Evaluating ecological integrity in national parks: Case studies from Canada and South Africa

Many existing parks are currently experiencing difficulties in achieving their conservation aims, yet they remain an important option for maintaining and enhancing the conservation of biological diversity and ecosystem processes. Critics have claimed that many national parks cannot continue to protect the biological resources within their borders, and the sustainability of these areas over the long-term is in question. Ways need to be found to strengthen those that are failing, and to understand and replicate those that are succeeding. This paper presents the empirical results from a systematic evaluation of how effectively six case study national parks and national park reserves in Canada and South Africa have been protecting ecological integrity. Several parks were effective at addressing the priorities for which they had monitoring data, however the effectiveness rating of each park decreased when all indicators, including those identified as priorities but lacking monitoring data, were analysed. This indicates that the parks had generally identified more priority indicators than they were actually able to address (for many reasons, including lack of budget or trained staff, managerial challenges). Overall, a systematic approach to evaluating ecological integrity in national parks is recommended as the managers of protected areas cannot be expected to conserve the biological diversity and ecosystem processes within their borders if they are unaware of the ecological status of the park’s biodiversity. The paper concludes with several practical recommendations for monitoring ecological integrity in national parks.     

Comparing the potential effectiveness of conservation planning approaches in central North Carolina, USA

We compared four approaches to conservation site selection to protect forest biodiversity in the Triangle Region of North Carolina, USA. Using biological inventory data and an inventory-based conservation plan as benchmarks, we evaluated the potential effectiveness of a focal species plan and three “simple” plans (large forested patches, close to wetlands and riparian areas, diverse forest types). Effectiveness was measured in three ways: the number of inventory elements captured at least once by the plan (representation), the total number of inventory elements captured (completeness), and the proportion of land in the inventory-based plan included (overlap). We further examined the potential effectiveness of the simple plans by calculating their overlap with land identified by the focal species approach. The simple and focal species plans did not differ markedly in terms of representation, but diverged when completeness and overlap were considered. Although representation rates for all four plans were relatively high, lower rates for completeness and overlap raise concerns about long-term viability. The simple plans did not identify the same lands as the focal species plan, and are thus unlikely to provide appropriate habitat for the focal species. Each approach we tested failed to capture some subset of species and communities, highlighting the importance of explicit conservation targets and consideration of ecological processes. Forced to act quickly and with little data, our findings suggest using initially a set of complementary simple plans, each focused on a different habitat type. This should be considered a stopgap measure, however, while more sophisticated plans are constructed, defining explicit conservation targets and considering ecological processes.     

National parks and other protected areas in North America in relation to those in Norway and Sweden

In Scandinavia, national parks are mostly restricted to wilderness areas, usually without roads. Most of them are in the mountains and are visited by relatively few people. The problem of ecological balance in national parks in North America is discussed. While, for instance, forest fires have been avoided in the national parks of the United States since the first such park was founded in 1872, the new ecological park policy allows attempts at controlled fires and thinning of dense forest by logging. Success in experiments of this kind requires good knowledge of the ecological potential of the species and successional trends involved—knowledged found only in experienced ecologists. The need is stressed for a strong national park administration, with a high degree of influence of ecologists, in the Scandinavian countries—both to avoid unbalanced use of the parks in the future, and to restrict nature-disturbing activities to areas of lesser interest for purpose of conservation.     

First proposed National Park for Panama

Following a request from the Minister of Agriculture of Panama, a long-term plan for six national parks has been prepared for that country. The Volcán Barú proposed national park is of primary interest. IUCN, with financial support from the WWF US National Appeal, organized an ecological reconnaissance of this area. The rare Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) and other unusual wildlife occur there. The higher regions of the volcano are largely covered with primary cloud-forest and is of great geological interest. Protection of the watershed would be an important benefit of the park, as would tourism.     

