A history of the ‘Zambian copper flower', Becium centraliafricanum (B. homblei)

This contribution is a short history of the Zambian copper flower, Becium homblei (recently renamed B. centraliafricanum that has attracted attention as a plant associated with Cu-rich soils. It has a peculiar discontinuous distribution in Central Africa which has been explained in terms of biotype depletion. A field investigation into the ecology of the species shows that it is able to tolerate soil Cu concentrations of up to 15,000 μg/g (ppm), and soil nickel concentrations of nearly 5000 μg/g. B. homblei is also found on areas where soil metals are in trace quantities, and where soil bases, particularly Ca, are low. In spite of its tolerance to a wide range of edaphic conditions, the distribution of the species is very restricted in Zimbabwe, and this is almost certainly due to severe interspecific competition with a closely related species, B. obovatum, which is common on soils not unusually enriched in heavy metals. Pioneering work on geobotanical prospecting by use of Becium homblei was carried out by the late G. Woodward and others in the 1950s and 1960s. This species was used successfully for geobotanical prospecting for Cu. This present report is a brief history of these pioneering studies     

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.