Towards an integrative approach to evaluate the environmental ecosystem services provided by urban forest

As a Nature-Based Solution,urban forests deliver a number of environmental ecosystem services(EESs).To quantify these EESs,well-defined,reliable,quantifiable and stable indicators are needed.With literature analysis and expert knowledge gathered within COST Action FP1204 GreenInUrbs,we proposed a classification of urban forest EESs into three categories:(A)regulation of air,water,soil and climate;(B)provisioning of habitat quality;and(C)provisioning of other goods and services.Each category is divided into EES types:(a)amelioration of air quality;restoration of soil and water;amelioration of the microclimate;removal of CO2 from the air;(b)provision of habitat for biodiversity;support for resilient urban ecosystems;provision of genetic diversity;and(c)provision of energy and nutrients;provision of grey infrastructure resilience.Each EES type provides one or more benefits.For each of these 12 benefits,we propose a set of indicators to be used when analyzing the impacts on the identified EESs.Around half of the 36 indicators are relevant to more than one single benefit,which highlights complex interrelationships.The indicators of wider applicability are tree and stand characteristics,followed by leaf physical traits and tree species composition.This knowledge is needed for the optimization of the EESs delivered by urban forests,now and in the future.

Restoring environmental flows and improving riparian ecosystem of Tarim River

Rapid population growth and artificial oasis enlargement did pose great threat to the natural riparian ecosystems of Tarim River and caused seriously ecological deterioration and greater desertification of the Tarim River Basin in the second half of 20 century. Restoration of the endangered riparian ecosystem requires that environmental flow should be restored through restricted and uncontrolled flow diversion irrigation in tributary areas. Implementation of such restriction needs further the basin-wide reallocation of water resources through a set of engineering and non-engineering measures taken to ensure the water requirement in the tributary and maintain effective flows in Tarim River. As one of evolving HELP (Hydrology for Environment, Life and Policy) basins, the article first presents an overview of hydrology, socio-economic development and ecosystem evolution of the Tarim River Basin. Then, those measures for restoring and maintaining environmental flow are reviewed and analyzed along with its applicability and validity. The issues emerging in implementing those measures are also explored, and then the conclusions were summarized. Lessons learned could provide a good example for other basins under similar conditions.

The Environmental Effects of Tourism Architecture on Island Ecosystem in Cayo Guillermo, Cuba

The objective of this study is to determine the main adverse impacts that may be caused by tourism architecture upon island ecosystems consisting of small islands or islets and to propose an architectural and landscape design with a focus on the environmental sustainability of the same. A study of projects was undertaken in Cayo Guillermo, located to the north of Ciego de Avila in Cuba using methods of life-cycle assessment of buildings, matrix methods of the activities that caused severe environmental impact and statistical processing through multivariate analysis. Conclusions were reached on the need for designs that did not harm the ecosystems of islands with high ecological fragility. It has been determined that suitable construction intervention would decrease the negative impact and would allow the natural resources of these valuable ecosystems that are the basis for responsible sun and sand tourism to be preserved.

Assessment of Ecosystems Damages Caused by Russian War against Ukraine

The question of the impact of war on ecosystems still remains secondary in the internal and external policy of states, society and the agenda of international organizations. From the point of view of losses in monetary terms, the values of ecosystem damages obtained in the work, which are a consequence of the impact of hostilities on the environment, correspond to the annual budgets of the largest countries in the world or exceed them. The presented calculations significantly exceed the known normative methods, the use of which in the conditions of war is limited in space and time. Objective difficulties associated with the uncertainty of many processes of the development of ecological systems and their reaction to the multifactorial impact of war are also significant limitations. Therefore, as part of the study, a method of assessing the impact of war on the environment is proposed, which is based on the patterns of energy flows in ecosystems from the moment it is binding by producers. This made it possible to take into account in the calculations the principle of functional integrity of the ecological system, according to which the destruction or damage of the components of a functionally whole environment will necessarily cause negative phenomena in the development of ecological systems. The results are presented in the form of real values of ecological losses in energy and monetary equivalents, as consequences of the loss of ecosystem services. As the results of the research show, the minimum amount of damage to ecosystems from Russian tanks is 43,500 USD per day. Environmental damage from Russian fighter jets has been estimated at $1.5 billion per week since the start of the war. Noise from military operations causes losses of at least 2.3 billion US dollars per year. The obtained results create prerequisites for improving the system of ensuring environmental safety at the local, state, and international levels and transferring the obtained solutions into safety-shaping practice.

