicit by including landscape properties (soil, slope and distance to river network) in the cell based system. A reference map of potential natural vegetation and a land use map for 2013 for a meso-scale experimental catchment (32.7 km²) were produced. The catchment was used as an example to apply the approach, i.e. assessing and visualizing changes from before human interference to the current land use situation. Finally, a procedure for assessing the potential impacts of land-use/land-cover on ecosystem services considering the methodological limitations of the respective monitoring. The presented approach is easy to understand, to modify and to adapt to other situations and might be therefore used in other context of decision support. It might also help to fill the gap between land use planning and numeric modeling using very complex tools.     

Evaluation of ecosystem health for the coastal wetlands at the Yangtze Estuary, Shanghai

Despite the growing awareness of the important ecological functions and values provided by coastal and estuarine wetlands, wetland degradation continues worldwide due to increasing anthropogenic disturbances. Chongming Dongtan wetlands, adjacent to Shanghai, the largest city and industrial and trading port in China in rapid urban expansion and socioeconomic development are currently threatened with biodiversity reduction, wetland loss, contamination, and invasion of exotic plant. Sustainable protection and management of Dongtan Nature Reserve necessitate research to develop diagnostic tools and indicators for a comprehensive and objective assessment of wetland ecosystem health condition. Based on the pressure-state-response framework and ecological and environmental surveys at the Dongtan wetlands, an indicator system was established for evaluating the coastal wetlands ecosystem health, using indicators detected from satellite imagery and current field surveys. Through the establishment of health assessment units and spatial quantification of the indicators, the spatial clustering analysis, integrated with remote sensing and geographic information system technique was applied to make an accurate diagnosis of ecosystem health for Chongming Dongtan wetlands and highlight the areas in subhealthy and unhealthy condition and urgent need of conservation and management. The results from this research indicated that the ecosystem health condition at the Dongtan wetlands showed spatial variation, to a certain extent, corresponding to the distributions of elevation and land cover types. More than 75 % of the total study area was at a relatively healthy level, with 34.19 km² for the very healthy zone and 41.08 km² for the healthy zone, while the subhealthy and unhealthy zones covered 18.23 and 4.76 km², respectively. This study demonstrated the potential for this integrated approach to give objective and effective evaluation of ecosystem health for the dynamic coastal and estuarine wetlands and provide up-to-date information to assist with early warning for ecological security and management decisions for Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve.     

基于功能分类的城市湿地公园景观格局--以西溪湿地公园为例

以西溪国家湿地公园为研究案例,从景观功能分类入手,揭示城市湿地公园景观格局与功能特征。结果表明:(1)西溪湿地公园是以生态保护为主,兼顾合理利用为基本功能特征,其生态保护功能区面积占整个公园的53.7%,旅游休闲区面积占46.3%;(2)西溪湿地公园生态保护功能斑块在整个公园中所占面积为42.08%,且面积大、形状复杂、多样性较低;旅游休闲斑块面积占25.41%,并且表现为斑块面积小、形状规则、多样性高等特点;(3)西溪湿地公园生态保护廊道面积是旅游休闲廊道面积的一半左右,其网络结构比旅游休闲廊道复杂,有利于生态保护功能的发挥;(4)生态保护廊道缓冲区内主要由生态保护斑块组成,旅游休闲廊道的缓冲区内生态功能斑块和旅游休闲斑块所占面积相差不大。基于功能分类的景观格局研究方法有利于识别景观功能的空间特征,能够有效揭示景观生态保护与利用的空间关系。     

Big Cats in the Big City: Spatial Ecology of Mountain Lions in Greater Los Angeles

