Oil and gas development exposure and conservation scenarios for Greater sage-grouse: Combining spatially explicit modeling with GIS visualization provides critical information for management decisions

During the last quarter-century, global demand for energy has increased by more than 60%, and a similar increase is anticipated to occur by 2030 (Raymond, Deming, & Nichols, 2007). In the U.S., oil and gas development is projected to continue across western states within sage-grouse habitat. Greater sage-grouse, recently a candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), have well documented negative responses to oil and gas disturbance. In this study, we create spatially-explicit oil and gas future development scenarios, baseline and high, and link them to sage-grouse population and habitat maps to quantify future exposure risk within Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) sage-grouse management zones (MZ) I and II. We then analyze recent land use decisions from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) along with enacted policy from the State of Wyoming to estimate how these management actions might minimize the exposure risk of sage-grouse to oil and gas development into the future. Our results show that BLM and Wyoming conservation plans could reduce the exposure of sage-grouse to oil and gas development from 15-27% to 11–17% (31–37% reduction) in MZ I and from 15-27% to 5–9% (64–68% reduction) in MZ II. Our estimates of exposure to future oil and gas development, and conservation measures designed to ameliorate those threats, represent the upper and lower extents of potential impacts within scenarios. Our work demonstrates how spatial modeling and GIS visualization can be used by managers to assess likely outcomes of conservation decisions.     

Willingness and Participation of Local Communities to Manage Communal Grazing Lands in the Lake Tana Biosphere,Ethiopia

Sustainable management of communal grazing lands in Ethiopia is crucial to sustain livestock productivity and reduce land degradation. This study was conducted in Dera district, Ethiopia, to assess local communities’ perceptions of the degradation and their attitudes on the management of communal grazing lands. Household surveys, group discussions, and the contingent valuation method were used to gather data. Results indicated that local communities are aware of the degradation and are willing to participate in the management of communal grazing lands by contributing labor and cash. Labor contribution is positively and significantly correlated to total livestock units (TLU) and credit, and negatively correlated with household size and extension service. Significant correlation between the willingness to contribute cash and TLU was also detected. Community participation and discussions, demarcation of boundaries, equity in benefit sharing, and engaging both formal and informal institutions are crucial to sustain and enhance the effectiveness of grazing land management.     

Research on the Development Status and Strategy of Productive Rooftop Gardens on Commercial Complexes

The introduction of productive gardens on public building roofs is an active way to use urban idle space. It has ecological, economic, and social values and helps alleviate many urban problems caused by the rapid advancement of land urbanization. This paper takes the productive rooftop garden of an urban commercial complex as an example, and assesses its development status based on methods including ArcGIS, field research, and questionnaire interviews, combined with the overall aspects of the country and key case analysis. The results indicate several key aspects of the current status of such gardens in China. (1) As affected by natural and social factors, the current spatial distribution of productive rooftop gardens of commercial complexes in Chinese mainland is uneven, with 84.21% located in the southeast coast and the Sichuan region. (2) The operation and development of this type of productive landscape is in good shape. The number of rooftop gardens has continued to increase since 2013, and the scale is generally greater. Currently, the business model which combines nature education and parent-child amusement experience activities is the most stable. (3) Cases in good operating condition tend to have relatively related characteristics in layouts, traffic functions, landscape elements, and space design. (4) Questionnaire interviews show that citizens are highly willing to participate in rooftop productive landscapes, while operators still experience challenges in policies, funds, and planting knowledge in practice. This paper analyses the existing problems in the development status and strategy of the rooftop productive landscape. It proposes complementary optimization strategies to serve as a reference for the rooftop design of commercial complexes and the utilization of a significant amount of idle space on the roofs.     

