Landscape Aesthetic Characteristics of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property and Realization Path of Aesthetic Education Value

Wulingyuan is a world natural heritage property mainly dominated by rare quartz sandstone peak forest landscape at home and abroad and supplemented by karst landscapes,with a large number of geological and historical sites,biological and ecological landscape and unique cultural landscapes.Preserving the secluded and beautiful scenery environment,biological environment and ecosystem of subtropical zone,Wulingyuan presents a splendid and magnificent landscape,with high aesthetic value,and becomes an important practice base of aesthetic education.The aesthetic education value of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property can be realized by systematically studying and presenting the aesthetic education value of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property,developing a series of aesthetic education courses to lead tourists into the world of Wulingyuan aesthetic education,carrying out a series of popular science activities of“Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property Entering Campus”,and incorporating into the aesthetic education curriculum system of schools,etc.This paper analyzes the landscape aesthetic characteristics of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property thoroughly,which indicates the direction for realizing the aesthetic education value of the property,and also provides a reference for realizing the aesthetic education value of similar world natural heritage property.

Exploration of Nature Education Path for Teenagers:A Case Study of Yancheng Wetland Nature Education Based on the World Natural Heritage Site

Nature education is the trend of the current social development.By gradually improving the awareness of ecological civilization among the whole people,the achievements in ecological civilization are jointly built and shared by the whole people.Yancheng Yellow Sea Wetland is a characteristic natural resource and the name card of Yancheng City,and also an important part of the natural education of teenagers in Yancheng.As one of the main resources of nature education in Yancheng,the Yellow Sea Wetland World Natural Heritage resources play a more important role in the cultivation of youth ecological civilization values and legal awareness of environmental protection.Based on the protection and utilization of the Yellow Sea Wetland World Natural Heritage resources,this paper explores the methods and approaches of nature education for teenagers in Yancheng.

Estimation on Aesthetic Value of Tourist Landscapes in a Natural Heritage Site:Kanas National Nature Reserve,Xinjiang,China

Most world natural heritage sites are designated partly by reason of their prominent aesthetic values in accordance with Article Ⅶ of World Natural Heritage Convention.In this paper, the aesthetic values of Kanas National Nature Reserve, which has potential for such designation, was analyzed quantitatively using scenic beauty estimation(SBE).The landscapes of 19 representative scenic spots in the Kanas National Nature Reserve in summer and autumn were selected as the objects of evaluation.The contributions of different landscape factors to the aesthetic value of the Kanas National Nature Reserve were revealed using a multivariate quantitative model.The main factors affecting the aesthetic value were waterscapes, vegetation, mountains, folk culture and the tourist environment.The t-test and F-test results are extremely significant.According to the results, some suggestions were given for conserving the landscapes in the Kanas National Nature Reserve.

Natural Heritage Value of Xinjiang Tianshan and Global Comparative Analysis

Xinjiang Tianshan is a serial natural property that has been nominated for World Heritage status.This paper presents a systematically comprehensive and comparative analysis of the heritage resources of Xinjiang Tianshan according to the World Heritage criteria.Its biological,ecological and aesthetic values,which are of global importance, are documented.It is concluded that Xinjiang Tianshan meets the world heritage criteria(vii)and (ix).Xinjiang Tianshan is compared with other mountain world heritage sites,mountains in Central Asia,the Tianshan Mountains outside China,and with the protected areas of the Tianshan Mountains on the Tentative List for World Heritage Sites,so as to provide objective data for the world heritage application.

Experience and lessons from tourism exploitation in Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage

From 1980s to 1990s, Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage in Hunan Province witnessed improper and overexploitation which has obviously imposed a negative impact upon its tourism resources. The weak ecological awareness of the related government decision-makers, the poor management, backward regulation constructions, the immature tourist market mechanism as well as the great pressure brought about by the tourist demands all account for this serious outcome. Therefore, in the future, it is essential to further deal with the relations properly between the opening and protection of the heritages, the relations between tourism industry and economic and social development so as to gradually realize in tourist activities a harmony between human beings and tourism resources and environment, a coordinated development among tourism industry, the other industries and social undertakings. Meanwhile, the future tourism development in this area should take a major form of sustainable civilized tourism to give full play to its scientific research, aesthetic and educational functions while developing commercial mass tourism moderately with restricted capacity control under the principle of maintaining the original features and intactness of this invaluable world natural heritage.

