Implications of global climatic change and energy cost and availability for the restoration of the Mississippi delta

Over the past several thousand years, inputs from the Mississippi River formed the Mississippi delta, an area of about 25,000 km². Over the past century, however, there has been a high loss of coastal wetlands of about 4800 km². The main causes of this loss are the near complete isolation of the river from the delta, mostly due to the construction of flood control levees, and pervasive hydrological disruption of the deltaic plain. There is presently a large-scale State-Federal program to restore the delta that includes construction of water control structures in the flood control levees to divert river water into deteriorating wetlands and pumping of dredged sediment, often for long distances, for marsh creation. Global climate change and decreasing availability and increasing cost of energy are likely to have important implications for delta restoration. Coastal restoration efforts will have to be more intensive to offset the impacts of climate change including accelerated sea level rise and changes in precipitation patterns. Future coastal restoration efforts should also focus on less energy-intensive, ecologically engineered management techniques that use the energies of nature as much as possible. Diversions may be as important for controlling salinity as for providing sediments and nutrients for restoring coastal wetlands. Energy-intensive pumping-dredged sediments for coastal restoration will likely become much more expensive in the future.     

Using ecotechnology to address water quality and wetland habitat loss problems in the Mississippi basin: a hierarchical approach

Human activities are affecting the environment at continental and global scales. An example of this is the Mississippi basin where there has been a large scale loss of wetlands and water quality deterioration over the past century. Wetland and riparian ecosystems have been isolated from rivers and streams. Wetland loss is due both to drainage and reclamation, mainly for agriculture, and to isolation from the river by levees, as in the Mississippi delta. There has been a decline in water quality due to increasing use of fertilizers, enhanced drainage and the loss of wetlands for cleaning water. Water quality has deteriorated throughout the basin and high nitrogen in the Mississippi river is causing a large area of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico adjacent to the Mississippi delta. Since the causes of these problems are distributed over the basin, the solution also needs to be distributed over the basin. Ecotechnology and ecological engineering offer the only ecologically sound and cost-effective method of solving these problems. Wetlands to promote nitrogen removal, mainly through denitrification but also through burial and plant uptake, offer a sound ecotechnological solution. At the level of the Mississippi basin, changes in farming practices and use of wetlands for nitrogen assimilation can reduce nitrogen levels in the River. There are additional benefits of restoration of wetland and riverine ecosystems, flood control, reduction in public health threats, and enhanced wildlife and fisheries. At the local drainage basin level, the use of river diversions in the Mississippi delta can address both problems of coastal land loss and water quality deterioration. Nitrate levels in diverted river water are rapidly reduced as water flows through coastal watersheds. At the local level, wetlands are being used to treat municipal wastewater. This is a cost-effective method, which results in improved water quality, enhanced wetland productivity and increased accretion. The problems in the Mississippi basin serves as an example for other watersheds in the Gulf of Mexico. This is especially important in Mexico, where there is a strong need for economical solutions to ecological problems. The Usumacinta delta-Laguna de Terminos regional ecosystem is an example where ecotechnological approaches offer realistic solutions to environmental problems.     

张掖黑河湿地自然保护区生态服务功能价值评估

张掖黑河湿地国家级自然保护区地处内陆干旱区,是西北典型的内陆河流湿地生态系统,具有多种重要的生态服务功能。通过野外调查和实验室分析,借助市场价值法、碳税法、影子工程法、生态价值法、旅行费用法等生态服务功能评估方法,对研究区湿地的各项生态功能进行了价值估算。结果表明,黑河湿地自然保护区生态服务功能总价值约为32.89×108元,其中各生态服务功能的价值量依次为:调蓄洪水功能湿地固碳释氧功能旅游休闲功能提供水源功能气候调节功能物质生产功能生物栖息地功能科研教育价值功能降解污染物功能。直观的货币价值突显了保护区湿地对区域经济发展的重要性,同时也为我国湿地生态系统的保护和管理提供科学的理论依据。     

