Sustainable Development Goals: A need for relevant indicators

At the UN in New York the Open Working Group created by the UN General Assembly proposed a set of global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which comprises 17 goals and 169 targets. Further to that, a preliminary set of 330 indicators was introduced in March 2015. Some SDGs build on preceding Millennium Development Goals while others incorporate new ideas. A critical review has revealed that indicators of varied quality (in terms of the fulfilment certain criteria) have been proposed to assess sustainable development. Despite the fact that there is plenty of theoretical work on quality standards for indicators, in practice users cannot often be sure how adequately the indicators measure the monitored phenomena. Therefore we stress the need to operationalise the Sustainable Development Goals’ targets and evaluate the indicators’ relevance, the characteristic of utmost importance among the indicators’ quality traits. The current format of the proposed SDGs and their targets has laid a policy framework; however, without thorough expert and scientific follow up on their operationalisation the indicators may be ambiguous. Therefore we argue for the foundation of a conceptual framework for selecting appropriate indicators for targets from existing sets or formulating new ones. Experts should focus on the “indicator-indicated fact” relation to ensure the indicators’ relevance in order for clear, unambiguous messages to be conveyed to users (decision- and policy-makers and also the lay public). Finally we offer some recommendations for indicators providers in order to contribute to the tremendous amount of conceptual work needed to lay a strong foundation for the development of the final indicators framework.     

Ability of invertebrate indices to assess ecological condition on intertidal rocky shores

The implementation of directives such as the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) has promoted the development of several tools and methods for assessing the ecological health of marine ecosystems. Within the scope of the WFD and in terms of rocky shores, several multimetric tools were developed based on the macroalgae biological quality element (BQE), in addition to those based on macroinvertebrates.The WFD requires member states to assess each BQE separately. The present work aimed to test the ability of ecological indices to distinguish sites within anthropogenic disturbance gradients caused by organic enrichment, using macroinvertebrate communities on intertidal rocky shores. Owing to the lack of more specific indices (for rocky shore), indices based on abundance, diversity and/or taxonomic composition were selected from several widely used indices in ecological studies and/or developed for soft-bottom macroinvertebrate communities.Present findings reveal several indices based on diversity and/or taxonomic composition able to distinguish sites within the disturbance gradients, showing increasing quality from the site nearest the source of organic enrichment to that farthest from it, especially indices calculated using biomass data, and in the summer season. Such results open good perspectives for the use of intertidal macroinvertebrate communities from rocky shores, and also help add the perspective of this biological quality element in the ecological quality assessment of coastal waters.     

Ecological suitability evaluation for mountainous area development based on conceptual model of landscape structure,function, and dynamics

Minimizing the ecological impact of land development is a fundamental principle of sustainable development. Ecological suitability assessment is the key to realizing sustainability and is also significant for optimizing spatial patterns of territorial development. Especially in mountainous areas where the ecosystem is both vulnerable and important, quantitative evaluation of ecological suitability for land development is particularly important and urgent given current development strategy of urban construction in mountainous areas in China. Taking Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, a representative urban construction zone in a mountainous area in Yunnan Province, China, as a study area, and based on the fundamental theory of structural and functional dynamics from landscape ecology, this study has explored the integrated ecological resistance (IER) conceptual model and constructed an index system with aspects of ecological elements, ecological importance, and ecological resilience. The results showed that: (1) the ecological suitability level was higher in the north than in the south and higher in the east than in the west, as well as higher in the Bazi region than in mountainous areas. Dali City, Binchuan County, and Xiangyun County had large ecological suitable zones for development and construction. Foci of ecological resistance having strong ecological constraints were mainly concentrated in Heqing County and in various other places; (2) by combining the integrated ecological resistance and arable land distributions, the study area was zoned into five regions: prior development zone, moderate development zone, potential development zone, restricted development zone, and forbidden development zone. Moderate, potential, and restricted development zones occupied most of the area, accounting for 28.89%, 24.69%, and 21.40%, respectively, whereas prior development zones accounted for only 8.91%; (3) based on the areal proportions of ecological suitability zoning, the 12 counties of Dali Prefecture can be grouped into three categories: prior areas for conservation, comprehensive development areas, and prior areas for development. Xiangyun County and Binchuan County should be regarded as key areas of Dali Prefecture for urban construction in mountainous areas. This research has explored an ecological suitability evaluation system from the perspective of landscape ecology and made fully understanding of ecological suitability factors in the study area, which provided a good reference to ecological suitability evaluation for mountainous area development in the worldwide.     

