Measurement and Analysis of Production Performance of Rural Households in Jinzhai County, Anhui Province

Using a multi-input multi-output production technology and survey data from Jinzhai County, western Anhui Province, China, the author first measured the production performance of rural households -- their efficiency, economy of scale, and productivity during 1978-1997, and then related the measured production performance with institutional change, market access, and other factors. Preliminary results show that: 1) performance differs a great deal across households and over time; 2) institutional changes and market accessibility have played a major role in improving performance; 3) depending on the specific resources, their effects are variable.     

对马关县农村能源沼气池建设的思考

从马关县的农村沼气池建设现状和存在问题,提出发展马关县农村沼气池建设的对策措施。     

四川盆地薪材树种选择及栽培技术研究

在四川盆地通过引进国内外薪材树种和选择乡土薪材树种,进行栽植密度、始伐年龄、轮伐期等试验研究,结果表明:从引进的8个新材树种中,选择出任豆为适宜生长的树种,新银合欢、黑荆、荆为为适宜部分地区生长的树种;从13个乡土薪材树(草)种中筛选出桤木、刺槐、麻栎、栓皮栎、马桑、卵花甜茅等为比较优良的薪材树(草)种。桤木、刺槐、马桑等薪炭林的合理造林密度为10000株(丛)/ha;麻栎、栓皮栎为6000～7000株(丛)/ha;印花甜茅以行距1m为宜。桤木、刺槐、麻栎、栓皮栎等薪炭林,始伐年龄不超过5年,轮供期3～6年;马桑薪炭林始伐年龄为3～4年,轮伐期2～3年、印花甜茅栽植1年后平茬,以后每年采收。合理的造林密度、始伐年龄、轮伐期,能使选择的几个树种提高生物产量1.0～2.5倍。     

Impact of exclosures on wood biomass production and fuelwood supply in northern Ethiopia

In the Ethiopian highlands, communal grazing lands are one of the major land uses, and are source of livelihood for the rural people. Free and uncontrolled grazing in the communal grazing lands is the dominant grazing system. The traditional uncontrolled and free grazing system has caused severe degradation of the grazing lands. As a result, communities have started to establish exclosures and support the restoration of degraded communal grazing lands. Studies have shown that exclosures are effective to restoring degraded communal grazing lands and improving ecosystem services. However, studies that investigate the changes in aboveground biomass following the establishment of exclosures and compare it with fuelwood demand of the beneficiaries in our study area is lacking. Therefore, our study aimed at:(1) quantifying yearly biomass accumulation in exclosures and compare it to fuelwood demand of households that manage the exclosures;(2) assessing household energy sources and their consumption levels. To monitor changes in biomass production with over time, replicated(n = 3) 5 and10 year-old exclosures were sampled. To investigate fuelwood sources and consumption patterns, household surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussion were conducted. Our results demonstrated that total biomass production increased with exclosure age. In both exclosure, biomass production from Vachellia etbaica was significantly(p \ 0.05) greater than that from Euclea.racemosa. Average daily fuelwood consumption per person was(0.63 ± 0.2) kg day^-1. This means that the total biomass(27.5 Mg year^-1) obtained from 114.6 ha of exclosures covers only 9.4% of yearly fuelwood demand of the residents who manage the sampled exclosures. Nearly all respondents(95%) confirmed that they travel more than10 km day^-1 to gather fuelwood from surrounding degraded forest patches. We recommend plantings of fast growing native tree species within exclosures and around homesteads to provide a sustainable fuelwood supply and using improved stoves to address the problem of fuelwood shortage. District agricultural offices could provide seedlings of native plant species, while communities provide unpaid labour for planting and managing plantations.     

基于城乡统筹的土地利用总体规划——以泸定县为例

近年来,随着社会经济建设的加快,各行各业的用地量增加,用地矛盾日益突出。特别是城市建设的加快,城市扩张对土地的需求量扩大,城市向农村迅速蔓延。这就必然要求土地利用总体规划以城乡统筹的视角来全局考虑综合安排各行业用地。以泸定县土地利用总体规划为例,从泸定县的实际情况出发分析统筹安排各行业用地。     

Effects of legal regulations on land use change: 2/B applications in Turkish forest law

For the countries struggling with climate change, sustainable forestry is one of the greatest challenges and is difficult to define, implement, and to measure. According to the scientific community’s consensus on climate change, forests are one of the major sinks and sustainable forest management (SFM) is needed to prevent deforestation and its negative effects on natural ecosystems. Despite being a party to many international treaties/agreements related to land use policies (LUP) that are promoting SFM to protect and develop forest resources, the 2/B application in Turkish forest legislation has been causing deforestation in Turkey since the 1970s.