Organic Nitrogen Retention in the Atchafalaya River Swamp

Freshwater diversions from the lower Mississippi River into the region’s wetlands have been considered an alternative means for reducing nitrogen loading. The Atchafalaya River Swamp, the largest freshwater swamp in North America, carries the entire discharge of the Red River and 30% of the discharge of the Mississippi River, but it is largely unknown how much nitrogen actually can be retained from the overflowing waters of the Mississippi–Atchafalaya River system. Nitrogen discharge from the upper Mississippi River Basin has been implicated as the major cause for the hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, which threatens not only the aquatic ecosystem health, but also Louisiana’s fishery industry, among other problems. This study was conducted to determine the change in organic nitrogen mass as water flows through the Atchafalaya River Swamp and into the Gulf of Mexico. By utilizing the river’s long-term discharge and water quality data (1978–2002), monthly and annual organic nitrogen fluxes were quantified, and their relationships with the basin’s hydrologic conditions were investigated. A total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) mass input–output balance between the upstream (Simmesport) and downstream (Morgan City and Wax Lake Outlet) locations was established to examine the organic nitrogen removal potential for this large swamp. The results showed that on average, TKN input into the Atchafalaya was 200 323 tons year⁻¹ and TKN output leaving the basin was 145 917 tons year⁻¹, resulting in a 27% removal rate of organic nitrogen. Monthly TKN input and output in the basin were highest from March to June (input vs. output: 25 000 vs. 18 000 tons month⁻¹) and lowest from August to November (8000 vs. 6000 tons month⁻¹). There was a large variation in both annual and inter-annual organic nitrogen removals. The variability was positively correlated with the amount of inflow water at Simmesport, suggesting that regulating the river’s inflow at the Old River flood control structures may help reduce nitrogen loading of the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, the in-stream loss of organic nitrogen indicates that previous studies may have overestimated nitrogen discharge from the Mississippi–Atchafalaya River system.     

Restoration of wetlands in the Mississippi–Ohio–Missouri (MOM) River Basin: Experience and needed research

An ecological and hydrologic restoration of the Mississippi–Ohio–Missouri (MOM) Basin in the United States is proposed as the solution to the reccurring hypoxic conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Nitrate–nitrogen is the cause of this eutrophication in the Gulf and its source is mainly due to increased fertilizer use in the American Midwest. In that same Midwest, the land has also been artificially drained and 80–90% of the original wetlands have been lost. Our proposed restoration involves the strategic creation and restoration of 2.2 million ha of wetlands in the MOM basin where in-field wetlands intercept agricultural runoff and diversion wetlands are overflowed by flooding river water. Case studies that total 50 wetland-years of data from Illinois, Ohio, and Louisiana are summarized as the basis for the restoration area estimate. Benefits of this restoration, in addition to solving the Gulf hypoxia, include water quality improvement, reduction of public health threats, habitat creation, and flood mitigation that will accrue to the locations in the MOM basin where the restoration occurs. Before the restoration commences, there is a need for formal and rigorous large-scale research in the basin to reduce uncertainties.     

Persistence of Water within Perched Basins of the Peace-Athabasca Delta, Northern Canada

The Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD) is one of the world’s largest freshwater deltas. Many of its shallow (<1.5 m) lakes and wetlands are perched above surrounding waterways. The delta has experienced a number of wetting and drying intervals. The latest drying trend ended in 1996 when high waters, generated under ice-jam and open-water conditions, recharged a number of the perched basins. The objective of this study was to determine the relative importance of hydroclimatic components on the persistence of water. A water-balance model was developed to simulate water-level responses following a flood event. Basin response was tested against a range of historical hydroclimatic conditions that have occurred in the delta during the 20th century. Ponded water duration in a 0.8 m deep perched basin was 5 years for the cool-dry period of the 1920s, slightly longer for the post-1974 flood era, and up to 9 years for the wet conditions of the 1940s and 1950s. Water drawdown occurred in almost every year and was almost exclusively due to evaporation exceeding precipitation. Net groundwater flux was minimal. Given the overlying importance of the floodwater component in the water balance of perched basins, the next step is to investigate the causes, spatial sources and frequency of flooding. This water balance model presented in this paper offers a useful tool for the management of the duration of water in perched wetlands of the PAD, which can help preserve essential habitat for wildlife.     

