Are fiddler crabs potentially useful ecosystem engineers in mangrove wastewater wetlands?

The effect of different organic-rich sewage concentration (0%, 20% and 60% diluted in seawater) and absence or presence of mangrove trees on the survival, bioturbation activities and burrow morphology of fiddler crabs species was assessed. After 6 months, males of both species always showed higher survival (80%) when compared to females (20%). Crabs inhabiting pristine conditions achieved higher survival (67–87%) than those living in sewage-exposed mesocosms (40–71%). At 60% sewage loading, fiddler crabs processed less sediment (34–46%) during feeding and excavated slightly more sediment (45–80%) than at pristine conditions. While percent volume of the burrow chambers increased (13–66%) at contaminated mesocosms for both vegetation conditions, burrows were shallower (33%) in bare cells loaded with sewage. The results show that fiddler crabs presented moderate mortality levels in these artificial mangrove wetlands, but mainly in sewage impacted cells. However, they still function as ecosystem engineers through bioturbation activities and burrow construction.     

Potential application of remote sensing in monitoring ecosystem services of forests,mangroves and urban areas

The application of remote sensing (RS) techniques to monitor ecosystem services has increased in recent years. Nevertheless, the potential application of RS to monitor some of ecosystem services is still challenging. The paper reviews the applications of RS to monitor ecosystem services of forests, mangroves and urban areas. Satellite data provide substantial information about dynamics of environmental changes over time from local to global scale. These information are useful data sources for the people who are involved in the on-going evaluation and decision-making process to manage ecosystem. Many recent research papers on the topic were reviewed to find new applications and limitations of RS for monitoring ecosystem services. Advanced RS techniques have high potential to monitor ecosystem services with the advancement of sensors ranging from aerial photography to high and medium resolution optical RS and from hyperspectral RS to microwave RS.     

Creating win-wins from trade-offs? Ecosystem services for human well-being: A meta-analysis of ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies in the real world

Ecosystem services can provide a wide range of benefits for human well-being, including provisioning, regulating and cultural services and benefitting both private and public interests in different sectors of society. Biophysical, economic and social factors all make it unlikely that multiple needs will be met simultaneously without deliberate efforts, yet while there is still much interest in developing win-win outcomes there is little understanding of what is required for them to be achieved. We analysed outcomes in a wide range of case studies where ecosystem services had been used for human well-being. Using systematic mapping of the literature from 2000 to 2013, we identified 1324 potentially relevant reports, 92 of which were selected for the review, creating a database of 231 actual or potential recorded trade-offs and synergies. The analysis of these case studies highlighted significant gaps in the literature, including: a limited geographic distribution of case studies, a focus on provisioning as opposed to non-provisioning services and a lack of studies exploring the link between ecosystem service trade-offs or synergies and the ultimate impact on human well-being. Trade-offs are recorded almost three times as often as synergies and the analysis indicates that there are three significant indicators that a trade-off will occur: at least one of the stakeholders having a private interest in the natural resources available, the involvement of provisioning ecosystem services and at least one of the stakeholders acting at the local scale. There is not, however, a generalisable context for a win-win, indicating that these trade-off indicators, although highlighting where a trade-off may occur do not indicate that it is inevitable. Taking account of why trade-offs occur (e.g. from failures in management or a lack of accounting for all stakeholders) is more likely to create win-win situations than planning for a win-win from the outset. Consequently, taking a trade-offs as opposed to a win-win approach, by having an awareness of and accounting for factors that predict a trade-off (private interest, provisioning versus other ES, local stakeholder) and the reasons why trade-offs are often the outcome, it may be possible to create the synergies we seek to achieve.     

Business Services,Productivity, and Wages: Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Michigan Counties, 1977–1997

This article investigates the growth of business services (SIC73) in Michigan and models the relationship between the industry and local economic conditions in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. The research makes four conclusions. First, SIC73 measures explain variance in manufacturing productivity. Second, SIC73 indicators explain variation in manufacturing and overall wages. Third, these relationships vary between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. Despite growth in rural regions, SIC73 indicators more effectively predict wages and productivity in metropolitan counties. Hence, the localized benefits associated with SIC73 industries are more strongly associated with metropolitan economies. Fourth, the interdependencies that have developed between SIC73 industries and the manufacturing sector decrease over time in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan contexts. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.     

