Ecosystem Health: Assessment Framework,Spatial Evolution,and Regional Optimization in Southwest China

Regional ecological health,the core of comprehensive ecosystem assessments,is an important foundation for regional exploration,environmental conservation,and sustainable development.The mountainous areas in southwest China are backward in economy,but industrialization and urbanization have been rapid in recent years.This study assessed the ecosystem health of the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China using a pressure-state-response(PSR)model.Spatiotemporal patterns of regional ecosystem health were analyzed from 2000 to 2016,including overall characteristics as well as local characteristics.Ecosystem health in most regions was improved over time(Y=0.0058 X–11.0132,R2=0.95,P<0.001),and areas with poorer ecosystem health decreased from half to one-third of the total area.Analysis of the primacy ratio and the variation coefficient confirmed that the gap in health scores between regions has gradually expanded since 2007,but there are more high quality regions overall(Z of Moran’s index<1.96,P>0.05).Overall,the regional ecosystems to the east of the Hu line-an imaginary line dividing east and west China into roughly equivalent parts-were healthier than those to the west.The pressure and state scores of ecosystems were determined by physiographic condition,and the response scores by government policies and social concern.The spatiotemporal patterns of ecosystem health were dominated to a greater extent by natural than anthropogenic factors,which explains why the shift in the patterns aligned with the direction of the Hu line.Dividing regions into key management areas based on natural geographical conditions and socioeconomic development could contribute to the formulation of a reasonable ecological and environmental protection policy,guaranteeing ecosystem services in the long run.     

生态系统服务功能动态区划方法与应用

开展区域生态系统服务功能动态区划,对生态系统服务功能的分区管理具有重要的指导价值。本文介绍了生态系统服务功能区划的方法--生态系统服务功能动态区划系统(SIZES)。该方法包括生态系统服务功能多层次表征、位序矩阵生成、核心生态系统服务功能空间辨识和动态区划边界生成四个模块,它们能实现生态系统服务功能动态区划边界的生成。其中,生态系统服务功能多层次表征模块和动态区划边界生成模块是主要模块,而构建生态系统服务功能表征指标体系和生成区划单元是该方法的关键所在。利用SIZES将锡林郭勒盟划分为6个生态系统服务功能区,科学合理地解释了该区生态系统服务功能空间分异规律,为指导该区生态系统服务功能分区管理,提供了具有时空特性的决策参考信息。     

Impacts of Land Cover Changes on Ecosystem Carbon Stocks Over the Transboundary Tumen River Basin in Northeast Asia

Understanding the effects of land cover changes on ecosystem carbon stocks is essential for ecosystem management and environmental protection, particularly in the transboundary region that has undergone marked changes. This study aimed to examine the impacts of land cover changes on ecosystem carbon stocks in the transboundary Tumen River Basin (TTRB). We extracted the spatial information from Landsat Thematic Imager (TM) and Operational Land Imager (OLI) images for the years 1990 and 2015 and obtained convincing estimates of terrestrial biomass and soil carbon stocks with the InVEST model. The results showed that forestland, cropland and built-up land increased by 57.5, 429.7 and 128.9 km², respectively, while grassland, wetland and barren land declined by 24.9, 548.0 and 43.0 km², respectively in the TTRB from 1990 to 2015. The total carbon stocks encompassing aboveground, belowground, soil and litter layer carbon storage pools have declined from 831.48 Tg C in 1990 to 831.42 Tg C in 2015 due to land cover changes. In detail, the carbon stocks decreased by 3.13 Tg C and 0.44 Tg C in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Russia, respectively, while increased by 3.51 Tg C in China. Furthermore, economic development, and national policy accounted for most land cover changes in the TTRB. Our results imply that effective wetland and forestland protection policies among China, North Korea, and Russia are much needed for protecting the natural resources, promoting local ecosystem services and regional sustainable development in the transnational area.     