黄河流域水源涵养服务功能动态演变及驱动因素

黄河流域是中国重要的生态屏障,研究其水源涵养服务功能对推动黄河流域生态保护与高质量发展具有重大意义。采用InVEST模型量化黄河流域1980-2020年水源涵养服务功能,使用空间自相关分析黄河流域水源涵养服务功能空间分布模式,并运用地理探测器分析黄河流域水源涵养服务功能的驱动因素。结果表明:(1)1980-2020年黄河流域水源涵养量为174.8639亿m³-378.4538亿m³,多年平均水源涵养量265.0475亿m³,其中草地与林地多年平均水源涵养量分别占黄河全流域水源涵养总量的52.94%和24.27%。全流域水源涵养量呈现上下游地区较高,中游地区较低的分布格局。(2)全局莫兰指数为0.875,表明黄河流域水源涵养服务在空间上呈现聚集分布,以低-低聚集与高-高聚集为主。(3)1980-2020年不同地类平均水源涵养能力排序:灌木林>有林地>高覆盖草地>其他林地>中覆盖草地>低覆盖草地>旱地>建设用地>未利用地>水田>水域。(4)降水量是影响黄河流域水源涵养量变化的主要驱动因子,降水量与土地利用间交互作用对黄河流域水源涵养服务功能空间分异解释力显著增强。研究结果可为黄河流域生态系统管理与高质量发展提供重要参考。     

极端暴雨下山地丘陵区小流域洪水淹没强度对景观特征的响应——以河南“7·20”暴雨为例

通过分析郑州7·20暴雨事件中贾峪河山地丘陵区小流域的洪水过程,探究景观特征对洪水淹没强度影响的时空分布规律,并提出增强流域洪水韧性的规划建议,以缓解河南省山区所面临的社会经济发展、生态环境改善等问题。基于高分6号遥感数据、先进陆地观测卫星(ALOS,Advance Land Observing Satellite)相控阵L频段合成孔径雷达(PALSAR)的地表高程数据和小时降雨量数据,利用MIKE 21水动力模型构建贾峪河流域二维水文模型,分析其2021年7月20日0-24时期上、中、下游的洪水淹没深度和面积,并结合双变量空间自相关模型方法,探究洪水淹没强度与各景观组成和地形因素在时间和空间上的相关性的差异以及其空间聚类类型。研究表明:(1)贾峪河流域淹没面积在0-6时快速增长,于18时达到最大9.59km²,此时各区域淹没面积占比从大到小依次为下游18.88%、上游8.25%、中游12.03%,淹没深度在3m以上的面积占36.11%。(2)地形因素(平均Moran''s I=0.159)对洪水强度的影响大于土地类型(平均Moran''s I=0.096),主要影响因子相对高程、地形湿度指数、矿坑面积百分比、水体面积百分比、建设用地面积百分比、耕地面积百分比以及林地和草地面积百分比与洪水淹没强度之间的相关性随时间变化呈增大趋势,均在暴雨中后期18-24时达到最强。(3)交互探测结果表明,多因子叠加会增强各景观特征对洪水淹没强度的影响。上游影响洪水淹没强度的主要驱动力为矿坑和相对高程,中游和下游的主要影响为水体和地形湿度指数。(4)洪水淹没强度24时的平均值与景观特征指数之间的"高-高"和"高-低"地区的面积占比约0.47%-9.85%,主要分布在上游的中部山区和北部河道周围、中游的河道两侧和下游的河道以及常庄水库周边地区。研究结论建议在上游露天矿坑就地改造为蓄水池并恢复植被,中游和下游应提升河岸带绿地质量,增加下游城区绿色基础设施,减轻城市洪水风险。     

