Valuation of Forest Ecosystem Services and Benefit Sharing:A Case Study of Qingdao City, China

The forest ecosystem goods and services and the natural capital stocks that produce them make great contribution to national economy and human welfare both directly and indirectly. This paper evaluates the economic value of natural capital stock and the annual output flow of forest ecosystem goods and services taking Qingdao City and its eight districts as case study. The results of the valuation study showed, that the stock value of forest natural capital of Qingdao was RMB 13.46 billion at the end of 2007...     

Ecosystem health： ecological sustainability target of strategic envi—ronment assessment

Strategic environment assessment (SEA) and ecosystem health are two new ideas on environmental management.On the basis of reviewing some relevant literature, this paper made discussions on the ecological sustainability target of SEA,the content of ecosystem health as well as the interrelations between SEA and ecosystem health. For a good SEA, its ecologicalsustainability principles should be provided with distinct content and a general assessment system. A framework for ecosystem health assessment was established according to the content of ecosystem health, and combined into SEA as SEA‘s ecological sustainability target, we can effectively guide decision-makers to make suitable indigenous means and local solutions. , Thebasic principles and procedure of SEA for ecosystem health are also discussed in the paper.     

What Developing International Markets for Ecosystem Services Reveal for China's Forestry Sector?

The market mechanism for forest ecosystem service has already become common knowledge among countries in the international movement to address global climate change.In this paper,international experiences of forest ecosystem market such as better understanding of concept,public participation, sound trading rules and measurement standards are analyzed,and its implication for China is also summarized.Finally,the prospects of forest ecosystem service market in China are discussed.The purpose of this paper i...     

Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation of Forest Ecosystem in Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River -Case Study on Gongga Mountain

The deforestation on large scale in the upper reaches of Yangtze River has caused serious problems of ecosystem and environment. Restoration of the degenerated forest ecosystems is one of the main research fields. Taking Gongga Mountain as an example, degeneration features and existing problems of forest ecosystems are analyzed in this paper, and the measures are also proposed.     

A new perspective of ecosystem health

Ecosystem health has attracted considerable attention from different disciplines in recent years. However, it still remains a disputed issue whether to focus on its general concept or on operational practice. As a result, these disputations have caused confusion and limited further research in the field of ecosystem health. In this paper, we attempt to introduce a new perspective to the concept of ecosystem health. With the aid of modern statistical methodology, such as factor analysis and normal distribution theory, we provide a conceptual approach to the quantitative assessment of ecosystem health and our method could be applied to various categories of ecosystems.     

A plant nutrition strategy for ex-situ conservation based on ＂Ecological Similarity＂

This paper reviewed a large scale conservation work of rare and endangered plants currently conducted in main botanical gardens in China, and the existed, predictable and neglected problems on plant growth and reproduction in ex-situ conservation process. Considered the status quo in plant ex conservation, a nutritional strategy on the plant conservation was proposed based on ＇Ecological Similarity＇. Its main idea was that the ex-situ conservation plants coming from natural ecosystem were compulsively allocated in the agro-ecosystems and would return to natural ecosystem ultimately. Therefore, research on plant nutrition of the ex-situ conservation plants should neither just pursue yield and quality as that in agro-ecosystems nor merely stay on intrinsic natures without human intervening. We should give attentions to both of their attributes as in natural ecosystems and in agro-ecosystems, i.e., taking full advantage of plant nutritional measures as in agro-ecosystems to solve actual survival problems of the ex-conservation plants, and ensuring the final goal of returning to nature and playing its ecological role.     

Ethical Dimensions of Payment for Forest Environmental Services

The market-based incentive mechanism of payments for forest environmental services （PFES） seeks to capture part of the benefits derived from forest environmental services and channels them to forest resource owners/managers who generate these services, thus increases their incentives to conserve and manage forest resources. This paper examines some of the most important ethical issues entailed by PFES mechanism. The analysis shows that PFES may not always benefit the poor due to the comparative disadvantages of the poor and the complicated characteristics of forest ecosystem services. It is important and urgent to take ethical dimensions into account in the PFES approaches and design and develop the propoor payment mechanism in order to achieve the two objectives of forest conservation and economic development.     

Compensation for forest ecological services in China

The paper discusses methods to compensate for the costs incurred in the supply of forest ecological services (FES), i.e. government dominated and market-based instruments as well as progress made so far in China. Factors which constrain the supply of these services and potential policy improvements are presented.     

