Eco-environmental degradation in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and comprehensive ecological protection planning

The regional hydrology and ecosystems of the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau have changed over the past 40 years driven by intense human activity and regional climate changes. Annual mean air temperature has increased in the region. Streamflow from the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau has decreased significantly. Overall, a number of Alpine step meadows and Alpine frigid meadows have seriously degraded. Degeneration of vegetation and grassland led to desertification and frequently induced dust storms. With the continuous increase in cultivated land area, grassland area in the region has dropped significantly since the 1960s. At present, degraded grassland occupies about 83% of total usable grassland area. As the number of livestock increased, range condition deteriorated and the carrying capacity was reduced. The forest area in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau has decreased by 20%, and the local ecosystem has become very fragile. Given the relatively stable weather conditions, the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau can be characterized by its three major ecosystems: grassland ecosystem, forest ecosystem and wetland ecosystem, which are crucial in maintaining the ecological stability. Changes in these ecosystems could influence sustainable development in the region. To avoid further deterioration of the environment and ecosystems, it is important to establish and implement ecosystem protection planning. Some effective measures are essential in this respect, including technical and political considerations.     

Marine Ecosystem—Based Management: Definition,Principles, Framework and Practice

As the largest ecosystems of the earth, marine ecosystem provides many types of ecosystem service to human. More than 60% of the global population lives the coastal area. A healthy ocean is critical to our economy, health and way of life. However, with rapid population growth and densely inhabited coastal areas, our dependence on marine resources is greater than ever. The overuse and mismanagement of ecosystem services have placed great pressure on marine systems, thereby threatening the future of marine ecosystems, and the services they provide. With anthropogenic pressures increasing in coastal cities, adopting ecosystem-based management frameworks that minimize impacts on marine environments while allowing for sustainable development is critical. Marine Ecosystem-Based Management seeks to manage marine resources in ways that protect ecosystem health while providing the ecosystem services needed by people. Rather than focusing solely on a single species or resource, MEBM incorporates science and balances the demands of user groups in a manner that produces management strategies that are more likely to be sustainable than traditional approaches. The definition, principles and framework were discussed in this paper based on the summary of literature, and two examples were introduced. Last, some suggestions were put forward to marine ecosystem management for ocean ecosystem and for healthy coastal resources sustainable utilization.     

陆地生态系统与全球变化的联网观测研究进展

全球变化引起的环境问题已成为国际社会及其科技界共同关注的重大挑战。陆地生态系统的联网观测作为研究全球变化与陆地生态系统相互关系的一种有效手段,越来越受到人们的重视,并且得到了广泛的应用。本文讨论了陆地生态系统联网观测在全球变化科学研究中的作用和地位,并简要介绍了几个有影响的国际陆地生态系统联网观测计划。在此基础上,分析评述了中国陆地生态系统联网观测研究的主要进展以及在全球变化研究中做出的主要贡献,并结合我国科学技术和社会经济发展的需求,指出了近期中国陆地生态系统联网观测研究应该重点发展的领域。     

Causes and Consequences of Ecosystem Service Regionalization in a Coastal Suburban Watershed

The demand for ecosystem services and the ability of natural ecosystems to provide those services evolve over time as population, land use, and management practices change. Regionalization of ecosystem service activity, or the expansion of the area providing ecosystem services to a population, is a common response in densely populated coastal regions, with important consequences for watershed water and nitrogen (N) fluxes to the coastal zone. We link biophysical and historical information to explore the causes and consequences of change in ecosystem service activity—focusing on water provisioning and N regulation—from 1850 to 2010 in a coastal suburban watershed, the Ipswich River watershed in northeastern Massachusetts, USA. Net interbasin water transfers started in the late 1800s due to regionalization of water supply for use by larger populations living outside the Ipswich watershed boundaries, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Over much of the twentieth century, about 20 % of river runoff was diverted from reaching the estuary, with greater proportions during drought years. Ongoing regionalization of water supply has contributed to recent declines in diversions, influenced by socioecological feedbacks resulting from the river drying and fish kills. Similarly, the N budget has been greatly perturbed since the suburban era began in the 1950s due to food and lawn fertilizer imports and human waste release. However, natural ecosystems are able to remove most of this anthropogenic N, mitigating impacts on the coastal zone. We propose a conceptual model whereby the amount and type of ecosystem services provided by coastal watersheds in urban regions expand and contract over time as regional population expands and ecosystem services are regionalized. We hypothesize that suburban watersheds can be hotspots of ecosystem service sources because they retain sufficient ecosystem function to still produce services that meet increasing demand from the local population and nearby urban centers. Historical reconstruction of ecosystem service activity provides a perspective that may help to better understand coupled human–natural system processes and lead to more sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.     