Spatial distribution pattern in mammal and bird richness and their relationship with ecosystem services in Sanjiangyuan National Park,China

Species diversity exhibit a close relationship with ecosystem services, and making clear the relationship can help us understand the service value and functional mechanism of ecosystems and take measures to promote human well-being. Here, we used species survey data and multi-source habitat factors to simulate the spatial distribution of species richness and four types of ecosystem services(water production, net primary productivity, carbon storage, and habitat quality) in Sanjiangyuan National Park located in Qinghai Province, China. We also analyzed the spatial distribution pattern and explored the spatial relationship between species richness and ecosystem services through Geo Detector analyses. We found that high species richness in Sanjiangyuan National Park was shown to be mainly distributed in areas with high vegetation growth on both sides of rivers. The effect of climate on the spatial distribution of species richness in the park is the highest among all the selected environmental variables. For the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem services, the relative correlation strength of single ecosystem service varied among the three main ecosystems(grassland, meadow, and wetland) and all relations are positive.     

Tradeoffs and synergies between ecosystem services : A comparison of the karst and non-karst area

Under the influence of various natural and human factors, the relationship between the ecosystem services provided for human beings by a karst ecosystem is becoming increasingly complex, profoundly limiting the effective and sustainable development of the social economy and ecosystem protection in karst areas. Taking Guizhou, China as an example, which includes both karst(including five different landforms) and non-karst area, the study explored and compared the tradeoff and synergy between ecosystem services in both terrain types. The results showed higher change rates of water yield and soil retention in karst areas than those in non-karst areas, with only small differences in the carbon storage and crop production change. The ecosystem service relationships in the karst area from 1995 to 2005 were consistent with the relationships in the non-karst area. However, differences were observed in most of these relationships from 2005 to 2015. The relationships between ecosystem services in different karst landforms from 1995 to 2005 remained the same, but there are differences found in the relationships of ecosystem services from 2005 to 2015. The trade-off and synergistic relationships between ecosystem services in the different landforms were closely related to the changes of climate and land use, particularly related to rainfall, rainfall erosivity, farmland, and forestland.     

Phosphorus biogeochemical cycle research in mountainous ecosystems

Phosphorus(P),as a limiting nutrient,plays a crucial role in the mountainous ecosystem development.Its biogeochemical cycle in mountainous ecosystems determines the bioavailability and sustainable supply of P,and thus becomes a crucial process which needs to be fully understood and described for ecological and environmental conservation.However,most of research about P biogeochemical processes has been carried out in aquatic environment and agronomic field,but rare researches have been done in mountain ecosystem.In the present review,we summarize researches on P biogeochemical cycle concerning mountain ecosystem in recent decades,including rock weathering,the release,transformation and bioavailability of P,interactions between the P biological cycle and microbial and plant life,as well as the development of models.Based on the state of art,we propose the future work on this direction,including the integration of all these research,the development of a practical model to understand the P biogeochemical cycle and its bioavailability,and to provide a reference for ecological and environmental conservation of mountainous ecosystems and lowland aquatic systems.     

Effects of Land Use Change on Ecosystem Services in Arid Area Ecological Migration

