Influence of ecological function protection zone on the water conservation in Gansu-Qinghai Contiguous Region of the upper Yellow River

The implementation of Ecological Function Protection Zone(EFPZ)policy is significant for the ecological restoration and conservation of soil and water in the territory space.This manuscript analyzed and quantified the impact of EFPZ on the regional water conservation function,based on land use data from 2005,2008,2010,2015 and 2020,by conducting a counterfactual simulation along with the GeoSOS-FLUS model and the InVEST model.The results demonstrate that the delineation of EFPZ can significantly influence the water conservation.(1)From 2010 to 2020,as the EFPZ was implemented,the water conservation in the study area was increasing year by year,with a growth rate of 0.03×10^(8) m^(3)∙a^(-1).On the other hand,the simulated water conservation capacity without the implementation of EFPZ decreased year by year,with a decrease rate of 0.01×10^(8) m^(3)∙a^(-1).(2)The EFPZ accounts for only 23%of the total area,but the contribution rate of water conservation reaches 80%.The actual values of water conservation and average water yield per unit pixel in the EFPZ show an increasing trend both internally and externally,while the counterfactual simulation values exhibit a decreasing trend.(3)The water conservation is much higher within the EFPZ than without EFPZ.The implementation of EFPZ has a significant effect on the improvement of the water conservation capacity in Maqu EFPZ and Yellow River Source EFPZ.The protection effectiveness should be enhanced in Qilian Mountain EFPZ and afforestation activities need to be carefully considered in Loess Plateau EFPZ.

Ecological functions of bamboo forest： Research and Application

Bamboo forest is an important forest type in subtropical and tropical areas.Due to its biological characteristic and growth habits, bamboo is not only an ideal economicinvestment that can be utilized in many different manners but also has enormous potential foralleviating many environmental problems facing the world today. This review describes ecologicalfunctions of the bamboo forest on soil erosion control, water conservation, land rehabilitation, andcarbon sequestration.

Ecological functions of coarse woody debris in forest ecosystem

Coarse woody debris is an important structure and function unit in forest ecosystem.This review analyzed the ecological functions of coarse woody debris in forest ecosystem and introduced several hotspots and existing problems in coarse woody debris research field. It is suggested that quantitative research should be intensified in theintensified in the ecological demands of coarse woody debris for providing a technical guidelines in management of productivity, biodiversity and other ecologicalprocesses.

Ecological function regionalization of fluvial corridor landscapes and measures for ecological regeneration in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River, Xinjiang of China

The middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River are currently one of the main regions of ecological restoration in the arid areas of western China.Using the principles and method of landscape ecology,this study has chosen the fluvial corridor landscape in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River,and discusses the region’s ecologically functional regionalization system and issues related to its practical classification.On this basis the corresponding regionalizing principles and standards were developed which were used to qualitatively divide the three main landscapes as the ecologically functional areas in the drainage basin.The paper has also analyzed the characteristic of the study areas,and has put forward the measures for its ecological restoration.

Ecological Function of Urban Green Roof and Analysis of Its Influencing Factors

Based on the analysis of the multiple ecological functions of green roofs, the main factors affecting the ecological functions of green roofs are expounded and the numerical simulation methods for quantitative calculation of ecological functions of green roofs are summarized in order to provide theoretical and method support for the construction of urban green roofs.

Study on Ecological Function and Protection of Wetland

The ecological function of wetland is introduced from the angles of natural conservation reservoir, flood irrigation, coastal land protection and erosion management. The threats and degradation of wetland are analyzed. In the end, protection of ecological system of wetland is proposed.

Spatial Identification of Urban Ecological Function on the North Slope of Qinling Mountains Based on Ecological Sensitivity—A Case Study in Baoji, China

Since the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, ecological civilization has been the key construction goal in China, which has a profound impact on the process of urbanization. In recent years, with the rapid development of urbanization and unreasonable land development and utilization, the ecological environment has deteriorated sharply, and the stability of ecological environment has always been a difficult problem in the process of regional development. The spatial division of urban ecological function can be divided into different types of spatial utilization according to the fragile state of ecological environment, which not only guarantees urban construction but also maintains the ecological environment health, and has great economic benefits and ecological value in formulating regional development strategies and ecological protection. In this paper, from four perspectives of “land, water, human and forest”, eight factors affecting ecological sensitivity were selected, and GIS spatial superposition method was used to conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis on the ecological sensitivity of Baoji City, and the evaluation results of single factor ecological sensitivity and comprehensive ecological sensitivity were obtained. The areas with different ecological sensitivity are divided into extremely sensitive areas, highly sensitive areas, moderately sensitive areas, slightly sensitive areas and non-sensitive areas. The research shows that the proportion of extreme, high, moderate, mild and insensitive areas in Baoji City is 7.32%, 10.57%, 22.25%, 42.91% and 16.95% respectively. Finally, the areas with different sensitivity grades are identified as three types of urban ecological function areas: ecological conservation area, ecological coordinated moderate utilization area and ecological suitable construction area, so as to provide scientific theoretical basis for urban construction and land use optimization in Baoji City.

