Sustainability policy considerations for ecosystem management in Central and Eastern Europe

Here I discuss Central and Eastern European(CEE)countries as a region undergoing rapid change,resulting from the collapse of the Soviet Union and admission of some of the states into the European Union.These events brought changes in governance and ecosystem management,triggering impacts on land use and biodiversity.What are some of the policy options toward sustainability in the face of these political,governance,and socioeconomic changes?Some policy considerations for ecosystem management and sustainability include taking a social-ecological systems approach to integrate biophysical subsystems and social subsystems;paying attention to institutions relevant to shared resources(commons)management;and using resilience theory to study change and guidance for governance.Documented experience in CEE seems to indicate shortcomings for both the centralized state management option and the purely market-driven option for ecosystem management.If so,a“smart mix”of state regulations,market incentives,and self-governance using local commons institutions may be the most promising policy option to foster ecosystem stewardship at multiple levels from local to international.

Developing Ecosystem Maps Using Eco-Geological Information for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

Ecosystem maps are vital to represent ecological patterns and processes in a region. It enables the use of ecosystem goods and services as a robust unit for a variety of applications, including conservation planning, climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, resource management, and the economic estimation of ecosystem benefits. As different elements of eco-geological components, such as the geological, soil, and biotic assemblages organize an ecosystem;here, we developed an ecosystem map of the State of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia, using geology, soil, elevation, and land-use data. Landsat ETM+ images, ASTER Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, and digitized soil and geological data were integrated to develop a map of the types of ecosystem for 2005. We found 19 different natural ecosystems in the studied region that represented approximately 35% of the total land area. Among the natural ecosystems, peat-swamp forest represents highest (at ~10%), while montane ericaceous forest representing the lowest (at ~0.008%) and the hill dipterocarp quartz forest, lowland dipterocarp sandstone forest, upper dipterocarp quartz forest, and mangrove forest are representing approximately 6.4%, 4.6%, 3% and 2.6% of the total land area respectively. These data can be used to prioritize the areas deserving attention due to their value for biodiversity conservation and for the production of goods and supply of ecosystem services. In addition to a variety of ecological and environmental aspects, such an ecosystem map has potential use for the sustainable management of natural resources at the national, regional, continental, and global scales.

Problems in Fast-growing and High-yield Plantation Ecosystem Management and Their Countermeasures in China

The paper analyzed the basic characteristics of fast-growing and high-yield plantation, classified and identified the ecological problems in its development, and finally proposed the basic principles and corresponding technical measures for fast-growing and high-yield plantation ecosystem management based on these problems.

Study on Optimized Pattern of Forest Ecosystem Management in Dagangshan

A comprehensive analysis was made based on the relevant information from the results of the orientation study by the Dagangshan Forest Ecosystem Research Station obtained in the past 20 years The conclusions reached from the study are as follows: The biodiversity in the area is constantly on the decline and the categories of forest, forest age and tree species were out of balance. The stumpage had reduced by 18.1% from 77.4 m3/ha to 63.4 m3/ha in this period. The ecological benefits declined and the com...

Suggestions on management measures of pine forest ecosystems invaded by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Pine wood nematode （PWN）, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus （Steiner et Buhrer） Nickle is an important invasive alien species in forests of China and has become one of the most destructive forest diseases. In order to improve the resistance and resilience of pine forest ecosystems against B. xylophilus invasion and make the pine forest ecosystem more timely responsive to PWN invasion, we made some recommendations based on five years of intensive observations. We advocate a set of management measures with the theme “Prevention is priority, but integrated with curative techniques and ecological resilience” on the pine forest ecosystem invaded by B. xylophilus; details of accurate measures are proposed. The aim is to discover the underlying problems of present pine forest ecosys-tems and to take, correspondingly, administrative measures and strategies, which will encourage the pine forest ecosystem to develop in a benign way.

Impact of slope farmland use change on ecosystem services value in China,2000-2020

Slope farmland is an important component of farmland resources in China.The utilization and change of slope farmland have significant effects on ecosystems,and understanding the impact of slope farmland change on ecosystem services(ESs)is critical for effective land utilization and ecosystem protection.This study aims to analyze slope farmland changes in China between 2000 and 2020 and quantify the impact of these changes on ESs by the use of a land use dynamic attitude study,and an ecosystem services value(ESV)equivalent.Results show that the area of slope farmland in China was mainly concentrated on slopes of 2°-6°,and exhibited a downward trend between 2000 and 2020.There were significant differences in the spatial distribution of the farmland,which was mainly located in the Taihang,Qinling,Wushan,and Xuefeng mountains.ESV increased by$179.235 million due to the conversion between slope farmland and forest,grassland,and construction land from 2000-2010.Conversely,from 2010 to 2020,ESV decreased by$2613.919 million due to the conversion of forest and grassland to slope farmland as well as the conversion of slope farmland to construction land.