Quaternary palaeoecology and nature conservation: a general review with examples from the neotropics

Palaeoecology, as an ecological discipline, is able to provide relevant inputs for conservation science and ecosystem management, especially for issues involving long-term processes, such as ecological succession, migration, adaptation, microevolution, and extinction. This use of palaeoecology has been noted for several decades, and it has become widely accepted, especially in the frame of ongoing and near-future global warming and its potential biotic consequences. Selected palaeoecological insights of interest for conservation include the following: 1) species respond in an individualistic manner to environmental changes that lead to changes in community composition, suggesting that future ecosystems would have no modern analogues; 2) in the short-term, acclimation is more likely a response of species that are expected to persist in the face of global warming, but the possibility of evolutionary change linked to the existence of pre-adapted genomes cannot be dismissed; 3) species unable to acclimate or adapt to new conditions should migrate or become extinct, which has been observed in past records; 4) current extinction estimates for the near-future should be revised in light of palaeoecological information, which shows that spatial reorganisations and persistence in suitable microrefugia have been more common than extinction during the Quaternary; 5) biotic responses to environmental changes do not necessarily follow the rules of equilibrium dynamics but depend on complex and non-linear processes that lead to unexpected “surprises”, which are favoured by the occurrence of thresholds and amplifying positive feedbacks; 6) threshold responses can cause the movement of ecosystems among several potentially stable states depending on their resilience, or the persistence of transient states; 7) species and their communities have responded to environmental changes in a heterogeneous fashion according to the local and regional features, which is crucial for present and future management policies; 8) the global warming that occurred at the end of the Younger Drays cold reversal (ca 13.0 to 11.5 cal kyr BP) took place at similar rates and magnitudes compared to the global warming projected for the 21st century, thus becoming a powerful past analogue for prediction modelling; 9) environmental changes have acted upon ecosystems in an indirect way by modifying human behaviour and activities that, in turn, have had the potential of changing the environment and enhancing the disturbance effects by synergistic processes involving positive feedbacks; 10) the collapse of past civilisations under climate stress has been chiefly the result of inadequate management procedures and weaknesses in social organisation, which would be a warning for the present uncontrolled growth of human population, the consequent overexploitation of natural resources, and the continuous increase of greenhouse gas emissions; 11) the impact of fire as a decisive ecological agent has increased since the rise of humans, especially during the last millennia, but anthropic fires were not dominant over natural fires until the 19th century; 12) fire has been an essential element in the development and ecological dynamics of many ecosystems, and it has significantly affected the worldwide biome distribution; 13) climate–fire–human synergies that amplify the effects of climate, or fire alone, have been important in the shaping of modern landscapes. These general paleoecological observations and others that have emerged from case studies of particular problems can improve the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Nature conservation requires the full consideration of palaeoecological knowledge in an ecological context, along with the synergistic cooperation of palaeoecologists with neoecologists, anthropologists, and conservation scientists.     

Driving forces behind land use and cover change in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: a case study of the source region of the Yellow River,Qinghai Province,China

Research on land use and cover change (LUCC) is an important aspect of the study of global change or global warming. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is a good place to study global change because of its unique natural conditions, so we chose the source region of China’s Yellow River for a case study of the driving forces behind LUCC. We used Landsat images obtained in 1989, 2000, and 2005 to establish databases of land use and cover at these times. We then derived LUCC information by overlaying these layers using GIS software. By studying the processes responsible for LUCC, we analyzed the driving forces, which included climatic change, human activities, animal and insect damage, and the influences of government policies. During the 16-year study period, LUCC occurred slowly in response to two groups of processes: natural and anthropogenic. The main driving forces included climate change (the region is becoming drier and warmer), human activities (especially overgrazing), and animal and insect damage. Although political measures such as key national projects to improve the ecological environment could help to restore the region’s vegetation and slow desertification, the region’s fragile ecosystems and harsh natural conditions will make it extremely difficult to rehabilitate the eco-environment.     