Comparing Ecological Functions of Eastern and Southern Slopes of a Rangeland Ecosystem in Chaharbagh Region, Golestan Province, Iran

Getting aware of one kind of soil surface attributs is very important. Assessment of important attributes of soil and vegetation can help us to be aware of rangeland potential and help us to determine its situation. The goal of this research is to determine some plant and soil indicators of hilly winter rangelands of Eastern and Southern slopes of Chaharbagh region in Golestan province. By considering plant cover and soil surface attributes, it used the SSCC （soil surface classification） method to assess soil surface attributes. The length and width of ecological patches were measured in the forms of lichen, lichen-Grass, forbs, shrub and bare soil inter patches with litter. Also in this research, it measured the 11 soil surface parameters. These parameters are belonging to three main soil attributes stability, infiltration and nutrient cycles. These three indicators were measured in east and west of Eastern and Southern slopes of this ecosystem and showed significance differences （p 〈 0.05） in shrub, forbs and lichen-grass. In southern and especially in west aspect, these indicators in shrub were more than Eastern. But, in lossy hill of Eastern, lichen-grass patch is more significant. The most important ecological indicators of east landscapes of this region are forbs and lichen-grass.

Study on Plant Community Characteristics and Ecological Functions of Mingyue Park in Jingzhou City

[Objectives]This study was conducted to analyze species composition, community appearance, plant life-type spectrum, flora distribution, plant community structure and plant diversity indexes of Mingyue Park in Jingzhou City, as well as the ecological functions of plants in cooling, humidification, shading, and noise reduction. [Methods] A quadart method was used to investigate plant communitues of Mingyue Park in Jingzhou City. [Results] There were 141 species in the park, including 44 tree speceies, 35 shrub speceies, and 62 herb speceies. The arber-shrub-grass structure was the dominant plant community structure. The Simpson index(D), Shannon-Wiener index(H) and Pielou index(J) of the herb layer were higher than those of the tree layer and the shrub layer, and the shrub layer was the lowest. The results of ecological function research showed that the plant communities had a significant shading effect and a certain ability to reduce noise. The comprehensive conclusion showed that the ecological function indexes of the arbor-shrub-grass structure in Mingyue Park were significantly higher than those of the arbor-shrub structure and the single-tree structure. In order to improve the ecological benefits of plant communities in Mingyue Park, the plant diversity can be increased in the later construction to enrich community structures. [Conclusions] This study evaluated the ecological benefits of plant communities in Mingyue Park, and provides a scientific basis for the plant configuration of parks in Jingzhou and other regions.

Soil Conservation of National Key Ecological Function Areas

Soil erosion is a significant factor in the deterioration of the ecological environment and soil conservation is an important ecological service of National Key Ecological Function Areas in China. Here, climate, terrain, soil and vegetation cover, soil erosion and soil conservation spatial data in 25 National Key Ecological Function Areas in 2010 were analyzed using the Universal Soil Loss Equation by Arc GIS tool. We found that soil conservation effects due to vegetation cover and soil conservation measures are obvious and that micro and slight erosion areas in National Key Ecological Function Areas have increased by 26.2%. The area of intensive erosion decreased by 25.1%, and the soil conservation amount in southern National Key Ecological Function Areas is high. The conservation amount of soil nutrients within National Key Ecological Function Areas is related to amount of soil conservation and content of each nutrient element in soil. The sequence of nutrient conservation amounts from high to low is soil organic carbon, total K, total N and total P in soil. The conservation amount of various soil nutrient elements in the Alkin Grassland function area and Yunnan and Sichuan function area was highest. Based on our findings, we recommend the strengthening of vegetation protection and management in the areas with high per unit area soil erosion, enhancement of vegetation cover and improvement of soil conservation measures in order to improve soil conservation functions and reduce soil nutrient losses. Vegetation protection and soil conservation measures should be consolidated in the areas with high potential erosion to prevent further deterioration.

