“5.12”汶川地震灾区生态恢复重建中仍需回答的关键科学问题(英文)

Reconstruction of the Wenchuan Earthquake-Damaged Ecosystems:Four Important Questions

"5·12"汶川地震对灾区脆弱的山地生态系统产生了重要影响,并直接威胁到区域生态安全.在地震灾区的生态恢复重建过程中,典型生态系统的结构与功能改变、关键物种的响应策略、地表生态过程的变化趋势、植被恢复措施以及灾变过程定位监测等都是特别需要关注的科学问题.然而,即便是在汶川地震发生2a之后,学术界对于上述问题还缺乏足够的关注.本文在查阅相关文献资料的基础上,结合对于灾区生态恢复的理解,提出目前仍需要迫切回答的4个关键科学问题,并指出相应的研究策略和发展方向,以期能够推动特大地震的生态环境效应研究及促进灾区的生态恢复重建.

The Wenchuan Earthquake of 8.0 magnitude at Richter scale hit large region of Sichuan,China on May 12,2008.It was a terrible disaster that caused great casualties and serious damages,and largely destroyed natural mountainous ecosystems in the earthquake-hit areas.Since the restoration of those damaged mountainous ecosystems plays an important role in ecological security in this region,it is argued that the reconstruction of those earthquake-damaged ecosystems should be given greater attention before and during the ecological recovery process.Yet,to date,little effort has been made to review and summarize the major unresolved questions relating to the ecosystem recovery after the earthquake.Focusing on the priorities for future research in this subject,based on the study and comparison of literatures we identified and examined four important research questions that need to be addressed,even two years after the earthquake.All these questions need to be resolved before signifi cant progress can be made in habilitating the damaged natural ecosystems,and perhaps more importantly,the results provide very useful information for cost-effective restoration decision making and policy planning for the earthquakehit areas.