美国加州园林漫游散记

加利福尼亚州位于美国西部,受自然和社会因素影响,园林植物种类丰富,以常绿植物种类为主,亦有不少落叶种类。园林绿地类型多样,包括公共绿地、道路绿化带、建筑物周围绿地以及众多壮丽的植物公园和典雅的私家花园。加州全民绿化和环保意识较高,值得国人借鉴。     

美国湿地保护的法律体系借鉴

我国现存湿地有约40%的面积面临着严重退化的威胁,近50年来,因为人为活动丧失了至少40%以上的自然湿地。面积急剧减少、生物多样性下降、水资源的不合理利用、生物资源的过度开发以及污染的日益加剧等,导致湿地生态综合服务功能急剧下降甚至丧失,湿地资源亟待保护与恢复。美国在发展过程中也经历了对湿地的不合理利用和破坏过程,在不断总结经验的基础上,美国建立了湿地保护完整的法律体系,使湿地得到有效保护。本文对美国湿地保护管理有关的主要法律进行了介绍,对我国建立湿地保护的法律体系提出了建议。     

Diversity and abundance of selected animal species in undisturbed forest,selectively logged forest and plantations in East Kalimantan,Indonesia

Animal surveys were conducted in six habitat types within the timber concession of PT International Timber Corporation Indonesia, East Kalimantan. Species diversity was found to be similar in undisturbed forest and in 3- to 5-year-old selectively logged forest, although densities in the latter were considerably less. Both diversity and density declined drastically in forestry plantations, but certain of the species remaining caused significant damage to young trees. Although few animals were observed in areas where there was active road construction and timber felling, their densities in adjacent undisturbed forest areas did not increase, suggesting that the level of local migration actually is low. It is suggested that recolonisation of old logged forest can occur successfully provide that the level of hunting is low and that adjacent areas of undisturbed forest remain to provide a population pool from which colonists can spread.     

美国水土保持的特点及对我国的启示

 介绍美国水土流失概况以及水土保持的发展阶段、措施、近期效益、投资变化、从业人员变化趋势和未来水土保持发展方向等。对照美国的情况,对我国水土流失和水土保持现状以及所处的发展阶段进行分析评价,提出了我国水土保持发展的建议和设想。     

中国猪肉价格波动研究——兼与美国的比较

猪肉价格的大幅波动给我国的生猪生产及猪肉消费带来极大的影响。本文通过对1995年以来猪肉月度价格变动及1985到2006年生猪及猪肉年度价格波动的分析,探讨我国猪肉市场价格的长短期变动规律,并从生猪的生产结构、生产周期、生产成本、疫情、宏观环境及与美国的猪肉市场的国际比较等方面解析中国猪肉价格波动的原因。提出鼓励并扶持生猪的规模化生产、提高生猪行业的组织化程度、加大政府投入力度、完善动物防疫体系等主要对策措施。     

Comparison of Soil Clean-up Standards for Trace Elements Between Countries: Why do they differ? (9 pages)

Goal, Scope and Background

In the nineteen nineties most European countries issued legislation on soil protection, including soil contamination. In the case of a presumed contamination, soil investigation mostly follows a stepwise approach starting with a preliminary investigation, then an in-depth investigation and, finally, remediation. Soil clean-up standards are often foreseen as trigger criteria to determine the need for an in-depth soil investigation or for remediation. There are however large differences in soil clean-up standards. This is partly because of the different roles of soil clean-up standards in each legislative framework and partly because of differences in the soil clean-up standard (SCS) derivation procedures. Despites these differences there are large similarities in the concepts of the derivation procedures for clean-up standards. A better understanding of the differences in clean-up standards is needed. In order to clarify the variation, the background of the clean-up standards for a selected number of countries was investigated. The objective of this paper is to investigate the underlying reason why country-wide generic soil and groundwater clean-up standards of eight trace elements (cadmium, chromium (III), copper, mercury, lead, nickel, zinc and arsenic) differ between the selected countries.

Main Features

To avoid misinterpretation of the differences in application of the clean-up standards, a short overview of the legislative role of clean-up standards is given first. Differences in model concepts and parameter values are discussed, followed by a comparison of the generic soil and groundwater clean-up standards for trace elements and a discussion on the sources of variation. The influence of the use of ecotoxicological criteria and data for the derivation of soil clean-up standards will be discussed in more detail. Selected countries were Canada, the Flemish Region (Belgium), France, Germany, Great-Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and United States of America (USA).

Results and Discussion

When soil clean-up standards for eight trace elements (cadmium, chromium (III), copper, mercury, lead, nickel, zinc and arsenic) were compared between the selected countries differences of more than a factor 1000 arose. Notwithstanding the use of similar derivation procedures, differences were caused by the use of different software models with their specific input data, boundary conditions and applied protection criteria for humans and the ecology. Ecotoxicological criteria tend to lower the soil clean-up standard for the selected trace elements.