Areas Benefiting from Water Conservation in Key Ecological Function Areas in China

Ecosystem services are transferred from the service-providing area to the service-benefiting area to satisfy human needs through some substance, energy or information. Most studies focus on the provision of ecosystem services and few focus on the demands on ecosystem services and their spatial distribution. Here, on the basis of the flow of water conservation services from the providing area to the benefiting area, the benefits produced by water conservation service are investigated and the benefiting areas are identified. The results indicate that in 2010 the water conservation service of key ecological function areas provided irrigation water for 1.67×105 km2 of paddy fields and 1.01×105 km2 irrigated fields, domestic water to urban residents and industrial water to factories, mines and enterprises of 2.64×104 km2 urban construction land and domestic water to rural residents across 3.73×104 km2 of rural settlements and formed 6.64×104 km2 of inland water which can be used for freshwater aquaculture, downstream regions comprise 1.31×104 km of navigable river, which can be used for inland shipping. The benefit areas of the key function areas located in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River are greater and more influential benefit areas. To protect these key function areas, more attention should be paid to the maintenance and improvement of water conservation. Some benefit areas have access to the benefits produced by water conservation of nine key ecological function areas and cover 17% of the overall benefit area and the length of their channels benefited accounts for 7%. Multiple key ecological function areas should be taken into account equally in the formulation of ecological compensation policies. These research findings can serve as a scientific basis for the compensated use of and ecological compensation for ecosystem services provided by key ecological function areas.

Major Problems and Countermeasures for the Establishment of Ecological Compensation Systems for National Key Ecological Function Areas

At the end of the 1990 s China started to construct an ecological compensation system for national key ecological function areas. An eco-compensation system focusing on the ＂Transfer Payment of National Key Ecological Function Areas＂ has been established. The current eco-compensation system has played a positive role in improving the ecological environment of national key ecological function areas; but the ecological effect is weakening due to existing problems in the eco-compensation system such as unreasonable calculation of compensation standards, poor expression of rights and interests of stakeholders, simple sources of capital and modes of compensation. For better development, the eco-compensation system should be improved by（i） adhering to the combination of vertical compensation（oriented） and horizontal compensation（auxiliary） on the whole and establishing a transfer payment system of eco-compensation at national scale;（ii） defining the compensation standard according to ecological protection costs, development opportunity costs and ecological service values and adding indicators that reflect economic green transformation to evaluate compensation effects;（iii） gradually building a utilization system of eco-compensation funds in which multi-stakeholders participate and establishing a green development-oriented system to evaluate the performance of local governments; and（iv） cultivating a new business pattern where ecological services are the product, to grow the ecological service industry.

Thermodynamic performance of Dual-Miller cycle(DMC) with polytropic processes based on power output, thermal efficiency and ecological function

This study reports a new model of an air standard Dual-Miller cycle(DMC) with two polytropic processes and heat transfer loss.The two reversible adiabatic processes which could not be realized in practice are replaced with two polytropic processes in order to more accurately reflect the practical working performance. The heat transfer loss is taken into account. The expressions of power output, thermal efficiency, entropy generation rate(EGR) and ecological function are addressed using finite-time thermodynamic theory. Through numerical calculations, the influences of compression ratio, cut-off ratio and polytropic exponent on the performance are thermodynamically analyzed. The model can be simplified to other cycle models under specific conditions, which means the results have an certain universality and may be helpful in the design of practical heat engines. It is shown that the entropy generation minimization does not always lead to the best system performance.

A Study on Forest Species Diversity and Its Ecological Service Function in the Plateau Area of Western Sichuan

This paper presents a study on species diversity and its ecological service function in the plateau area in western Sichuan. The results show that species diversity in the plantations on the cutover land has a tendency to increase and that its ecological service function is to be improved with stand age growing. The species diversity in forest communities is also gradually increased on different succession stage till reaching a climax level. But the species diversity in the climax community is slightly decreased before it reaches a relatively constant status. Ecological service function of diversity is gradually strengthened with the progress of succession. In addition, species diversity in a stand in a similar site and at a same age differs among forest types. Species diversity index within a coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest is larger than that within a coniferous forest. Meanwhile, species diversity enriches as the tree density increases.

An integrated approach to evaluation on ecological service functions for urban green space and its application

This methodological investigation deals with measurement and valuation of ecological service functions for urban green space. Social, economic and ecological dimensions for such types of function were analyzed and a concept “integrated ecological service functions” (IESF) was put forward for evaluation. Based upon this conceptual approach, an index system for measuring IESF for urban green space was established. With a methodological integration of fuzzy mathematics, decision making analysis and Delphi method, an AHP fuzzy evaluation techniques for IESF for urban green space, called AFIFUG method, was developed. Such a method has been directly applied to the land use strategic planning of Tianjin out ring green belt(TOGB), and its analysis results have been successfully put into operation.