In this study, 2/B applications–political and legal process–causing deforestation by land use change (LUC) are investigated by carrying out a legal analysis. About 500.000 ha of forests have been lost due to the 2/B application and as a LUP directly affects SFM, carbon sequestration capacities (CSC), and therefore, climate change. To exemplify this pre and post-LUC change and effect, the amount of carbon that was prevented from being absorbed as 176,7 tonnes/ha on average in a given forest area for the year 2016. There is a vital need to address the negative effects of ill-defined forest legislation to achieve SFM.     

Planted forests of the wet and dry tropics: their variety,nature, and significance

Planting trees in tropical countries is an increasingly important forestry activity. Although much attention has been paid, and rightly so, to rapid deforestation in the tropics, the contribution and role that planted forests can play are now at the center of policy and planning in most national forestry strategies. The changing emphasis from exploitative management of natural forests to managed natural forests and plantation forests, seen in temperate regions over the last 100 years, has been taking place in tropical countries largely over the last 20 years. In neither temperate nor tropical regions has this evolution finished.Planted forests will increasingly furnish wood resources that meet domestic wood needs and provide many environmental services. In this paper I seek to place in perspective the contribution that planted forests will make in the tropics. I emphasize (1) the wide variety of purposes that planted forests serve; (2) the sustainability of plantation silviculture; and (3) the overriding importance of due regard to people's participation. I am optimistic about the great value that planted forests, rightly used, can provide for a great many hard-pressed peoples across the tropics and beyond.     

试论乡村旅游的特点及本质属性

乡村旅游近年来备受青睐,但我国的乡村旅游在发展过程中存在很多的不足,对其理论研究也刚刚开始。本文从资源、市场、产品和效益4个方面分析了乡村旅游的特点;比较了乡村旅游与一般景区旅游在诸多方面存在的显著差异;认为乡村旅游的本质属性是乡村文化,并从乡村景观、乡村旅游产品、乡村旅游的消费和需求3个方面加以说明,以期对丰富乡村旅游的理论体系和指导乡村旅游的开发实践有所帮助和促进。     

Conversion of traditional village gardens and new economic strategies of rural households in the area of Bogor,Indonesia

Multistoried village gardens in the vicinity of Bogor (West Java, Indonesia) have long been essential multi-purpose production systems for low-income households. However they are being subjected to important conversion processes linked to socio-economic changes presently found in overcrowded semi-urban zones. Determining factors in their development are a high population increase and the rise of a market economy. Some gardens tend to specialize in commercial growing of fruits or of export crops, others are colonized by houses and associated home-gardens. Traditional gardens gradually lose their earlier ecological and economic features but also become a major asset for the modernization of village economy and society. In addition they bring socio-professional changes to villagers and play a determining role in the search for a new balance in the relationship between cities and villages.     

湖南省薪碳林发展现状、问题和对策

湖南省2004年有薪炭林面积17．7万hm^2,占林分总面积的2．34％。主要分布在永州、怀化、张家界、常德等西部边远山区县。薪碳林树种主要有刺槐、栎类、马尾松等。文章论述了湖南薪碳林发展的现状、问题及对策。     

Effects of region, soil, land use, and terrain type on fuelwood properties of five tree/shrub species in the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones of Mali

? Context

There is little information about inter- and intra-specific variation in fuelwood properties of trees/shrubs in West Africa.

? Aims

We studied variation in fuelwood properties of Balanites aegyptiaca, Combretum glutinosum, Guiera senegalensis, Piliostigma reticulatum, and Zizyphus mauritiana in the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones of Mali.

? Methods

Trees were sampled on different soil (sandy, sandy/loam, or rocky), land use (parkland agroforest or woodland), and terrain (flat, temporarily flooded, or hill slope) types in five regions extending from the drier eastern to the more humid western parts of Mali. Basic density, volatile matter, fixed carbon, ash content, moisture content, gross calorific value, and fuel value index were measured for each tree and adjusted for tree age.

? Results

All fuelwood properties differed significantly among species, but there were significant species by region interactions. Most fuelwood properties of four species differed significantly among regions. Soil and/or land use type had significant effects on a few fuelwood properties of four species.

? Conclusion

In general, fuelwood production is recommended in all regions for G. senegalensis, in drier regions for B. aegyptiaca and C. glutinosum, in more humid regions for Z. mauritiana, and on rocky soils for all species. Fuelwood production of P. reticulatum is not recommended.     