Forest offsets and the California compliance market: Bringing an abstract ecosystem good to market

Improved Forest Management (IFM) projects under the California cap-and-trade market allow production of new, non-traditional commodities: forest carbon offsets. Earlier analyses have considered forest offsets generated through tree planting in the Global South, as vehicles for sustainable development. However, the California IFM program is testing offset production in new geographic and forest management contexts: with offsets produced and consumed within the US on working (timber producing) forests. With data drawn from California IFM project design documents and in-depth interviews with carbon project developers, this study traces the development, sale, and maintenance of forest offsets, in order to map access to benefits along the commodity chain. Results reveal that the cost and complexity of rendering biological services ‘real’ for market legitimacy are reducing benefits to marginal landowners, who lack needed capital, knowledge, and technology to bring offsets to market. An important insight of this study is that the state has maintained power over program participation and offset supply through control of the forest offset methodology, creating a production process largely mediated by the state, adding risk and uncertainty to market participation. Findings provide an empirical example of neoliberal nature and offer broader lessons on governance and benefit distribution for ecosystem service commodity chains.     

黄土丘陵区生态系统服务供需匹配研究——以兰州市为例

生态系统服务的持续供给是社会和自然可持续发展的基础,人类通过对生态系统服务的消费来满足需求和提高自身福祉。研究生态系统服务的供给和人类对生态系统服务的需求与消费,分析生态系统服务的供需特征与空间权衡关系,对区域生态系统的管理和资源的有效配置具有重要意义。以兰州市为例,利用全市2017年土地覆被、气象观测和统计年鉴等多源数据,应用InVEST模型、ArcGIS和GeoDA等空间分析工具,计算了研究区产水、食物供给、碳固持和土壤保持等4项服务的供给量及需求量,并对区域内生态系统服务的供需匹配状况进行了分析与评价。结果表明：① 兰州市各项生态系统服务的供给与需求空间异质性显著,各项服务总供给量均大于总需求量,且在不同区域与不同生态系统服务之间存在明显差异;② 兰州市综合生态系统服务供需比为0.039,不同生态系统服务供需匹配状况存在差异,产水服务（0.098）>碳固持服务（0.066）>食物供给服务（0.030）>土壤保持服务（0.001）,且城乡供需匹配差异显著;③ 兰州市生态系统服务供需空间匹配有“高高型空间匹配”、“低低型空间匹配”、“高低型空间错位”和“低高型空间错位”4种类型,且各项服务的主导空间匹配类型有所不同;④ 兰州市各项生态系统服务的供需平衡状况存在明显的协同作用,分别是“高高协同”与“低低协同”。     

The Norwegian plan for integrated ecosystem-based management of the marine environment in the Norwegian Sea

A White Paper on a new integrated management plan for the Norwegian Sea was launched by the Norwegian government in May 2009. Following international guidelines for ecosystem-based management, the plan provides an overall framework for managing all human activities (mainly oil and gas industry, fishing, and shipping) in the area to ensure the continued production and function of the ecosystem. The plan is based on an assessment of the present and projected future impact of human activities and of the interactions between them, taking into account deficits in current knowledge of ecosystem state and dynamics. Areas of particular value in terms of biodiversity or biological production were identified. In each of these valuable areas, any access for substantial human activity is to be carefully managed. To monitor the overall development of the Norwegian Sea, a set of indicators with associated environmental quality objectives have been selected. The approach used builds upon experience gained from the first integrated Norwegian management plan for a marine area, the Barents Sea–Lofoten region, developed in 2002–2006. Work towards a Norwegian management plan for the North Sea, including Skagerrak, was initiated in 2009.     

Resilience to change in two coastal communities: Using the maximum dexterity fleet

Using whole-ecosystem dynamic simulation models fitted to local data, two coastal communities are described (temperate, northern British Columbia, Canada; tropical, Raja Ampat, Indonesia) where relatively poor fishers’ livelihoods are threatened by climate change and overfishing. A novel theoretical minimum bycatch scenario, the ‘maximum dexterity fleet’, is combined with a search algorithm specifying optimal fisheries to achieve economic and biodiversity goals. Potential gains made by approaching an optimal fleet configuration prove robust against increased risks from climate variability. Although fish, gear and way of life differ greatly, in both communities it is suggested that dexterity (adroitness in adapting fishing gear) could lead to improved benefits from fishing.     

省级国土资源“一张图”数据库建设关键技术研究

加快以国土资源遥感监测"一张图"为基础的核心数据库建设,是国土资源信息化"十二五"期间的重点工作。结合江苏省级国土资源"一张图"工程建设情况,简要介绍省级"一张图"数据库建设内容和成果。本文重点对省级海量空间数据的存储组织和地图服务等关键技术进行研究。     

一体化专业气象服务集成系统

针对现有专业气象服务效益不高,集约化程度低的问题,结合现有专业气象服务模式和业务流程,提出以实现专业气象服务的集约化、规模化和标准化为目标,集数据采集、产品加工、产品显示发布、业务管理于一体的专业气象服务集成系统。系统采用数据解析技术将不同的专业气象服务所需的数据解析为统一的格式,利用网络地理信息系统等技术生成动态服务产品,实现产品自动化制作。自2011年4月汛期投入贵州省气象服务中心使用以来,取得了明显的经济效益和社会效益,满足了业务的需要,有效地提高了专业气象服务的水平。