Integrated controlling technique of ecological environment in Shendong Mining Area

To enclose the interactive relation between the underground mining with suitable protection for surface ecological environments and surface prevention of ecological environments adapting to mining disturbing was researched and developed core of this technique. There are three aspects of controlling ecological environments, to dispose and renew before exploitation, to protect surface ecological environments in the exploitative process and to repair and build up after exploitation. Based on the moving law of overburden strata in shallow seam, the surface subsidence law and the growth law of vegetation in subsidence mine area, the integrated controlling technique has been developed synthetically by methods of theoretic analysis, laboratory simulation, numerical calculation, commercial test etc.. It includes the key techniques of aquifer-protective mining, filtering and purging of mine water through goaf, preventing and extinguishing fire in shallow seam no-rock roadway layout and waste disposal in underground, frame-building ecological functional sphere before exploitation, frame-building the ecological cycle using system after mining and so on.

Ecological optimization for an irreversible magnetic Ericsson refrigeration cycle

An irreversible Ericsson refrigeration cycle model is established, in which multi-irreversibilities such as finite-rate heat transfer, regenerative loss, heat leakage, and the efficiency of the regenerator are taken into account. Expressions for several important performance parameters, such as the cooling rate, coefficient of performance （COP）, power input, exergy output rate, entropy generation rate, and ecological function are derived. The influences of the heat leakage and the time of the regenerative processes on the ecological performance of the refrigerator are analyzed. The optimal regions of the ecological function, cooling rate, and COP are determined and evaluated. Furthermore, some important parameter relations of the refrigerator are revealed and discussed in detail. The results obtained here have general significance and will be helpful in gaining a deep understanding of the magnetic Ericsson refrigeration cycle.

Relative Ecological Value of Major Plants in Minqin Desert Area

This paper analyzed relative ecological value of several major plants in Minqin desert grassland using layered projection of plant canopy. The results showed that ecological functions of natural Nitraria tangutorum and Ephedra sinica woods of a unit area were much better than those of artifi cial Haloxylon ammodendron woods, relative ecological value of N. tangutorum, E. sinica and Artemisia desertorum were much higher than that of artifi cial H. ammodendron woods. Layered projection explains clearly the ecological functions and relative ecological value of desert vegetation of the same coverage. It is inaccurate to indicate wind prevention and sand fi xation of desert vegetation in deserts using ecological function service value and ecological niche calculated on the basis of two-dimensional vegetation coverage, but three-dimensional projection degree should be applied to indicate ecological functions and relative ecological value of vegetation. Application of layered projection of plants in calculating ecological functions and relative ecological value of desert plants(vegetation) is the innovation point of this research.

Estimation of Relative Ecological Value of Returning Farmland to Forest & Mountain Enclosure for Grazing Prohibition——A case study in Yongxing Township of Jingyuan County,Gansu Province

[Objective]Returning farmland to forest and mountain enclosure for grazing prohibition ecological effect and economy rationality were explored.[Methods]A case study of returning farmland to forest and barren hills grazing prohibition in Yongxing Township of Jingyuan County was used to discuss and estimate the relative ecological function and relative ecological value.[Results]1）The ecological value of the forest of returning farmland was far more than the sum of the ecological value of farm crops and the agricultural output,and also more than the national subsidy standard.So the state policy of returning farmland to forests is not only favorable to local eco-environment restoration,but also reasonable in economic development.2）The ecological value of mountain enclosure for grazing prohibition was less than the opportunity cost of prohibiting grazing,also less than the national subsidy standard.The sum of the relative ecological value of prohibiting grazing and the state subsidies was more than the opportunity cost of prohibiting grazing.However,the ecological value of new vegetation through returning farmland to forest project was greater than the China＇s average ecological value of grassland.[Conclusion]The relative ecological value can be used to solve the problems in the equivalent conversion among various ecological indexes and between ecological indexes and economic indexes.

Thoughts and Practice of Ecological Protection and Restoration of Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Farmlands, Lakes and Grasslands

The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China stated that it was necessary to establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,treat the ecological environment as life,and coordinate the management of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands.In recent years,China has organized a series of pilot projects for the ecological protection and restoration of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands,breaking the boundary between administrative divisions,departmental management and ecological elements,and implementing conservation and restoration oriented towards the improvement of ecosystem services,so as to solve the problem of the lack of overall planning for ecological protection and restoration projects and the separated management of ecological elements.This study systematically elaborated the theoretical basis and connotation characteristics of ecological protection and restoration of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands.It proposed the implementation path of ecological protection and restoration project of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands by taking the water source conservation area of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei as a case,so as to provide reference for the implementation and decision-making management of ecological protection and restoration projects in various regions.