The Human-Nature Relationship Showed in Elizabeth Bishop’s The Moose

Elizabeth Bishop is a well-known American poet and short story writer, whose literary works have been appreciated by readers and received many awards. This paper intends to have an analysis of one of Elizabeth Bishop’s poem, The Moose, from the perspective of human-nature relationship showed in it and finds out that a harmonious relationship between mankind and nature can be interpreted from the poem. This paper is divided into three parts, including a brief introduction of the poet and the poem, the analysis of the poem, and the conclusion reached after the analysis.

Reflection on the Human-Nature Relationship: Reinterpretation of Emily Dickinson’s “My Life had stood——a Loaded Gun”

Emily Dickenson’s poems have long enjoyed considerable acclaims from critics and common readers for her delicate and profound writing of life and death,love,nature,etc.Her short poem“My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun”is one receiving relatively few academic discussion.Among the rather few existent studies,many discuss Dickenson’s feminist ideas,religious bewilderment,literary creation views or even personal feeling in this poem.This article,instead,gives an interpretation of this poem from an ecocritical perspective.It points out that Emily Dickenson in this poem expresses her condemnation on human’s cruelty and indiffer?ence to nature.After a thorough interpretation of Dickenson’s reflection on human-nature relationship in this poem,the article fur?ther explores Dickenson’s attitudes toward nature through her personal writing background and clues in her other works to support this interpretation.

Beautiful China Initiative:Human-nature harmony theory,evaluation index system and application

The Beautiful China Initiative(BCI)is a plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation as well as for China to fulfill the United Nations’2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.The Chinese government’s“five-in-one”approach provides strategic arrangements for developing the BCI,and President Xi Jinping proposed a timetable and“road map”for the BCI at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection.Nevertheless,the theoretical basis,evaluation index system,evaluation criteria and effectiveness of the BCI are currently unclear.This paper begins by exploring the basic content of the BCI from narrow and broad perspectives.It regards the theory of human-nature harmonious coexistence and the five-in-one beauty theory as the core theoretical bases of the BCI and constructs a five-element BCI evaluation index system(ecological environment,green development,social harmony,system perfection and cultural heritage)and utilizes the assessment method of the United Nations’Human Development Index to assess scientifically the effectiveness of the BCI in 341 prefecture-level cities.The results show the average BCI index(the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beauty Index)score to be 0.28,which is quite low,while the average scores for the individual element indexes of the ecological environment index,green development index,social harmony index,system perfection index and cultural heritage index are 0.6,0.22,0.29,0.22 and 0.07,respectively.All of these are relatively low values,with relatively large discrepancies in regional development,indicating that progress in the BCI is generally slow and unbalanced.To realize the BCI’s timetable and roadmap to a high quality and high standard,it is suggested that a common system for evaluating the progress of the BCI is developed and promulgated so that dynamic monitoring and phased evaluations can take place;BCI technical assessment standards are compiled and published;BCI comprehensive zoning is undertaken;pilot projects adapted to local conditions are launched in BCI sample areas;and BCI results are incorporated into performance indicators at all levels of government.

Earth vitality:An integrated framework for tracking Earth sustainability

The Anthropocene era is characterized by the escalating impact of human activities on the environment,as well as the increasingly complex interactions among various components of the Earth system.These factors greatly affect the Earth's evolutionary trajectory.Despite notable strides in sustainable development practices worldwide,it remains unclear to what extent we have achieved Earth sustainability.Consequently,there is a pressing need to enhance conceptual and methodological frameworks to measure sustainability progress accurately.To address this need,we developed an Earth Vitality Framework that aids in tracking the Earth sustainability progress by considering interactions between spheres,recognizing the equal relationship between humans and nature,and presenting a threshold scheme for all measures.We applied this framework at global and national scales to demonstrate its usefulness.Our findings reveal that the current Earth Vitality Index is 63.74,indicating that the Earth is in a"weak"vitality.Irrational social institutions,unsatisfactory life experiences and the poor state of the biosphere and hydrosphere have remarkably affected the Earth vitality.Additionally,inequality exists between high-income and low-income countries.Although most of the former exhibit poor human-nature interaction,all of them enjoy good human well-being,while the opposite is true for the latter.Finally,we summarize the challenges and possible options for enhancing the Earth vitality in terms of coping with spillover effects,tipping cascades,feedback,and heterogeneity.

The Ethics of Environmental Preservation at the Confluence of the Traditional Approach and Current Challenges

The accumulation of environmental problems,but also the ever-increasing impetuosity with which they manifest,led,starting in 1970,to the need for the emergence and development of a new branch of traditional ethics.Environmental ethics is concerned with finding answers to ethical questions circumscribed to the sphere of human relations with the non-human part of nature.The new field has proven to be an active involvement factor in promoting human values that emphasize the human-environment relationship.Many environmental ethicists believe that the non-human universe has value per se.The article undertakes a theoretical approach that tries to capture the relevant aspects of the efforts by which environmental ethicists combine their activity with other entities,responsible structures,in the collective intervention approach to improve environmental problems.