基于生态-产业共生关系的林业生态安全测度方法构想

通过对林业生态安全内涵构成的研究和对现有测度方法的比较分析,发现国内外林业生态安全测度研究中存在“就生态论生态”的预警滞后性、评价指标体系及权重设定的主观性、指标体系和特征指数难以优势互补、生态安全性判据缺乏客观依据等问题.为解决这些问题,需要基于生态与产业系统的共生关系研究林业生态安全测度的新方法.首先,研究林业生态安全的压力-状态-影响-响应结构模型和结构方程模型(SEM)的构建方法,从而为评价指标体系的构建和权重的确定提供了理论依据和结构化、定量化方法.然后,通过寻求指标体系和特征指数的有机结合,得出描述林业生态安全演变趋势的性质和程度的特征指数——生态-产业共生度和成熟度.由此提出确定林业生态安全阈值和底线的定量化方法,并建立林业生态安全双特征判断矩阵,从而将林业生态安全度分为3个安全区间、6个安全等级和4个预警级别.最后,综合以上成果,构建了基于生态-产业共生关系的林业生态安全测度方法的整体框架:目标-手段树和技术路线.根据新方法的构建机理,所得出的林业生态安全测度和预警信息具有主观性弱、预测性强、特征指数值的生态经济意义明确、便于追溯问题的原因等技术优势,有利于林业生态安全的监控和管理.     

基于多类型自然保护地整合优化的国家公园综合监测体系构建

随着我国自然保护事业进入新时代,以国家公园为主体的自然保护地体系建设思路得以明确,以国家公园为代表的自然保护地监测工作也被赋予了更高的要求。监测在促进国家公园科学规划与管理中发挥着重要作用,国家公园管理目标的实现离不开可靠的监测数据和信息的支撑。我国的国家公园试点由各类型自然保护地整合设立,因此面临不同监测类型之间的整合,存在缺乏统一的监测指标体系、有效的监测数据管理、健全的监测实施机制等问题。在对各类型自然保护地整合优化的基本思路下,基于国外国家公园监测实践与经验,综合考虑我国自然保护地的监测现状和需求,从顶层设计出发,构建了以自然资源清查为基础、以生态监测为核心、以自然与人为干扰监测为辅助、以管理有效性监测为补充并服务管理有效性评价的国家公园综合监测体系。在此基础上,进一步提出由三级监测网络、监测数据管理、管理有效性评价三部分组成的国家公园监测实施机制。在国家公园监测体系构建方面进行了探索与尝试,以期为我国国家公园监测体系以及监测制度的建立提供有益参考。     

Can interaction specificity in the fungus-farming termite symbiosis be explained by nutritional requirements of the fungal crop?

Fungus-growing termites are associated with genus-specific fungal symbionts, which they acquire via horizontal transmission. Selection of specific symbionts may be explained by the provisioning of specific, optimal cultivar growth substrates by termite farmers. We tested whether differences in in vitro performance of Termitomyces cultivars from nests of three termite species on various substrates are correlated with the interaction specificity of their hosts. We performed single-factor growth assays (varying carbon sources), and a two-factor geometric framework experiment (simultaneously varying carbohydrate and protein availability). Although we did not find qualitative differences between Termitomyces strains in carbon-source use, there were quantitative differences, which we analysed using principal component analysis. This showed that growth of Termitomyces on different carbon sources was correlated with termite host genus, rather than host species, while growth on different ratios and concentrations of protein and carbohydrate was correlated with termite host species. Our findings corroborate the interaction specificity between fungus-growing termites and Termitomyces cultivars and indicate that specificity between termite hosts and fungi is reflected both nutritionally and physiologically. However, it remains to be demonstrated whether those differences contribute to selection of specific fungal cultivars by termites at the onset of colony foundation.     

