A Study on the Relationships of Ecological Civilization Construction with Natural Conservation and Sustainable Resources Use

Ecological Civilization Construction and natural conservatiorl and sustain- able resources use are three aspects of same object proposed from various angles of theory and practice. The paper intends to simply deal with some problems of this aspect and to propose corresponding suggestions for related departments.

Influence of Tourists′ Environmental Tropisms on Their Attitudes to Tourism and Nature Conservation in Natural Tourist Destinations: A Case Study of Jiuzhaigou National Park in China

People′s environmental tropism has an effect on their understanding of tourism-nature relationship,and also influences their attitudes to natural resources utilization and environmental protection.Taking Jiuzhaigou National Park of China as a study case,the authors conducted some quantitative analyses with the tools of SPSS 16.0 and LISREL 8.7,to explore the influence of tourists′ environmental tropism on their attitudes to tourism and nature conservation in the natural tourist destination.Three hypotheses and the theoretic model of influences of tourists′ environmental tropism on their attitudes to tourism and nature conservation have been tested and accepted based on the Structural Equation Model analysis on survey data collected in Jiuzhaigou National Park of China.Some conclusions were drawn as follows: 1) tourists′ human-prioritized concept influences their cognition to tourism-nature relationship.This concept has a positive influence on their supportive attitudes to tourism,but a negative influence on their attitudes to nature conservation;2) tourists′ human-nature coordination concept has a positive influence on their supportive attitudes to both tourism and nature conservation,especially to the latter.This paper generally proves that human′s environmental tropism does have an influence on their attitudes to tourism and nature conservation in natural tourist destinations.

Grey Crowned Crane and Shoebills Conservation Status and Linkage to Livelihoods of Lake Victoria Shores Adjacent Communities in Mayuge District, Eastern Uganda

This research was done among communities living adjacent to Lake Victoria Shores in Mayuge District to generate knowledge on Shoebill, Grey Crowned Crane conservation status and linkage to livelihoods. This knowledge was necessary to guide design and implementation of interventions that would deliver on the species conservation and adjacent communities’ livelihood benefits at the same time. We obtained information through individual interviews with 101 members of households from targeted communities and key informers-technical officials from the district, and analysed this data using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) by Bryman and Cramer, (2011) Version 20. The results were then subjected to validation using focus group discussions with 10 groups of between 8 - 15 individuals representing the targeted communities and other stakeholders and the results from this further validated with ≥250 representatives of these stakeholders in a one day workshop and with evidences collected during field observations, before synthesis. The findings show: Grey Crowned Crane habitats declining due to mining, agriculture, fishing activities by adjacent communities for their livelihoods (food and income from sale of produce obtained from the species’ habitats). The communities say they need to be engaged in development and implementation of integrated interventions that will improve their livelihoods while securing conservation for Grey Crowned Cranes. They among others propose ecotourism enterprises, training and sensitization on environment and wildlife conservation practices, policies and laws to enhance their knowledge and compliance in management. The fisher folk say fish is often found within Grey Crowned Cranes’ habitats and breeding grounds in the Lake and to avoid destroying the habitats, they need engine boats and standard fishing nets to enable fishing far away in the deeper waters. Crop farming communities say they need commercial, soil fertility improving tree species to plant boundary to the buffer zones so that they can prevent cultivation encroachment on Grey Crowned Crane habitats in the Lake Shores. The findings also reveal need for Grey Crowned Crane population structure studies, and, that of shoebill presence to determine management strategies for their survival in habitats.