Landscape pattern and its effect on ecosystem functions in Seoul Metropolitan area:Urban ecology on distribution of the naturalized plant species

During land transformation process in the human history, naturalized plants were introduced to several land use patterns by the different ways of plant itself. Including some naturalized plants that had been contribute to land restoration, many naturalized plants have been invaded to original habitat or landscape for native plants. Once the plants were colonized, they extend their area and population size. Urban developed areas often give an important role of source habitat for naturalized plants and expanding their population size. In recent, this situation is appearing as one of environmental problems about the urban landscape management controlling the naturalized plants that invaded in the developed area and conserving the native vegetation. This paper is focusing on relationships between distribution of habitat of naturalized plants and landscape patch in urban area in Seoul. Gangdong-Gu, one of the administrative areas in Seoul was selected for this study. We examined the recent land use change using LANDSAT TM data and spreading of the representative naturalized plants (Robinia pseudoacacia and Eupatorium rugosum) by Seoul Biotope Mapping Project and field survey in 1999. As a result, these two species were often occurred in the same habitat and distributed in forest edge disturbed by man. Their distribution patterns were related to landscape indices (patch size and shape) in the forest edge.

Building a Database for the Future:Humans and Lakes within Ecosystems

1 Introduction Fresh or saline,lakes constantly exchange with other water bodies on the Earth.Together,they form a crucial part of the water cycle–one of the most important ecosystem functions supporting humans and other biological communities.Lakes have provided invaluable and irreplaceable ecosystem services(benefits)for the

Implications of Declining Ground Water and Water Quality in the US Southeastern Coastal Plain Ecoregion and Areawide Environmental Impact Statement Required for Mining in the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin—Part 1

Karst aquifers occur worldwide and exhibit groundwater flow responses that differ considerably from aquifers lacking fractures, bedding planes, and other karst conduits where significant and rapid groundwater flow can occur. The regional, karst Floridan aquifer system underlies the United States (US) Southeastern Coastal Plain Physiographic Region and exhibits hydrologic interconnections with overlying surficial aquifers and throughout other zones of the aquifer system, as is characteristic of other karst aquifer systems. Anthropogenic groundwater declines in this regional karst aquifer system have been documented in published literature for decades, but the impacts of those declines in this coastal plain region and the embedded ecosystems that provide essential and critical habitat for native, endemic, and federally endangered and threatened species have not been considered previously. Those anthropogenic groundwater declines reduce surfacewater levels and flows due to the capture of both groundwater and overland flow of surfacewater, resulting in induced recharge through semi-confining zones and interbasin flow through fractures and other karst conduits. This case study identifies examples from the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin study area and comparison areas of how those declines result in loss of historic base flow to surface waters and other capture of surface waters, ultimately increasing saltwater intrusion. Those results alter and degrade the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters, in violation of the US Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972. Historic groundwater declines from mining and other anthropogenic groundwater withdrawals from this regional karst aquifer system already threaten the survival and recovery of federally endangered and threatened species, as well as existing and proposed critical habitat for those species within this regional extent, in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. This case study and its companion publication (Part 2) appear to be the first to provide scientific support for this regional karst aquifer system as the unifying factor in habitat responses to irreversible groundwater impacts on aquatic and marine ecosystems. These adverse impacts strongly suggest that the extent of the regional Floridan aquifer system should be designated as the Southeastern Coastal Plain Ecoregion for the purpose of managing natural resources. Mining activities continue to expand in our study area, which is the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin. Despite that fact, no comprehensive Areawide Environmental Impact Statement (AEIS), similar to the AEIS required for phosphate mining within the Central Florida Phosphate District (CFPD) approximately a decade ago has been conducted for any of the numerous mining projects that are occurring and are proposed within the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin. This case study also provides examples of why a comprehensive AEIS is essential to consider all of the adverse direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of those mining activities to the CWA, the ESA, and the irreversible losses to local economies, because federal agencies responsible for considering those adverse impacts rely on public comments to identify those adverse impacts. The mining activities authorized throughout the regional Floridan aquifer system under Category 44 Nationwide Permits (NWP) result in the same type of adverse impacts as the mining activities evaluated under Individual Permits in that region. Therefore, those Category 44 NWP mining activities also should be required to obtain Individual Permits and be evaluated under an AEIS in the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin. This case study also describes how Florida’s assumption of the CWA Section 404 regulatory authority in 2020 severs four sub-basins within the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin study area at the state line between Florida and Georgia.

