Logs and snags in a shola forest of Kerala, India

Introduction Dead wood is an important structural and functional component of a forest ecosystem(Fridman and Welheim 2000). Recent studies also indicate that dead wood is important for maintaining both plant and animal diversity in different forest ecosystems (Grove 2001) as it serve as an energy source (Bray and Gorham 1964) and habitat for an array of organisms. Dead wood can also help reduce erosion, increase soil organic matters (McFee and Stone 1966), and suitable conditions for seedli…     

Integrated and Participatory Research Approaches towards Sustainable Livelihoods and Ecosystems in Mountainous Regions

Mountainous regions cover about 27 per cent of the world’s land surface and are home to some 22 per cent of the global population (UNEP 2002). A much greater number of people depend on mountain environments for a wide range of services, including clean water, energy, timber, biodiversity, recreation, and protection from environmental hazards, such as landslides and floods. At the same time, mountain areas are extremely vulnerable ecosystems and under continuous threat of environmental degrad…     

Rehabilitation and Sustainable Use Pattern of Rocky-desertified Land in Southwest China＇s Poverty-stricken Karst Mountainous Areas ——A Case Study in Benggu Township, Xichou County, Yunnan, China

The rocky desert in a karst area directly causes the lack of soil, water and forest, hence leading to the poverty there. In 1990, the villagers from the Muzhe Village in Benggu Township, Xichou County, Yunnan declared a war against rocky desert in an attempt to ask the fields for more yields. They invented a distinctive land rehabilitation and sustainable use pattern called ＂transforming heaven and earth＂ that had been practiced in Southwest China＇s karst areas. The key mechanism of the pattern was to develop terraced fields with well conserved soil, water and fertility by exploding rocks in the fields, building stone walls, gathering more soil, and improving soil quality and productivity for the fields in combination with building of irrigation facilities and roads, as well as with forestation and agriculture structure adjustment. The purpose of the pattern was to alleviate poverty in the karst areas by improving soil productivity and promoting agricultural development. A typical area was studied with the help of Participatory Rural Appraisal （PRA） and the pattern was carried out there for fifteen years, have produced excellent ecological benefits and good economic benefits. Its application in the area approved that it was a sustainable land use pattern for rocky desert areas.     

Relationships between fractal road and drainage networks in Wuling mountainous area: Another symmetric understanding of human-environment relations

Symmetrical relationships between humans and their environment have been referred to as an extension of symmetries in the human geographical system and have drawn great attention. This paper explored the symmetry between physical and human systems through fractal analysis of the road and drainage networks in Wuling mountainous area. We found that both the road and drainage networks reflect weak clustering distributions. The evolution of the road network shared a significant self-organizing composition, while the drainage network showed obvious double fraetal characteristics. The geometric fractal dimension of the road network was larger than that of the drainage network. In addition, when assigned a weight relating to hierarchy or length, neither the road network nor drainage network showed a fractal property. These findings indicated that the fractal evolution of the road network shared certain similarities with fractal distribution of the drainage network. The symmetry between the two systems resulted from an interactive process of destroying symmetry at the lower order and reconstructing symmetry at the higher order. The relationships between the fractal dimensions of the rural-urban road network, the drainage network andthe urban system indicated that the development of this area was to achieve the symmetrical isomorphism of physical-human geographical systems.     

Mushroom production as an alternative for rural development in a forested mountainous area

Wild mushrooms are recognized as important non-wood forest products in mountainous ecosystems, but their real potential for generating rural economies has not been fully evaluated due to the difficulties in obtaining reliable productivity data, minimizing their true potential as contributor to rural economies. Mushroom yield models based on large data series from Pinus forest ecosystems in the region of Catalonia(Spain), combined with data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory allow us to estimate the potential mushroom productivity by forest ecosystems. The results of 24,500 tons/yr of mushrooms of which 16,300 tons are classified as edible and 7,900 tons are commonly marketed demonstrate the importance of mushroom productions in Catalonian pine forests, mostly located in mountainous areas where the development of agricultural activities is limited. Economic mushroom value is estimated at 48 million € for the edible mushroom and 32 million € for those corresponding to marketable yields, confirming the potential of this non-wood forest product. These production results and corresponding economic values provide a basis for the incorporation of wild mushrooms as significant non-wood forest products in the development of forest policies in mountainous areas.     

五极纵轴测深法在龙岩灰岩地区寻找岩溶水的应用

曲潭测区内地形较平坦,多为第四系覆盖,表层土质较均匀,接地条件较好,选择五极纵轴电测深法在区内寻找岩溶地下水,通过视电阻率及激电二次场的测量,对物探异常的解译和深部钻孔验证,成功找到日出水量达千吨以上的岩溶地下水,为今后在灰岩地区寻找岩溶地下水提供借鉴意义。采用物探方法寻找岩溶地下水是一种不可替代的勘查方法,可以减少单纯钻探成井的盲目性,提高找水的成功率。     

大南坡村的“美学扶贫”

七八个猫冬的老人坐在大门口享受着春日的暖阳,还有几个老人领着孙子孙女在游乐场玩耍,工销社门前人来人往,书屋里,六七个孩童静静地写着作业……初春时节,走进修武县西村乡浅山区大南坡村,眼前一派安静祥和的美好景象。来到这里,喝一杯美式咖啡,逛着“五条人士多店”,打卡高端艺术展览……当“城市美学”与“乡村美学”碰撞,大南坡便有了无限可能。     

天峨县牛坪金矿地质特征及找矿意义

广西天峨牛坪金矿位于右江盆地北东侧、天峨构造北端 ,以岩溶砂金为主 ,金矿体主要赋存于受多组断裂控制的溶蚀洼地及溶洞中。矿区内发现含 (金 )锑水晶的石英—方解石脉、方解石脉 ,脉体成份与砂金矿石成份相同 ,说明砂金矿源于岩金矿脉。此发现对黔桂地区在碳酸盐岩区寻找同类型金矿 ,对锑、水晶矿点 (床 )资料二次开发 ,研究该区金矿成矿作用 ,具有现实意义。     

岩溶塌陷的形成机制

岩溶塌陷是塌陷体受到的致塌力超过抗塌力而产生的,各种致塌力可以形成多种力学效应,因而构成了不同的致塌模式。除特殊情况可由一种致塌力产生单一的致塌效应形成塌陷外,绝大多数情况下,都是多种力综合影响或迭加作用,出现两种以上致塌效应导致塌陷的形成。塌陷的形成应该是多机制的。据对全国800多个塌陷点研究,有重力致塌式,潜蚀致塌式、冲爆致塌式、真空吸蚀致塌式,振动致塌式、荷载致塌式、溶蚀致塌式、根蚀致塌式等八种基本的致塌模式。     

从永夏陈四楼煤矿水文地质特征看岩溶陷落柱并不存在

根据区域和矿区地质资料 ,结合岩溶陷落柱的形成地质条件进行认真的分析研究 ,得出了否定的认识 ,对正确认识永夏矿区的水文地质条件 ,有效地开展矿井防治水工作 ,正确指导生产有重要意义。