Modern sediment yield compared to geologic rates of sediment production in a semi‐arid basin,New Mexico: assessing the human impact

An Erratum has been published for this article in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 29(13) 2004, 1707. In the semi‐arid Arroyo Chavez basin of New Mexico, a 2·28 km² sub‐basin of the Rio Puerco, we contrasted short‐term rates (3 years) of sediment yield measured with sediment traps and dams with long‐term, geologic rates (～10 000 years) of sediment production measured using ¹⁰Be. Examination of erosion rates at different time‐scales provides the opportunity to contrast the human impact on erosion with background or geologic rates of sediment production. Arroyo Chavez is grazed and we were interested in whether differences in erosion rates observed at the two time‐scales are due to grazing. The geologic rate of sediment production, 0·27 kg m^?2 a^?1 is similar to the modern sediment yields measured for geomorphic surfaces including colluvial slopes, gently sloping hillslopes, and the mesa top which ranged from 0·12 to 1·03 kg m^?2 a^?1. The differences between modern sediment yield and geologic rates of sediment production were most noticeable for the alluvial valley ?oor, which had modern sediment yields as high as 3·35 kg m^?2 a^?1. The hydraulic state of the arroyo determines whether the alluvial valley ?oor is aggrading or degrading. Arroyo Chavez is incised and the alluvial valley ?oor is gullied and piped and is a source of sediment. The alluvial valley ?oor is also the portion of the basin most modi?ed by human disturbance including grazing and gas pipeline activity, both of which serve to increase erosion rates. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Land degradation is not a necessary outcome of communal pastoralism in arid Namibia

In Otjimbingwe, a region of arid south-central Namibia, human population densities are high and these communal pastoralists own large numbers of livestock. Such situations are commonly perceived to lead to the ‘tragedy of the commons'. This region lends itself to a comparison of the effects of communal and commercial farming (with private land ownership) because the communal area is completely surrounded by commercial farms. In spite of far higher stocking densities on the communal areas and the absence of an overall grazing strategy, we found no evidence of the ‘tragedy of the commons' on Otjimbingwe. Indeed, the communal areas did not differ in a number of soil and vegetation parameters from the commercial farms. These results point both to the resilience of arid environments to high stocking levels and the over-riding influence of abiotic variables on environmental quality.     

Recent environmental changes inferred from the sediments of small lakes in Yellowstone's northern range (Engstromet al., 1991)

Sedimentation rate data of Engstromet al. (1991) were analyzed in relation to the elevation of the eight ponds studied. The ... asynchroneity of the stratigraphic changes among the lakes ... that they noted was transformed into a pattern of time-transgressive change of sedimentation rate with elevation. Sediment units representing increasing (and decreasing) sedimentation rate and accelerating (and decelerating) sediment accumulation were correlated from pond to pond, suggesting that the sediment-producing condition somehow moved upslope over time at a rate of 3.4 to >5 m yr^–1. Climatic data appear not to explain this monotonic pattern, but dendrochronological data and elk population numbers suggest that ungulate foraging patterns might. Engstromet al. (1991) concluded that ...the lake-sediment records in the northern range do not convincingly show systematic direct or indirect effects of ungulate grazing during the history of the Park. Reinterpretation of these sediment data suggests that detailed reanalysis might lead to a different conclusion.     

Globalisation and the Livestock Industry in Botswana

The expansion of Botswana's livestock industry in recent years is partly a result of moves towards integration into the global economy. In the colonial period, livestock raising was the backbone of the national economy and in the post-colonial period remains the mainstay of the rural economy. Botswana's export-driven cattle industry has led to the establishment of a well-equipped infrastructure such as marketing and veterinary services, which rank among the most developed in Africa. The industry has much support from the government; hence, the cattle population continues to grow. Even though globalisation has generally had positive impacts on the development of Botswana's economy through beef exports, it has also generated some socioeconomic and environmental problems. Most serious are the continuing skewness of livestock holdings, increasing income disparities between the rich and poor, and accelerated overgrazing of rangelands due to overstocking of cattle by both communal and commercial farmers. The erection of veterinary cordon fences associated with the prevention of diseases and expansion of the cattle industry to meet export demands have decimated large numbers of migratory wildlife species in the country, with deleterious effects on the burgeoning tourist industry. As a result, globalisation is having both positive and negative impacts on the economy of Botswana.     