国家公园体制背景下中国自然保护地体系变迁--基于多源流理论分析

随着经济社会的发展,中国自然保护地体系经历了由以自然保护区为主体向以国家公园为主体的重要变迁。应用多源流理论分析了中国自然保护地体系变迁。从内在逻辑、民主化程度和变量控制三个方面分析了多源流理论在中国保护地变迁研究中的适用性;从问题源流、政治源流和政策源流三个方面分析了中国自然保护地体系变迁的主要影响因素,梳理了变迁的逻辑路线,总结了变迁的内容,变迁内容包括管理客体、管理主体和管理手段三个方面。结果表明:中国自然保护地体系变迁是问题源流、政治源流和政策源流共同作用的必然结果,表现在问题源流中的指标数据和问题反馈促进了政策源流中政策建议和方案的提出,而焦点事件与政治源流中执政理念的冲突对变迁起到了重要的催化作用;政策源流存在渐进式完善过程,尤其是国家公园体制试点对政策源流的发展起到关键作用。此次变迁的逻辑路径主要包含三股源流的相互作用,通过引入国家公园重塑中国自然保护地体系,促进其系统性、整体性和协同性发展。     

微生物生态学理论框架

微生物是生态系统的重要组成部分,直接或间接地参与所有的生态过程。微生物生态学是基于微生物群体的科学,利用微生物群体DNA/RNA等标志物,重点研究微生物群落构建、组成演变、多样性及其与环境的关系,在生态学理论的指导和反复模型拟合下由统计分析得出具有普遍意义的结论。其研究范围从基因尺度到全球尺度。分子生物学技术的发展,使人们可以直接从基因水平上考查其多样性,从而使得对微生物空间分布格局及其成因的深入研究成为可能。进而可以从方法学探讨微生物生物多样性、分布格局、影响机制及其对全球变化的响应等。在微生物生态学研究中,群落构建与演化、分布特征(含植物-微生物相互关系)、执行群体功能的机理(生物地球化学循环等)、对环境变化的响应与反馈机理是今后需要关注的重点领域。概述了微生物生态学的概念,并初步提出其理论框架,在对比宏观生态学基础理论和模型的基础上,分析微生物多样性的研究内容、研究方法和群落构建的理论机制,展望了今后研究的重点领域。     

城市食物-能源-水关联关系:概念框架与研究展望

食物、能源和水(Food, Energy and Water, FEW)是人类生存与发展不可或缺的基础性资源,且三者之间存在密切的关联关系(Nexus),即其中任何一项资源的生产与供给均依赖于另外两项资源。FEW关联关系作为应对全球人口增长、资源短缺和生态环境恶化等问题的系统性管理理念,已引起国际学术界与实践管理领域的广泛关注。然而,目前对FEW关联关系仍然缺乏统一和清晰的界定,现有研究大多是基于不同角度理解与量化"关联关系"。城市作为全球资源消费的主阵地,其FEW关联关系更为复杂,亟待建立针对城市生态系统的概念框架。对FEW关联关系的发展历程、概念表述以及研究方法等方面进行全面回顾和系统分析。在此基础上,从"资源依存"、"资源供给"和"系统集成"等3个视角构建了城市FEW关联关系的概念框架,并进一步阐述FEW关联关系未来研究的重点方向——"系统性表征"、"时空演化"与"协同管理",为城市优化资源配置,实现集成管理提供一种新思路和定量化的参考依据。     

The INNs and outs of antibody nonproprietary names

An important step in drug development is the assignment of an International Nonproprietary Name (INN) by the World Health Organization (WHO) that provides healthcare professionals with a unique and universally available designated name to identify each pharmaceutical substance. Monoclonal antibody INNs comprise a –mab suffix preceded by a substem indicating the antibody type, e.g., chimeric (-xi-), humanized (-zu-), or human (-u-). The WHO publishes INN definitions that specify how new monoclonal antibody therapeutics are categorized and adapts the definitions to new technologies. However, rapid progress in antibody technologies has blurred the boundaries between existing antibody categories and created a burgeoning array of new antibody formats. Thus, revising the INN system for antibodies is akin to aiming for a rapidly moving target. The WHO recently revised INN definitions for antibodies now to be based on amino acid sequence identity. These new definitions, however, are critically flawed as they are ambiguous and go against decades of scientific literature. A key concern is the imposition of an arbitrary threshold for identity against human germline antibody variable region sequences. This leads to inconsistent classification of somatically mutated human antibodies, humanized antibodies as well as antibodies derived from semi-synthetic/synthetic libraries and transgenic animals. Such sequence-based classification implies clear functional distinction between categories (e.g., immunogenicity). However, there is no scientific evidence to support this. Dialog between the WHO INN Expert Group and key stakeholders is needed to develop a new INN system for antibodies and to avoid confusion and miscommunication between researchers and clinicians prescribing antibodies.