Protected Areas, Subsistence Farming Systems and Nature Conservation

The preservation of the traditional subsistence farming systems and the conservation of natural values （habitats, fauna and flora）, in articulation with local development, was the key issues in this paper. The farmers have been able to manage the systems so as to cope with adverse conditions, but their future is quite uncertain. The methodology included： （1） field observation visits and cartographic information analysis of land use; （2） structured interviews with animal production and agro-forestry specialists; and （3） meetings with the participation of stakeholders. The paper concludes that depopulation is responsible for the increasing decline of agriculture and livestock. The decrease in agricultural activity in general and the consequent practices and traditional systems of agriculture causes changes in the landscape and has negative effects on nature conservation and biodiversity. Thus, we believe that the preservation and development of traditional economic activities linked to agriculture, agro-forestry and food processing are essential to maintain the typical landscape and to preserve natural values of Montemuro Site. The paper shows that in mountain areas, particularly those classified as nature network sites, farming, economic development and nature conservation are not antagonistic objectives.

Application of the Distance to Natural (D2N) Index and Statistical Analysis of Different Anthropic Uses of the Río Grande De Comitán Watershed, Chiapas, México

The intensification of anthropic uses (i.e., increase of the hemerobic condition) threatens the remnants of native vegetation due to the reduction of its self-regulation capacity. In this research, the Distance to Nature (D2N) index for land use and land cover was applied in the Río Grande de Comitán watershed (Southern Mexico) to answer the following questions: 1) What were the land use dynamics observed in the Rio Grande de Comitán watershed in the trajectory through 1999, 2009 and 2019? 2) Does the subcategorization of the D2N allow one to identify which anthropic uses influence more the territorial expression of the watershed? To answer these questions, we performed a supervised classification of land use and land cover was performed in this watershed, and for the D2N index, the classification was simplified to three-category scale for the subcategorization of the anthropic component. Through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), we identified that agricultural anthropogenic use had the greatest influence on territorial expression. The reported scenario indicates a trend of gradual and continuous reduction of naturalness over the last 20 years. Additionally, the D2N index proved to be a useful tool to demonstrate both the anthropic impact, with the simplified scale, and the component that most influences the territory, by subcategorizing the anthropic scale.

Dieback of managed spruce stands in western Germany promotes beetle diversity

Biodiversity loss is a significant problem at a global scale and may be amplified by climate change.In recent years,coniferous forests have had substantial die-back across Europe due to drought and subsequent bark-beetle outbreaks.As many studies on the consequences of disturbance and subsequent management have focused on natural stands,management implications for managed spruce stands are not well understood,even though such stands are widespread throughout Europe.In this study,beetle taxonomy,conservation value,and community com-position are compared among spruce plantations and four post-disturbance management approaches:standing dead-wood,lying deadwood,clear cuts,and long-term succession.Diversity and community composition differed significantly among management categories,while different beetle fami-lies responded similarly.Intact spruce stands harbored the lowest beetle diversity while the highest taxonomic diver-sity and conservation value was on clear cuts and stands with lying or standing deadwood.The proportion of forest specialists was highest in successional forests.In summary,different forest management categories harbored distinct beetle communities at the family-,species-,and ecological guild levels.Therefore,post-disturbance management should consider the landscape scale and include different management types.This enhances landscape heterogeneity and thus overall biodiversity but could also mitigate negative impacts of natural disturbances on ecosystem services.

No generality in biodiversity-productivity relationships along elevation in temperate and subtropical forest landscapes

An improved understanding of biodiversity-productivity relationships(BPRs)along environmental gradients is crucial for effective ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation.The stress-gradient hypothesis suggests that BPRs are stronger in stressful environments compared to more favorable conditions.However,there is limited knowledge regarding the variation of BPRs along elevational gradients and their generality across different landscapes.To study how BPRs change with elevation,we harnessed inventory data on 6,431 trees from152 plots surveyed twice in eight to ten year intervals in mountain forests of temperate Europe and subtropical Asia.We quantified the relationship between aboveground productivity and different biodiversity measures,including taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic diversity.To elucidate the processes underlying BPRs,we studied the variation of different functional traits along elevation across landscapes.We found no general pattern of BPRs across landscapes and elevations.Relationships were neutral for all biodiversity measures in temperate forests,and negative for taxonomic and functional diversity in subtropical forests.BPRs were largely congruent between taxonomic,functional and phylogenetic diversity.We found only weak support for the stress-gradient hypothesis,with BPRs turning from negative to positive(effect not significant)close to the tree line in subtropical forests.In temperate forests,however,elevation patterns were strongly modulated by species identity effects as influenced by specific traits.The effect of traits such as community-weighted mean of maximum plant height and wood density on productivity was congruent across landscapes.Our study highlights the context-dependence of BPRs across elevation gradients and landscapes.Species traits are key modulating factors of BPRs and should be considered more explicitly in studies of the functional role of biodiversity.Furthermore,our findings highlight that potential trade-offs between conserving biodiversity and fostering ecosystem productivity exist,which require more attention in policy and management.