Large carnivores can represent the ultimate challenge for conservation in developed landscapes because of their large area requirements and potential for conflict with humans. Some large carnivores such as mountain lions (Puma concolor) can use a wide range of biomes and vegetation types, and in southern California, USA, they persist in metropolitan Los Angeles, a megacity of 18 million people. Understanding how large carnivores use highly altered landscapes is important for their conservation and management. We estimated home range size, landscape use, and landscape selection for mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding areas for 29 subadult and adult animals from 2002 to 2016, using 128,133 locations from global positioning system (GPS)-collars. Home range size was similar to that reported by other researchers; home ranges averaged 372 km² for adult males and 134 km² for adult females, except for 2 adult males in isolated habitat fragments that maintained 2 of the smallest adult male home ranges ever recorded (24 km² and 54 km²). Mountain lions very rarely entered developed areas, consistently avoided altered open areas such as golf courses, cemeteries, or other landscaped spaces, and showed a positive relationship between home range size and amount of development, all indicating that developed areas have reduced value for mountain lions. Mountain lions from all sex and age classes selected areas closer to development than expected by chance, which could be related to the presence of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) or other prey in or adjacent to urbanization. For 2 adult males that occupied home ranges within the most urban portions of our study area, their response to urban development differed strongly across diurnal periods, ranging from avoidance during the day to selection at night. Shrub vegetation types, especially chaparral, were important in terms of habitat use and resource selection, highlighting their importance for conservation of the species in southern California. North America's largest felid can thrive in shrublands and persist even in one of the world's largest cities, although they only very rarely venture into developed areas within that city. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

Demand for rubber is causing the loss of high diversity rain forest in SW China

As the economies of developing countries grow, and the purchasing power of their inhabitants increases, the pressure on the environment and natural resources will continue to increase. In the specific case of China, impressive economic growth during the last decades exemplifies this process. Specifically, we focus on how changing economic dynamics are influencing land-use and land-cover change in Xishuangbanna, China. Xishuangbanna has the richest flora and fauna of China, but increasing demand for natural rubber and the expansion of rubber plantations is threatening this high-diversity region. We quantified land-use/land-cover change across Xishuangbanna using Landsat images from 1976, 1988, and 2003. The most obvious change was the decrease in forest cover and an increase in rubber plantations. In 1976, forests covered approximately 70% of Xishuangbanna, but by 2003 they covered less than 50%. Tropical seasonal rain forest was the forest type most affect by the expansion of rubber plantations, and a total of 139,576 ha was lost. The increase of rubber plantations below 800 m, shifted agricultural activities to higher elevations, which resulted in deforestation of mountain rain forest and subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest. Although these changes have affected the biodiversity and ecosystem services, we believe that long-term planning and monitoring can achieve a balance between economic and social needs of a growing population and the conservation of a highly diverse flora and fauna. Below 800 m , we recommend that no more rubber plantations be established, existing forest fragments should be protected, and riparian forests should be restored to connect fragments. Future rubber plantations should be established in the abandoned arable or shrublands at higher elevations, and tea or other crops should be planted in the understory to improve economic returns and reduce erosion.     

Forest degradation assessment in the upper catchment of the river Tons using remote sensing and GIS

The present study investigates the status of forest degradation in the upper catchment of the river Tons in the Uttarakhand state of India, including Govind Wildlife Sanctuary and the National Park by the same name using remote sensing and the geographic information system (GIS). The study revealed that more than 50% of the study area is covered with snow and the alpine grasslands while 8.1% area is under agriculture. Degraded forest covers maximum area (53 km²), followed by moderately (30.4 km²) and severely degraded (26.8 km²) forests. The lower and middle slopes showed higher degradation than upper slopes due to multiple uses for agriculture, horticulture, agroforestry and grazing by the local people. Over time, the degradation and deforestation, without adequate protection, have led to severe soil erosion, biodiversity and the habitat depletion for a large number of rare and endemic species including loss of livelihood to the local people.     

Environmental causes and consequences of forest clearance and agricultural abandonment in central New York, USA

