The history of environmental change and adaptation in eastern Saloum–Senegal—Driving forces and perceptions

Environmental change in the Sahel–Sudan zone of West Africa has been a major issue in development debates over the last decades. Using remote sensing based land cover change analysis, archival data, national and international statistical data, and household interviews, we analyze the drivers of environmental change in Eastern Saloum in Central East Senegal as well as the local perceptions of these changes and adaptation. Being part of the ground nut basin, Eastern Saloum has witnessed rapid environmental degradation caused by the conversion of forest and savanna areas to agricultural land during the last 20–30 years and by a combination of decline in precipitation, soil degradation, a diversity of policies with little concern for the environment, fluctuating markets and population pressure. Farmers perceive the environmental change mainly as land degradation and poor soil fertility, though recent extensification of agriculture counters this effect and has led to increased vegetation cover in marginal areas. They identified erratic climate, agricultural policies, insufficient food production and desire to increase income as the main drivers of change in the area. We conclude that while climate variability has influenced environmental change in the area, various types of State interventions in agriculture and global market fluctuations appear to have been the main underlying causes of environmental degradation.     

气候变化影响和适应认知的演进及对气候政策的影响

通过分析IPCC第二工作组的5次评估报告对气候变化影响、适应的主要结论和方法的演进、原因以及对国际适应谈判和国家适应政策的影响,指出由于文献的迅速增加,影响评估方法和适应技术手段的不断成熟,以及思维的转变和意识的逐渐增强,IPCC进一步确认了气候变化已经并将继续对自然生态系统和人类社会产生广泛而深刻的影响;未来社会经济发展路径、适应和减缓行动以及风险治理将影响气候变化带来的风险。IPCC报告极大地推动了国际和各国适应气候变化科学研究和政策实践的进程。尽管中国各级各部门已逐渐将适应融入到相关政策中,但仍然存在认识、能力、体制机制等问题,需要进一步推进国家和各地的适应工作。     

Pauperizing the pastoral periphery: the marginalization of herding communities in the world's dry lands

Environmental degradation and other socio-economic problems are too often discerned in contemporary pastoral systems in the wake of global economic change. This paper identifies cases where pastoral people respond to external pressures and opportunities in positive ways and adapt to changes. We hope that by doing this a framework of pastoral adaptations can be developed. The first part of this paper focuses on impacts of global economic change, which are mostly negative in nature. Through an extensive literature search in geography, anthropology, range management, and development field, the second part introduces cases that we categorize as positive adaptations.     

生物型凹凸棒基高分子固沙材料的复配效果

由于具有提高沙土的稳定性和保水性等特征,复合高吸水性固沙材料在荒漠化土地治理方面具有一定的潜力和应用前景。研究了蓝藻结皮在不同比例凹凸棒基高分子固沙材料中的生长状态和生理特性。结果表明:蓝藻结皮与经4 mol·L^-1硫酸改性后的凹凸棒基高分子固沙材料以1∶3质量比配比生长情况最佳;比较了复配材料喷洒量为400、500g·m^-2处理下蓝藻叶绿素a、丙二醛、可溶性蛋白及可溶性糖含量等生理指标,喷洒量为500 g·5m^-2的蓝藻结皮与经4 mol·L^-1硫酸改性后的凹凸棒基高分子固沙材料生理特性较好。     

Adaptation models of mountain glacier tourism to climate change: a case study of Mt. Yulong Snow scenic area

Mountain glaciers have an obvious location advantage and tourist market condition over polar and high latitude glaciers. Due to the enormous economic benefit and heritage value, some mountain glaciers will always receive higher attention from commercial media, government departments and mountain tourists in China and abroad. At present, more than 100 glaciers have been developed successfully as famous tourist destinations all over the world. However, global climate change seriously affects mountain glaciers and its surrounding environment. According to the current accelerated retreat trend, natural and cultural landscapes of some glaciers will be weakened, even disappear in the future. Climate change will also inevitably affect mountain ecosystems, and tourism routes under ice and glacier experience activities in these ecosystems. Simultaneously, the disappearance of mountain glaciers will also lead to a clear reduction of tourism and local economic benefits. Based on these reasons, this paper took Mt. Yulong Snow scenic area as an example and analyzed the retreat trend of a typical glacier. We then put forward some scientific and rational response mechanisms and adaptation models based on climate change in order to help future sustainable development of mountain glacier tourism.     