The Macrolichens of Barluk Mountain National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang Province, China

A checklist of the macrolichens (foliose, fruticose & squamulose) of Barluk Mountain National Nature Reserve located in northwestern China is presented. It was derived from 47 inventories of preserved and undeveloped areas which yielded more than 670 collections containing 102 taxa (99 species, 1 subspecies, 2 varieties). Eight species were found that were new to Xinjiang, China. Twenty-eight species and 2 varieties were found on rock, 31 species on bark of deciduous and coniferous trees, 26 species on soil and 14 species and 1 subspecies over mosses. Foliose lichens were dominant with 76 species, followed by 16 species of squamulose lichens and 7 species of fruticose lichens.

Mitigating People-Park Conflicts on Resource Use through Ecotourism:A Case of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve,Indian Himalaya

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.

Nutrient value of wild fodder species and the implications for improving the diet of mithun (Bos frontalis) in Dulongjiang area, Yunnan Province, China

Wild fodder plants are valuable because they provide an important livestock feed resource globally,especially for smallholder farmers,and have important roles in natural resource management.In-depth knowledge of wild forage plants can motivate local people for feed resource and habitat conservation of threatened herbivores such as Mithun(Bos frontalis).Mithun occur in small patches in the mountains of Dulongjiang,nearby villagers domesticated this animal but left animal to freely graze in the mountains.Many fodder plants occur in these mountains,however,little is known about their nutritional value.We conducted an ethnobotanical survey to document important wild fodder plants consumed by mithun in the Dulongjiang Township.The nutritional content of 21 highly mentioned wild fodder plants in an ethnobotanical survey was examined.Laboratory analysis showed that Fagopyrum dibotrys were the fodder species with the highest crude protein(CP)content(26.89%),followed by Polygonum molle(21.88%)and Hydrangea longipes(21.12%).Synthesis of relative feed value index and grey relational grade,P.molle,H.longipes and Tetrastigma obtectum were ranked the top three nutritional fodders.There was a significant difference between 21 species on their in vitro digestibility and the most highly digestible fodder species was Elatostema hookerianum.Linear model analysis on relationship between frequency of citation of 21 wild forage plants by local farmers and their nutrient composition showed that the frequency was significantly positively correlated with the nutritional value of the feed(R2?0.28,P<0.05).We concluded that these species have high nutritional values to improve mithun production in integrated crop-livestock systems.Fodder species or mixtures of species with useful nutritional characters could be cultivated to improve livestock productivity,habitat conservation including that of mithun and wild forage resource management.