Biophysical quantification of biodiversity and ecosystems services of forest ecosystems in the Western Ghats: a case study of Uttara Kannada District,India

Biodiversity and ecosystem services play key roles in future economic strategies seeking to promote development and prosperity. This study assesses the status of biodiversity and flow of ecosystem services from selected forest types in the Western Ghats. At the sampling sites, the number of tree species ranged from 16 to 79 per hectare depending on the forest type. The estimates for Shannon–Wiener index for trees in the evergreen, moist deciduous and dry deciduous forest plots were 3.02, 2.9 and 1.54, respectively. The total biomass carbon stocks in evergreen, moist deciduous and dry deciduous forests in the study area was 229, 221 and 189 t C/ha, respectively.Analysis of dependency patterns of local communities on forest resources indicated a high dependency on provisional services such as fuelwood, manure and fodder. The study records the highest dependency rates for fuelwood,ranging between 72 and 100% for the three forest types and indicates that forest ecosystems underpin the well-being of the population dependent directly and indirectly on them.     

Impact Assessment of Climate Change on Forestry Development in China

Forestry and forest ecosystem are highly sensitive to climate change.At present,studies about the responses of forests to climate change in China are more focused on physical influences of climate change.This paper firstly divided the key impact factors of climate change on forest and forestry developing into direct factors and indirect factors,and then made an assessment on climate change affecting future forestry development from the aspect of forest products and ecological services.On this basis,the adap...     

Hydrological impacts of afforestation — A review of research in India

We review the current status of experimental studies in India to understand the linkages between afforestation and hydrology. This discipline deals with the use and management of water, social awareness of environmental problems, and ecosystem limitations on provision of watershed services by river basins in the mountain regions of India. Our review begins with examination of experimental works in tropical countries and proceeds to discussion of initiatives of Indian research institutes and Government organizations towards establishing experimental watersheds to understand the impacts of land cover changes on hydrologic regimes in the Indian sub-continent. This is followed by the review of the experimental work carried out by various authors to assess the impact of land cover changes on major water balance components such as, runoff, groundwater, evapotranspiration and sediment yield. The spatial scales of these experiments have been limited to small watersheds or field plots. This paper also describes impacts of human interventions （such as planta- tions of exotic forest species to restore degraded landscapes） on the water balance components in diverse hydro-geo-environmental conditions in the Indian sub-continent. We focus on identifying the research areas which require immediate attention to develop tools to assist planners and policy makers in assessing and managing the water resources in these complex environments. The review is largely based on research results reported during the last 20 to 30 years.     

Land cover changes and fragmentation in mountain neotropical ecosystems of Oaxaca,Mexico under community forest management

Changes in land cover have a direct impact on forest ecosystem goods and services. In this study, changes in land cover in Sierra de Juarez–Oaxaca ecosystems were estimated using a consistent processing of Landsat images and OBIA methodology. Additionally, landscape analyses using FRAGSTAT were conducted. In 2014, Sierra de Juarez–Oaxaca was covered by approximately 84% of forests, mainly pine-oak and cloud forests. After extensive deforestation until 2001, this trend was reversed and the forest cover surface area in 2014 was slightly higher than in 1979. The comparison of the landscape structure of the forested and agricultural lands suggests an increase in habitat heterogeneity. However, interspersion and juxtaposition indices, showing the patch shape by patch area and perimeter, were similar throughout the study period(1979–2014). Social and economic drivers can explain this situation: namely, community organization, forest enterprises, payment for ecosystem services programs, and changes of agricultural activity. Communities in the Sierra of Oaxaca have reforested degraded lands, created community forest enterprises, and preserved the forest under conservation schemes like those proposed by the Mexican payment for ecosystem services programs. However, their sustainable management faces internal challenges and has become highly dependent on political and institutional decisions beyond their control.     

Researches and Application of Fuelbreaks in China

The fuelbreaks were established in south China from 1950s. With the active work of local communities and state government, the fuelbreaks have been built for 398,000 kilometers. In some areas, fuelbreaks and firebreaks have constructed a network primarily, such as in the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi. The fuelbreaks can prevent forest fire effectively. That has been approved by actual examples and burning tests. The fuelbreaks also benefit the forest ecosystem and environment. This paper makes a review on fuelbreaks research and application in China, discussed present research achievements about fuelbreaks mechanism and its development. In the future, the Chinese government and local communities will increase investment in the construction of firebreaks network with fuelbreaks as focal points.     

Analysis of Forest Biodiversity Changes in China

By reference of the evaluative data of forest biodiversity changes in China from 1973 to 1998, the variation analysis models of the pressure index of forest biodiversity, forest ecosystem diversity and forest species diversity, as well as the general index of forest biodiversity are developed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Furthermore established is the relevant model of mutation of forest diversity potential functions. This paper points out that changes of forest biodiversity are generally unsteady, especially for the pressure index . The ecosystem diversity index and the species diversity index always fluctuate, resulting in the erratic changes or mutations of general index of forest biodiversity in China.     