大同市城区公园表层土壤重金属污染特征和健康风险及来源解析

【目的】为了解大同市城区公园表层土壤中重金属污染特征、健康风险和污染来源。【方法】于2021年4月在大同市7个公园共采集54个0～10 cm表层土壤样品,测定铬（Cr）、锰（Mn）、钴（Co）、镍（Ni）、铜（Cu）、锌（Zn）、砷（As）、镉（Cd）、铅（Pb）含量,利用地累积污染指数法、潜在生态风险指数法和健康风险评价模型评价土壤重金属污染程度,并采用绝对主成分-多元线性回归模型解析重金属污染来源及其贡献率。【结果】大同市公园表层土壤中9种重金属含量均高于山西省A层土壤背景值。其中,所调查的公园土壤中As、Cd和Pb含量分别是土壤背景值的2.27、18.93和2.77倍。文瀛湖公园表层土壤重金属污染最严重,其次是御河公园,Cd是主要污染因子。Mn对成人和儿童造成的非致癌健康风险最大,其次是As和Cr;经呼吸吸入途径造成的非致癌健康风险高于经口摄入途径和皮肤接触途径。【结论】大同市各公园表层土壤中重金属对成人造成的非致癌健康风险指数均在可接受范围内,而对儿童造成的非致癌健康风险指数均远大于1.0,存在非致癌风险。Co对成人和儿童造成的致癌健康风险指数均大于1×10-4,存在致癌风险。...     

The impact of cultural and ecological change on Amazonian fisheries

Fish have long provided an important item in the diet of Amazonians, but ecological and cultural changes threaten the long-term productivity of aquatic ecosystems. Population growth, the opening of extra-regional markets and the introduction of new or improved technologies, have increased pressure on fisheries of Amazonia, the world's largest freshwater catchment. Habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and development projects also threatens to undermine fishing yields. Modern conservation practices, such as the establishment of parks and reserves and the enactment of protective legislation, are only gaining a tentative foothold in the region.     

长白山森工集团天保工程生态效益动态变化

基于2000年底和2015年底,长白山森工集团森林资源二类调查数据和森林生态站长期监测数据,利用森林生态系统服务全指标体系,连续观测与清查(简称森林生态连清)体系,采用分布式测算方法,对研究区天然林生态系统,从涵养水源、保育土壤、固碳释氧、林木积累营养物质、净化大气环境和生物多样性保护等6项服务进行评估,量化并揭示长白山森工集团天保工程生态效益的动态变化.结果表明:在天保工程实施后,天然林各项生态系统服务物质量和价值量均呈现增加趋势,物质量增加量分别为涵养水源7.78亿t/a、保育土壤2 255.32万t/a、固碳释氧量191.87万t/a、林木积累营养物质6.35万t/a、释放负离子0.22×10”个/a、吸收污染物量2 879.16万kg/a、吸滞PM10总物质量122.43万kg/a、吸滞PM2.5总物质量18.38万kg/a;价值量增加381.75亿元/a,6项服务的价值量贡献顺序依次为生物多样性保护＞涵养水源＞保育土壤＞净化大气环境＞固碳释氧＞林木积累营养物质,其中,生物多样性保护和涵养水源为研究区天然林生态系统服务的主导功能.天保工程实施后,保育土壤功能的生态系统服务价值量增加量最大,占总增加量的27％,涵养水源次之,对该区天然林生态效益影响最大.该研究为天保工程的后续开展提供借鉴和参考,为天然林的经营管理提供科学依据和指导.     

Developing programs to monitor ecosystem health and effectiveness of management practices on Lakes States National Forests, USA

Assessing accomplishment of management objectives related to ecosystem health requires monitoring key indicators, including ecological processes and components of biological diversity. For these purposes, a monitoring plan was developed on the Chequamegon National Forest. It was refined by use of public workshops and technical consultation, and later adjusted based on practicality and additional inventory needs. To date, monitoring has focused on plants and birds, including long-term baseline monitoring in both managed forest and more natural areas. Monitoring is done at both the national forest and the ranger district levels, a forest subunit, the latter usually focusing on specific projects rather than forestwide ecosystem health concerns. Examples from the Laurentian ranger district of the Superior National Forest are provided. Future assessments will require qualitative, quantitative and spatial analyses of community, ecosystem, habitat and population trends and patterns, and management effects. An institutionalized program that focuses on key ecosystem components at various scales, and that involves concerned publics and many partners, will be necessary to provide feedback to refine forest management.     