Have some landscapes in the eastern Canadian boreal forest moved beyond their natural range of variability?

Background: In the contxt of ecosystem management, the present study aims to compare the natural and the present-day forested landscapes of a large territory in Quebec(Canada). Using contemporary and long-term fire cycles, each natural forst landscape is defined according to the variability of its structure and composition, and compared to the present-day landscape. This analysis was conducted to address the question of whether human activities have moved these ecosystems outside the range of natural landscape variability.Methods: The study encompassed a forested area of 175 000 km2 divided into 14 landscapes. Using a framework that integrates fire cycles, age structure and forest dynamics, we characterized the forest composition and age structures that resulted from three historical fire cycles(110,140, and 180 years) representative of the boreal forest of eastern Canada. The modeled natural landscapes were compared with present-day landscapes in regard to the proportion of old-growth forests(landscape level) and the proportion of late-successional forest stands(landscape level and potential vegetation type).Results: Four landscapes(39%) remain within their natural range of variability. In contrast, nine landscapes(54%)show a large gap between natural and present-day landscapes. These nine are located in the southern portion of the study area, and are mainly associated with Abies-Betula vegetation where human activities have contributed to a strong increase in the proportion of Populus tremuloides stands(early-successional stages) and a decrease of oldgrowth forest stands(more than 100 years old). A single landscape(7%), substantially changed from its potential natural state, is a candidate for adaptive-based management.Conclusion: Comparison of corresponding natural(reference conditions) and present-day landscapes showed that ten landscapes reflecting an important shift in forest composition and age structure could be considered beyond the range of their natural variability. The description of a landscape's natural variability at the scale of several millennia can be considered a moving benchmark that can be re-evaluated in the context of climate change.Focusing on regional landscape characteristics and long-term natural variability of vegetation and forest age structure represents a step forward in methodology for defining reference conditions and following shifts in landscape over time.

Species composition and minimum sampling area of a riparian mixed broadleaved-Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve

Riparian areas are unique although often small component of the overall watershed landscape. The structure of riparian forests along Erdaobai River on the north slope of Changbai Mountain were investigated by using field data collected from eight sampling transects perpendicular to the Erdaobai River channel. Two kinds of species-area saturation curves were used to examine the relationship between species number and minimum sampling area. The results showed that riparian gymnosperms accounted for a high proportion of all gymnosperms in the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve while riparian ferns and angiosperms accounted for a relatively low proportion. The average minimum sampling areas of riparian forest that included 60%, 80%, and 90% of the community species pool were about 85, 185, and 328 m 2 , respectively; while those for nonriparian forest were about 275, 390, and 514 m 2 , correspondingly.

Ecosystem-management-based Management Models of Fast-growing and High-yield Plantation and Its Eco-economic Benefits Analysis

The paper expounded the basic concept and principles of ecosystem management,and analyzed the state and trend of industrial plantation ecosystem management in other countries.Based on the analysis of typical case studies,the eco-economic benefits were evaluated for the management models of fast-growing and high-yield plantations.

Studies on ecological characteristics variation and population dynamics of four lizardfishes in the southern Taiwan Straits

The ecological characteristics of four lizardfishes, Trachinocephalus myops, Saurida undosquamis, Saurida tumbil and Saurida elongata, were studied from specimens （910 T. myops, 454 S. un-dosquamis, 686 S. tumbil and 744 S. elongata） collected monthly in the southern Taiwan Straits from April 2005 to March 2006. The population dynamics of the four lizardfishes was also discussed by the comparison with the previous studies. All being composed of 7 a classes; the dominant group of T. myops and S. tumbil was 1–2 a, while S. undosquamis and S. elongate were 2–3 a. The total mortality coefficient Z and the fishing mortality F were at high as indicated by the exploitation ratio E（0.5）, and a large number of by-caught juvenile and young fishes showing that the stock of lizardfishes in this area was overexploited and the fishing gear was irrational. Compared with the previous studies, the maximum and mean fork length, body mass and age of the four lizard- fishes declined gradually, the lizardfishes populations were younger in age and smaller in size. The asymptotic fork length L ∞ decreased while increasing growth coefficient k, and age at the inflexion point of mass t r was younger compared with the previous studies. The declining of older ones has moderated the feeding competition and the younger ones grew faster. The larger mortality param-eters Z, M and F have revealed higher fishing pressure. The smaller change of the first mature fork length of female T . myops and the change from K selection pattern to r selection pattern of S. tumbil have indicated a more vulnerable fishery ecosystem in this area. The changes of ecological characteristics and population dynamics may be caused by over-exploitation of demersal fishes such as the lizardfishes, especially a large number of juvenile and young fishes by-catch by the current fishing gears and methods. Therefore, in addition to the traditional fishery management approach such as the minimum length-limit, ecosystem approach to fisheries management （EAF） should be taken to improve the practical marine ecosystem management, including increased fishing intensity of the non-economic species especially the feeding competitors of the lizardfishes and the conservation of the pelagic fishery population in the fisheries ecosystem, in order to restore the fishery population and achieve the sustainable use of the fishery stocks.

