In recent years, because of increasing human activities, ecosystems have been substantially disturbed and their service functions have been greatly compromised. Based on the effect of land use changes on the major eco...In recent years, because of increasing human activities, ecosystems have been substantially disturbed and their service functions have been greatly compromised. Based on the effect of land use changes on the major ecosystem services, we estimated the ecosystem comprehensive anthropogenic disturbance index(ECADI) and analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of changes in the ECADI in China from 1990 to 2010. The average ECADI of the major ecosystem function zones in China in 2010 is approximately 0.382. The ECADI of Northeast China and North China is slightly higher than that of Northwest China and Southwest China. Most zones have slight changes in the ECADI. The average increases of ECADI in the major ecosystem function zones in China from 1990 to 2000 and from 2000 to 2010 are 0.0024 and 0.0002, respectively. The increase is mainly due to reclamation and urbanization, whereas the decrease is due to the implementation of ecosystem protection policies. During the last 20 years, the ECADI of water resources conservation zones increased first, and then stopped. The ECADI of soil conservation zones increased first, and then declined. The ECADI of sandstorm prevention zones, biodiversity conservation zones and flooding mitigation zones increased continuously. Our results may provide proposals to the government regarding land use planning and ecosystem protection plans in the major ecosystem zones. The major ecosystem function zones in the western part of China have been protected effectively. However, the major ecosystem function zones in the eastern part of China require more protection in the future.展开更多
Analyzing spatiotemporal dynamics of land use and land cover over time is widely recognized as important to better understand and provide solutions for social, economic, and environmental problems, especially in ecolo...Analyzing spatiotemporal dynamics of land use and land cover over time is widely recognized as important to better understand and provide solutions for social, economic, and environmental problems, especially in ecologically fragile region. In this paper, a case study was taken in Zhenlai County, which is a part of farming-pastoral ecotone of Northeast China. This study seeks to use multi-temporal satellite images and other data from various sources to analyze spatiotemporal changes from 1932 to 2005, and applied a quantitative methodology named intensity analysis in the time scale of decades at three levels: time interval, category, and transition. The findings of the case study are as follows: 1) the interval level of intensity analysis revealed that the annual rate of overall change was relatively fast in 1932–1954 and 1954–1976 time intervals. 2) The category level showed that arable land experienced less intensively gains and losses if the overall change was to have been distributed uniformly across the landscape while the gains and losses of forest land, grassland, water, settlement, wetland and other unused land were not consistent and stationary across the four time intervals. 3) The transition level illustrated that arable land expanded at the expense of grassland before 2000 while it gained intensively from wetland from 2000 to 2005. Settlement targets arable land and avoids grassland, water, wetland and other unused land. Besides, the loss of grassland was intensively targeted by arable land, forest land and wetland in the study period while the loss of wetland was targeted by water except for the time interval of 1976–2000. 4) During the early reclamation period, land use change of the study area was mainly affected by the policy, institutional and political factors, followed by the natural disasters.展开更多
To solve the problem of lack of water in arid areas and barren soil in the process of ecological restoration, the growth and drought resistance of Sainfoin （Onobrychis vidifolia Scop.） was studied by inoculation of ...To solve the problem of lack of water in arid areas and barren soil in the process of ecological restoration, the growth and drought resistance of Sainfoin （Onobrychis vidifolia Scop.） was studied by inoculation of AMF （arbuscular rnycorrhizal fungi）, under drought stress. The results show that the inoculation of AMF can significantly improve the growth and mycorrhizal infection rate of Sainfoin and accelerate the absorption of water and nutrients by the roots compared with uninoculated plants. On the 40th day under drought stress, the relative water content, total nitrogen and total phosphorus content of the leaves of inoculated plants increased by 7.27%, 4.21% and 2.40%, respectively, the osmotic adjustment property in plant cells was improved, the protective enzyme system was improved and membrane lipid peroxida- tion was reduced. The inoculation of AMF can slow down the damage from drought, improve the drought resistance of Sainfoin, and will be of great significance to the ecologic restoration in arid areas.展开更多
