Effects of an ecological conservation and restoration project in the Three-River Source Region, China

The first-stage of an ecological conservation and restoration project in the Three-River Source Region（TRSR）, China, has been in progress for eight years. However, because the ecological effects of this project remain unknown, decision making for future project implementation is hindered. Thus, in this study, we developed an index system to evaluate the effects of the ecological restoration project, by integrating field observations, remote sensing, and process-based models. Effects were assessed using trend analyses of ecosystem structures and services. Results showed positive trends in the TRSR since the beginning of the project, but not yet a return to the optima of the 1970 s. Specifically, while continued degradation in grassland has been initially contained, results are still far from the desired objective, ‘grassland coverage increasing by an average of 20%–40%＇. In contrast, wetlands and water bodies have generally been restored, while the water conservation and water supply capacity of watersheds have increased. Indeed, the volume of water conservation achieved in the project meets the objective of a 1.32 billion m^3 increase. The effects of ecological restoration inside project regions was more significant than outside, and, in addition to climate change projects, we concluded that the implementation of ecological conservation and restoration projects has substantially contributed to vegetation restoration. Nevertheless, the degradation of grasslands has not been fundamentally reversed, and to date the project has not prevented increasing soil erosion. In sum, the effects and challenges of this first-stage project highlight the necessity of continuous and long-term ecosystem conservation efforts in this region.

Conservation Grading of Water Ecological Spaces in the Muling River Basin

Along with the urban construction and industrial development, the original continuous riverway of the Muling River has been dammed into river sections of different lengths, which has seriously destroyed ecological environment of the basin. In view of this, it is urgent to protect water ecological environment of the basin. This paper took the national ecological environment conservation instructions as the guidance, combined with the administrative division, planning and actual conditions of the basin, proposed principles and schemes for the grading of water spaces in the basin, as well as the hierarchic control requirements, to provide instructions for the conservation of the river basin.

Key processes of carbon cycle and sink enhancement paths in natural wetland ecosystems in China

Wetland ecosystems have become one of the long-term solutions for mitigating global climate change due to their strong carbon sequestration potential.However,the key carbon cycle processes in wetland ecosystems still lack a systematic summary.In the context of wetland protection and restoration,there is still a lack of consensus on the technical pathways to realize carbon sink multiplication in wetland ecosystems.In this paper,the key processes of carbon cycle,such as photosynthetic carbon uptake,microbial carbon decomposition and carbon deposition and burial,are sorted out and summarized in four major wetland types,namely,swamp and peat wetlands,river and riparian wetlands,lake and lakeshore wetlands,and estuarine and coastal wetlands.Based on the key processes of carbon cycle,three technological pathways for carbon sink multiplication are proposed,including,vegetation carbon sequestration and sink enhancement technology,soil carbon emission reduction technology and carbon deposition and burial technology.The key technologies under each pathway are further refined.And the carbon sink effects of the carbon sink technologies in different wetland types are qualitatively described.Also,wetland protection and restoration methods in corresponding regions are given in the light of the regional characteristics of wetlands in China.This will provide a scientific basis for the strategy of doubling the carbon sinks of China′s wetland ecosystems.

Preliminary Report on the Successful Breeding of the Endangered Fish Sinocyclocheilus grahami Endemic to Dianchi Lake

The fish Sinocyclocheilus grahami is one of the indicative and endemic species in the Dianchi Lake ecosystem. As a result of pollution and invasion of exotic fishes, the fish had disappeared from Dianchi Lake since 1986 and only a few small populations survive in springs and streams around the lake. Due to the endangered status and special scientific value, S.grahami was listed as the second class protective animal of China in 1989. The importance of S. grahami and the indigenous biodiversity of Dianchi Lake were recognized by the Global Environment Foundation （GEF） /World Bank and Yunnan Development ＆ Reform Committee. Therefore a special grant was set up to restore and conserve the indigenous biodiversity of Dianchi Lake. The artificial breeding of S. grahami is a part of the targeted activities. Two successful breeding experiments were achieved using five females plus six males up to early March 2007. Approximately 1600 eggs were collected, of which 1320 eggs fertilized using the dry-fertilizing method. The mean fertilization rate was 73%. Approximately 480 fish fry was hatched and the mean hatching rate was 36%. After 10 days of cultivation, 95% fingerlings survived and their body lengths were up to 8- 12 mm. The importance of the artificial breeding success of S. grahami could be summarized as following： effectively protecting the fish from extinction; releasing the fish fry back to appropriate water body of the lake could help to restore the indigenous biodiversity of Dianchi Lake; facilitating the shift of local fish cultivation from the present non-indigenous to the future indigenous fishery.

Role of copper in tarnishing process of silver alloys in sulphide media

Silver and silver alloys usually tarnish,which causes some changes in their aesthetic appearance and electrical properties,due to their exposure to sulphide environments(H2S),and this is a problem in the field of corrosion and conservation of cultural heritage metallic artefacts.In this study,the role of copper content in the tarnishing process of 0.925,0.800 and 0.720 silver alloys in a 0.07 vol.%ammonium sulphide solution for different immersion periods was analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The polarisation curves showed that the copper content and sulphide increased the corrosion current density and delayed the passivation of silver alloys.The impedance spectra collected at the open circuit potential(OCP)showed a single capacitive,incomplete and depressed loop,indicating that the charge transfer resistance decreased as the copper content increased in the alloys.In contrast,the double-layer capacitance increased as the copper content increased.The SEM-EDS analysis confirmed that the copper-rich phase in the silver alloys was selectively dissolved due to the preference of S to react with Cu,resulting in a localised attack,thus delaying the formation of a passive film.A marked localised attack was observed in alloys with lower copper content.The mechanism for the tarnishing of silver alloys in sulphide media was dependent on the nature of the alloy and the greater affinity of copper for sulphur.The dissolution of Ag and Cu to form corrosion products was proposed as the rate determining step.

Identifying priority areas for conservation in the lower Yellow River basin from an ecological network perspective

Taking the lower Yellow River basin as the study area,this study aims to construct ecological networks to mitigate the negative impacts of rapid urbanization on the ecosystem.Ecological sources were identified based on morphological spatial pattern analysis(MSPA),habitat quality and landscape connectivity.The ecological resistance surface was constructed and corrected by integrating natural and anthropogenic factors.The spatial range of ecological corridors and some of their key nodes were identified based on circuit theory.The ecological network(EN)was finally optimized using a similarity search and cost connectivity modules.The results show that the optimized ecological network structure is more stable than before.The EN includes 23 ecological sources with a total area of 5464.8 km^(2)and 30 ecological corridor clusters with a total area of 2205.92 km^(2).Through the internal landscape heterogeneity of the corridor,28 ecological node areas and 75 barrier areas were identified as key protection and restoration areas,with a total area of 78.44 km^(2)and 372.79 km^(2),respectively.Through the construction and optimization of EN,this study identifies key areas for promoting ecological sustainability and provides a useful framework for coordinating regional ecological conservation and economic development.