River stage response to alteration of Upper Mississippi River channels,floodplains, and watersheds

The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) is a large and diverse river system that changes character along its 1,200 mile network of rivers and canals and 2.6 million acres of floodplain. It supports more than 30 million people in its watershed, a significant commercial waterway, more than a million acres of “floodplain” agriculture and about one-half million acres of river-floodplain managed for fish, wildlife, and recreation. Large-scale geomorphology and climate patterns largely determine the hydrologic characteristics of a nested hierarchy of UMRS river reaches. The human impacts above are also important drivers determining hydrologic characteristics within the hierarchy. Understanding the relationship among physical and chemical processes and ecological responses is critical to implement an adaptive management framework for UMRS ecosystem sustainability. Historic or contemporary data from 42 locations were used to examine changes in UMRS hydrology and to demonstrate the utility of a multiple reference condition analysis for river restoration. A multivariate mathematical framework was used to show how river stage hydrology can be characterized by the variability, predictability, seasonality, and rate of change. Large-scale “geomorphic reaches” have distinct hydrologic characteristics and response to development throughout the UMRS region, but within navigation pool hydrology is similar among all impounded reaches regardless of geomorphic reach. Reaches with hydrologic characteristics similar to historic reference conditions should be examined to determine whether those characteristics support desired management objectives. Water levels can be managed, within limits to support navigation and agriculture, to more closely resemble natural hydrology for the benefit of a variety of species, habitats, and ecological processes.     

Hydrological responses of a valley‐bottom wetland to land‐use/land‐cover change in a South African catchment: making a case for wetland restoration

Valley‐bottom wetlands are valuable assets as they provide many ecosystem services to mankind. Despite their value, valley‐bottom wetlands are often exploited and land‐use/land‐cover (LULC) change results in trade‐offs in ecosystem services. We coupled physically based hydrological modeling and spatial analysis to examine the effects of LULC change on water‐related ecosystem services in the Kromme catchment: an important water‐providing catchment for the city of Port Elizabeth. LULC scenarios were constructed to match 5 different decades in the last 50 years to explore the potential effects of restoring the catchment to different historic benchmarks. In the Kromme catchment, valley‐bottom wetlands have declined by 84%, driven by key LULC changes: an increase in irrigated land (307 ha) and invasion by alien trees (336 ha). If the wetlands were restored to the relatively pristine extent and condition of the 1950s, riverflow could increase by approximately 1.13 million m³/a, about 6% of the current supply to Port Elizabeth. Wetland restoration would also significantly improve the catchment's ability to absorb extreme rainfall events, decreasing flood damage. We conclude that in the face of the water scarcity in this region, all ecosystem services, particularly those related to water flow regulation, should be taken into account by decision makers in charge of land zonation. Zonation decisions should not continue to be made on the basis of provisioning ecosystem services alone (i.e. food provision or dam yield). We recommend prioritization of the preservation and restoration of valley‐bottom wetlands providing water‐related ecosystem services to settlements downstream.     

嫩江流域湿地生态需水量分析与预估

探讨了嫩江流域湿地生态需水量的计算方法,并对流域内不同降水频率下湿地生态需水量进行了计算。在此基础上,选择CMIP全球气候模式下RCP2.6、RCP4.5和RCP8.5等3种排放情景,预测2030年、2050年和2100年嫩江流域湿地生态需水量的变化趋势。研究结果表明:不同降水频率下的流域湿地生态需水量分别为丰水年70.284亿m3,平水年118.696亿m3,枯水年169.343亿m3,反映了其与气候条件的相关性。3种排放情景下湿地生态需水量变化受到最高、最低气温和降水量变化的共同影响,其中RCP2.6情景下需水量呈先增加后减少的趋势;RCP4.5和RCP8.5情景下需水量整体呈增加趋势,到2100年分别达到147.337亿m3和132.659亿m3。气候变化条件下,如何协调水资源需求间的矛盾,维持湿地生态系统健康稳定,将是未来研究关注的重点。     