Evaluation on Tourism Ecological Security in Nature Heritage Sites——Case of Kanas Nature Reserve of Xinjiang,China

The nature heritages are the precious legacy of nature with outstanding scientific and aesthetic value. They are quite different from other common ecotourism areas, because of its original and unique system, sensitive and vulnerable landscape, and peripheral cultural features. Therefore, the tourism development in the nature heritage sites should be on the premise of ecological security. The evaluation index system of tourism ecological security in nature heritage sites was constructed in this article by AHP and Delphi methods, including nature ecological security, landscape visual security and local culture ecological security, and the security thresholds of indices were also established. In the indices' weights of the evaluation model, the nature ecological security ranked the highest, followed by tourist landscape visual security and culture ecological security, which reflected the influence degree of the limited factor to tourism ecological security. Then, this paper carried out an empirical study of Kanas of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, which has the potential to be the World Nature Heritage. On the basis of the data attained from survey and observation on the spot, as well as questionnaire answered by tourists and local communities, the ecological security status in Kanas was evaluated. The result showed that the status of Kanas tourism ecological security was better, but there had some limiting factors. Lastly, effective measures were put forward to ensure its ecological security.

A Remote Sensing-based Analysis on the Impact of Wenchuan Earthquake on the Core Value of World Nature Heritage Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary

In this study,we used remotely sensed data,GIS modeling,and statistical methods to evaluate the damage caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake (May 12,2008) to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat in the World Nature Heritage Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary (WHSGPS) in China.A landscape ecological analysis found increases of landscape heterogeneity,complexity,and fragmentation in the giant panda habitat after the earthquake.A terrain analysis found that slope and elevation are directly associated with the distribution of the damaged areas.As slope and elevation increase,the size of the damaged area keeps increase until to a peak,and then starts to drop.The total area of the damaged vegetation in our study area is 114.26 km 2,accounting for 3.78% of the study area;30.46% of that 114.26 km 2 is located in the Core Zone of WHSGPS.There are 18.57km 2 of the damaged vegetation located in the identified suitable giant panda habitat,accounting for 1.75% of the total area of suitable giant panda habitats in the study area.Based on these findings,we conclude that the Wenchuan Earthquake does not have significant impact on the WHSGPS as a whole.

A Methodology for Vulnerability Assessment of Cultural Heritage in Extreme Climate Changes

Vulnerability evaluation plays a key role in risk assessment and reduction and is essential for defining strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation.In dealing with the safeguarding of cultural heritage at risk,we are still far from adopting and applying an agreed methodology for vulnerability assessment.With the aim to support practitioners,heritage managers,and policy and decision makers to undertake actions that address the protection of cultural heritage at risk,the methodology set up in the framework of the Interreg Central Europe STRENCH is illustrated and discussed here.Based on three major requirements(susceptibility,exposure,and resilience)and a continuous consultation with local stakeholders,the proposed methodology is applicable for evaluating the vulnerability of built heritage and cultural landscape exposed to hydrometeorological hazards,such as heavy rains,floods,and droughts.The results obtained through its validation on 15 case studies from seven Central European regions are shown to underline the strengths and limitations of the methodological approach.Iterative consultation with local stakeholders was fundamental for the definition of the criteria/subcriteria and related values for the assessment of the requirements.Application to further sites in other contexts would surely contribute to strengthening the reliability of the methodological approach.

Application of Inorganic and Organic Manure Fertilizers as Means of Conserving Plectranthus esculentus N.E.Br in Mid-Altitude Zone of Rwanda

Plectranthus esculentus N.E.Br, locally known as “Impombo” is an important indigenous food crop in Rwanda which is currently endangered. One major factor that causes disappearance of this species, is the lower agronomic recommendations developed for growers and lack of information about nutrients contents leading to loss of interest in its cultivation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of living stone potato to inorganic manure fertilizers as an attempt to conserve and evaluate the potential of the crop food security crop, source of income, and its adaptation in the mid-altitude zone of Rwanda. The performance of the crop was evaluated under application of NPK (17:17:17) and farm yard manure fertilisers. These fertilizers were evaluated using a Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Analyse of variance showed that significant at (p < 0.01) was recorded in stem height, number of leaves but not high in stem diameter. The results indicated that vegetative growth and yield of plants in control plots were lower than what was obtained in treated plots. Production of living stone potato on large under application NPK (17.17.17) and organic fertlizer will ensure the conservation of genetic resources, food security, agricultural development and financial benefit to local farmers.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Practices of Ethnic Kyrgyz of the Eastem Pamir in Ethnotoponyms

The author analyzes ethnotoponyms, the local place names of Kyrgyz people living in the Murgab region of Tajikistan＇s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous region. The author conducted field research in the region in 2010-2015. The article also builds on data from the works of pre-Soviet Russian and western travelers, who studied the region at middle 19th early 20th centuries. The author concludes that local place names given by Kyrgyz people to the mountains, rivers, lakes, and valleys reflect the unique features of natural landscapes of Eastern Pamir as well as Kyrgyz nomads＇ empirical observations of natural phenomena and processes, livelihoods and nomadic values.