Origin of Fengshui Woods and Its Enlightenment to Modern Society

Origin of Fengshui Woods was studied, 3 representative standpoints (Fengshui doctrines, greening and worship of the god of land) about Fengshui woods were analyzed, and worship of the god of land was believed as a reasonable origin view through considering natural and social factors of ancient China, as well as universal mental characteristics of people in the prescience age. To identify advantages and disadvantages of these 3 views, Carl G. Jung' theory of mythological prototype criticism and Sir James George Frazer's anthropological study were borrowed to prove that Fengshui Woods originated from ancient Chinese worship of the god of land, and such worship gradually evolved into practices of planting Fengshui Woods for their propitious signs. On this basis, enlightenment of Fengshui Woods to modern society was disclosed to protect present Fengshui Woods and forest resources.

Integrate ecosystem services into socio-economic development to enhance achievement of sustainable development goals in the post-pandemic era

The COVID-19 pandemic has stalled and rolled back progress on Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).Ecosys-tem services(ESs),defined as the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being,underpin the achievement of SDGs.To promote SDG achievement in post-pandemic era,we teased out the links between ESs and SDGs while examining the impact of COVID-19.We found that ESs benefited all SDGs,yet man-made pressures led to degra-dation of ecosystems and their services.There is broad consensus that the virus lurks in degraded ecosystems and generates spillover due to human interference.The pandemic and global lockdown/restriction disrupted the flow of ESs and altered human ESs demand,threatening the efforts for the SDGs.We suggested:1)to study the association and traceability of ESs-SDGs under the pandemic;2)to prioritize pressing issues such as health care,livelihood,and resource security and in the long run,we should promote human-nature harmony to achieve the SDGs;and 3)to enhance ESs and to promote the SDGs through local community efforts,ESs accounting,and ecosystem restoration.This paper provides insights into the importance of ESs to the SDGs and the ways to integrate ESs into socio-economic development to promote the SDG achievement after the pandemic.

Study on Landscape Features of Bai People'sTraditional Mountainous Villages in Dali

In view of the vast mountainous areas and abundant mountainous settlement resources of Dali Bai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture, the authors proposed the significance and necessity of studying landscape features of traditional mountainous settlements of the Bai Nationality by considering policy requirements of "protection system planning of famous historic and cultural cities, towns, villages and blocks in Yunnan Province" and "construction of mountainous towns". On the basis of investigating traditional mountainous settlements of the Bai Nationality in Dali, 5 typical settlements were analyzed from the perspectives of landscape structure, village layout, landscape element, landscape materials and decorative art. And characteristics of traditional mountainous settlements of the Bai Nationality were summarized as "following the nature, adaptive to actual terrains, multidimensional, human-nature oneness".

Application of Fengshui Doctrines in Landscape Architecture Design

Proceeding from the concept of Fengshui, the author focused on the influence of Fengshui on construction activities in ancient China, and proposed that Fengshui has impacted not only site selection and layout of ancient cities, towns, villages, palaces and residences, but also site selection and layout of classical Chinese gardens. On this basis, application of Fengshui in modern landscape architecture design was explored, and the harmony between garden planning and environment factors was stressed, and also psychological factors of human beings emphasized. In this way, the doctrine of "human-nature oneness" was demonstrated, spirit of place and actual conditions of the planning site respected, and propitious culture manifested.

Application of Chinese Landscape Painting Ambience in Modern Residential Landscape

Planning and design of modern residential landscapes in China has experienced rapid growth, but many residential areas have simulated western landscape designs and lost the ambience of traditional Chinese landscape painting, and the designs have shown poor diversity, artistic quality or unification of landscapes and environmental effects. Hence, the paper proposed that modern residential landscape design should be integrated with Chinese landscape painting factors, and the concept of "human-nature oneness" should be demonstrated to create garden landscapes suitable for appreciating, sightseeing, living and enjoying, and also living spaces with picturesque scenery. Through analyzing landscape designs of "Century Sunshine Garden" in Hefei City, Anhui Province, the study explored the integration of modern residential landscapes and Chinese landscape painting ambience, so as to create green, ecological, healthy, practical landscapes for modern residential areas.

History of the Human and Nature Relationship,Discovery of Green­house Effect and Awareness of the Environmental Problem

The evolution of man and nature relationship during human history has allowed human beings to be sheltered from the threats of their natural environments and has permitted them to exercise their powers there but has against part the breakdown of this relationship because of the excessive exploitation of natural resources,discharges and waste that cause nature pollution.This rupture caused climate change due to the evolution of the production model from the primitive model to the capi­talist model.The objective of this paper is to shed light on the evolution of the relationship between human beings and their natural environment and the awareness of the climate change problem.This research allows appreciating and comparing the effectiveness of the resolutions that can help researchers understanding the climate change context,serve as a springboard for empirical studies,and represent a decision tool for pol­icymakers.To this end,we use a knowledge synthesis methodology to make an inventory of our research problem.