It is time to change land use and landscape management in the Czech Republic

The identity of man-made landscapes is based on the balance among their ecological,cultural,and economic dimensions.Since the 1950s,short-term economic benefits have globally often outweighed long-term interests.This results in decreased landscape quality manifested as increased erosion of agricultural land,decreased water retention capacity,increased landscape uniformity,and loss of biodiversity.A new phenomenon influencing the condition of man-made landscapes is climate change.Extreme fluctuations of temperature and precipitation have been causing repeated floods and also periods of drought in Europe.Landscapes damaged by inappropriate management are unable to offset these impacts.It is necessary to stop this development by changing land use and management methods to restore the balance among landscape functions.For the Czech Republic,we propose to develop a long-term landscape vision and to formulate a responsible landscape policy with regional strategic goals,including subsidies and penalties(carrots and sticks),based on the principles of the European Landscape Convention.To promote ecological stability,we recommend allocating funds from the Common Agricultural Policy to both the restoration and maintenance of valuable habitats.Landscape research and management(based on habitat/species monitoring in cooperation with stakeholders)must be strengthened in order to play a proper role in the transformation.It is time for clear communication with the public and the training of state officials and land users in spatial and landscape planning.To fill this gap in interdisciplinary cooperation,we call for the establishment of a platform on sustainable landscape management in the Czech Republic.

Rapid assessment checklist for green roof ecosystem services in Bangkok,Thailand

Background:A green roof is a man-made ecosystem created when a rooftop is covered with substrate and vegetation.Although green roof ecosystems(GREs)are able to provide ecosystem services,there is currently no assessment tool available to specifically evaluate this.Therefore,the aim of this study was to develop a rapid assessment checklist(RAC)to assess GRE services(GRES),which was developed and tested on 10 green roofs in Bangkok,Thailand.Results:The RAC consisted of 46 proxy indicators(33 qualitative and 13 quantitative indicators)encompassing various aspects of GRESs.The GRES values or scores varied according to structural differences in the green roofs.The average score(from a maximum of 100)of total ecosystem services was 61±7,which could be inferred as a good performance in ecosystem service provision.The highest scores were obtained from the regulating services at 68±7.The lowest average score was 53±11 from the provisioning services.Conclusions:The RAC was able to evaluate the levels of GRES provided by the selected green roofs,enabling the meaningful comparison of their potential capability to provide GRES.Therefore,this RAC could be an innovative tool for evaluation of four categories of GRES.

Assessing impact of land use and climate change on regulating ecosystem services in the Czech Republic

Ecosystem services,defined as benefits provided by ecosystem functioning to society,are essential to human well-being.Due to global environmental change and related anthropogenic drivers,ecosystems are often degraded,which hinders the delivery of ecosystem services.This study aims to quantify the impacts of land use and climate change on two regulating ecosystem services-carbon sequestration and water purification in terms of nitrogen retention in the Czech Republic.While employing approaches of scenarios and modeling,we illustrate current and potential future status of these ecosystem services.Our results show that among the ecosystem change drivers,one of the dominant domestic land-use change of ALARM BAMBU(Business-As Might Be Usual)scenario is change of arable land and grassland to forest area that increases by 4.5%in 2080 compared to 2000.The results of ecosystem service modeling based on BAMBU scenario for the years 2050 and 2080 indicate that the highest yearly carbon sequestration rate occurred in 2000-2050,reaching 640 GgC·yr^(−1),2000-2080 shows decline in this regulating service by 16%.Average nitro-gen leaching to water streams reached 0.75 kgN·ha^(−1)·yr^(−1)for BAMBU in 2050 scenario and 0.80 kgN·ha^(−1)·yr^(−1)for BAMBU in 2080 scenario as a result of decreasing nitrogen load,which suggested a decrease in nitrogen pollution compared to 2000.Since ecosystem services have not been extensively mainstreamed into research and policies in eastern European countries,we aim to contribute to improvement of knowledge on current status and potential future pathways of the provision of regulating ecosystem services in the Czech Republic.