A Rising Tide in Bangladesh: livelihood adaptation to climate stress

ABSTRACT

Bangladesh is at the forefront of countries experiencing and debating climate change, despite having contributed little to global emissions, and has the greatest vulnerability to climate change due to inadequate institutional support for the dense population dispersed in low-lying terrain. A micro-level study of livelihoods in the Panpatti Union, a district of the coastal zone exposed to climate stress and an array of other social, economic and political stresses, demonstrated that adaptation strategies to a range of shocks were both reactive and proactive. The persistent nature of shocks, and the limited margins in which to respond, meant that achieving sustainable long-term livelihoods was unusually difficult. Despite cases of dynamism and flexibility, where livelihoods had been effectively diversified, rural people largely failed to reduce their exposure to vulnerability. That was especially true of extremely poor, landless and female-headed households. In such challenging circumstances external interventions were required to ensure sustainable development, but were unlikely because of the isolation of Panpatti and the number of villages and people in similar circumstances. This emphasised the need to develop a more robust livelihoods framework to support the most vulnerable communities in severe economic and environmental contexts where climate change is likely to exacerbate all existing problems.     

喀斯特山区先锋植物叶片解剖特征及其生态适应性评价--以贵州花江峡谷区为例

通过研究贵州西南部典型喀斯特植被退化区花江峡谷植被现状,选取具一定经济价值和推广价值的先锋植物,采用生物显微制片技术与数理统计方法相结合,报导了6科10种分属不同生活型的植物叶片的解剖结构特征,并进行了比较和解剖因子分析。结果表明研究区喀斯特先锋植物叶片在不同种类之间具有明显差异,这些差异除受遗传因子控制外,环境因子(主要为光照和水分)也有重要作用;生活型不同对先锋植物叶片特征有一定影响,但未表现出规律性。根据叶片适应特征的差异,10种先锋植物可分为3种类型,即旱生或阳生叶类型的构树(Broussonetia papyrifera)、火棘(pyracantha fortuneana)、刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)、白三叶(Trifolium repens);偏中生叶类型(香椿的Toona sirensis)、顶坛花椒(Zanthaxylum pinum var．dingtanensis)、黔滇木蓝(In-digofera esquirolii)、忍冬(Lomicera japonica)、紫云英(Astragalus sinicus);偏阴生叶类型的繁缕(Stellaria media)。     

人地系统适应性研究进展：概念、理论框架与方法

适应性研究旨在通过主体对外部环境变化的调整,以削减其负面影响并改善适应能力,是实现人地系统可持续发展的重要途径。鉴于目前对适应性理论体系缺乏统一认识和系统梳理,论文通过对国内外人地系统适应性研究文献总结,从概念内涵、理论框架和方法对适应性研究进展进行了总结,并提出了适应性研究的科学范式。研究发现：① 学术界对适应性概念的理解并未达成科学共识,阻碍了通用的适应性研究理论体系的构建。② 现有适应性分析框架多是基于全球变化领域理论框架基础的延伸和修订。③ 适应性研究缺乏具有代表性的方法,以借用脆弱性、恢复力评估方法和指标体系为主。因此,统一的适应性概念和理论体系的构建亟需加强,而国外既有积累的理论经验并不通用,中国化的适应性分析框架、方法是未来的重要研究方向。同时,应强化人类社会和自然环境“综合”的人地系统适应性研究,注重多尺度结合的适应性动态分析。     

风沙静电场对植物茎秆液流传输过程影响的理论分析

风沙流对植物生理过程具有非常重要的影响,但是对其影响机理目前并无相关理论模型给予解释。本文基于植物茎秆的刚性导管模型讨论了风沙静电场对植物茎流速率的影响。结果表明:随着外部电场增强,茎流速率指数增加,即外部电场越强,水分输运速度越快;植物茎秆导管半径越大,水分输运速度越快,且电场的影响越明显。本文结果在一定程度上解释了风沙流胁迫对植物的影响远大于净风影响的实验结果,可为沙化地区的植被保护提供一定的帮助。