The Loess Plateau is one typical area of serious soil erosion in the world. China has implemented ′Grain for Green′(GFG) project to restore the eco-environment of the Loess Plateau since 1999. With the GFG project s...The Loess Plateau is one typical area of serious soil erosion in the world. China has implemented ′Grain for Green′(GFG) project to restore the eco-environment of the Loess Plateau since 1999. With the GFG project subsidy approaching the end, it is concerned that farmers of fewer subsidies may reclaim land again. Thus, ′Gully Land Consolidation Project′(GLCP) was initiated in 2010. The core of the GLCP was to create more land suitable for farming in gullies so as to reduce land reclamation on the slopes which are ecological vulnerable areas. This paper aims to assess the effect of the GLCP on soil erosion problems by studying Wangjiagou project region located in the central part of Anzi valley in the middle of the Loess Plateau, mainly using the revised universal soil loss equation(RUSLE) based on GIS. The findings show that the GLCP can help to reduce soil shipment by 9.87% and it creates more terraces and river-nearby land suitable for farming which account for 27.41% of the whole study area. Thus, it is feasible to implement the GLCP in places below gradient 15°, though the GLCP also intensifies soil erosion in certain places such as field ridge, village land, floodplain, natural grassland, and shrub land. In short, the GLCP develops new generation dam land and balances the short-term and long-term interests to ease the conflicts between economic development and environmental protection. Furthermore, the GLCP and the GFG could also be combined preferably. On the one hand, the GFG improves the ecological environment, which could offer certain safety to the GLCP, on the other hand, the GLCP creates more farmland favorable for farming in gullies instead of land reclamation on the slopes, which could indirectly protect the GFG project.展开更多
Eeotourism aims to deliver the philosophy of sustainable development through environmental conservation as well as socio-economic development. Areas with rich biodiversity and scenic beauty, like the Indian Himalayan ...Eeotourism aims to deliver the philosophy of sustainable development through environmental conservation as well as socio-economic development. Areas with rich biodiversity and scenic beauty, like the Indian Himalayan region, have been one of the major destination centers for nature lovers from historical time. In view of conserving the rich biodiversity and natural heritage of the Himalayan region 92 protected areas have been set aside, of these Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve （NDBR） is a well known world heritage site. Over a period of time establishing NDBR has invited conficts between the local people and reserve authorities on the management approaches and utilization criteria of the natural resources, especially banning the traditional bio-resource collection rights of local community, expeditions, trekking, and other anthropogenic activities in the core zones. The present study aims to understand and analyze the various people - park conflicts, and also to suggest ways to mitigate such conflicts in view of biodiversity conservation and improvement of economic status of local people by promoting eeotourism. With this view the study further discusses the various aspects of eeotourism, its pros and cons, and the avenues of developing appropriate strategies for promotion of ecotourism in buffer zone areas of NDBR.展开更多
Accompanying the development of social economy,the land use model of mountainous area,typically eco-weak area,is changing gradually. Here the establishment of eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,will pione...Accompanying the development of social economy,the land use model of mountainous area,typically eco-weak area,is changing gradually. Here the establishment of eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,will pioneer the model of sustainable development in that area. Concerning Qianjiang District of Chongqing Municipality,huge change of land use model,mainly embodied in the unceasing increase of construction land and gradual decrease of agricultural use land,has taken place in recent years. To explore the eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,Qianjiang District was chosen as the study object in the present study. Via analyzing the changes in land use model,we found that related eco-environment restrictive factors mainly regional climatic change,soil texture,hydrological environment as well as soil erosion and land degradation,etc. And based on these results,we further analyzed the effect of land use change on eco-environment and the factors restricting the maintenance of eco-environment and regional development,finally put forward the counter measures for balancing land use and co-environment in mountainous area. The results will be important for the development of social economy and eco-system construction in Qianjiang District.展开更多
