Information extraction and dynamic evaluation of soil salinization with a remote sensing method in a typical county on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China

Monitoring the dynamics of soil salinization is of great importance for agricultural production. This study selected Yucheng County, a typical county on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (HHHP) of China, as the study area and evaluated the spatial and temporal variation of soil salinization. Three methods, consisting of principal component analysis (PCA) transformation, tasseled cap (TC) transformation, and optimal band combination (OBC), were used to extract information from an early Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) image from 1984, and their advantages were compared. In addition, OBC was used on a thematic mapper (TM) image from 2009. An iteratively self-organizing data analysis algorithm was used together with prior knowledge of likely classifications to interpret the MSS and TM images for data classification. Finally, a transfer matrix method was used to assess the spatial and temporal variability of soil salinization and analyze the driving factors of soil salinization. Compared to PCA transformation and OBC, TC transformation was a more effective method for extracting soil salinization information from the MSS sensor. The results indicate that a soil area of approximately 298 km² was affected by salinity in 1984 in Yucheng County, of which 5.40%, 11.96%, and 12.75% were classified as being subject to slight, moderate, and severe salinization, respectively. In 2009, the saline area was reduced to only 146 km², of which 10.70% and 3.75% were characterized by slight to moderate salinization and no severe salinization, respectively. The saline land decreased at an average rate of 6 km² per year. This decrease was probably a result of lower groundwater depth, increased organic fertilizer or crop straw in soil, changed land use type, and increased vegetation coverage.     

Do forest and health professionals presume that forests offer health benefits,and is cross-sectional cooperation conceivable?

In high-income countries depression and cardiovascular diseases were predicted to be the two leading causes of DALYs in the year 2030. Private-life stress fosters both kinds of diseases. Scientific findings already show that forest exposure has stress-reducing effects. Particularly in Japan, people have practiced forest bathing to improve their health. The German population also has a strong connection to its forests, and forest law allows forest access, regardless of ownership structure. Hence, the question arises of whether forest exposure could be used in Germany as a kind of stress-coping strategy. To a certain degree, the success of such a strategy in Germany would require the participation of the stakeholders that are active in both the health and the forestry sectors. Therefore, it seems necessary to gain insight into German forest and health professionals' understanding and attitude concerning forest-related health benefits. For this reason, in this pilot study, guideline interviews with professionals of both sectors and with professionals standing in between these professions were conducted, recorded and transcribed. On the one hand, each professional’s presumptions regarding the health-fostering effects of forests were investigated, derived from their subjective certainty that forest exposure has health-fostering effects. In addition, a thought experiment was used to estimate the level of willingness to cooperate with each other in order to motivate people to be physically active in forests. For analysis, Mayring’s qualitative content analysis and a frequency analysis (MaxQDA) were applied. Findings show that most of the interviewed professionals presume forests to have health-fostering effects. Furthermore, something derived from the statements within the context of the thought experiment was that most professionals seem to be willing to cooperate with the other sector. Hence, it might be conceivable that forest exposure may be part of a German stress-coping strategy.     

ArcGIS在森林公园总体规划专题图制作中的应用

以甘肃省兰州市七里河区石佛沟国家森林公园为例,介绍ArcGIS软件在森林公园总体规划制图中的实际应用,给出成图内容和要求,并详细阐述成图过程中基础资料收集与准备,数据采集与输入,数据编辑与处理,专题图制作与输出等具体步骤。     

MapX在空间数据绑定与林业专题图制作中的应用探讨

从空间地图数据与属性数据的关联、专题图的生成各方法，就MapX在林业地理信息系统开发中空间数据绑定与专题图制作中的技术等作了简要探讨。     

Conducting surveys on forestry attitudes and practices in Leyte communities,Philippines: Experiences and lessons learnt

A survey of forestry practices and attitudes was undertaken in four communities in Leyte, the Philippines, to improve understanding of the social and economic factors affecting small-scale forestry development. The survey had three main data collection activities — initial focus group discussions (FGDs), household interviews, and reporting and validation FGDs. A team of enumerators was selected for household interviews which consisted of both males and females, to avoid potential problems of unwillingness of people to talk with those of the opposite gender. The interviewers were also required to be able to speak local dialects (Cebuano and Waray Waray), the survey questionnaires being administered in these dialects. Various methods were used to gain the support and assistance of local government units and barangay captains. Some difficulty was experienced by the survey team in the first community due to barangay elections at the time of the survey, and the requirement by the University of Queensland Ethics Committee that respondents sign a consent form. This requirement was found to be not culturally appropriate for the Leyte smallholder communities. Offering goods at the end of the interview was found to be of limited value for encouraging participation in the survey. Provision of food and drinks were found to encourage FGD participants to express their views, but too much alcohol had a negative effect. The importance of providing comprehensive feedback to respondents and involving them and other stakeholders in development of policy recommendations was apparent. These survey experiences provide valuable insights which are not generally available in textbooks on sample surveys, and provide lessons for planning and conducting smallholder community survey into natural resource management issues.     

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.     

渔业专题电子海图的数据结构设计

为实现渔业专题电子海图的标准化生产与应用,本文以IHO S-57国际电子海图标准为基础,通过分析海图数据模型和数据结构,以及渔业专题信息的主要内容和特点,扩展了数据集信息记录中的数据集标识字段,定义了海洋渔业专题电子海图产品的编码规则,在物标和属性类目中增加了渔业专题物标和专题属性,并添加了部分专题属性项(值),从而设计了渔业专题电子海图的数据结构。研究成果将有利于整合、共享与应用海洋渔业信息,促进渔业专题电子海图产品的研发与生产,为渔业生物资源研究与利用、渔业生产与管理以及海洋渔业经济发展等提供规范化信息服务支持。     

基于ArcGIS的林业专题图符号库的建立

在林业专题图制作中,需要用到大量不同种类的符号,这些符号的制作及符号库的建立和管理是林业制图的基础。结合林业专题图符号的制作,在遵循ArcGIS符号制作、符号库管理、符号化思想方法的基础上,阐述利用ArcGIS Style Manager创建林业专题图符号库的方法。     

Attitudes of Rural Communities Toward Dispersing African Wild Dogs in South Africa

Subsistence pastoralists often view large carnivores negatively given that any loss of livestock is likely to represent a significant economic cost. Consequently, large carnivore conservation initiatives in rural landscapes should incorporate appropriate human–carnivore conflict mitigation strategies. In this study, structured interviews with local residents (n = 247) were used for determining attitudes toward African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) among rural communities neighboring two protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Contrary to expectations, the majority of respondents (58%) were generally positive toward wild dogs. This was probably due to a lack of livestock depredation by wild dogs and relatively high levels of formal education among respondents. Respondents with greater knowledge of wild dogs and conflict mitigation had more positive attitudes, and most were aware of effective husbandry techniques. The positive attitudes observed in these rural communities may benefit wild dog dispersal from natal home ranges and the future conservation of this endangered carnivore.