Conclusions

In the countries that are included in this study, clean-up standards are used is different ways, this is for the determination of the necessity for remediation or for the need for further soil investigation. This paper shows a wide variation in the clean-up standards, which has further implication on the decision for remediation or further investigation and, hence, the financial costs of soil management. All the clean-up standards have as primary goal the protection of human health. A number of countries also include the protection of the ecological function of the soil. Differences in selected software model, (standard) parameters values, selected human toxicological and ecotoxicological criteria, are reason for a substantial variation in the clean-up standards for trace elements.

Recommendations and Perspective

. Is this variation justified? The derivation of soil clean-up standards involves - besides scientific elements - political elements, like differentiation in landuse types (agricultural, residential, recreational, industrial), receptor at risk or protection level. It is obvious that harmonization of these elements will be complicated. However, a European action programme, like the thematic strategy for soil protection, could initiate this process of harmonization. Nevertheless, soil-clean-up standards could never be uniform over the whole of Europe because they include country specific elements (geographical, ethnological) and political decisions.     

An analysis of age and body weight at first calving for Holsteins in the United States

In a national survey of US dairy producers, only 2.7 ± 0.5% of Holstein dairy operations reported achieving recommended target ranges of age ≤ 24 months and body weight (BW) ≥ 550 kg at first calving. Allowing for wider target ranges, still only 14.6 ± 1.3% of Holstein dairy operations reported achieving age ≤ 25 months and BW ≥ 544.3 kg at first calving. Ages of individual first-calf heifers observed at calving were heavily skewed toward older individuals. Dairy producers reported an average age at first calving that was 1.3 months lower than the mean and 1.0 months lower than median age of first-calf heifers' observed calving on the operations. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify the herd characteristics associated with producers reporting first calvings within the wider age and BW target ranges for Holsteins. Rolling herd average milk production ≥ 7711 kg/yr, using a computer for recordkeeping, and not tying preweaned heifers in a barn with cows, were associated with achieving the target BW and age at first calving.     

Relative importance of habitat area and isolation for bird occurrence patterns in a naturally patchy landscape

There is debate among ecologists about whether total habitat area or patch arrangement contributes most to population and/or community responses to fragmented or patchy landscapes. We tested the relative effects of patch area and isolation for predicting bird occurrence in a naturally patchy landscape in the Bear River Mountains of Northern Utah, USA. We selected focal patches (mountain meadows) ranging in elevation from 1,920 to 2,860 m and in size from 0.6 to 182 ha. Breeding birds were sampled in each focal meadow during the summers of 2003 and 2004 using variable-distance point transects. Logistic regression and likelihood-based model selection were used to determine the relationship between likelihood of occurrence of three bird species (Brewer’s sparrow, vesper sparrow, and white-crowned sparrow) and area, isolation, and proximity metrics. We used model weights and model-averaged confidence intervals to assess the importance of each predictor variable. Plots of area versus isolation were used to evaluate complex relationships between the variables. We found that meadow area was the most important variable for explaining occurrence for two species, and that isolation was the most important for the other. We also found that the absolute distance was more appropriate for evaluating isolation responses than was the species-specific proximity metric. Our findings add clarity to the debate between ecologists regarding the relative importance of area and isolation in species responses to patchy landscapes.     

美国的种子生产特点及管理体系

简述了美国的种子生产特点及管理体系。20世纪初,美国各州陆续实行种子认证制度,即只有通过认证的种子才可以生产并投放市场。美国种子认证,各州各负其责,必要时实行联合认证。美国种子生产采取育种家种子、基础种、登记种及认证种4代生产方案,联邦和州两级管理体系,并实行统一标签制度,1939年通过了第一部联邦《种子法》。     

中国对美国农产品贸易的经济效率

为促进中国对美国农产品贸易的发展提供参考,通过对比2010－2012年与2000－2002年的中美农产品贸易数据,归纳分析了我国加入世贸组织以来与美国的农产品贸易状况,并运用经济效率指数测算,比较中国对美国的农产品进出口经济效率。结论：中国对美国农产品进口的经济效率明显优于出口经济效率。进口经济效率较高的主要原因是美国农产品相对于我国农产品的竞争力比较优势以及中国大幅削减进口关税并扩大进口配额,农产品出口经济效率低的主要原因是美国农产品贸易的技术壁垒、绿色壁垒以及对农业的高度补贴。建议：我国政府应加强对农产品生产和出口的支持力度,加快我国农产品的生产技术创新和质量提高,并大力整顿进出口市场秩序。