The effect of land use on soil organic carbon （SOC） stocks and depth distribution of SOC was investigated in the Lake Victoria Crescent ago-ecological zone of Uganda. Soil samples were collected from six land use ty...The effect of land use on soil organic carbon （SOC） stocks and depth distribution of SOC was investigated in the Lake Victoria Crescent ago-ecological zone of Uganda. Soil samples were collected from six land use types at 0-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm from profile pits dug in similar soils and slopes. Results indicated that SOC stocks significantly differed across the various land use systems. SOC also varied significantly by depth. The highest SOC and pH were recorded under natural forest-strict nature. Grassland had the lowest SOC but the highest bulk density （BD）. Phosphorous （P） was the highest in banana-coffee systems and the lowest under tea plantations. The lowest values of pH and BD were found in highly disturbed natural forest. The upper layers of the soil （0-30 cm） stored higher amounts of SOC compared to other depths （30-60 cm and 60-90 cm）. Land use therefore has a significant effect on SOC and other soil physical and chemical properties.展开更多
基金Under the auspices of National Key Basic Research Program of China(No.2014CB954302)National Science and Technology Support Plan Project of China(No.2013BAC03B04)
文摘In recent years, because of increasing human activities, ecosystems have been substantially disturbed and their service functions have been greatly compromised. Based on the effect of land use changes on the major ecosystem services, we estimated the ecosystem comprehensive anthropogenic disturbance index(ECADI) and analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of changes in the ECADI in China from 1990 to 2010. The average ECADI of the major ecosystem function zones in China in 2010 is approximately 0.382. The ECADI of Northeast China and North China is slightly higher than that of Northwest China and Southwest China. Most zones have slight changes in the ECADI. The average increases of ECADI in the major ecosystem function zones in China from 1990 to 2000 and from 2000 to 2010 are 0.0024 and 0.0002, respectively. The increase is mainly due to reclamation and urbanization, whereas the decrease is due to the implementation of ecosystem protection policies. During the last 20 years, the ECADI of water resources conservation zones increased first, and then stopped. The ECADI of soil conservation zones increased first, and then declined. The ECADI of sandstorm prevention zones, biodiversity conservation zones and flooding mitigation zones increased continuously. Our results may provide proposals to the government regarding land use planning and ecosystem protection plans in the major ecosystem zones. The major ecosystem function zones in the western part of China have been protected effectively. However, the major ecosystem function zones in the eastern part of China require more protection in the future.
基金Under the auspices of National Youth Science Foundation of China(No.41601173)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2016M600954)
文摘Analyzing spatiotemporal dynamics of land use and land cover over time is widely recognized as important to better understand and provide solutions for social, economic, and environmental problems, especially in ecologically fragile region. In this paper, a case study was taken in Zhenlai County, which is a part of farming-pastoral ecotone of Northeast China. This study seeks to use multi-temporal satellite images and other data from various sources to analyze spatiotemporal changes from 1932 to 2005, and applied a quantitative methodology named intensity analysis in the time scale of decades at three levels: time interval, category, and transition. The findings of the case study are as follows: 1) the interval level of intensity analysis revealed that the annual rate of overall change was relatively fast in 1932–1954 and 1954–1976 time intervals. 2) The category level showed that arable land experienced less intensively gains and losses if the overall change was to have been distributed uniformly across the landscape while the gains and losses of forest land, grassland, water, settlement, wetland and other unused land were not consistent and stationary across the four time intervals. 3) The transition level illustrated that arable land expanded at the expense of grassland before 2000 while it gained intensively from wetland from 2000 to 2005. Settlement targets arable land and avoids grassland, water, wetland and other unused land. Besides, the loss of grassland was intensively targeted by arable land, forest land and wetland in the study period while the loss of wetland was targeted by water except for the time interval of 1976–2000. 4) During the early reclamation period, land use change of the study area was mainly affected by the policy, institutional and political factors, followed by the natural disasters.