Aim Climate, topography and soils drive many patterns of plant distribution and abundance across landscapes, but current plant communities may also reflect a legacy of past disturbance such as agricultural land use. To assess the relative influences of environmental conditions and disturbance history on vegetation, it is important to understand how these forces interact. This study relates the geographical distribution of land uses to variation in topography and soils; evaluates the consequences of land‐use decisions for current forests; and examines the effects of agricultural land use on the chemical properties of forest soils. Location Tompkins County occupies 1250 km² in central New York's Finger Lakes region. Like much of eastern North America, this area underwent forest clearance for agriculture during the 1800s and widespread field abandonment and forest recovery during the 1900s. The current landscape consists of a patchwork of forests that were never cleared, forests that developed on old fields and active agricultural lands. Methods We investigated relationships among topography, soils and land‐use decisions by gathering information about land‐use history, slope, aspect, elevation, soil lime content, soil drainage and accessibility in a geographic information system (GIS). To assess the effects of agriculture on forest soil chemistry, we measured pH, organic matter content and extractable nutrient concentrations in field‐collected soil samples from 47 post‐agricultural and uncleared forests. Results Steeper slopes, less accessible lands and lower‐lime soils tended to remain forested, and farmers were more likely to abandon fields that were steeper, farther from roads, lower in lime and more poorly drained. Slope had by far the greatest impact on patterns of clearance and abandonment, and accessibility had a surprisingly strong influence on the distribution of land uses. The effects of other factors varied more, depending for example on location within the county. Current forest types differed accordingly in topography and soil attributes, particularly slope, but they also showed much overlap. Post‐agricultural and uncleared forest soils had similar chemical properties. Forests on lands abandoned from agriculture 80–100 years before had slightly higher pH and nutrient concentrations than adjacent, uncleared forests, but these changes were small compared to environmental variation across the county. Main conclusions Despite differential use of lands according to their topography and soils, the substantial influence of accessibility and the relatively small scale of land‐use decisions allowed for broad similarity among forest types. Thus, the topography and soil differences created by land‐use decisions probably contribute little to landscape‐level patterns of diversity. Subtle changes in forest soil chemistry left from past agriculture may nevertheless affect plant distribution and abundance at finer scales.     

Identifying the habitat suitability and built-in corridors for Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) movement in the northern highlands of Pakistan

Identifying habitat suitability and potential corridors are important tools for biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change. We modeled habitat suitability and simulated possible corridors for movement and gene flow among the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) population in the Northern Highlands of Pakistan (NHP). Results indicated that the areas of 13,923 km² and 21,931 km² suitable for the Asiatic black bear under current and future scenarios respectively. Under the future scenario, we found an area of 12,657 km² (57.21%) as increase in suitable habitat (ISH_f) and 4649 km² (33.39%) area as a decrease in current suitable habitat (DSH_c). Our model predicted that about >65% (9274 km²) of the current suitable habitat as a climate refugia which is projected from the center to southeast east and northwest of the NHP primarily in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK). The attitudinal range of refugia was projected from 688 m to 4483 m with >56% at the elevations between 2001 m to 3000 m. A very small portion of suitable habitats (current suitable habitat = 2.75%, future suitable habitat = 5.11%) were projected under the protected areas. Maps connecting suitable habitats identified different regions delineated as important for the dispersal of Asiatic black bears, which mainly distributed in the PAK and KPK. Our results help informs conservation strategies and management plans for mitigating the impacts of climate change on Asiatic black bears in the NHP.     

气候变化背景下秦岭地区羚牛生境脆弱性评估及适应性保护对策

脆弱性是指物种受气候变化影响的程度,开展脆弱性评估工作有助于人类认识气候变化对野生动物的影响,为制定野生动物适应气候变化的保护对策提供科学依据。采用最大熵模型评估气候变化背景下秦岭地区羚牛(Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi)生境脆弱性。结果表明：(1)当前秦岭地区羚牛适宜生境总面积为6473 km²,到2050s年,预测秦岭地区羚牛适宜生境总面积为4217 km²,减少34.85%,羚牛适宜生境将向更高海拔地区转移,转移约210 m;(2)已建保护区覆盖49.82%当前羚牛适宜生境,尚有3248 km²的适宜生境处于保护区之外;到2050s年,保护区覆盖了43.87%适宜生境,尚有2367 km²的适宜生境未被保护;(3)到2050s年,当前分布在太白县、佛坪县、洋县和宁陕县等地区的3490 km²羚牛适宜生境将会成为生境脆弱区域,丧失53.92%;(4)分布在秦岭核心区域的2983 km²当前和2050s年保持不变适宜生境,将成为羚...