The effects of the flood cycle on the diversity and composition of the phytoplankton community of a seasonally flooded Ramsar wetland in Bangladesh

Freshwater wetlands in Bangladesh are strongly influenced by the monsoons and the annual flood cycle has measurable impacts on the abiotic and biotic components of these ecosystems. The northeastern Haor Basin of Bangladesh is particularly rich in seasonally flooded freshwater wetlands that support a wide diversity of flora and fauna. These wetlands are of great importance to the local economy due to the abundance of rich floodplain fisheries. Little is known about the phytoplankton communities of these wetlands that are known to be linked with zooplankton and fish productivity. We investigated the seasonal variation in the diversity and abundance of phytoplankton assemblages in Tanguar Haor, a Ramsar wetland in northeastern Bangladesh during the period of inundation (June–December). A total of 107 genera of phytoplankton representing five classes were recorded. Blooms of Microcystis dominated the phytoplankton community throughout the study period but were particularly acute during the early part of the high water period. Among the Bacillariophyceae, Melosira was the most dominant, reaching bloom proportions early in the high water period. Factor analysis of physicochemical variables separated the flood cycle into four distinct periods: early high water, mid high water, late high water and low water periods. Phase of the flood cycle, nutrient availability, the physicochemical variables combined with the dominance of Microcystis seemed to be important in controlling the abundance, diversity and dynamics of the phytoplankton genera. The abundance of genera of desmids and some Bacillariophyceae is indicative of the relatively unpolluted conditions of Tanguar Haor.     

雄安新区白洋淀生态属性辨析及生态修复保护研究

湿地是自然界生物多样性最丰富的生态系统之一,与社会发展和人类福祉息息相关。近年来,由于全球气候变化和人类活动的过度干扰,湿地正面临着面积萎缩、功能减弱、多样性降低等诸多问题,湿地退化已经成为制约区域可持续性发展的重大阻碍。伴随着生态文明建设逐渐成为中国特色社会主义建设的重要支柱,湿地生态修复工作得到前所未有的制度保障。深入剖析湿地属性,结合政策保障,有针对性的提出湿地保护与修复的治理措施,对区域的生态环境建设和可持续性发展具有重要意义。选择国家级新区-雄安新区的水命脉-白洋淀湿地为研究对象,在深入剖析其生态属性和已存在的生态问题的基础上,结合生态修复的原则、方法和步骤,提出生态修复与保护的可行性策略。研究结果表明,白洋淀本质是典型的湖泊湿地,同时兼具沼泽湿地特征,由于人类活动的剧烈干扰,白洋淀有向沼泽湿地逆向演替的变化趋势。湿地内存在面积萎缩、水资源量短缺、水环境污染问题突出及生物多样性减少等生态问题。本研究建议:为顺利建设雄安新区,首先,白洋淀湿地在算清"水账"、"污账"和"生态账"的前提下,进一步加强流域水资源调配,科学确定白洋淀湿地最佳水位,恢复淀区水量;其次,通过使用清洁生产技术和限制高排污企业建设等措施,加强污染防治,恢复湿地水质;最后,依据生态承载力理论,划分白洋淀流域的生态功能红线、环境质量红线和资源利用红线等国家生态保护红线体系,为尽快恢复湿地结构与功能提供制度保障。     

Ecological impacts of dams,water diversions and river management on floodplain wetlands in Australia

