Gold mining in Ghana's forest reserves: a report on the current debate

This paper examines the debate surrounding a recent decision made by the Ghanaian government to permit gold exploration – and potentially, mining – in 'protected' forest reserves. In 2001, four mining companies were awarded mineral exploration concessions in forested regions of the country, and have since put forward applications to mine for gold. Notwithstanding the sharp divide in opinion on the issue, the continued uncertainty surrounding the implications of the proposed activities makes further research on the ground imperative in the short term. Work aiming to elicit indigenous perspectives on the projects, as well as research that facilitates dialogue between and/or among stakeholder parties, should be prioritized.     

水稻灌区节水灌溉的尺度效应

探讨了节水灌溉尺度问题,指出产生节水灌溉尺度现象的原因是由于灌溉过程中回归水的重复利用.结合漳河灌区的实际,讨论了水稻种植区在不同尺度下的水平衡要素及其在节水尺度效应中的作用;说明随尺度的增大,水平衡过程变得复杂化,节水尺度效应现象也更突出.利用漳河灌区田间试验数据和灌区长系列的历史资料,分别从田间、中等、灌溉干渠和灌区共四个尺度,定量地分析了水稻节水灌溉对水分生产率以及水分利用率的影响.结果表明,节水灌溉技术的采用不仅可以提高田间尺度的灌溉水分生产率,也促进了漳河灌区灌溉水分生产率的整体上升.     

山西运城市森林火险等级预报系统

利用有关气象及森林火灾资料，分析了林林火灾的发生与气象条件、火条件及森林含水率的关系，计算了森林火险综合预报指标，建立了以预报方程，经试用效果良好。     

古炭屑与古森林火?

森林火普遍发生在地质历史时期中，它对自然植被系统的演替起着重要作用。不同强度和频率的森林火培育出不同类型的植被：频繁的森林火导致草甸的形成，而热带雨林形成的原因之一是森林火的缺乏。古炭屑作为古森林火的遗迹，具有分布广泛、细胞结构保存完好以及原地埋藏等特点，为研究古森林火发生的强度和频率提供了宝贵的材料。古炭屑的出现与当时的气候因素、植被类型和地理状况有密切关系：干旱、少雨的气候常常伴随高频率森林火的发生，表现出古炭屑的数量增多；易燃物种组成的植被易发生森林火，古炭屑的出现也会增多，而耐火树种会降低森林火的强度，古炭屑则出现少。因此，从古炭屑的数量和种类的变化，可探讨古森林火的发生规律，进而推断长期地质历史时期的气候、植被、地理状况的演变。     

中国耕地有机质含量变化对土地生产力影响的定量研究

在土地持续利用与管理研究中，土地质量变化对土地生产力影响的定量研究是核心内容之一。借助新古典经济学的生产函数法，构建了我国耕地的生产函数模型，定量模拟了我国耕地有机质含量变化的边际产出率性和边际生产力。初步结果表明，由于我国长期存在耕过度利用导致有机质含量及肥力下降问题，当前提高耕地质量的增产潜力十分可观。     

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.     

滇西北亚高山针叶林、硬叶栎类林的树种多样性

在滇西北香格里拉地区,以长苞冷杉(Abiesgeorgei)林、丽江云杉(Picealikiangensis)林作为亚高山针叶林的代表,以川滇高山栎(Quercusaquifolioides)林作为硬叶栎类林的代表,分别选择了6块样地,采用Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(H)、Simpson多样性指数的倒数(D')、Pielou均匀度指数(JH、JD)分别测定其树种多样性,并进行了比较研究。结果表明,三个森林类型的Shannon Wiener指数、Simpson指数的倒数、物种丰富度的顺序均为:长苞冷杉林>川滇高山栎林>丽江云杉林;而前两类森林的Pielou均匀度指数差异不大,但都高于丽江云杉林的均匀度指数值。滇西北的川滇高山栎具有很强的萌生能力。人工种植的亚高山针叶林的树种多样性较原始林低,需要较长时间的恢复过程。亚高山针叶林的存在极大地丰富了云南省的树种多样性,使云南植被的垂直地带性得到了充分体现。     

Microbial production of CO2 in red soil in Stone Forest National Park

Lunan stone forest is a kind of typical karst in China, which is mainly developed under red soil. In the winter of 1999, three study sites were chosen in stone forest national park according to vegetation cover, geomorphologic location and soil types. CO2 concentration was measured with Gastec pump at different depths of soil (20, 40, 60 cm) and at the same time soil samples were gathered and soil properties such as soil moisture, pH, soil organic content were analyzed and the total number of viable microbes were counted in laboratory. In the study, dependent variable was chosen as the mean soil log (PCO2), and soil properties were chosen as the independent variables. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that the total amount of microbes and soil moisture are the best indicators of the CO2 production, with the equation LOG(PCO2) = - 0.039(TNM) - 0.056(Mo) + 1.215 accounting for 86% of the variation of the soil CO2 concentration, where TNM is the total number of microbes in the soil and Mo is the moisture of soil sample.     

USING UPLAND FOREST IN SHIMENTAI NATURE RESERVE,CHINA*

ABSTRACT. The Shimentai Nature Reserve in Yingde County, Guangdong Province, China, established recently in a subtropical upland forest area, has served for ages as an essential and customary source of livelihood for local people. Assessment of forest usage indicates heavy reliance by villagers on its diversified biotic resources. This forest dependence, associated with socioeconomic factors such as distance from village, ethnic origin, out‐migration of rural youngsters, and a local tradition of conservation, is unlikely to decline in the near future. The reserve management recognizes the need to address the livelihood issues of local people and to win local support. A pragmatic adherence to provincial and higher‐level policies that exclude forest‐tapping activities could lead to more people‐versus‐park conflicts, which would dilute fundamental conservation objectives. A more enlightened and localized approach that nurtures a synergy between limited forest use and conservation while helping to develop new income sources could furnish workable alternatives.     

阜新矿区地面塌陷灾害对土地生产力的影响

在研究地面塌陷对一个地区的影响时，一般只侧重于其对建筑物、铁路的影响，而对土地生产力影响的探讨和研究还不够深入。对于阜新矿区来说，地面塌陷对该区土地生产力的影响更是空白，前期的工作仅仅侧重于地面塌陷的调查，如果就地面塌陷对土地生产力的影响做一决的概括和分析，无疑会给今后治理由地面塌陷带来的灾害提供借鉴作用。本文结合大量实测、实算数据，应用土地复理论与方法对地面塌陷引起的土地侵蚀、土壤盐碱化、土壤湿度、土壤质量水平等四个方面做了较为系统的阐述，并对灾害的治理提出了见解。