Ecological migration is the process of increasing the population density in the immigration area and transferring the ecological pressure from emigration area to immigration area. This process may result in significant changes in land use and land cover in the area of immigration and have an important effect on ecosystem services. Therefore, scientifically revealing the effects and differentiation mechanisms of ecological migration on ecosystem services is becoming an important issue related to the implementation of the national ecological migration strategy in China. This study employed the Hongsibu District as a typical example of ecological migration. Hongsibu District is located in the central Ningxia steppe and desert steppe areas. Remote sensing data covering five periods from the period before ecological migration in 1995 and after migration in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 was used to measure the value of ecosystem services(ESV). A geographical detector model and the value of ecosystem services model were used to diagnose the dynamic mechanism of the effects of land use change on ecosystem services. The results showed that: 1) The development of large-scale ecological resettlement has caused the area of cultivated land and urbanized land area to increase significantly in the area of immigration, while the grass area decreased significantly. 2) The overall value of the Hongsibu ecosystem services increased in a form of a ‘V'. Among them, during the period of 1995–2005, the overall ESV decreased and had an annual rate of change of-0.67%. During the period of development 2005–2015, the ESV increased steadily, with an annual rate of change of 0.79%. 3) The proportion and total ESV in soil formation and protection, waste treatment, and biodiversity conservation of the Hongsibu District decreased from 57.61% in 1995 to 56.17% in 2015, indicating that the region's ecological regulation function slightly decreased. 4) The ESV in the Hongsibu District, showed a low distribution pattern of ecosystem services increasing from northeast to southwest, and the capacity of three townships, Hongsibu, Taiyangshan, and Liuquan, to provide ecosystem services gradually declined over time. The ecological service function of Xinzhuangji Township and Dahe Township gradually improved. 5) The sensitivity index of the ESV of each land use type was less than 1, indicating that the environment lacks flexibility in providing a strong ESV index in Hongsibu, which shows that the research results are reliable and believable. 6) During the study period, the decisive force of the change of land use on ecosystem services in Hongsibu District was: grassland(0.9934), climate regulation(0.9413), soil formation and protection(0.9321) and waste treatment(0.9241).     

关于广元生态经济可持续发展的思考

对广元市经济发展和生态环境保护所面临的问题进行反思，从可持续发展的角度，提出了广元市经济发展的新模式－生态经济，对广元市实现经济与环境的双赢和跨越式发展提供有益的建议。     

环境资源与生态系统的关系

采用论述、图解及数学关系式的方法，较深入地分析了资源、环境与生态系统的关系。认为环境要素可分为仅产生污染型影响的环境要素；既可以产生污染型影响又可以导致资源破坏型影响的环境要素；仅产生资源破坏型影响3种类型。自然环境的优劣由组成自然环境各环境要素的环境质量状况和可作为自然环境要素的自然资源的数量多少决定。要实现环境与经济的可持续发展，应该把环境质量和资源利用同时作为衡量环境优劣的因素。     

Optimizing hotspot areas for ecological planning and management based on biodiversity and ecosystem services

The significance of biodiversity and ecosystem services are gradually recognized by human as an approach towards sustainability, so it is important to understand relationships and congruence between them to support conservation planning, especially in the hotspot areas with a prominent role in conservation. However, the management of most conservation hotspots mainly focused on biodiversity, and rarely concerned with ecosystem services. With the aim of proposing criteria for conservation strategies that contribute to the optimization of biodiversity and ecosystem services, in this study, a Geographic Information System(GIS)-based approach was designed to estimate and map the biodiversity and ecosystem services in Chongqing Municipality of China. Furthermore, the distributions of hotspot areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services were mapped based on the relationship between cumulative ecosystem services and areas. Finally the statistical analysis was processed focused on specific conservation objectives. The results showed that hotspot areas can conserve the most biodiversity but with the least ecosystem services under the conservation plans target to biodiversity conservation. In contrast, depending on the ecosystem services of interest, hotspot areas can conserve the largest ecosystem services but with the least biodiversity. By integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services into conservation plan, we found that the conservation and regeneration of these small areas, would contribute to a conservation of 44% of the biodiversity hotspot and 14%–42% of the ecosystem services hotspot. Moreover, the current nature reserve selection was not maximize the biodiversity and ecosystem services compared to integration strategy, indicating that hotspot areas conservation and selection is vital for optimization protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and has practical significance for natural resources and ecosystem management.     

Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of regional marine ecosystem services value

Marine ecosystem services are the benefits which people obtain from the marine ecosystem, including provisioning ser-vices, regulating services, cultural services and supporting services. The human species, while buffered against environmental changes by culture and technology, is fundamentally dependent on the flow of ecosystem services. Marine ecosystem services be-come increasingly valuable as the terrestrial resources become scarce. The value of marine ecosystem services is the monetary flow of ecosystem services on specific temporal and spatial scales, which often changes due to the variation of the goods prices, yields and the status of marine exploitation. Sensitivity analysis is to study the relationship between the value of marine ecosystem services and the main factors which affect it. Uncertainty analysis based on varying prices, yields and status of marine exploitation was carried out. Through uncertainty analysis, a more credible value range instead of a fixed value of marine ecosystem services was obtained in this study. Moreover, sensitivity analysis of the marine ecosystem services value revealed the relative importance of different factors.     

亚洲地下水资源与环境地质系列图及GIS系统结构

“亚洲地下水资源及环境地质系列图件”(1∶800万)属于洲际尺度图件,包括亚洲水文地质图、亚洲地下水资源图、亚洲地热图和亚洲地下水环境背景图等.针对全球变化,能源危机、资源短缺、环境恶化地质灾害频发的状况,特别是水资源安全保障与地质环境优劣更是直接影响亚洲地区可持续发展,编制上述图件,意义十分重大.亚洲地下水资源及环境...     

中国县域农村贫困的空间模拟分析

以中国县级行政区划为研究单元,从自然和社会经济因素中选取贫困的影响因子,建立评价指标体系,利用GIS空间分析和 BP人工神经网络,模拟各县域的自然致贫指数和社会经济消贫指数,并在分析贫困内在形成原因的基础上,明晰了空间贫困的分布特征。结果显示：自然因素是现阶段中国县域主要的致贫原因,全国县域自然致贫指数的分布呈现出明显随纬度和经度地带性分布的规律,自北而南、自西而东逐次呈带状排列分布。社会经济因素对贫困起到一定的缓解作用,全国县域社会经济消贫指数的空间分布较为破碎,各省区内部县域社会经济消贫指数的变异系数均大大高于自然致贫指数的变异系数。全国贫困压力指数以“黑河-百色”一线为界,东中西差异显著,呈现“大分散、小聚集”的空间分布格局。本文识别的贫困县与国家确定的重点扶贫县在空间上具有较高的重合性。     

Revisiting Sustainable Development of Dry Valleys in Hengduan Mountains Region

Dry valleys are a striking geographic landscape in Hengduan Mountains Region and are characterized by low rainfall, desert type of vegetation and fragile environment. Past efforts and resources have been concentrated mainly on rehabilitation of degraded ecosystem and fragile environment, particularly reforestation, while socio-economic development has been largely overlooked. Despite successes in pocket areas, the overall trend of unsustainability and environmental deterioration are continuing. It is important to understand that uplift of the Tibetan Plateau is the root cause of development of dry valleys, and development and formation of dry valleys is a natural process. Human intervention has played a secondary role in development of dry valleys and degradation of dry valleys though human intervention in many cases has speeded up environmental degradation of the dry valleys. It is important to understand that dry valleys are climatic enclaves and an integrated approach that combines rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and socio-economic development should be adopted if the overall goal of sustainable development of dry valleys is to be achieved. Promotion of niche-based cash crops, rural energy including hydropower, solar energy, biogas and fuelwood plantation is recommended as the priority activities.     

AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT PROBLEMS AND COUNTERMEASURES IN CHINA

China is facing the three major agroenvironment problems, which include: chemical pollution, abnormal ecological balance and natural resource deterioration. These environment problems have depleted part of the comprehensive agricultural productivity and hence become a resistance to the further development of agriculture. A number of measures have been taken for controlling over pollution and ecosystem declining. But for the sustainable development the more efforts are suggested to make, including the more stern measures in the population control, adopting the new techniques of saving natural resources and high efficiency, encouraging a frugal life style as well as paying more attentions to the research on the agricultural environment protection.     