Australian floodplain wetlands are sites of high biodiversity that depend on flows from rivers. Dams, diversions and river management have reduced flooding to these wetlands, altering their ecology, and causing the death or poor health of aquatic biota. Four floodplain wetlands (Barmah‐Millewa Forest and Moira Marshes, Chowilla floodplain, Macquarie Marshes, Gwydir wetlands) illustrate these effects with successional changes in aquatic vegetation, reduced vegetation health, declining numbers of water‐birds and nesting, and declining native fish and invertebrate populations. These effects are likely to be widespread as Australia has at least 446 large dams (>10 m crest height) storing 8.8 × 10⁷ ML (10⁶ L) of water, much of which is diverted upstream of floodplain wetlands. More than 50% of floodplain wetlands on developed rivers may no longer flood. Of all of the river basins in Australia, the Murray‐Darling Basin is most affected with dams which can store 103% of annual runoff and 87% of divertible water extracted (1983–84 data). Some floodplain wetlands are now permanent storages. This has changed their biota from one tolerant of a variable flooding regime, to one that withstands permanent flooding. Plans exist to build dams to divert water from many rivers, mainly for irrigation. These plans seldom adequately model subsequent ecological and hydrological impacts to floodplain wetlands. To avoid further loss of wetlands, an improved understanding of the interaction between river flows and floodplain ecology, and investigations into ecological impacts of management practices, is essential.     

Coastal Exploitation, Land Loss, and Hurricanes: A Recipe for Disaster

Southern Louisiana occupies a dynamic landscape, marked by coastal wetlands interrupted by both natural and human-made levees, and vulnerable to both the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers and major storms coming off the Gulf of Mexico. It is also a region into which, for centuries, exiled and threatened populations have moved and found refuge. Systematic and dramatic changes along the entire reach of the Mississippi River coupled with activities within the region's wetlands such as levee construction, canal dredging, and petroleum extraction have contributed to both pollution and extensive coastal land loss. In this article, I discuss the recent hurricanes in light of the relationship between Louisiana and the rest of the United States and the environmental and community degradation that has occurred along the coast. I focus on petroleum development, the most recent and extensive natural resource to shape southern Louisiana's wealth and economy.     

Beguiling and risky: ‘environmental works and measures’ for wetland conservation under a changing climate

In Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin, small-scale engineering works called ‘environmental works and measures’ have been implemented as a basis for river and other wetland conservation. While implementing these, governments seem to have embraced the beguiling notion that scarce water supplies can be divided further, while conserving the environment and maintaining agricultural production. The difficulties in doing this are expected to increase in the face of extreme climate variability. With this scenario as a backdrop, the $280 million (Monetary values ($) in this paper are in Australian dollars (AUD). At the time of writing AUD $1.00 = ~USD $1.02.) Living Murray and related programmes are assessed to see whether microengineering works to manage the hydrology of wetlands make for effective adaptation to water scarcity and climate change or whether it amounts to an overly narrow adaptation or maladaptation. Some measures were found to be substantially beneficial, such as the construction of fishways. However, under these programmes, only 0.6% of the Basin’s wetlands would be inundated and there are significant risks including desiccation of non-target wetlands and further reductions in water allocations for the environment. It is recommended that trade-offs between alternative strategies are assessed as the basis for minimising perverse impacts under changing climatic and hydrological conditions.     

Building a potential wetland restoration indicator for the contiguous United States