Patterns of forest use and endemism in resident bird communities of north-central Michoacán, Mexico

We compared breeding avian communities among 11 habitat types in north-central Michoacán, Mexico, to determine patterns of forest use by endemic and nonendemic resident species. Point counts of birds and vegetation measurements were conducted at 124 sampling localities from May through July, in 1994 and 1995. Six native forest types sampled were pine, pine–oak, oak–pine, oak, fir, and cloud forests; three habitat types were plantations of Eucalyptus, pine, and mixed species; and the remaining two habitats were shrublands and pastures. Pastures had lower bird-species richness and abundance than pine, oak–pine, and mixed-species plantations. Pine forests had greater bird abundance and species richness than oak forests and shrublands. Species richness and abundance of endemics were greatest in fir forests, followed by cloud forests. Bird abundance and richness significantly increased with greater tree-layer complexity, although sites with intermediate tree complexity also supported high abundances. When detrended correspondence-analysis scores were plotted for each site, bird species composition did not differ substantially among the four native oak-and-pine forest types, but cloud and fir forests, Eucalyptus plantations, and mixed-species plantations formed relatively distinct groups. Plantations supported a mixture of species found in native forests, shrublands, and pastures. Pastures and shrublands shared many species in common, varied greatly among sites in bird-species composition, and contained more species specific to these habitats than did forest types.     

四川棕榈科植物引种栽培及园林应用现状

棕榈科植物在构成我国南方城市的植物景观和园林绿化中起着重要的作用,近几年棕榈科植物在四川城市园林绿化中的应用也越来越多。本文介绍了四川棕榈科植物的引种栽培及在园林中的应用现状,并对今后的发展提出了一些建议。     

浅谈灌南县如何推进乡村绿化建设

分析了当前灌南县乡村绿化的现状和存在问题,对如何推进灌南县乡村绿化建设进行了探讨,并提出了相应的建议。     

Land use, biodiversity conservation, and rural development in the dehesas of Cuatro Lugares, Spain

Dehesas are an agrosilvopastoral system that has enhanced the maintenance of an extraordinarily high biodiversity. The traditional use is characterized by mixed livestock raising at low stocking densities, employment of hardy regional breeds and an elaborated maintenance and exploitation of holm oaks. Livestock production has traditionally been accompanied by arable systems with long rotations and closed nutrient cycles without external inputs of fodder, fertilizers and agro-chemicals. Modern trends are a specialization toward lamb and beef production and the employment of intensive techniques like free-range grazing at high stocking levels or crossbreeding with high-performance breeds. A model income statement shows that livestock create an income of 49.91 US$ per ewe per year on an average basis. The central problem for the continuity of the dehesas is the gradual decay of the tree canopy. Intensification of agricultural production and the abandonment of traditional grazing practices additionally threaten biodiversity within the dehesas. The authors suggest the foundation of a biosphere reserve in Cuatro Lugares as a framework for a sustainable development of the dehesas.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of prior land use on wood quality of Pinus radiata in New South Wales,Australia

Wood quality data from 33 sites aged between 15 and 18 years old were analysed to determine the effect of prior land use (pasture, cleared grazing land or timber) on wood density, wood stiffness, fibre length and kraft pulp yield. Sampling sites covered 6 different forest areas within the estate. Prior land use (PLU) significantly affected wood stiffness, density and fibre length but not the kraft pulping traits. In contrast, differences were found between different forest areas for the kraft pulping traits plus fibre length but not for stiffness or density.     

Exploring the effect of changes in land use on soil quality on the eastern slope of the Cofre de Perote Volcano (Mexico)