Characteristics of Karst Ecosystems of Vietnam and Their Vulnerability to Human Impact

Karst in Vietnam covers an area of about 60,000 km2, i.e. 18 % of the surface of the country. The country has an annual average temperature of 24@, an annual average rainfall of 2300 mm and a relative humidity of about 90%. Karst in Vietnam is typified by peak cluster-depression landscapes ranging in elevation from 200 to over 2000 m. Tower and coastal karst landscapes also exit. Because of naturally favourable conditions, karst ecosystems are diverse and very rich. Higher plants (cormophytes) are abundant. They are represented by approximately 2000 species, 908 genera, 224 families, 86 orders and 7 phyla. They form a thick vegetation cover of evergreen tropical rainforest. Knowledge about lower plants is limited. The fauna is rich and diverse. Phyla such as Protozoa, Vermes, Mollusca and Arthropoda are yet ill known. Preliminary results show that the phylum Chordata is represented by 541 species from 80 families, 40 orders and 5 classes. There exist many precious and rare mammals, in particular some en     

Toward cyberinfrastructure to facilitate collaboration and reproducibility for marine integrated ecosystem assessments

There is a growing need for cyberinfrastructure to support science-based decision making in management of natural resources. In particular, our motivation was to aid the development of cyberinfrastructure for Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs) for marine ecosystems. The IEA process involves analysis of natural and socio-economic information based on diverse and disparate sources of data, requiring collaboration among scientists of many disciplines and communication with other stakeholders. Here we describe our bottom-up approach to developing cyberinfrastructure through a collaborative process engaging a small group of domain and computer scientists and software engineers. We report on a use case evaluated for an Ecosystem Status Report, a multi-disciplinary report inclusive of Earth, life, and social sciences, for the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem. Ultimately, we focused on sharing workflows as a component of the cyberinfrastructure to facilitate collaboration and reproducibility. We developed and deployed a software environment to generate a portion of the Report, retaining traceability of derived datasets including indicators of climate forcing, physical pressures, and ecosystem states. Our solution for sharing workflows and delivering reproducible documents includes IPython (now Jupyter) Notebooks. We describe technical and social challenges that we encountered in the use case and the importance of training to aid the adoption of best practices and new technologies by domain scientists. We consider the larger challenges for developing end-to-end cyberinfrastructure that engages other participants and stakeholders in the IEA process.     

生态系统评估的国际案例及其经验

为了给决策者和公众提供客观的生态系统状态信息,国际上开展了一系列的生态系统评估项目。这些生态系统评估可以归结为两个发展方向,一是从科学的角度客观公正地评估生态系统的状态,其主要代表是美国国家生态指标研究和美国生态系统的状态评估;二是在生态系统状态评估的基础上进一步分析生态系统与社会经济系统的联系以服务于后续的政策干预,其主要代表是千年生态系统评估和UNEP全球环境展望。综合分析这些案例发现,这些生态系统评估项目存在如下几个方面的特点或经验：①合适的生态指标是生态系统评估的科学基础;②合理的概念性评估框架是生态系统评估的核心支柱;③将生态系统与社会经济系统联系起来使评估结果能直接服务于政策;④生态系统管理的复杂性和长期性要求必须对生态系统进行连续滚动评估;⑤多利益相关方的参与是使生态系统评估的结果得到广泛认可和应用的最有效途径。如果能够将这两个发展方向结合起来,生态系统评估将能更好地服务于生态政策制定和区域可持续发展。     

Nature’s pulsing paradigm

While the steady state is often seen as the final result of development in nature, a more realistic concept may be that nature pulses regularly to make a pulsing steady stata—a new paradigm gaining acceptance in ecology and many other fields. In this paper we compare tidal salt marshes, tidal freshwater marshes, and seasonally flooded fresh-water wetlands as examples of pulsed ecosystems. Despite marked differences in species composition, biodiversity, and community structure, these wetland types are functionally similar because of the common denominator of water flow pulses. Often a period of high production alternates with a period of rapid consumption in these fluctuating water-level systems, a biotic pulsing to which many life histories, such as that of the wood stork, are adapted. Pulsing of medium frequency and amplitude often provides an energy subsidy for the community thus enhancing its productivity. The energy of large-scale pulses such as storms are usually dissipated in natural ecosystems with little harm to the biotic network; however, when seawalls, dikes, or stabilized sand dunes are constructed to confront these strong pulses, the whole ecosystem (and associated human structures) may be severly damaged when the barriers fail because too much of the storm energy is concentrated on them. The relationship between biologically mediated internal pulsing, such as plant-herbivore or predator-prey cycles, and physical external pulsing is discussed not only in wetlands but in other ecosystem types as well. An intriguing hypothesis is that ecosystem performance and species survival are enhanced when external and internal pulses are coupled. We suggest that if pulsing is general, then what is sustainable in ecosystems, is a repeating oscillation that is often poised on the edge of chaos.     