Responses of grazing households to different levels of payments for ecosystem services

Introduction:Payments for Ecosystem Services(PES)programs have been implemented globally to protect ecosystems while securing the well-being of affected people.Reasonable payment standards are key to successful PES programs.Although some approaches are available for determining payment standards,few studies have applied them for grassland conservation with location indicators and socioeconomic contexts properly considered.Methods:Using China’s first pilot Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy(GECP)as an example,we analyzed the effects of payment levels,other natural and socioeconomic factors on herders’willingness to participate in the GECP in Damao County in Inner Mongolia where grassland degradation is happening at an alarming rate due to overgrazing and cropland expansion.Outcomes:Our results show that households with lower herding income,older age,higher education,larger grassland areas,and worse social relationships are more inclined to participate in the GECP.Conservation payment level,as well as natural and socioeconomic contextual factors,significantly affect the response of herdsmen,and a reasonable grassland payment standard with a 95%policy compliance rate should be 8.8 yuan mu-1.Discussion and Conclusion:Our findings can inform governments to develop effective PES programs to balance the need of human well-being improvement and grassland conservation in China and beyond.

Ecosystem service bundle index construction,spatiotemporal dynamic display,and driving force analysis

Introduction:Existing studies on ecosystem service relationships are mainly qualitative or semi-quantitative assessments,but lack of quantitative exploration of aggregated ecosystem services and their influencing factors.We mapped the distributions of 12 ecosystem services of Zhejiang Province in 2000 and 2015 at the district and county level,analyzed their relationships using Spearman’s correlation analysis,constructed ecosystem service bundle index(ESBI)for each district and county by structural equation model,and then through multiple linear regression,we explored factors associated with ESBI variations.Outcomes:Our results showed that(1)most ecosystem services were spatially clustered.There were synergies between individual ecosystem services in categories of provisioning and regulating services,respectively;(2)our proposed ESBI index system consists of overall index and sub-indices of provisioning,regulating,and cultural services.The higher the ESBI value,the more important the corresponding place for multiple aggregated ecosystem service provision.Compared to 2000,ESBI in 2015 distributed more unevenly,and the average dropped by 3.10%;and(3)the increase of ESBI was associated with its initial value,and four socioeconomic and natural factors;the decrease of ESBI was influenced by the initial value and six key socioeconomic factors.Discussion and Conclusion:Our proposed ESBI system has several advantages(e.g.,scale free,flexible weighting,quantitative and continuous indices for further analyses,and alternative non-monetary solution)in understanding and managing relationships among multiple ecosystem services.

Multi-level governance through adaptive co-management:conflict resolution in a Brazilian state park

Introduction:Communities situated in protected areas generate conflicts among park administrators,residents and scientists.Should they stay or should they go?This article presents a positive example of a community existing in a state park.The study describes the community’s governance process as well as how the park administration and the community solve the conflicts that arise and achieve a method of co-management in a multi-level governance process.Methods:The analysis is based on the Management and Transition Framework(MTF).We used a case study approach and collected data via document study,participatory observation and qualitative interviews.Results:We find that the agreed system of community-based co-management has improved the implementation and enforcement of the state park’s rules through negotiation and communication mechanisms in the park council.This relative success is due to the construction of social capital,equality and empowerment.Conclusions:For state parks in similar situations,the findings suggest that:1)a community should have at least a minimal level of self-organization;2)the empowerment of the community in the decision-making process is useful;3)the park administration should gain the trust of the residents;and 4)the effective management of ecosystem services can create a win-win situation for the community as well as the park.

Physical habitat condition as a key tool to maintain freshwater biodiversity in neotropical artificial ponds

In areas highly affected by anthropogenic disturbances,artificial(human-made)freshwater ecosystems can provide habitat for maintaining and conserving regional freshwater biodiversity.We assessed how the physical habitat of artificial ponds affected the structure of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages.To do so,we tested two hypotheses.(1)Physical habitat disturbances are not detrimental to the diversity of nearby artificial ponds,and(2)Physical habitat disturbances do not cause significant shifts in taxonomic composition.Our results rejected both null hypotheses,i.e.,macroinvertebrate diversity metrics correlated significantly and positively with Physical Habitat Integrity index scores,and only sites with high habitat condition scores were significantly associated with sensitive indicator taxa.Our results highlight the importance of maintaining physical habitat conditions for sustaining the ecological health of artificial ponds.