Changes in land use on the eastern slope of the Cofre de Perote Volcano (Mexico) appear to have a negative effect on soil quality. In this study, we use a multivariate data set to research whether the change in land use has affected soil quality and to identify the indicators that best represent variability of the original data set. An elevation transect was identified as follows: upper segment (US), middle segment (MS) and lower segment (LS). The following nondisturbed areas and farm fields were sampled: US: pinus forest (PF), corn cropland (CP), and abandoned cropland (AC); MS: tropical cloud forest (TF), corn cropland (CC), and grassland (GL); LS: oak forest (OF) and sugarcane (SG). Sixteen soil chemical, physical, and biological attributes were measured on each site of interest. It was shown that the change in land use caused a reduction in organic material content, especially on MS and LS. The highest acidity was recorded in nondisturbed soils and abandoned cropland. Microbial biomass-C (C_m) and the microbial quotient (C_m/C) were altered the most on MS and LS. C_m and mineralized N (Nm) decreased from US to LS. Bulk density (BD) increased with the change in land use, especially on LS. Principal component analysis was used to analyze soil quality overall. The first principal component (PC1) explained 46% of the total variance of the data set, and seven soil attributes had significant loadings. C, N, and total porosity (TP) were negatively weighted and were contrasted with Mg, ECEC, BD, and C_m/C. The second principal component (PC2) explained 16% and had significant positive loadings on Ca, inorganic nitrogen (Ni), and C_m. LS soils had the highest PC1 scores and US soils the lowest. The positively high PC1 scores recorded for LS soils revealed a greater sensitivity to changes in land use. In US, there were no significant effects on PC1 caused by land use change, while in the MS, positively high PC1 scores obtained in the CC soil were related to greater microbial activity and a decrease in C and N. In LS, SG soil had significantly higher PC1 scores than OF soil, indicating an increase in microbial activity.     

Effects of landscape restoration on soil water storage and water use in the Loess Plateau Region,China

Large-scale vegetation restoration in China's Loess Plateau has been initiated by the central government for controlling soil and water losses in the past three decades. However, there is virtually no guidance for plant species selection for the restoration purpose. We investigated the effects of planting trees and shrubs, land-use conversions from croplands to pastures and native grasslands on soil water dynamics and water stresses by using long-term field measurements from 1986 to 1999 in the semi-arid loess hilly area. Our research has led to the following three major findings. Firstly, the amount of soil water storage within a 100 cm depth decreased as measured at both the beginning and the ending point of growing seasons regardless land cover types. The soil water replenishment by rainfall during rainy seasons was not sufficient to fully recharge the soil water storage. Landscape restoration through shrub planting may help retain more soil water than other land cover types. Secondly, the ratio of actual evapotranspiration (ET) and pan evaporation (PET) generally declined for all land cover types during the study period. Shrub lands had the largest ET/PET ratio, followed by native grassland, cropland/alfalfa, and pine woodland. The ET/PET ratio of native grasslands declined fastest, followed by pine woodlands, shrub lands, alfalfa, and croplands. Pine woodland's low ET/PET ratios were mainly caused by its higher runoff due to soil compaction resulted from soil desiccation. Lastly, we found that the soil water storage at the beginning of growing season was important in determining the ET/PET ratios. This study suggested that pine plantations may not be appropriate for landscape restoration in such a semi-arid loess hilly area while shrubs may be highly recommended.     

Characterization of multistrata silvopastoral systems on seasonally dry pastures in the Caribbean Region of Colombia

Latin American pastures usually include trees that may be important in sustaining productivity and conserving resources and biodiversity. A participatory survey of trees in seasonally dry pastures of 54 farms in the Caribbean region of Colombia, followed by cluster and correlation analyses, revealed a multistrata configuration. Trees of large stature (e.g., Tabebuia rosea, Albizia caribaea and Sterculia apelata) provided shade and produced timber. The most important fodder trees were those of medium stature (Albizia saman, Guazuma ulmifolia, and Cassia grandis) that produced fruits or pods, while other species were managed as shrubs producing green leaf fodder (e.g., Crescentia cujete and Gliricidia sepium, which was also ubiquitous as living fence posts). Trees were present on between 26 and 69% of the pastures on each farm, at densities varying from less than 3 to more than 50 trees ha⁻¹. There were more trees in drier areas, of lower fertility, with extensive grazing, where milk as well as meat was produced. Most farmers planted timber trees, encouraged regeneration of fodder trees, and knew about fodder species preferences of cattle and the effects of trees on pasture and animal productivity. Their knowledge of tree phenology was less certain and varied even amongst farmers in similar locations. There is scope to develop silvopastoral systems with woody species familiar to farmers, but it is critical to determine how important different vegetation strata are for sustainability of cattle production. An experiment has been established to achieve this, with treatments based on an analysis of how trees are presently used on farms in the region. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

太行山石灰岩区土地利用变化及区域生态效应

基于数字化的航片,对刘家流域土地利用变化的区域生态环境效应进行了定量分析,结果表明：生态环境质量改善和恶化的两种趋势并存,但是导致区域生态环境改善地类的贡献率要远远高于恶化地类的贡献率;该区域的总体生态环境质量发生了根本转变,生态环境有了显著的提高,人工林地面积的增加是区域生态环境改善的主导因素。