Wetlands provide key functions in the landscape from improving water quality, to regulating flows, to providing wildlife habitat. Over half of the wetlands in the contiguous United States (CONUS) have been converted to agricultural and urban land uses. However, over the last several decades, research has shown the benefits of wetlands to hydrologic, chemical, biological processes, spurring the creation of government programs and private initiatives to restore wetlands. Initiatives tend to focus on individual wetland creation, yet the greatest benefits are achieved when strategic restoration planning occurs across a watershed or multiple watersheds. For watershed-level wetland restoration planning to occur, informative data layers on potential wetland areas are needed. We created an indicator of potential wetland areas (PWA), using nationally available datasets to identify characteristics that could support wetland ecosystems, including: poorly drained soils and low-relief landscape positions as indicated by a derived topographic data layer. We compared our PWA with the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) from 11 states throughout the CONUS to evaluate their alignment. The state-level percentage of NWI-designated wetlands directly overlapping the PWA ranged from 39 to 95%. When we included NWI that was immediately adjacent to the overlapping NWI, our range of correspondence to NWI ranged from 60 to 99%. Wetland restoration is more likely on certain landscapes (e.g., agriculture) than others due to the lack of substantive infrastructure and the potential for the restoration of hydrology; therefore, we combined the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) with the PWA to identify potentially restorable wetlands on agricultural land (PRW-Ag). The PRW-Ag identified a total of over 46 million ha with the potential to support wetlands. The largest concentrations of PRW-Ag occurred in the glaciated corn belt of the upper Mississippi River from Ohio to the Dakotas and in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The PRW-Ag layer could assist land managers in identifying sites that may qualify for enrollment in conservation programs, where planners can coordinate restoration efforts, or where decision makers can target resources to optimize the services provided across a watershed or multiple watersheds.     

流域生态空间与生态保护红线规划方法——以长江流域为例

生态空间是指以提供生态系统服务为主要目标的地域范围,确定生态空间范围是协调保护与发展、保障生态服务持续供给的基础。长江流域是中华民族的摇篮与中国文化发祥地之一,是中国经济发展的重要增长极,以及具有全球意义的生物多样性热点区。以长江流域为对象,探讨面向流域生态空间规划的方法与管理对策。研究中,选择生态系统服务指标(水源涵养、洪水调蓄、水质净化、水土保持和生物多样性维护)和生态敏感性指标(水土流失、石漠化和土地沙化),基于流域水文路径分析和与其关联的生态系统服务的受益人口,提出一种流域尺度的生态空间规划方法。研究结果显示,长江流域生态空间面积为102.25万km^2,占长江流域总面积的57.42%,森林占52.87%,灌丛占19.51%,草地占18.96%,湿地占4.26%,保护了79.47%的水源涵养功能,86.99%的洪水调蓄功能,78.09%的水质净化功能,80.60%的水土保持功能,以及86.49%的自然栖息地。在生态空间规划的基础上,进一步探讨了长江流域生态保护红线的格局,现阶段生态保护红线面积为59.25万km^2,占长江流域总面积的33.27%,其中上游占比59.24%,中游和下游分别占比38.05%和2.71%。本文提出的规划方法与研究结果,不仅可以为长江流域生态空间规划、保障流域生态安全和促进流域经济社会可持续发展提供依据,还可以为其他流域的生态空间的规划提供参考。     

MORTALITY AND DISPERSAL OF RINGED CATTLE EGRETS

Gichuki, CM. 2000. Community participation in the protection of Kenya's wetlands. Ostrich 71 (1 &; 2): 122–125.

In Africa today, many natural ecosystems are threatened with destruction, primarily because of unsustainable exploitation and negative impacts of development activities. Wetlands are prime targets of exploitation because they contain the basic resources, such as water, land, plants and animals, which are commonly used to fuel economic development. In Kenya wetlands support rural economy and up to seven million people depend on them for their livelihood. In addition there is considerable inter-institutional competition for wetland resources, particularly water. While a wetland policy is being developed by the government, widespread damage to wetland ecosystems continues at village level. Community participation in the protection of their own environment and in the conservation of wetland resources has therefore become a crucial strategy for stemming the loss of biological diversity and minimizing damage to the environment.

This paper describes wetland conservation initiatives of several community groups in Kenya during the period 1990 to 1996. The paper outlines some of the projects which the community groups have been undertaking in order to generate income, create job opportunities for the youth and to protect their own environment. The wetland conservation activities and the author's experience while working with these community groups can serve as a suitable model for application in many African countries south of the Sahara.     

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。