ALPINE AREAS IN THE COLORADO FRONT RANGE AS MONITORS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE*

ABSTRACT. The presence of a seasonal snowpack in alpine environments can amplify climate signals. A conceptual model is developed for the response of alpine ecosystems in temperate, midlatitude areas to changes in energy, chemicals, and water, based on a case study from Green Lakes Valley–Niwot Ridge, a headwater catchment in the Colorado Front Range. A linear regression shows the increase in annual precipitation of about 300 millimeters from 1951 to 1996 to be significant. Most of the precipitation increase has occurred since 1967. The annual deposition of inorganic nitrogen in wetfall at the Niwot Ridge National Atmospheric Deposition Program site roughly doubled between 1985–1988 and 1989–1992. Storage and release of strong acid anions, such as those from the seasonal snowpack in an ionic pulse, have resulted in episodic acidification of surface waters. These biochemical changes alter the quantity and quality of organic matter in high‐elevation catchments of the Rocky Mountains. Affecting the bottom of the food chain, the increase in nitrogen deposition may be partly responsible for the current decline of bighorn sheep in the Rocky Mountains.     

TPOA框架在禁牧政策效果评价与优化调控中的应用——以宁夏盐池县为例

位于北方农牧交错区地形、气候、植被过渡带的宁夏盐池县是典型的农牧生产和生态敏感区。基于农户视角,应用目标-过程-结果-调控四维分析框架（TPOA）和问卷数据,分析禁牧政策的实施效果和适时调整问题,对于全面了解禁牧政策的实施效用、制定相应的调控对策具有一定的实践指导意义,可为北方农牧交错区禁牧的适时调整与草原的合理利用提供案例支撑。禁牧政策实施中,60.40%、55.38%和11.83%的受访户分别采取了扩张型、调整型和收缩型适应策略,农户从事非农产业的比例提高,夜间偷牧现象普遍,存在饲草缺口大、养殖成本高、龙头企业带动力不强、市场监管难等困境。该政策的实施实现了盐池当地草原生态恢复和沙漠化逆转,38.79%的受访户认为禁牧政策确实“达到了”生态恢复的预期目标,60.87%的农户对草原补奖表示满意,46.09%的受访户认为禁牧政策亟待调整,可从提高禁牧补偿标准、生态适宜地区适当开牧、延长补助期限等方面着手。将TPOA框架应用于禁牧政策效果评价中,为评价生态政策的实施绩效提供了理论基础。     

社会—生态系统视角下农户对禁牧政策的适应性——以宁夏盐池县为例

为了保护草原生态环境,2002年起国家全面实施“退牧还草”工程,在草原破坏严重的地区实施禁牧政策。政策实施后,草地生态明显恢复。作为草原最主要的经济活动主体和禁牧政策的最直接承受者,农户对政策的适应性直接影响政策的顺利进行以及生态环境恢复的可持续性。基于宁夏盐池县入户调查资料,研究了不同类型农户对禁牧政策的生态环境效应感知以及对禁牧政策适应能力感知,分析了不同类型农户对禁牧政策的应对策略,探讨了影响农户适应策略选择的主要因素。结果表明：（1）盐池县社会-生态系统尚处于不理想的系统稳态,生态系统恢复明显,但社会系统的适应性较低。农户普遍认为禁牧政策实施对生态环境有很大的改善,但对禁牧政策满意度感知处于中等水平,对禁牧政策适应能力的感知处于较低水平。由于生计方式和收入水平的差异,不同类型农户对禁牧政策的适应性感知差异较大。（2）不同类型农户采取不同适应策略应对禁牧政策实施造成的影响。纯农户适应策略以收缩型为主,兼业户和非农户以调节型为主,低收入和中等收入农户以收缩型为主,高收入农户以调节型为主。（3）农户对禁牧政策的适应成本、自我效能和农户拥有的人力资本、金融资本是影响农户适应性策略类型选择的主要因素。     

禁牧对安西荒漠化草原芨芨草光合生理生态特征的影响

对安西温性荒漠化草原退牧还草围栏建设工程区芨芨草光合生理生态特征进行了监测分析。结果显示,与放牧区相比较,围栏禁牧草场环境中气温和叶温相对较低,空气湿度相对较高,二者环境有显著差异,表明禁牧极大地改善了草原牧草的生长环境。同时,禁牧区草地主要植物类群芨芨草叶片的光合速率较高,有利于其生长和干物质的积累。     

In-situ studies of microzooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Preliminary studies on microzooplankton grazing were conducted with dilution method in Jiaozhou Bay from summer 1998 to spring 1999. Four experiments were carried out at St. 5 located at the center of Jiaozhou Bay. Chlorophyll a concentrations were consistently dominated by netphytoplankton (net-, >20μm), except during the autumn 1998 cruise, when they were dominated by nanophytoplankton(nano-, 2–20μm). The contribution of picophytoplankton (pico-, <2μm) to total chlorophyll a concentrations (<200μm) varied considerably between cruises. Instantaneous growth coefficients(u) of phytoplankton varied from 0.098 to 1.947d⁻¹, with mean value of 0.902d⁻¹. Instantaneous coefficients(g) of microzooplankton grazing on phytoplankton ranged from 0.066 to 0.567d⁻¹, mean value of 0.265d⁻¹, which was equivalent to daily lose of 21.9% of the initial standing stock and 58.1% of the daily potential production. Project No KZCX3-SW-214 supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences.