屏边大围山国家级自然保护区社区居民环境保护意识调查

为了解影响自然保护区社区居民保护态度的主要原因,对屏边大围山国家级自然保护区及其周边的6个村寨进行调查,采用非参数检验和逐步线性回归分析方法分析人口特征和社会经济的各种因子对居民保护态度的主要影响.结果表明,不同村寨对保护区态度的影响存在显著差异(N=6,X2=7.98,P=0.04);性别(N=171,X2=7.92,P=0.04)和家庭拥有旱地面积(N=171,X2=8,P=0.04)也是影响保护态度的主要原因;其他因素对保护态度影响不显著.调查社区居民对保护政策的满意度及目前的政策需求认为,落实搬迁,解决土地权属问题,寻找新的经济作物及其种植地点,发展社区经济,完善农村基础设施建设是当前获得社区居民对保护区建设与管理支持的最主要办法.另外,提高管理人员素质和护林员待遇,解决公平问题对自然保护区的管理亦至关重要.     

Removal of rock fragments and its effect on soil loss and crop yield, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract. When the farmers of the Highlands of Tigray (northern Ethiopia) consider rock fragment cover in their fields to be excessive, they remove some of them. In addition, large amounts of rock fragments of all sizes are removed from fields for building stone bunds. Semi-structured interviews indicate that the farmers are often reluctant to take away the smaller rock fragments (i.e. < 5 cm across) from their fields, since they believe these benefit soil moisture conservation and protect topsoil from erosion. A field experiment was carried out on a Vertic Cambisol (average slope: 0.125 m m^–1), 2 km east of Hagere Selam (subhumid climate). Rock fragments were totally, partially or not removed from the 12 runoff plots (5 m × 6 m) before the beginning of the 1999 cropping season, during which a local mixture of wheat varieties ( Triticum spp.) was sown. After harvest, erosion rates were assessed by measuring deposited sediment volume in trenches at the lower side of each subplot, and grain and straw yields were assessed. We found a significant negative relationship between rock fragment cover and soil loss by water erosion. However, the resulting positive relationship between rock fragment cover and grain and straw yield was weak. This might be explained by the fact that the plot did not suffer from drought due to soil and climatic conditions. Detailed analysis showed that cover by medium and large rock fragments (> 2 cm diameter) showed an optimum percentage cover above which crop yields decrease. A recommendation resulting from this study is to rely on the farmers' experience: smaller rock fragments should never be removed from the surface of fields during soil and water conservation works; instead rock fragment rich soil can be used to top the stone bunds.     

The complex relationship between welfare and reproduction in cattle

Using reproduction parameters as indicators for cattle welfare has limitations and, at best, these parameters should only be viewed as indirect indicators of welfare. On a farm level, measures such as fertility rates emphasize biological performance of the herd but fail to consider the welfare of individual animals. Even on an individual level, the relationship between reproductive effectiveness and animal welfare is complex. Good reproductive performance does not automatically signify good welfare, as domestication and targeted breeding programmes have led to prioritization of high productive and reproductive performance in most modern farm animal species. In this review, we synthesize literature regarding cattle husbandry, reproduction, welfare and their multidimensional relationships. We argue that practices such as artificial insemination or the use of sexed semen may provide potential welfare advantages as these practices reduce the risk of disease transmission and injury or enable selection of specific beneficial traits. Furthermore, they may offer a solution to current practices jeopardizing welfare, such as the management of surplus bull calves in the dairy industry. Conversely, the animals’ ability to perform natural behaviours such as oestrous expression, an aspect arguably contributing to welfare, is often limited on commercial farms; this limitation is particularly evident in housing systems such as tie stalls where movement is restricted. Moreover, common management practices such as oestrus manipulation may lead to negative attitudes in citizens who often regard naturalness as important element of animal welfare.     

