Alpine medicinal plant trade and Himalayan mountain livelihood strategies

Commercial alpine medicinal plants are collected from the wild by local rural households throughout the Himalaya and sold in order to increase household incomes. Recent studies indicate that this annual trade amounts to thousands of tonnes of roots, rhizomes, tubers, leaves, etc., worth millions of US dollars. The main market is in India. Based on a national survey, including the most commonly traded species, and a village study this paper investigates the importance of the alpine medicinal plant trade at national and local levels in Nepal. The national survey included standardized open-ended interviews with 232 harvesters, 64 local traders, 66 central wholesalers, 47 regional wholesalers, and 16 production companies. The village survey is based on the daily records of household activities in 15 households in a one-year period. The annual Nepalese alpine and sub-alpine medicinal plant trade is conservatively estimated to vary from 480 to 2500 t with a total harvester value of US$0.8–3.3 million; the average harvester value is estimated at US$66.0 ± 99.0. The trade in 1997/98 amounted to 1600 t with a harvester value of US$2.3 million and an export value equivalent to 2.5% of total export from Nepal. Medicinal plant harvesting was found to constitute an integrated part of local livelihood strategies, contributing from 3 to 44% (average of 12%) of the annual household income. Importance at household level depended on land and animal holdings, and the availability of adult male labour. The validity and reliability of methods and analyses is evaluated, and issues of conservation and management of alpine medicinal plant species under the community forestry scheme are discussed.     

京、津、冀区域群发性强沙尘暴分析

利用1954—2002年82个站的气象观测资料，探讨京、津、冀区域群发性强沙尘暴的认定标准，构建较完整的群发性强沙尘暴序列，并分析该地区群发性强沙尘暴的时空分布特征和气候变化趋势。近50a京、津、冀区域共出现了39例群发性强沙尘暴，河北省的冀西北高原区和石家庄、保定、衡水、沧州四市交接处饶阳一带是京、津、冀区域强沙尘暴天气的多发区。多发季节为3—5月，占全年总数的76．9％，其中4月份最多，占全年总数的51．3％。群发性强沙尘暴年代际变化呈现总体减少趋势，其发生次数、覆盖面积均是以20世纪90年代为最低值．     

水土流失评价数据库建立中的数据标准化研究--以中国潜在水土流失评价数据库为例

在水土流失评价数据库的建立研究中，涉及到数据的标准化问题。该研究以中国潜在水土流失评价数据库建立过程中的数据标准化研究为例，探讨建立适合水土流失评价数据标准化的方法。研究包括了水土流失数据标准化建设中的评价数据库的设计、数据的标准化。其中，数据的标准化包括数据的收集与分析、数据的录入、投影变换、其它格式向ARC/INFO格式的转换、补充编制专题文档等。     

塔里木盆地地貌过程对绿洲形成演变的影响

第三纪末以来，天山、昆仑山强烈隆起使塔里木盆地相对下沉，山盆高差悬殊大，白山顶至盆地腹部地貌外力作用过程依次由冰川作用→冰缘作用→流水作用→干燥作用→冲→洪积作用→湖积作用→风沙作用过渡。在山区河谷平原、平原区冲积扇、冲积平原、湖积平原等地方形成条带状、串珠状、扇形状绿洲，绿洲平面几何形状与适宜绿洲形成与发展的地貌类型空间分布基本吻合。绿洲荒漠化和荒漠绿洲化与地貌过程的关系密切。纵观区内地貌过程发展趋势可预测，区内流水、风沙和人类活动三大地貌过程将有增无减，流水侵蚀与风蚀风积作用将对绿洲产生不良作用。山区流水侵蚀过程加强导致山麓地带绿洲山洪泥石流危害加重。平原河流下游地区流水作用减弱，风蚀风积过程加剧，由绿洲→荒漠演变，而人类活动可分建设作用与破坏作用两方面，前者可稳定绿洲乃至促进荒漠绿洲化而后者则导致绿洲荒漠化。因此，改善山区、山麓地带，特别是盆地南缘与塔河中、下游等重要地区地貌过程并防止绿洲荒漠化，是保障区域可持续发展的有效途径。     