Establishing baselines for recovery in a marine reserve (Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand) using local ecological knowledge

Local ecological knowledge is a potentially valuable, but mostly untapped, resource for evaluating decadal-scale shifts in abundances of organisms. In this study, recollections of long-term divers were quantified to assess changes in underwater life at the Poor Knights Islands in temperate northeastern New Zealand from the 1960s to 2000s, in order to establish baselines for recovery since the islands were protected within a no-take marine reserve in late 1998. Data were validated against quantitative data from contemporary monitoring programmes (established in the late 1990s), with the divers conservative in that their reported changes were smaller than those from the scientific monitoring. The divers reported large (60–88%) and steady long-term declines in abundances of black corals (Lillipathes lilliei), tube sponges (Calyx imperialis), packhorse lobster (Sagmariasus verreauxi), and several large predatory fishes. There was little or no suggestion of recent recovery in these species following no-take protection. Only the sparid fish Pagrus auratus and sharks were considered to have substantially increased in numbers following no-take protection. Multivariate analysis of data derived from the divers’ recollections detected no signs of recovery at the community-level, although full no-take protection appeared to have stopped further change along the major axis of variation. Our results highlight the value of local ecological knowledge for investigating decadal-scale changes in reef biota and for providing a longer-term context for evaluating the efficacy of marine reserves.     

基于遥感生态指数模型的杨凌农业高新技术产业示范区生态环境评价

[目的]定量揭示杨凌农业高新技术产业示范区(简称"杨凌区")生态环境质量的空间分布与变化特征,为该区及类似地区生态环境建设的规划和管理提供科学依据。[方法]本文基于Landsat8卫星影像,利用主成分分析的遥感生态模型进行分析。[结果]2013—2018年,杨凌区生态环境质量总体呈上升趋势,遥感生态指数均值由0.45升至0.50,呈上升趋势的面积为50.77km~2,占全区总面积的38%;杨凌区生态环境状况的空间分布具有向西北优而东南城区差两极扩散的趋势;干度分量对生态指数模型整体影响最大。[结论]杨凌区生态环境质量较差的区域主要集中在城区人为活动密集区和大型工业园区,体现出高度聚集的特点。在杨凌区未来规划和发展中,应控制并有效减小裸地和建设用地面积,重视生态景观和城区绿化。     

济南绿地生态网络体系的规划布局与构建

城市绿地生态网络体系规划布局及构建, 是城市基本生态设施建设和城乡一体化的生态园林建设的主要景观格局模式, 是实现城市可持续发展和生态城市建设的一项重要途径和内容。本研究运用城市生态学和景观生态学的相关理论, 对济南市绿地生态网络体系进行了规划布局与构建: 采用以核心公园为中心、放射状园林绿带为轴线、市级公园为结点、环城绿带为结合部的多绿心、环网状的城市绿地系统模式, 形成“一心、三环、六带、七廊、七区、多楔、多点”的绿地生态网络体系格局。     

Temporal and spatial monitoring of soil selenium at Kesterson Reservoir,California

The selenium and salt content of the top 15 cm of the soil profile at Kesterson Reservoir (Merced County, California) have been monitored annually to develop a data set that provides a foundation for: (1) evaluating the status of the selenium inventory and biological hazards at Kesterson Reservoir; (2) understanding selenium fluxes near the soil surface; and (3) making long-term predictions of the selenium concentrations available for plant uptake and dissolution into rainwater ephemeral pools. Results of this monitoring program indicate that the soil selenium inventory at Kesterson may be categorized in terms of three main patterns: (1) spatial trends associated with historic Reservoir operations; (2) temporal trends due to the oxidation and remobilization of the selenium inventory and; (3) temporal trends due to seasonal cycles. It is evident that the selenium inventory and distribution within the soil profile will evolve slowly whereby the fraction of the total inventory that is now immobile (est. at 93%) will oxidize to more mobile and bioavailable forms. Two major issues with broad importance were raised concerning sampling the surface soil selenium environment at Kesterson which may be helpful to others conducting investigations of similar nature. These issues include: (1) the recognition that variations in surface soil contaminant concentrations due to seasonal redistribution may obscure long term trends and; (2) large spatial variability in soil contaminant concentrations make it difficult to obtain large enough data sets to detect statistically significant changes in the contaminant inventory until large changes have already taken place. A combination of both process-oriented and synoptic type sampling are recommended to better define time trends.     

Grass-induced changes in properties of soils in urban green areas with emphasis on mobility of metals

Purpose

Green areas in urban parks are special ecosystems because of social and ecological benefits.

Materials and methods

We investigated the ecological impacts of green spaces by comparing the properties of soils, with emphasis on metals, in green spaces and bare soil playgrounds in four urban parks in Murcia City (SE Spain).