Influencing Factors of Fine Root Production and Turnover in Forest Ecosystem

Fine roots（≤2mm in diameter） play important roles in carbon balance and nutrient recycling in forest ecosystem.With the development of the study on global carbon cycle,fine roots have attracted considerable attention as the main source of soil carbon in forest ecosystem.On the basis of synthetic analysis of research reports in domestic and foreign literatures,we summarized and elaborated the major abiotic and biotic factors that control fine root production and turnover.The environmental factors included soil nutrient,soil temperature,soil moisture and the CO₂ concentration.Soil organisms,fine root morphology and forest stand characteristics were discussed as biotic factors in this paper.Finally,we defined the problems arising in root system research and prospected the future research direction.     

Ecosystem-management-based Management Models of Fast-growing and High-yield Plantation and Its Eco-economic Benefits Analysis

The paper expounded the basic concept and principles of ecosystem management,and analyzed the state and trend of industrial plantation ecosystem management in other countries.Based on the analysis of typical case studies,the eco-economic benefits were evaluated for the management models of fast-growing and high-yield plantations.     

Modelling the impacts of cover crop management strategies on the water use,carbon exchange and yield of olive orchards

Cover crops have long been proposed as an alternative soil management for minimizing erosion rates in olive stands while providing additional ecosystem services.However,the trade-off between these benefits and the competition for water with the trees makes the definition of optimal management practices a challenging task in semiarid climates.This work presents an improved version of OliveCan,a process-based simulation model of olive orchards that now can simulate the main impacts of cover crops ...     

Simulating Spatial Distribution of Canopy Rainfall Interception of Forests in China

The canopy rainfall interception modei linked to environmental conditions and biological features is established on the basis of stationary observation and measurements in China. Upscaling from site observation to regional Ievel estimation of canopy rainfall interception has been made. The potential interception value of forests during the rainfall season in China according to rainfall records of May, July and September in the year 1982, has been simulated and mapped under the GIS software package Idrisi. It coincides well with the spatial and chronological pattern of rainfall in China and can be concluded to reflect the reality. The potential canopy rainfall interception of forests in China based on the potential distribution of forests provides a basis to regional water budget as well as rational use of regional water resources. It is also important to the assessment of forest ecosystem service in China, which is demanded by both scientists and policy makers for the evaluation of afforestation and nat     

Silvicultural alternatives to conventional even-aged forest man-agement-what limits global adoption?

Background: The development of forestry as a scientific and management discipline over the last two centuries has mainly emphasized intensive management operations focused on increased commodity production, mostly wood. This "conventional" forest management approach has typically favored production of even-aged, single-species stands. While alternative management regimes have generally received less attention, this has been changing over the last three decades, especially in countries with developed economies. Reasons for this change include a combination of new information and concerns about the ecological consequences of intensive forestry practices and a willingness on the part of many forest owners and society to embrace a wider set of management objectives. Alternative silvicultural approaches are characterized by a set of fundamental principles, including avoidance of clearcutting, an emphasis on structural diversity and small-scale variability, deployment of mixed species with natural regeneration,and avoidance of intensive site-preparation methods.Methods: Our compilation of the authors’ experiences and perspectives from various parts of the world aims to initiate a larger discussion concerning the constraints to and the potential of adopting alternative silvicultural practices.Results: The results suggest that a wider adoption of alternative silvicultural practices is currently hindered by a suite of ecological, economic, logistical, informational, cultural, and historical constraints. Individual contexts display their own unique combinations and relative significance of these constraints, and accordingly, targeted efforts, such as regulations and incentives, may help to overcome specific challenges.Conclusions: In a broader context, we propose that less emphases on strict applications of principles and on stand structures might provide additional flexibility and facilitate the adoption of alternative silvicultural regimes in a broader set of circumstances. At the same time, the acceptance of alternative silvicultural systems as the "preferred or default mode of management" wil necessitate and benefit from the continued development of the scientific basis and valuation of a variety of ecosystem goods and services. This publication is aimed to further the discussion in this context.     

STUDY ON THE NETWORK OF FOREST BURNING LINKS

Based on the research of the Forest Burning Links published in the Journal ofNortheast Forestry University in 1987,this paper continues to study the theory of forest burningFire behavior has been divided into two important series in this paper.One is fire occurrence andspread, and the other is burning intensity.The first series has been divided into three grades as A:toburn difficulty and spread slowly;B:to burn possibly and spread little fast;and C:to burn easilyand spread fast.The second series has been divided into four grades as I:light burning;Ⅱ:me-dium burning;Ⅲ:intense burning;and Ⅳ:severe burning.The firsts series can be put as ordinate,and the second series can be put as abscissa.Then the network of 12 forest burning links can beformed.In the network,the relatioship,the law of distribution and the variation of different forestburning links can be shown clearly.The studies of the distrubution of fuel types,topography,siteand fire kinds in the network can provide the basic theory for fire mana