Consumer acceptance of transgenic crops

It has long been recognised that a key determinant of the future development of genetic engineering in food production is likely to be consumer acceptance. Much of the earlier research into acceptance issues has assumed that public perceptions of genetic engineering are defined by beliefs about the technology overall. However, it is now known that acceptance of novel products is unlikely to be related to general attitudes towards genetic engineering. People's perceptions of risk and benefit associated with particular products and applications will determine acceptance. There is a need to develop effective risk–benefit communication strategies, based on the best scientific information available, in order to enable the public to make informed choices about consuming the products of genetic engineering. It is also essential to develop effective communication methods if the public is to contribute to the wider debate about strategic development of genetic engineering. Issues of social context (such as trust in risk regulators) must also be considered. Providing information is likely to change people's attitudes, which will in turn generate further public concerns and create a demand for more information about genetic engineering. © 1998 SCI     

Establishing Conservation Easements on Forested Riparian Buffers: Opportunities for Long-term Streamside Protection

Forest riparian buffers are an important means of conserving land. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) offers financial incentives to landowners to install forested riparian buffers under 10–15 year contracts. This study explores whether Pennsylvania CREP participants who had established a riparian buffer would also place it under a permanent conservation easement. A mail questionnaire was developed and administered to 685 CREP participants. It was found that the majority of the respondents are likely to leave their buffer intact when the CREP contract expires, but are hesitant to agree to conservation easements. Property rights, education and finances are among the key issues affecting acceptance of conservation easements.     

Food Irradiation Overview:

No abstract available for this article.     

养殖企业从业人员“动物福利”社会态度研究

1 525份有效问卷的调查表明,中国畜牧行业大多数从业人员对动物福利有基本的认知。如75.4%的从业人员听说过动物福利,76.5%的从业人员赞成就动物福利立法,强迫生产者为猪鸡提供良好的生长和生存条件等。从业人员普遍认同动物的生理福利和环境福利,但对行为福利等却认知不足。从业人员在赞同动物福利的同时,又不太愿意因推行动物福利而承担过大的成本,如59.8%的从业者只愿意承担因遵守动物福利而导致5%及以下的成本增加。     

A longitudinal study of veterinary students and recent graduates: 3. Perceptions of veterinary education

Objective To examine the attitudes and opinions on veterinary education at the beginning and end of the veterinary course, and after graduation.
Design Longitudinal study.
Population Students – 154 in all – who began studying veterinary science at The University of Queensland in 1985 and 1986.
Procedure Questionnaires were completed in the first and fifth year of the course and in the second year after graduation. The data were analysed using the SAS System for Windows.
Results When they entered the course, the students were looking forward more to learning about animals than about basic sciences. At fifth year and after graduation most believed that more emphasis should have been placed on all facets of their education except the basic sciences. It may be difficult to increase this emphasis without placing undue pressure on the students, although more than half of the fifth year students and graduates agreed that there is much in the curriculum that is not needed by a practising veterinarian. Only one-third or less agreed that veterinarians are well equipped to practise veterinary science immediately they graduate. There was no relationship between the level of agreement with this statement, and the academic grades obtained.
Conclusions A majority of veterinary graduates do not believe that they are well equipped to practice immediately they graduate. They believe that more emphasis should have been placed on most facets of their education, but, conversely, that there is much in the curriculum that is not needed by a practising veterinarian.     

Pet Ownership,Attitude Toward Pets,and Support for Wildlife Management Strategies

Pet ownership affects engagement with animal-related activities and may be related to support of wildlife management. British participants (N = 220) completed an online survey providing information on pet ownership, attitudes toward pets, and support for wildlife management strategies. Within this sample, pet owners and individuals with positive attitudes toward pets were less supportive of strategies that put human needs before the needs of wildlife, more supportive of strategies attempting to avoid species extinctions, and opposed to strategies requiring compromises of individual species. Pet owners’ affectionate attitudes toward animals and opposition to their exploitation may be important in dictating attitudes toward wildlife. Conservation planners could apply these findings when seeking support for management strategies that constrain freedoms of pets and wildlife. Utilizing the sympathetic attitudes of pet owners toward animals by focusing on welfare and survival benefits for wildlife species may help foster support for management strategies.     

Non-governmental Organizations and Government Agencies Lead in Cultivating Positive Sea Turtle Conservation Attitudes

Considerable research has been conducted analyzing how demographic characteristics influence the public’s attitudes toward wildlife; however, less research of this type has been conducted in locations having long-standing species conservation efforts. Questionnaires were completed by residents living adjacent to such a location, the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR), to investigate which demographics explained residents’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, willingness to act for, and participation in sea turtle conservation. Residents who had a non-governmental organization (NGO) or government agency as their sea turtle information source had stronger positive attitudes toward sea turtles. Residents who possessed strong positive attitudes were more willing to engage in pro–sea turtle conservation behaviors. Overall, this research demonstrated that ACNWR residents’ source of sea turtle information being an NGO or government agency played a significant role in increasing residents’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, willingness to volunteer for, and participation in sea turtle conservation.