Microclimate and Its Formation Mechanism in Cunninghamia lanceolata Hook. Plantation Ecosystems in the Subtropical Zone of China

Microclimate characteristics and related environmental energy mechanisms were examined based on the long term located observations in the mature, thinned and young Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation ecosystems in western Hunan Province, China. The results show that the mature plantation ecosystem can improve the microclimate significantly by regulating the amount and spatial distribution of environmental energy, which delineates the pattern of the microclimate in forest ecosystems in the process of ecological restoration. Compared with the young plantation, the mature plantation ecosystem decreased annual mean air temperature by 0 4℃. The maximum decrease in monthly mean air temperature was 2 3℃. The mature plantation ecosystem decreased annual mean ground temperature by 1 2℃ with a maximum decrease in monthly mean ground temperature of 2 3℃. Mainly due to the dense canopy, the mature forest ecosystem regulates the distribution of radiation energy, and expenditure ratios of heat budget and principal energy components to decrease temperature or make it even.

On the study of ecosystem health:state of the art

Ecosystem health is a newly proposed concept that sets new goals for environmental management. Its definition, assessment indicators, and assessment methods are reviewed in this paper. Literature shows that the definitions and the assessment indicators cover a wide range of ecosystem health, and they differ in terms of researchers different scientific background. It is concluded that the concept of ecosystem health cannot be defined or understood simply in biological or ethical or aesthetic or historical terms and the assessment should be based on applying several indicators simultaneously to get overall picture of the health or integrity state of an ecosystem.

Influence of Dams on River Ecosystem and Its Countermeasures

Dam construction is an important engineering measure in dealing with the relationship between water and human being. However, with dam construction, some disadvantages to the river basin may be caused, including flow flux of downstream changed, flooded area reduced, river species and other organisms changed and substance sedimentation. Furthermore, it brings some diseases to human being and human residential areas reduced too. Based on the basic principles of ecohydralic engineering, some countermeasures to minimize the negative effects on rivers were put forward. They are reservoir ecological regulation, ecohydraulic engineering construction and comprehensive water pollution treatment.

Scale dependence of plant species richness and vegetation-environment relationship along a gradient of dune stabilization in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

Ecological patterns and processes in dune ecosystems have been a research focus in recent years, however the information on how dune stabilization influences the spatial scale dependence of plant diversity is still lacking. In this study, we measured the plant species richness, soil properties and altitude across four spatial scales （1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m2） at three different dune stabilization stages （mobile dune, semi-fixed dune and fixed dune） in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China. We also examined the relationships between plant species richness, community composition and environmental factors along the gradient of dune stabilization. Our results showed that plant species richness increased with the increase of spatial scales in each dune stabilization stage, as well as with the increase of dune stabilization degrees. Canonical correspondence analysis （CCA） showed that plant distribu- tions in the processes of dune stabilization were determined by the combined environmental gradient in relation to soil organic carbon （SOC）, total nitrogen （TN）, carbon/nitrogen （C/N）, pH, electrical conductivity （EC）, soil water content （SWC）, fine sand （FS）, very fine sand （VFS）, silt and clay （SC）, and altitude. Plant species richness was significantly and positively correlated to SOC and TN in mobile dune, and significantly and positively correlated to SOC, TN, C/N, VFS and SC in semi-fixed dune. However, no significant correlation between plant species richness and environmental factors was observed in fixed dune. In addition, plant species richness in different dune stabili- zation stages was also determined by the combined gradient of soil properties and altitude. These results suggest that plant species richness has obvious scale dependence along the gradient of dune stabilization. Soil resources depending on dune habitats and environmental gradients caused by dune stabilization are important factors to de- termine the scale dependence of species diversity in sand dune ecosystems.

Sustainable development and environmental protection

The focus of this paper is on protecting the environment in resource development and not on economic issues even though many obstacles to sustainability include social, political and economic factors. Many stark examples of past failures in resource development serve as grim reminders for future planning. Most of the options will require an evaluation as to their appropriateness as well as to the economic capability and commitment of developing countries and international development institutions to incorporate them into programs.