基金provided by the Science and Technology Major Project of Shanxi Province (No. 20121101008), is gratefully acknowledged
文摘To solve the problem of lack of water in arid areas and barren soil in the process of ecological restoration, the growth and drought resistance of Sainfoin （Onobrychis vidifolia Scop.） was studied by inoculation of AMF （arbuscular rnycorrhizal fungi）, under drought stress. The results show that the inoculation of AMF can significantly improve the growth and mycorrhizal infection rate of Sainfoin and accelerate the absorption of water and nutrients by the roots compared with uninoculated plants. On the 40th day under drought stress, the relative water content, total nitrogen and total phosphorus content of the leaves of inoculated plants increased by 7.27%, 4.21% and 2.40%, respectively, the osmotic adjustment property in plant cells was improved, the protective enzyme system was improved and membrane lipid peroxida- tion was reduced. The inoculation of AMF can slow down the damage from drought, improve the drought resistance of Sainfoin, and will be of great significance to the ecologic restoration in arid areas.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41130748,41471143)
文摘The Loess Plateau is one typical area of serious soil erosion in the world. China has implemented ′Grain for Green′(GFG) project to restore the eco-environment of the Loess Plateau since 1999. With the GFG project subsidy approaching the end, it is concerned that farmers of fewer subsidies may reclaim land again. Thus, ′Gully Land Consolidation Project′(GLCP) was initiated in 2010. The core of the GLCP was to create more land suitable for farming in gullies so as to reduce land reclamation on the slopes which are ecological vulnerable areas. This paper aims to assess the effect of the GLCP on soil erosion problems by studying Wangjiagou project region located in the central part of Anzi valley in the middle of the Loess Plateau, mainly using the revised universal soil loss equation(RUSLE) based on GIS. The findings show that the GLCP can help to reduce soil shipment by 9.87% and it creates more terraces and river-nearby land suitable for farming which account for 27.41% of the whole study area. Thus, it is feasible to implement the GLCP in places below gradient 15°, though the GLCP also intensifies soil erosion in certain places such as field ridge, village land, floodplain, natural grassland, and shrub land. In short, the GLCP develops new generation dam land and balances the short-term and long-term interests to ease the conflicts between economic development and environmental protection. Furthermore, the GLCP and the GFG could also be combined preferably. On the one hand, the GFG improves the ecological environment, which could offer certain safety to the GLCP, on the other hand, the GLCP creates more farmland favorable for farming in gullies instead of land reclamation on the slopes, which could indirectly protect the GFG project.
文摘Eeotourism aims to deliver the philosophy of sustainable development through environmental conservation as well as socio-economic development. Areas with rich biodiversity and scenic beauty, like the Indian Himalayan region, have been one of the major destination centers for nature lovers from historical time. In view of conserving the rich biodiversity and natural heritage of the Himalayan region 92 protected areas have been set aside, of these Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve （NDBR） is a well known world heritage site. Over a period of time establishing NDBR has invited conficts between the local people and reserve authorities on the management approaches and utilization criteria of the natural resources, especially banning the traditional bio-resource collection rights of local community, expeditions, trekking, and other anthropogenic activities in the core zones. The present study aims to understand and analyze the various people - park conflicts, and also to suggest ways to mitigate such conflicts in view of biodiversity conservation and improvement of economic status of local people by promoting eeotourism. With this view the study further discusses the various aspects of eeotourism, its pros and cons, and the avenues of developing appropriate strategies for promotion of ecotourism in buffer zone areas of NDBR.
文摘Accompanying the development of social economy,the land use model of mountainous area,typically eco-weak area,is changing gradually. Here the establishment of eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,will pioneer the model of sustainable development in that area. Concerning Qianjiang District of Chongqing Municipality,huge change of land use model,mainly embodied in the unceasing increase of construction land and gradual decrease of agricultural use land,has taken place in recent years. To explore the eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,Qianjiang District was chosen as the study object in the present study. Via analyzing the changes in land use model,we found that related eco-environment restrictive factors mainly regional climatic change,soil texture,hydrological environment as well as soil erosion and land degradation,etc. And based on these results,we further analyzed the effect of land use change on eco-environment and the factors restricting the maintenance of eco-environment and regional development,finally put forward the counter measures for balancing land use and co-environment in mountainous area. The results will be important for the development of social economy and eco-system construction in Qianjiang District.
文摘The effect of land use on soil organic carbon （SOC） stocks and depth distribution of SOC was investigated in the Lake Victoria Crescent ago-ecological zone of Uganda. Soil samples were collected from six land use types at 0-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm from profile pits dug in similar soils and slopes. Results indicated that SOC stocks significantly differed across the various land use systems. SOC also varied significantly by depth. The highest SOC and pH were recorded under natural forest-strict nature. Grassland had the lowest SOC but the highest bulk density （BD）. Phosphorous （P） was the highest in banana-coffee systems and the lowest under tea plantations. The lowest values of pH and BD were found in highly disturbed natural forest. The upper layers of the soil （0-30 cm） stored higher amounts of SOC compared to other depths （30-60 cm and 60-90 cm）. Land use therefore has a significant effect on SOC and other soil physical and chemical properties.