湘北红壤坡地雨水过程的水土流失及其影响

模拟主要利用方式构建的垫面为主导因子,采用径流场实测方法,通过4a(1998～2001年)实地观测试验,剖析不同下垫面对雨水地表径流及其过程的影响。研究表明:降雨(时间分布及其强度)是影响地表径流特征的主导因素;年降雨量与地表径流量和系统水土流失量呈正相关。不同垫面地表径流产量有显著性差异;雨水径流过程的土壤和养分流失有相似的表现。在假定雨水年份的基础上,应用不同雨水年份出现概率指标,推算出:湘北红壤坡地现今利用状况下,雨水产地表径流过程的年均水土流失量及其养分(有机质、N、P、K)损失量;和可最大开发利用时,可能带来的水土流失与养分损失。提出"利用坡地集雨利用优势,构建与单元生态系统水循环平衡相适应的坡地农林复合生态系统,通过水平衡生态建设来维系生态系统的水分平衡"观点。     

青藏公路铁路沿线生态系统特征及道路修建对其影响

根据2001—08和2002—08月野外调查数据及2001年1：100万中国植被图、1996年1：400万青藏高原植被区划图和2000年青藏铁路沿线自然保护区分布及功能区界调整图，以青藏公路铁路沿线植被生态系统为研究对象，运用ARCVIEW和ARC／INFO软件研究青藏公路铁路建设对沿线生态系统结构的影响，结论如下：①青藏公路铁路南北跨越9个纬度，东西跨越12个经度，共穿越青东祁连山地草原地带、柴达木山地荒漠地带、青南高寒草甸草原地带、羌塘高寒草原地带、果洛那曲高寒灌丛草甸地带和藏南山地灌丛草原地带6个自然区，对植被类型的统计结果显示了地带性。②青藏公路铁路的建设对生态系统产生直接的切割，使景观更加破碎。③青藏公路铁路的建设直接破坏沿线植被生态系统(主要为50m缓冲区内)，年损失总净初级生产量为30504．62t，损失总生物量432919．25～1436104．3t／a。损失总净初级生产量占1km缓冲区年净初级生产量535005．07～535740．11t／a的百分比为5．70％，占10km缓冲区年净初级生产量3408950．45～3810480．92t／a的0．80～0．89％；损失生物量占1km缓冲区生物总量7502971．85～25488342．71t／a的5．70％，占10km缓冲区总生物量43615065．35～164150665．37t／a的0．80％～0．89％。     

中外饭店区域集团化特征对比研究

随着饭店业全球化进程的发展，饭店之间的竞争日趋激烈，国际饭店集团的出现使国际旅游市场和饭店业都发生了极大的变化。与中国饭店集团相比，国际饭店集团具有诸多竞争优势，本文将以世界饭店集团300强为例，与中国饭店区域集团化特征进行对比分析，从而为中国饭店业借鉴国际饭店集团成功经验，应对其挑战提供启示。     

国外开发欠发达地区的经验教训对中国西部城镇化的启示

美国、英国、日本、意大利、巴西等国先后对本国欠发达地区进行了开发建设。它们以城镇化为动力、大力发展城镇工业，已经取得许多成功经验，也有着深刻的教训。中国西部大开发可从国外开发欠发达地区的经验教训中受到启迪，以城镇化为增长点带动区域经济的全面发展，重视生态环境的保护和建设，加强以交通运输为重点的城镇基础设施建设，探索出西部地区城镇工业独特的发展道路，实现经济、社会和环境的可持续发展。     

(Re)surveying the uses of Geographical Information Systems in Health Authorities 1991–2001

This paper provides a comparative analysis of two separate national surveys of the uptake and use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) by Health Authorities (HAs) in England and Wales. The surveys were undertaken at two different time points (1991 and 2001), and the intervening period has been characterized by major (and continuing) health sector restructuring. The substantial number of HA mergers between 1991 and 2001 provide a methodological challenge in attempting to make comparisons. A pragmatic approach is adopted and the presentation of results has to be restricted solely to English and Welsh HA data. Our findings show that there has been a considerable increase in the use of GIS since the early 1990s, and there is some evidence of more sophisticated uses for a wider range of policy-related and application tasks. However, we conclude that there is still considerable scope for the wider uptake and use of GIS within the NHS. In addition, our findings provide a baseline with which to monitor the impacts of future organizational restructuring on the uses of GIS within the NHS. We suggest that this is important given the replacement of 95 English HAs with 28 new Strategic HAs (StHAs) from April 2002, and the repercussions of the anticipated shift in GIS responsibility to Primary Care Trusts.