Effects of burning on soil macrofauna in a savanna-woodland under different experimental fuel load treatments

In West African savanna-woodland, the use of prescribed burning as a management tool has ecological implications for the soil biota. Yet, the effects of fire on soil inhabiting organisms are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the responses of soil macro-invertebrates to early fires in a Sudanian savanna-woodland on a set of experimental plots subject to different fuel load treatments. The abundance of major macro-invertebrate taxa and functional groups, and taxon richness were quantified in soil cores collected from three different soil layers before and immediately after burning. The results indicated that, overall, there was substantial spatial and temporal variation in the composition of macro-invertebrate assemblages. The immediate effects of fire were to reduce total invertebrate numbers and numbers of many invertebrate groups dramatically. This is probably due to the fact that many of the surface-dwelling macrofauna perished as a result of less favorable microclimate due to fire, diminished resources, or migrate to safer environments. Fuel load treatment did not affect the community taxonomic richness or abundance of the soil-dwelling fauna. Furthermore, annual changes in community composition were more pronounced at the burnt site than in the control. This could be related to the inter-annual difference in precipitation pattern recorded during the two-year study period at our site. Since soil macrofauna population declines in fire-disturbed areas, increasing fire prevalence may jeopardize the long-term conservation of fire sensitive macrofauna groups. Special fire management attention is therefore recommended with due consideration to the type of burning and fuel properties to avoid the detrimental effects of intense fire affecting the resilience of savanna soil macrofauna species.     

2011-2020年夏季全国草原净初级生产力时空变化及其气象影响评估

为评估2011—2020年夏季全国草地净初级生产力时空变化以及气象条件对净初级生产力的影响,本研究依据气象站逐日气象观测资料以及中分辨率成像光谱(Moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer,MODIS)系列卫星资料遥感数据,分析了近10年夏季全国草地净初级生产力变化。结果表明:2011—2020年夏季全国草原净初级生产力总体呈现增加趋势,平均每年增加0.2 gC·m^-2·a^-1,内蒙古中部、甘肃东部、青海东部、西藏东部等地近10年草原净初级生产力明显增加。近10年全国大部草原区平均气温和降水量均呈增加趋势,较好的气象条件利于夏季牧草生长。2020年夏季全国草原区的气温和降水量也较常年偏高,北方草原区草地平均净初级生产力为121.3 gC·m^-2·夏季^-1,为近10年偏好年份。2011—2020年夏季全国草原净初级生产力呈增加趋势,较好的气象条件对其贡献较大。     

地理信息系统在环境影响评价中的应用

为了研究地理信息系统（GIS）在环境影响评价中的应用，在介绍地理信息系统的组成、类型、功能和应用领域的基础上，分析了GIS技术在环境影响评价中的优势，并结合实例，探讨了地理信息系统在水环境影响评价中的具体应用过程。     

Evaluating a multi-level subsurface drainage system for improved drainage water quality

This paper describes a multi-level drainage system, designed to improve drainage water quality. Results are presented from a field scale land reclamation experiment implemented in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area of New South Wales, Australia. A traditional single level drainage system and a multi-level drainage system were compared in the experiment in an irrigated field setting. The single level drainage system consisted of 1.8 m deep drains at 20 m spacing. This configuration is typical of subsurface drainage system design used in the area. The multi-level drainage system consisted of shallow closely spaced drains (3.3 m spacing at 0.75 m depth) underlain by deeper widely spaced drains (20 m spacing at 1.8 m depth). Data on drainage flows and salinity, water table regime and soil salinity were collected over a 2-year period.     

Repeated physical disturbances and the stability of sub‐tropical coral communities in Hong Kong,China

• 1. This paper reports on the dynamics of the coral community structure at A Ma Wan (AMW) and A Ye Wan (AYW) in Tung Ping Chau, Hong Kong, focusing on data collected before and after the summer typhoon seasons in 1997 to 1999. This period (1999) experienced the highest frequency of severe tropical cyclones to hit Hong Kong with one cyclone being the strongest to hit in the last 23 years (1984 to 2006).
• 2. This is part of a long‐term monitoring programme of subtropical coral communities that has been set up in AMW since May 1997 and AYW since May 1998 with nine fixed position 40 m long transects and 0.5 m × 0.5 m permanent quadrats laid at 5 m intervals along each transect. A total of 45 scleractinian coral species from 21 genera (12 families) was recorded, with 40 species in AMW and 32 species in AYW recorded at the beginning of the study.
• 3. Multidimensional scaling ordinations showed distinct spatial variations in the coral communities within and between sites. These variations were probably a result of the differential effects of the repeated cyclone impacts on the communities. Cyphastrea serailia, Goniopora lobata, Montipora peltiformis and Pavona decussata were the dominant species most strongly affected by cyclone impacts at AMW, experiencing a 6.2–16.2% loss of mean area cover during the study period. Some dominant species (e.g. P. decussata) in AYW also experienced a 6.5–14.3% loss of mean area cover within the same period.
• 4. Overall, these coral community structures appeared relatively stable and resistant to repeated physical disturbances. However, they may have low resilience towards more severe disturbances in the future. Preserving the resilience of coral communities/species in Tung Ping Chau should be one of the main goals of coral conservation strategies for the island.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