Multi-indicator assessment of water environment in government environmental auditing

This study focused on a multi-indicator assessment methodology for governmental environmental auditing of water protection programs. The environmental status of Wuli Lake in China was assessed using the global indicators （driver-status-response） developed by the Commission on Sustainable Development, and four additional indicators proposed by the author： water quality, pollution load, aquatic ecosystem status, and lake sediment deposition. Various hydrological, chemical, biological and environmental parameters were used to estimate the values of the indicators for assessment of environmental status of the lake based on time series data sets for twenty years. The indicators proposed can be customized to meeting the needs for particular assessment of water protection programs. This method can be used to evaluate the performance of national environmental protection programs and provide technical support for environmental auditors.

The emergence of global environmental awareness

An effective plan for global ecosystem management must be developed in the next 10 or 20 years. Awareness of the need has recently emerged, but still no integrated resource management system is universally accepted. A fragmented management approach has not been effective. Any successful course of action must be based on three assumptions: (1) that science can determine how ecosystems function, (2) once this is known, the social/political system will be able to protect ecosystems to the extent needed for the survival of human society, and (3) reality will take precedence over political expediency because Mother Nature cannot be fooled. This discussion focuses on the transition from awareness to taking effective action.

Integrated environmental education for sustainable forest management: the case of Nandi Hills Forests, Kenya

Environmental education （EE） is a vital dimension of modern day acumen that portends a great promise in solving the myriad environmental resource management challenges at global, regional and local levels. A study was carried out in 18 locations in the Nandi North, Nandi South and Nandi Hills districts of Kenya, which cover the Nandi Hills and Nandi Forests in Nandi County, major water catchments for Lake Victoria. A mixed methodological approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data obtained from focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household survey and observations was embraced in data collection and analysis. The study reveals that there are several strategies that have been adopted by the local population and institutions involved in the management of the Nandi Hills Forests （NHFs） and that these strategies have contributed to an improvement in the perceptions of the local population in terms of the importance of environmental management of the forests. This paper highlights EE as a vehicle for ensur- ing a sustainable management of the Nandi Hills Forests. As such, it illuminates the great potential that lies in sustainably managing the NHFs by integrating formal and informal EE approaches. It further points out the functional gaps in the management of NHFs and proposes best-practices that could be adopted and/or domesticated in NHFs management regimes.

基于VSD模型的乐清湾生态系统脆弱性评价

为探明海湾生态系统脆弱性及主要影响因素,以乐清湾生态系统为研究对象,基于“暴露程度、敏感性和适应能力”的VSD(vulnerability scoping diagram)模型,应用层次分析和模糊综合评价法定量评价了2010—2012、2015—2017、2020—2022年乐清湾生态系统脆弱性状况。结果表明,乐清湾生态系统在3个阶段均处于“中度脆弱”水平,综合得分逐渐降低,呈逐步改善趋势。3个阶段中,暴露程度总体变化不大,敏感性逐步改善,适应能力逐步提升,主要人为胁迫因子为工业产值占GDP比例、滩涂围垦面积占海湾面积比例和海水养殖密度,主要敏感因子为生物量、生物多样性综合指数和水生境综合指数。为提升乐清湾生态系统健康水平,应优化产业布局、调整海水养殖结构、加强海岸带综合整治修复、推进生物多样性保护专项立法、加大生态监管力度和提高公民参与程度。

替代性修复制度的实践困境与优化路径

为了贯彻生态环境损害救济的全面修复理念,替代性修复作为能动司法的智慧成果应运而生。但是运用替代性修复的实践过程中,大量间接补偿生态的修复方式不仅违背环境公平,而且无法实现生态环境恢复的应然目标,根本原因在于其适用前提欠缺规范性解释。为使替代性修复制度回归本位,第一,其“替代”之内涵应理解为对他物进行修复以替代原物;第二,其行为本质应确立为通过直接补偿生态,以提供相同质量的生态环境资源与生态系统服务功能;第三,其关键环节在于选取与受损环境相关联的替代区域和替代要素。完善替代性修复制度的规范构成,首先以直接修复和替代性修复为基础概念,整合环境法律的多重术语;其次以司法解释规定的适用前提为基准,对适用替代性修复予以合理限制。

Study on Regulating Effects of "Aquatic Environment Protection Oriented Fishery" on Water Environment of Qiaodun Reservoir