基于环境感知的旅游型海岛和谐人地关系研究——以台湾海峡西岸鼓浪屿、湄洲岛为例

旅游型海岛人地关系和谐发展是全球关注的热点,立足于居民环境感知的视角,从基层、微观层面分析旅游型海岛人地关系状况、存在问题与解决途径。以台湾海峡西岸旅游型海岛鼓浪屿、湄洲岛为例,结合实地考察与问卷调查,探寻其人地关系和谐发展的路径,结果显示:鼓浪屿与湄洲岛人地关系的发展存在差异性,旅游因素明显推动海岛人地关系发展;旅游型海岛人地关系处于转型时期,需要对海岛居民生产方式、旅游业发展、生态环境变化进行动态监测和调整。     

The Environmental Impacts of Informal Economies in China: Inverted U-shaped Relationship and Regional Variances

This paper aims to the debate on the nexus between informal economies and the environment by investigating the long-term dynamic impacts of China's informal economies on pollution and considering regional differences in informal economies' pollution.This paper uses the Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes(MIMIC) model to estimate the size of informal economies and employs econometric models to examine their relationships to pollution based on provincial-level panel data from 2000 to 2017. The results indicate that informal economies' effects on environmental pollution are not purely positive or negative. Rather, our model indicates that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between informal economies and pollution in the long run in China; this means that the level of environmental pollution increases at first and then decreases with the growth of informal economies. Further analysis shows that while this inverted, U-shaped relationship is significant in different regions of China, it is affected by different environmental impact factors. The paper concludes by discussing the policy implications for environmental protection and sustainable development.     

Forest ecosystem services and their values in Beijing

As the most important ecosystem in Beijing, the forest supports a lot of ecosystem services to local and around communities, which plays a key role in the maintenance of urban ecological security.However, the valuation on the forest ecosystem services based on regional scale could not provide precise and reasonable values for forestry sector management.In this study, we estimated the magnitudes and economic values of the forest ecosystem services in Beijing at sublot level.The economic value of forest ecosystem services in Beijing was estimated to be 19 339.71×10 6 yuan(RMB) in 2004.Among all the ecosystem services indicators we estimated in this study, only fruit, timber and part of the recreation(which only include the tourism income from the forest parks and scenic areas, but not include that from other forest types) were measured in the social economic system.As estimated in this study, more than 82.19% of the economic value of forest ecosystem services could not be measured in the socio-economic statistical system.The importance of forest ecosystem services in Beijing to human welfare was underestimated by the socio-economic system.Therefore, the policies about the eco-compensation of forest ecosystem services should be established to maintain the sustainable supply of the forest ecosystem services in Beijing.     

Assessment of ecological importance of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau based on ecosystem service flows

Assessments of ecological importance based on static indexes that do not consider service flows frequently underestimate the importance of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as a "source". On the basis of natural environmental characteristics, this study selected six type of ecosystem services for evaluation, including water retention, soil retention, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, sandstorm prevention, and tourism. According to the attributes of each ecosystem service flow, we calculated the flow length and traffic accessibility indexes, using Arc GIS hydrological module and kernel functions separately, to comprehensively analyse the ecological importance levels of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Results showed that after considering the service flows, the ecologically important zone shifted to the core area of the Three River Source Region, such as Zadoi County located in the Tanggula Mountains. The area of extreme importance is mainly distributed in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, Tanggula Mountains, Hengduan Mountains, and Qilian Mountains, which accounts for 31.7% of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, providing approximately 60% of the ecosystem services and having extremely high protection efficiency and protection value. By introducing ecosystem service flow indexes, this study confirmed the ecological importance of core source areas such as the Tanggula Mountains, weakened the space bias caused by not considering the spatial transfer of ecosystem services, and provided technical support for optimizing ecological protection strategies and coordinating regional development.     

四川省矿区环境评价信息系统设计与应用

在矿产开采中废弃物及开采所导致的地质灾害等因素对矿区环境产生了很大的影响,传统的评价技术已不能满足矿区环境保护的要求,本文采用GIS技术评价矿区地质环境,结合矿区基础地理数据与矿山环境、地质灾害、基础类、地质等专题数据,构建基于B/S和C/S的系统的核心矿区空间信息框架,为矿区可持续发展综合评价提供决策支持。