保护区游客管理模式的演进

游客管理的难题包括游客对资源的影响控制、游客不良行为控制、游客体验质量的下降以及游客服务设施的兴建等。经过30余年理论和实践经验的积累,全球保护区游客管理形成了多种模式和框架。文章初步分析了这些模式的管理目标、管理方式和决策模式等演进轨迹。     

西部退耕还林工程社会影响评价——以会泽县、清镇市为例

从毁林开荒到退耕还林是对单纯追求物质文明的经济增长模式的否定，符合社会发展方向，是我国实施可持续发展战略的必然选择。西部退耕还林工程给工程实施区带来了方方面面的影响，工程的有效性和持续性受到各种因素的挑战，全面评价工程实施所产生的现实影响是提高决策科学性的必要前提。论文根据工程的特点建立西部退耕还林工程社会影响评价指标体系，通过深入调查研究取得评价的基础材料，以会泽县和清镇市为例，用定性定量相结合的方法从生态、社会和经济效益3方面对退耕还林所产生的影响进行系统分析与评价，在探明实施中制约工程有效性和持续性的社会变量的基础上，提出工程可持续发展的若干对策。     

The North American long-term soil productivity experiment: Findings from the first decade of research

First decade findings on the impacts of organic matter removal and soil compaction are reported for the 26 oldest installations in the nation-wide network of long-term soil productivity sites. Complete removal of surface organic matter led to declines in soil C concentration to 20 cm depth and to reduced nutrient availability. The effect is attributed mainly to the loss of the forest floor. Soil C storage seemed undiminished, but could be explained by bulk density changes following disturbance and to decomposition inputs of organic C from roots remaining from the harvested forest. Biomass removal during harvesting had no influence on forest growth through 10 years. Soil compaction effects depended upon initial bulk density. Soils with densities greater than 1.4 Mg m⁻³ resisted compaction. Density recovery was slow, particularly on soils with frigid temperature regimes. Forest productivity response to soil compaction depended both on soil texture and the degree of understory competition. Production declined on compacted clay soils, increased on sands, and generally was unaffected if an understory was absent.     

基于仿真理论确定缓冲特性曲线方法的研究

本论文探索了一条确定缓冲特性方法的新途径，通过测定缓冲材料的静态特性与一次动态；中击数据为基础，建立数学模型，利用最小二乘法进行误差分析，并使用Madab/Simulink软件仿真出缓冲特性曲线。这种方法得出的缓冲特性曲线准确性高、试验周期短，待理论成熟必将成为今后缓冲材料特性测试的主要方法。     

Smallholder perceptions of agroforestry projects in Panama

The potential effects of agroforestry systems on conservation and development have been well documented. Panama has seen a substantial rise in the number of projects with an agroforestry component in the 1990s. There has been insufficient research on the actual impacts of these projects on smallholders and of farmers' attitudes towards these systems. This study explores the perceived socioeconomic and environmental impacts of five agroforestry projects in Panama. A total of 68 smallholders were administered semi-structured interviews. In addition, 13 agroforestry experts from NGOs, government departments and research institutes were interviewed, and their responses were compared with those of the smallholders. While the projects led to an increase in the standard of living by providing wood products and fruit for domestic consumption, farm income levels generally remained unchanged. This was due primarily to limited market development, the lack of marketing organizations and poor access roads. In terms of environmental impacts, the farmers' responses suggested a slight decline in slash-and-burn agriculture, and an increase in tree planting activities. Some environmental benefits were observed by farmers, including reduced soil erosion, increased soil fertility, and improved quality and quantity of water sources. Nevertheless, slash-and-burn agriculture was still the norm for the majority of farmers. Most farmers continued to harvest wood from primary and secondary growth to meet their domestic wood requirements, rather than relying on trees planted in agroforestry projects. The main obstacles preventing increased agroforestry adoption included insufficient agroforestry extension, inappropriate project design or management (such as top-down management approaches, and the use of food incentives), smallholders' economic constraints, and larger policy issues. Recommendations are proposed to improve project design and management, and to address the economic and policy constraints. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.