Results and discussion

Organic matter (OM) contents in green areas are higher than playground soils due to litter decomposition from grass. Cation exchange capacity in green areas ranged from 10 to 14 compared to 2 cmol₊kg^?1 in playground soils, showing the effect of OM (and clay) contents in green areas due to the presence of vegetation. Soil total metal contents in urban parks are below the environmental threshold values for soils in Spain and other European countries, and come from atmospheric deposition and fertilizers application. Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable soil Cd in green areas (4% of total Cd) is lower than in playground soils (58% of total Cd). We attributed the reduced DTPA- and water-extractable Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, and Mo to the formation of stable complexes between metals and OM produced from the continued decomposition of roots of grasses in green spaces.

Conclusions

Grasses accumulate less metal than soils except in roots where Cr and Zn are higher than soils by as much as 31 and 17%, respectively. We conclude that grasses increased (up to 8×) soil OM content in green areas to significantly increase the ability of soils to accumulate nutrients for plants, and to retain and reduce the mobility and toxicity of metals in soils in urban parks.     

Application of biological indicators to assess recovery of hydrocarbon impacted soils

Remediation programmes are considered complete when human risk-based criteria are met. These targets are unrelated to the ecological parameters that may be important with regard to future soil uses. As a consequence, there has been a move towards the consideration of biological indicators for hazard assessment in conjunction with the remediation of contaminated soils. This study uses a range of biological assays to assess the ecological health of soils from a former gas works site undergoing various remediation treatments. The indicators that optimally differentiated the extent of soil remediation were biomass-C, respiration, dehydrogenase activity, earthworm toxicity and mustard seed germination. Although they had different end-points, once robust and sensitive biological indicators were incorporated into a quantitative soil quality index, they gave a clearer representation of ecological health than chemical data alone by their integration of contamination effects at a number of trophic levels.     

西安市城市公园树木多样性特征研究

生物多样性的维持是城市公园的一项重要生态功能,在城市环境建设和城市绿地生态效益发挥中具有重要的价值。通过对西安市21个公园40个样方的调查,发现西安城市公园共有57种树木,分属31科46属,本土树种占46.2%,国内引进种占总数的27.2%,国外引进种占总数的26.6%。所调查的21个公园物种丰富度Margalef指数为1.87,多样性指数Simpson指数为0.76,Shannon-Wiener指数为1.66,Pielou均匀度指数为0.80,表现出中等水平的多样性。西安城市公园以引进种占优势的这种树木组成,新建公园的较大树径,主要是人工配置的结果。说明社会经济的发展对城市公园的生物多样性有着重要的影响。     

The impact of climate change on cherry trees and other species in Japan

Studies from throughout the world have provided evidence that climate change is already affecting the ecology and persistence of species. Japan contributes valuable insights into understanding these changes through long-term records of the timing of cherry blossoms and other phenomena of ecological and cultural interest. The wide latitudinal spread of Japan also provides an opportunity to examine species over a broad range of environmental conditions. In this review, we examine phenological studies that have taken place in Japan and summarize their significance to climate change and conservation research. In Kyoto, records of the timing of celebrations of cherry blossom festivals going back to the 9th century reconstruct the past climate and demonstrate the local increase in temperature associated with global warming and urbanization. This record is probably the longest annual record of phenology from anyplace in the world and shows that cherries are currently flowering earlier than they have at any time during the previous 1200 years. Detailed mapping of cherry tree flowering times in and around Osaka and other cities in Japan show that urbanization causes plants to flower earlier within the city environs than in nearby parks and outlying suburban areas. Flowering records from a large cherry arboretum at Mt. Takao, on the outskirts of Tokyo, show that both among and within species, early flowering is associated with greater responsiveness to temperature variation. Lastly, records of phenology for a wide range of plants and animals recorded at over 100 weather stations throughout Japan show that species vary greatly in their phenological responses to climate change, and highlight ecological relationships that need to be investigated in the field. Together, these studies provide important insights into how species are responding to climate change in Japan. Further research, particularly targeted field observations and experiments, is needed to build on these findings and to improve our understanding of how climate change is altering biological communities and how it will continue to affect them in the future.     