Study on security and protection of original ecotourism resources in the mountain areas of western Guangxi

Original ecotourism resources mainly refer to natural and human original ecotourism resources, and it＇s of fragility, rarity and irreversibility. As a valuable historic heritage and hnportant tourism resources, it plays a significant role in developing tourism and economy in such areas as the underdeveloped areas, the mountain areas and mimority areas. The tourism resources in the western mountain areas of Guangxi owe ,superiorities and characteristics ＇o their original ecology, Yet, western Guangxi is an ethnic region with fragile karst eco-environment, so it is specialto exploit the tourism resources. The paper defines original eeotourism and analyses the specialties and advantages of the original ecotourism resources as well as thefrailty of the ecotourism resources of the region. The ways of thinking are put forward for safe preservation and sustainable development of the original ecotourism resources, i.e. carrying out measures for the multi-grade protection of heritage resources, setting up a ethnic eco-museum/ ethnic culture eco-park and a gene pool of ethnic cultures, etc.

Towards more-than-human heritage:arboreal habitats as a challenge for heritage preservation

Trees belong to humanity’s heritage,but they are more than that.Their loss,through catastrophic fires or under business-as-usual,is devastating to many forms of life.Moved by this fact,we begin with an assertion that heritage can have an active role in the design of future places.Written from within the field of architecture,this article focuses on structures that house life.Habitat features of trees and artificial replacement habitats for arboreal wildlife serve as concrete examples.Designs of such habitats need to reflect behaviours,traditions and cultures of birds,bats,and other animals.Our narrative highlights the nonhuman aspect of heritage,seeking to understand how nonhuman stakeholders can act as users and consumers of heritage and not only as its constituents.Our working definition states that more-than-human heritage encompasses tangible and intangible outcomes of historical processes that are of value to human as well as nonhuman stakeholders.From this basis,the article asks how the established notions of heritage can extend to include nonhuman concerns,artefacts,behaviours and cultures.As a possible answer to this question,the hypothesis tested here is that digital information can(1)contribute to the preservation of more-than-human heritage;and(2)illuminate its characteristics for future study and use.This article assesses the potential of three imaging technologies and considers the resulting data within the conceptual framework of more-than-human heritage,illuminating some of its concrete aspects and challenges.

Exploring the historical evolution of tourism-environment interaction in protected area:A case study of Mt. Bogda

Protected areas have a double mandate of both "protection" and "use." Naturebased tourism is considered an effective tool in terms of environmental conservation. Understanding the causes and consequences of a spatiotemporal succession of tourism construction is an important channel to explore the changes of tourism-environment interaction in the protected area. To analyze the spatio-temporal variations in tourism construction lands, we adopted Mt. Bogda as an example. We systematically quantified the interaction between these changes and environmental variables and explored the evolution process of tourism-environment interaction of the mountainous protected area in the northwest arid region. Our results revealed the following:(1) In the Bogda protected area, the proportion of tourism construction lands first appeared to be increasing, then decreasing dramatically, and finally growing slowly. The spatial expansion of tourism construction lands followed the "core-periphery" pattern, respectively showing shapely infilling, reasonable agglomeration, barycenter shift, and outlying growth from 1990 to 2018 as the stages of concentrating on the core.(2) The higher land-use intensity of tourism construction drove the changes of landscape fragmentation, diversity, stability, primitive, and nature degree in the protected area. The coupling coordination between tourism and the environment in the Bogda area decreased at first, and then slowly increased. Meanwhile, tourism did not cause irreversible damage to the natural environment, and the coupling coordination degree between tourism and the environment was still in the state of balanced development. It expressed the states of original balanced, development exceeds environment and barely balanced, and superiorly balanced. The historical evolution of tourism-environment interaction in Bogda reflects the pattern of periodic changes in China’s protected areas to a certain extent.