In order to evaluate the regulating effect of ＂ aquatic environment protection oriented fishery＂ on aquatic ecosystem,the water quality,plankton community structure,biomass,diversity index,eutrophication index and ecosystem maturity evaluated with Ecopath model were compared from 2010 to 2012 in Qiaodun Reservoir of Zhejiang Province. It was indicated that the water quality had been improved obviously. The water transparency maximally increased by 130%,while TP,TN and CODCrwere reduced. The density and biomass of the plankton were decreased,so was the ratio of Cynobacteria in phytoplankton community. The Shannon-Weaver index was increased; the trophic level was decreased; the ecosystem maturity was improved. By all accounts,the ＂ aquatic environment protection oriented fishery＂ had positive effects on maintaining the balance of reservoir ecosystem and ensuring the safety of drinking water.

面向城乡融合的都市农业功能转型研究进展及其关键科学问题

面向城乡融合和乡村振兴等国家重大战略,聚焦于都市农业发展的功能演化与空间重组机制具有重要的理论和现实意义。文章系统梳理了都市农业功能转型的研究进展,提出了未来亟需关注的关键科学问题。研究发现:1)都市农业功能转型研究的主要议题包括都市农业发展转型评价及类型划分、都市农业多功能转型及可持续发展、都市农业空间组织与生产组织方式、都市农业发展中土地利用及竞租机制、都市农业发展问题及其多维效应等5个方面。2)都市农业地域系统与城乡地域系统间的要素流动、物质循环,以及两者间的内在作用逻辑是都市农业发展的理论基石。都市农业地域系统功能演化和空间重组的动力机制有待深入探索,亟待强化基于地域系统视角的都市农业发展中的土地竞租、土地权属和相关利益主体等研究。3)聚焦于都市农业地域系统功能演变的关键科学问题,未来亟待开展的研究包括3个方面:其一,基于城乡连续体的视角,厘清都市农业系统地域功能演化的内源性和外部性驱动力间的交互联动和耦合作用机制;其二,揭示都市农业地域系统空间重组的核心机理,以及利益主体的作用关系与土地竞租的内在逻辑;其三,探索都市农业地域系统功能演化带来的生态环境效应,以及对生态环境的影响机制。

Environmental Deterioration of the Tecomate Coastal Lagoon, in the Guerrero State, Mexico

An exhaustive field study was undertaken between November 2011 and August 2012, with the aim to know the causes of the environmental deterioration of the Tecomate Lagoon, in the Guerrero state, Mexico. Data of temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity parameters and depth of the lagoon were interpolated using the Kriging geostatistical method to generate a prediction surface. The lagoon registered a great variation in its saline concentration, which ranged from 8.0 to 65.0 ppt, with the lowest values in November 2011 and the highest at May 2012. The great variability in the salinity throughout the year contributed in significant form to the lagoon’s instability. An average water temperature of 32?C and dissolved oxygen levels of 4.49 to 7.44 mg/L were recorded. The low depth registered in the lagoon (mean = 1 m), is related to fluvial and marine processes, both of which modify depth through the transport of sediment to its interior. Currently, fishing is scarce, with the mangrove forest in some areas in a process of deterioration due to a lack of moisture. The lagoon system is undergoing a process of environmental deterioration, with an advanced ecological succession and non-aquatic vegetable species colonizing the area surrounding the lagoon.

Environmental Deterioration of the Tecomate Coastal Lagoon, in the Guerrero State, Mexico

An exhaustive field study was undertaken between November 2011 and August 2012, with the aim to know the causes of the environmental deterioration of the Tecomate Lagoon, in the Guerrero state, Mexico. Data of temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity parameters and depth of the lagoon were interpolated using the Kriging geostatistical method to generate a prediction surface. The lagoon registered a great variation in its saline concentration, which ranged from 8.0 to 65.0 ppt, with the lowest values in November 2011 and the highest at May 2012. The great variability in the salinity throughout the year contributed in significant form to the lagoon’s instability. An average water temperature of 32?C and dissolved oxygen levels of 4.49 to 7.44 mg/L were recorded. The low depth registered in the lagoon (mean = 1 m), is related to fluvial and marine processes, both of which modify depth through the transport of sediment to its interior. Currently, fishing is scarce, with the mangrove forest in some areas in a process of deterioration due to a lack of moisture. The lagoon system is undergoing a process of environmental deterioration, with an advanced ecological succession and non-aquatic vegetable species colonizing the area surrounding the lagoon.