甘南牧区劳动力转移背景下留守农户生计策略选择

劳动力转移的行为和经历对贫困农（牧）户的生计产生了并继续产生着复杂而深远的影响,并构成了留守家庭成员进行新的生计选择的背景和前提条件。在资本变动和要素约束下,西部民族地区农（牧）户进行着不同的生产决策,并形成不同类型的生计策略。以甘南牧区为例,通过解析劳动力转移的特征变量,总结典型的劳动力转移农（牧）户家庭主要的生计策略模式,揭示了甘南牧区劳动力转移对留守农（牧）户生计策略选择的作用关系,并得出相应的结论。结果表明：转移劳动力文化水平、劳动力转移的外出时间、务工去向与转移劳动力工种类型在一定程度上影响了留守农（牧）户生计策略的选择。这可为西部民族地区政府部门制定科学、合理、可持续的劳动力资源利用政策,促进当地农（牧）户生计的可持续发展提供参考依据。     

Geographic Dimensions of Relocation Activity: A Comparative Analysis of Intrametropolitan and Out-of-State Relocation Activity

Over the years, research on relocation activity has provided insights about the characteristics of firms and regions that drive relocation. The spatial dimensions of these relocation decisions, however, particularly within states or metropolitan areas, remain an understudied aspect of the relocation literature. There is also little work comparing the destinations of relocations originating from within metropolitan areas compared to relocation activity from other states. Given the theoretical and practical importance of higher resolution, comparative research on relocation activity within metropolitan areas, this article uses both areal and point-based spatial statistics to test hypotheses about similarities and differences in the relocation behavior of locally oriented and out-of-state businesses within the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. Analytical results highlight distinct differences in the destinations of relocation activity originating from within the metropolitan area compared to out-of-state relocation activity. Intrametropolitan relocations tend to locate in less expensive and racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, whereas out-of-state relocations locate in wealthier, well-known locations of the metropolitan area. Out-of-state relocations are also less likely to locate in the downtown core. This suggests that expensive smokestack-chasing efforts directed at attracting businesses from out of state are unlikely to help revitalize the downtown core.     

韩国南极国家行动:动因、举措及策略

南极地区位于地球的最南端,其独特的地理位置和自然环境一方面推迟了人类对其争夺和改造,另一方面也积累和形成了特殊的资源储量和战略价值。在物质资源日益匮乏的今天,南极作为尚待开发的新边疆,其战略意义日渐突显。韩国在南极有着广泛而特殊的利益,为了实现这些利益,改变后发参与的不利局面,韩国在南极科研、政治、经济等领域采取了诸多积极举措,并且形成了一套灵活务实的策略。随着国内外形势的发展,韩国未来将制定正式的南极政策文件,在原有实践基础上加大参与力度,并充分发挥企业的支援作用,实现国内优势向国家能力的转换,从而更好地推进其南极战略。     

滇东北山区土地资源开发利用战略Ⅰ.土地资源特点、利用现状及潜力

分析了本区土地资源的基本特点、利用现状、存在问题及土地开发利用潜力。     

青岛中港东区岸滩改造方案与功能区别

介绍了青岛中港东区改造工程的背景和自然概况,阐明了东区改造工程建设规模、功能与港区现状、近期营运需求以及远期发展目标的相互关系,同时论述了岸滩改造方案的设计特点以及码头岸线、周边陆域功能区划。     

对未来防洪减灾形势和对策的一些思考

简要介绍了20世纪90年代我国大江大河的防洪形势。重点指出:河道萎缩,江河泄洪能力下降,行洪水位抬高,城市水灾突出,洪涝矛盾加重和水灾损失急剧增加的特点。探讨了防洪减灾的目标和标准,在进行防洪策略历史回顾的基础上,阐述了防洪减灾对策和基本措施方向。     

对中国地球物理学发展的思考--兼论中国科学院地球物理研究所在地球科学中心建设中的地位与作用

无论是从对地球物理性质的基本认识,还是从国民经济经济发展的需要看,地球物理学都应得到重视和发展。在总结我国地球物理工作的基础上,讨论了地球物理学尤其是固体地球物理学的趋势,如学科发展问题、重大科学问题及观测手段问题等。在此基础上,对地球物理研究所在固体地球科学中心中的地位及作用进行了分析,它就是以基础民为国民经济经济服务及为国家决策咨询相并重。另外,对建立地球科学中心的模式进行了初步探讨。