The Extent and Effectiveness of Protected Areas in the Russian Federation

To tackle environmental challenges and in particular,the problems associated with the high demand for forests and resources,the consequence of which is the degradation of ecological systems,Russia has developed the biggest network of specially protected natural areas in the world.Although the scale of SPNA may look impressive,a recent comprehensive study of the period from 2001 to 2018 brought the spotlight on protected areas in Russia experiencing significant tree loss annually.Since Russia is confronting unprecedented fires that break records every year,the problem of preserving rare animal and plant species,their habitats,and natural ecosystems is acute.This paper is intended to assess the extent and effectiveness of SPNAs with regard to wilderness conservation in the Russian Federation based on the latest data;the main focus being on the period of 2014—2019,before and after the launch of the environmental safety strategies,along with additional analysis of available data for the following year of 2020.With due consideration of unique geographical,economic,and socio-cultural circumstances,as well as historical background and legislative reality of SPNAs in Russia,we have conducted a statistical analysis of data from the official annual reports from the Federal State Statistics Service on SPNAs by territories and significance,expenditures on maintenance and ecotourism,followed by RGB analysis of satellite imagery via means of GIS software for visualization of obtained data and further analytics.Despite the growth of the SPNA network in Russia,resulting in an astonishing 2402 Mha in 2020,an estimated 4 Mha of tree loss accounted for SPNAs over the period of 2014—2019,and 134 Mha in 2020 alone.Our findings indicate a need for the application of a comprehensive GIS approach for further development and effective management of the SPNA network in Russia.Furthermore,the results include recommendations on legislative changes,engagement of locals in SPNA protection,and popularization of ecotourism,all of which can be valuable for policymakers and SPNA development.

Developing phase of China's system of nature reserves in perspective

Up until 2009, 2541 nature reserves had been established in China. However, the process of developing this system of nature reserves was not quite smooth. Various kinds of information related to nature reserves, such as annual growth, the type of nature reserves established, motives behind building a nature reserve, legal instructions and the constitution of government sectors, were collected and analyzed in order to highlight the characteristics of the development of our nature reserve system. As a result, we identify three phases and their characteristics, i.e., the initial phase from 1956 to 1978, the establishment phase from 1979 to 1996 and the management standardization phase from 1997 to 2009, could be clearly identified. It is suggested that since the establishment of this comprehensive structural framework in China, the system should be entering a new developing phase. We recommend that more attentions should be paid on how to guarantee effective management and how nature reserves are able to maintain their value and fulfill their objectives in the future.

Conceptual models of forest dynamics in environmental education and management:keep it as simple as possible,but no simpler

Background：Conceptual models of forest dynamics are powerful cognitive tools,which are indispensable for communicating ecological ideas and knowledge,and in developing strategic approaches and setting targets for forest conservation,restoration and sustainable management.Forest development through time is conventionally described as a directional,or ＂linear＂,and predictable sequence of stages from ＂bare ground＂ to old forest representing the ＂climax-state＂.However,this simple view is incompatible with the current knowledge and understanding of intrinsic variability of forest dynamics.Hypothesis：Overly simple conceptual models of forest dynamics easily become transformed into biased mental models of how forests naturally develop and what kind of structures they display.To be able to communicate the essential features and diversity of forest dynamics,comprehensive conceptual models are needed.For this end,Kuuluvainen（2009） suggested a relatively simple conceptual model of forest dynamics,which separates three major modes of forest dynamics,and incorporates state changes and transitions between the forest dynamics modes depending on changes in disturbance regime.Conclusions：Conceptual models of forest dynamics should be comprehensive enough to incorporate both longterm directional change and short-term cyclic forest dynamics,as well as transitions from one dynamics mode to another depending on changes in the driving disturbance regime type.Models that capture such essential features of forest dynamics are indispensable for educational purposes,in setting reference conditions and in developing methods in forest conservation,restoration and ecosystem management.

Forecast of Changes Concerning the Water Budget in a Wetland of Danube Floodplain

The water budget of the examined wetland was extremely variable in the past six years. Principally, it was affected by the water regime of the River Danube and the climatic factors. In order to investigate the changes of these elements, and to succeed to forecast, statistical methods by using SPSS program were performed. The time series of the evaporation, of the precipitation and of the river＇s water-level were analysed by linear regression, by exponential smoothing, by deterministic models. In consequence of the river regulation, the low-water and the mean stage of Danube were decreasing during the last hundred years, because the riverbed was permanently deepening. Since the river has overflowed its bed and has inundated to the wide floodplain, the decrease of high-water did not appear. The decline of the flooded days signed the quicker passage of flood. These processes have prevented that the examined wetland is going to fill up from the floods. The difference in summer semester between the evaporation and the precipitation was increasing during the last fifty years. Therefore, the drying out of the wetland is going to be more frequent in the future. In the interests of the survival of this wetland, it is necessary to construct the restoring-system in the floodplain.