Assessment of eco-environment vulnerability in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,China

The northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is typically a vulnerable eco-environment where an overload of alpine meadows and serious soil degeneration have led to vulnerability to natural disasters. Consequently, this vulnerable eco-environment does not allow for rapid socioeconomic development, resulting in weak potential for sustainable development. The northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China is used for this case study, which sets up 17 impact factors of eco-environment vulnerability (EEV) to assess the indexes, including natural impact factors, economic impact factors and social impact factors. Subsequently, the study uses an analytic hierarchy process to endow index weights and proposes an assessment model of ^n P_i W_i /( _i = 1^n P_i W_i + _i = 1^n P_i W_i ) G = 1 - \sum\nolimits_{i = 1}^{n} {{{P_{i} \cdot W_{i} } /{( {\max \sum\nolimits_{i = 1}^{n} {P_{i} \cdot W_{i} } + \min \sum\nolimits_{i = 1}^{n} {P_{i} \cdot W_{i} } } )}}} to analyze and assess the dynamic changes in the EEV of the study area from 1987–2008. Finally, the correlation of the EEV and 17 impact factors is analyzed.     

生态系统响应全球变化的陆地样带研究

为从机理上理解、评估和预测陆地生态系统对全球变化的响应,国际地圈生物圈计划在全球共启动了15条全球变化陆地样带,其中2条在中国,即中国东北样带和中国东部南北样带。从植物碳氮代谢、生物多样性、生态系统功能与碳收支及样带生态系统的变化趋势等方面较系统地总结了围绕中国这2条全球变化陆地样带的最新研究进展,加深了全球变化与陆地生态系统相互作用过程与机制的理解,提出未来中国全球变化陆地样带研究应充分利用我国特殊的生态与环境及区域特色,重点针对陆地生态系统对全球变化的适应性、地球系统相互作用的生物—物理—化学—社会过程与管理、土地利用变化的动力学过程与机制、灾害性天气气候的生态效应及其调控机制和全球变化模拟预警系统开展研究,做出一些在国际上既有显示度又服务于我国社会经济可持续发展的研究成果。     

Ecological function zoning and protection of groundwater in Asia

The natural groundwater recharge in Asia is estimated to be 4 677.74×10⁹ m³/a. However, it features extremely uneven spatial-temporal distribution. Groundwater is distributed in various natural and geological environments, and it is liable to be affected by numerous factors and possesses different properties. Moreover, groundwater faces complex ecological problems. This paper gains a complete understanding of groundwater in Asia in terms of the structure of aquifer systems, the processes of groundwater cycle, and the spatial variation laws of surface ecosystems. Based on this, it proposes the ecological function zoning scheme of groundwater in Asia, aiming to provide guidance for the utilization of regional water resources and the planning for economic and social development, coordinate the relationship between social and economic development and water resource protection, and improve the ecological functions of groundwater. Furthermore, this paper analyzes the problems with regional groundwater management in Asia and puts forward countermeasures and suggestions, thus providing a theoretical basis for the sustainable development and utilization of regional groundwater and environmental protection.     