Assessing the impacts of human activities and climate variations on grassland productivity by partial least squares structural equation modeling(PLS-SEM)

The cause-effect associations between geographical phenomena are an important focus in ecological research. Recent studies in structural equation modeling（SEM） demonstrated the potential for analyzing such associations. We applied the variance-based partial least squares SEM（PLS-SEM） and geographically-weighted regression（GWR） modeling to assess the human-climate impact on grassland productivity represented by above-ground biomass（AGB）. The human and climate factors and their interaction were taken to explain the AGB variance by a PLS-SEM developed for the grassland ecosystem in Inner Mongolia, China. Results indicated that 65.5% of the AGB variance could be explained by the human and climate factors and their interaction. The case study showed that the human and climate factors imposed a significant and negative impact on the AGB and that their interaction alleviated to some extent the threat from the intensified human-climate pressure. The alleviation may be attributable to vegetation adaptation to high human-climate stresses, to human adaptation to climate conditions or/and to recent vegetation restoration programs in the highly degraded areas. Furthermore, the AGB response to the human and climate factors modeled by GWR exhibited significant spatial variations. This study demonstrated that the combination of PLS-SEM and GWR model is feasible to investigate the cause-effect relation in socio-ecological systems.

在区域和全球范围内人与自然相互作用的时间尺度效应

Spatial-temporal scales effects are general among human-nature interactions.However,the laws and mechanisms of the interaction between humans and the environment at different spatial-temporal scales remain to be identified.The Hexi Corridor in Northwest China is located in the eastern section of the Silk Road and is one of the world’s first long-distance cultural exchange centers.Here we present a comprehensive dataset of the Hexi Corridor,including changes in environments,population,wars,famines,settlements,and ancient oases from the Neolithic to the historic period.Results show that humans adapt to climate change on the millennium scale by choosing corresponding production methods.Environmental change,civilization evolution,and dynasty replacement interrelate on the decadal and centennial scales.Social crises are closely linked to extreme weather events on the interannual scale.On the basis of these results,we find similar time scale effects in the world’s major ancient civilizations.We do so by analyzing their processes of civilization evolution.

Integrated research methods in watershed science

We discuss the concepts, research methods, and infrastructure of watershed science. A watershed is a basic unit and possesses all of the complexities of the land surface system, thereby making it the best unit for practicing Earth system science. Watershed science is an Earth system science practiced on a watershed scale, and it has developed rapidly over the previous two decades. The goal of watershed science is to understand and predict the behavior of complex watershed systems and support the sustainable development of watersheds. However, watershed science confronts the difficulties of understanding complex systems, achieving scale transformation, and simulating the co-evolution of the human-nature system. These difficulties are fundamentally methodological challenges. Therefore, we discuss the research methods of watershed science, which include the self-organized complex system method, the upscaling method dominated by statistical mechanics, Darwinian approaches based on selection and evolutionary principles, hydro-economic and eco-economic methods that emphasize the human-nature system co-evolution, and meta-synthesis for addressing unstructured problems. These approaches together can create a bridge between holism and reductionism and work as a group of operational methods to combine hard and soft integrations and capture all aspects of both natural and human systems. These methods will contribute to the maturation of watershed science and to a methodology that can be used throughout land-surface systems science.

The Development of Wildlife Community Conservancies in Kenya: A Preliminary Review

The significance of biodiversity conservation has transformed from a concern for conservation of endangered species and landscapes into an increasingly diverse yet comprehensive set of conservation, social and economic development goals. Community conservancy, a powerful extension of the PA system, has great potential to support biodiversity conservation, poverty eradication and conflict mitigation. Based on its policy environment and development characteristics, Kenya has implemented community conservation practices, and established over 160 conservancies across the country in the past decades. This paper reviews the development and experiences of community conservancies, discusses how they have been implemented in Kenya, and looks at the management paradigm, efficacy and challenges to help better understand the community conservancy approach. The development trajectory and lessons these conservancies have to offer can contribute to the sustainable utilization of natural resources and the enhancement of community wellbeing in Kenya and other countries alike.

Resilience, Adaptability, and Regime Shifts Thinking: A Perspective of Dryland Socio-ecology System

Arid areas are widespread globally and support a third of the world’s population’s livelihoods. The increasing population, urbanization, land-use changes, and the climate significantly affect coupled natural and human systems and threaten environments and socio-ecological land systems. The degradation of drylands poses a severe and widespread threat to the lives of millions of people, especially in developing countries and in the global environment. This review assesses published literature on dryland socio-ecological systems to reveal current research trends and changes in research themes over time and introduces basic theories and advances in dryland socio-ecological system frameworks, resilience measurement, and regime shifts. Developing a more general but adaptable framework and a more practical strategy for long-term coordination and partnership and attaining specific insights into ecological services should receive more attention and be strengthened in future studies on drylands sustainability.