Factors influencing public preferences for invasive alien species management

Invasive species research has traditionally focused on the ecological aspects of invasions and their threats to biodiversity. Few studies have incorporated social dimensions of invasive alien species (IAS) management. In this study, we surveyed visitors (N = 1166) to Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA, USA, to measure their knowledge of, attitudes toward, and preferences for various IAS management options. Multinomial logistic regression, two-step cluster analysis, and the Potential for Conflict Index were used to determine factors that predict support for IAS control, identify subgroups of visitors with unique management preferences, and evaluate the level of consensus among these distinct groups. Results showed that, although knowledge and perceived threat scores were related to management preferences, environmental attitude orientations were the best indicators of support for IAS control. Absolute ecocentric visitors (typically younger, less educated individuals with less experience in parks) believed that all living things have a right to coexist without disruption and favored a hands-off management approach. Adaptive ecocentric visitors (typically older, more educated individuals with more experience in parks) believed that some degree of human interference is necessary to maintain ecosystem integrity and favored hands-on management. Despite these different perspectives, adaptive on-site control of invasive species was viewed as the most acceptable and least controversial management option across all visitor subgroups. This study may inform IAS management practices by providing a framework for identifying stakeholder characteristics and synthesizing public preferences to minimize conflict and highlight ecologically beneficial and socially acceptable outcomes.     

农田长期生态过程的长期试验研究进展与展望

长期试验是研究农田长期生态过程及其环境效应和调控措施的重要手段.本文综述了国际上重要农业长期试验的研究发展趋势,分析了农业长期试验的重要作用,然后分析了国内农业长期试验网的发展现状,提出了未来发展的建议.农业长期试验的发展主要表现在长期农业生态和环境过程的研究领域不断扩展、长期试验成为多学科交叉研究平台和应用研究平台.国内建立了两个主要的农业长期试验网络,重点开展了水分和养分的长期试验.目前农业长期试验网络需要在区域尺度上加强农业、环境和生物科学的交叉研究;扩展试验地面积,完善试验设计;完善分析测试方法和样品、数据的保存系统.国家需要制定和实施稳定农业长期试验研究的管理和经费支持政策.     

Old manor parks as potential habitats for forest flora in agricultural landscapes of Estonia

Forest biodiversity conservation in intensively managed agricultural landscapes is a constant concern. The dispersal ability of forest plants is, hypothetically, the major limiting factor in fragmented forest landscapes and, therefore, we tested the validity of the theoretical dispersal scheme for plants in fragmented landscapes: ancient forest > woody corridor > emerging forest patch. To this end, we examined the distribution pattern of forest-dwelling plant species in rural landscapes, specifically the occurrence of common forest plant species in old historical forests and in closed-canopy stands of rural ornamental parks, planted on an agricultural land one–two centuries ago.We found that (i) the shade tolerant plant flora in parks’ stands more resemble forests than woody linear habitats (corridors), (ii) nearly 50% of the local forest species pool was present in parks, (iii) the abundance of seed source habitats and the ecological quality of the target habitat determine success rate of colonization. Models predicted that optimal stand characteristics for forest herbs are a minimum area 2.5 ha, canopy closure 0.7–0.8, basal area of trees 10–20 m² ha^?1 and the presence of moderate understory management.We conclude that only patch-type habitats provide suitable environmental conditions for forest-specific plant species. Many common forest plant species are capable of long-distance dispersal between habitat patches across hostile agricultural land, and accordingly, their dispersal follows a modified scheme of the island biogeography, without intermediary role of corridor habitats. Old rural manor parks provide an ecosystem service for nature conservation by harbouring forest biodiversity, and should be considered as potential refugium habitats.     

Legal and biotic boundaries of western North American national parks: A problem of congruence

The boundaries of a national park may be defined in terms of its legal and biotic boundaries. The legal boundaries are the boundaries established by the highest legislative authority of a country. The biotic boundaries are hypothetical boundaries which would be necessary to maintain existing ecological processes and a given assemblage of species within a national park. Practically, the biotic boundaries are defined as those hypothetical boundaries encompassing the entire watershed of a park and an area of sufficient size to maintain a minimum viable population (MVP) for the terrestrial non-volant species with the largest home range found within the current legal boundaries. The legal and biotic boundaries for eight of the largest continental national parks and park assemblages in western North America were examined for congruence. The legal boundaries for seven of the eight parks/park assemblages were found to be larger than the biotic boundaries by a factor of 1·2–9·6 for a MVP=50 and 6·0–96·0 for a MVP=500. One to seven percent of all the mammals, excluding chiropterans, found currently in seven of the eight national parks/park assemblages have an area requirement (MVP=50 × home range) exceeding the legal boundaries. It is urgent while an opportunity exists that an active effort be made to enhance the congruence of the legal and biotic boundaries of these parks and park assemblages through the cooperative management of adjacent public and private lands so as to minimize the potential loss of wildlife.