Community-level enhancements of biodiversity and ecosystem services

A common management technique for preserving and maintaining biodiversity is the establishment of large refuges and preserves. Although extensive sanctuaries can provide crucial protection for many organisms and ecosystems, they cannot fulfill all the needs of regional conservation. An alternative to a few large refuges is to create many different habitats across the landscape that enhance and improve local and regional biodiversity and provide immediate benefits to nearby communities in the form of ecosystem services. Furthermore, these can all be initiated and achieved by individuals or communities. Some key landscape enhancements can be undertaken on a local level: the creation or expansion of small wooded areas, windbreaks, or hedgerows; the construction of small wetlands; and the release of some lands from heavy pressure for the reestablishment of natural ecological processes, namely, the natural accumulation of woody and other organic materials. Newly created ecosystems can be inoculated at the outset with soil biota such as seed banks, microbes, fungi, and organic material that can accelerate ecological functioning and balance. In addition to increasing much local and regional biodiversity, locally enhanced areas can provide fuel, plant and animal food and medicinal products, and agroforestry products directly to the nearby community. These small ecological oases can serve as nesting and overwintering sites for numerous pollinators that are hugely beneficial to agricultural production. Moreover, several ecosystem enhancements may contribute positively to local and regional hydrologic cycles and prevent prolonged droughts. Enhancements to local landscapes can take on many forms. We believe that any changes that increase structural complexity in natural systems almost certainly lead to increases in local biological complexity. In addition, wider landscape level considerations, such as corridors and connectivity of populations, can be integrated on a broader scale to improve regional biodiversity and ecosystem services. Small landscape enhancements undoubtedly cannot provide for all conservation needs, but they can greatly increase widespread biodiversity, restore local ecosystem services, and can be used to complement the relatively few larger parks.     

生态模型在河口管理中的应用研究综述

河口作为河流和海洋的交汇地,具有生态交错带特性,其在自然和人类活动双重压力下发生着演变.生态模型是研究生态系统结构、功能及其时空演变规律以及生物过程对于生态系统的影响及其反馈机制的重要手段.采用不同方法对生态模型进行分类,综述各类生态模型的特性、优缺点及应用领域.讨论建模过程中模型变量与函数、模型整合及时空尺度、模型参数取值及不确定等关键技术问题.分析各类生态模型在河口生态工程设计、生态系统修复、生态系统评价、系统决策支持等管理领域的应用.尽管中国河口生态模型构建及应用已有一些成果,但与国外相比,在理论生态学及数据积累方面仍有一定差距.     

陆地生态系统水—碳耦合循环与过程管理研究

陆地生态系统的水循环与碳循环是地球表层系统物质循环与能量交换的核心，也是最基本的耦合的两个生态学过程。区域或全球尺度生态系统的水管理与碳管理是全球变化科学与可持续发展研究的两大主题，是人类维持全球生态系统的物质与能量循环、自然资源循环再生的重要生态学途径。我们在综合评述现代应用生态学研究的发展趋势，陆地生态系统水和碳循环与生态系统管理关系的基础上，提出了陆地生态系统水循环与碳循环过程管理的内容与思路，阐述了生态系统水和碳耦合循环机制与模拟综合研究的新设想。     

自然资源和生态系统管理的生态系统方法：概念、原则与应用

“生态系统方法（ Ecosystem Approach ，EA）”不是一种具体的生态系统管理方法，而是一种综合各种方法来解决复杂的社会、经济和生态问题的生态系统管理策略。它提供了一个将多学科的理论与方法应用到具体管理实践的科学和政策框架。回顾了生态系统方法的产生及其概念的发展和演变，揭示了生态系统方法与生态系统管理之间的联系，介绍了生态系统方法在自然资源管理和流域综合管理方面的应用，可为我国的自然资源管理和生态系统管理提供参考。     

社会资本在可持续发展中的作用

可持续发展指既满足当代人的发展需求又不损害、不掠夺后代发展需求能力的发展。它要求人类社会经济系统在地球生态系统承载能力下运作;要求社会发展不能单纯以经济增长为目的,而是要在保护生态环境基础上提高人类福利。社会资本概念为可持续发展提供了一个有用的工具。它不但使人类意识到可持续发展的内涵，而且运用社会资本可以限制自然资本开采、并减缓其对环境的破坏，提高制造资本利用效率，充分利用人力资本，从而推动可持续发展进程。介绍社会资本概念的基础上,从促进经济发展、自然资源可持续利用管理、环境保护以及缓解贫困等方面,阐述了社会资本促进可持续发展的理论机制。     

我国近海生态系统食物产出的关键过程及其可持续机理

围绕国家重点基础研究发展计划（973计划）项目“我国近海生态系统食物产出的关键过程及其可持续机理”,介绍了海洋可持续生态系统研究对我国社会与科技发展的意义、研究现状和发展趋势、拟解决的关键科学问题和预期目标,以及研究实施计划。该项研究的最终目标是从人类活动和自然变化两个方面认识我国近海海洋生态系统服务与产出功能,量化其生态容纳量及动态变化,预测生态系统的承载能力和易损性,寻求我国近海海洋可持续开发利用与资源环境相协调发展的途径。