Conflict Within the Boundary of Nature Reserve： The Case of Crocker Range Park in Sabah, Malaysia

For the formation of nature reserves can directly affect the livelihood of indigenous people living in the area, negotiation between the authority and the community is crucial to the management of the natural resources. Crocker Range Park is the largest state park in Sabah state, Malaysia. Since there is a village community living within the boundary of the nature reserve, the state government and the villagers have had a conflict over the land rights. Until the government and the village delegation reached an agreement on the park＇s management plan in 2015, three actors intervened in the conflict： PACOS Trust, Japan International Cooperation Agency （JICA）, and Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers （JOCV）. In this study, these interventions by different actors were analyzed with the Tripartite Conflict Management （TCM} model. The results indicate that JOCV was the sole actor that was able to communicate with both the state government and the villagers. To support the result, a preliminary research was conducted, and the villagers＇ perception was investigated through a questionnaire survey. This paper concludes that JOCV was perceived as an actor that can be trusted more than JICA and the state government. This conclusion supports the result of the analysis of TCM model.

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.

Endangered species and nature conservation: science issues and challenges

The issues and challenges facing us in ensuring the survival of as many species and ecosystems as possible call fora renewed research focus to address how to improve management strategies and policy making now and into thefuture. The key issues to be addressed by activities of the International Union of Forest Research Organization’s(IUFRO) Task Force on Endangered Species and Nature Conservation include such issues as: (i) preventing speciesfrom being listed by maintaining species populations at sufficient levels that they do not require listing;(ii) recoveringthreatened and endangered species;(iii) developing management practices and strategies;(iv) balancingactions affecting suites of threatened or endangered species;(v) developing conservation strategies for specieswithout definitive taxonomic treatments;(vi) dealing with global change;(vii) dealing with invasive species;and(viii) restoring critical habitats.

A landscape persistence-based methodological framework for assessing ecological stability

Ecological stability is a critical factor in global sustainable development,yet its significance has been overlooked.Here we introduce a landscape-oriented framework to evaluate ecological stability in the Qingzang Plateau(QP).Our findings reveal a medium-high stability level in the QP,with minimal changes over recent years.The driving factors vary across landscape types,with climate and anthropogenic factors emerging as crucial determinants.While anthropogenic factors are strong but unstable due to policy changes and economic development,climatic factors exert a consistent influence.Based on our results,we propose site-specific ecological conservation and restoration measures.The ecological stability assessment framework provides a practical tool to understand the link between environmental conditions and ecosystems.

Energy potential assessment and techno-economic analysis of micro hydro-photovoltaic hybrid system in Goda Warke village,Ethiopia

Rural Ethiopia has significant untapped potential for hydro and solar energy generation systems.However,challenges arise from seasonal variations and unfavourable topographic positions of flowing rivers,hindering the efficient exploitation of these resources.Despite the country’s abundance in hydro and solar energy resources,>75%of the population still lack access to electricity from the national grid.This work deals with energy resource potential assessment and techno-economic analysis of micro hydro-photovol-taic(PV)hybrid systems,considered in the case study of Goda Warke village,located in the Yaya Gulele district.A novel framework is proposed that utilizes the Natural Resource Soil Conservation Service curve number method to assess the energy potential of micro-hydro energy in ungauged basins,specifically at the exit point of the Girar River basin catchment.The average monthly flow rate in the basin is 0.975 m3/s,while the area exhibits a solar radiation potential of 5.39 kWh/m^(2)/day.Energy policy promotes expanding ac-cess to modern energy sources and utilization of indigenous energy resources.Simulation results indicate that the hydro/PV/diesel generator(DG)/battery and hydro/PV/battery systems are the most optimal choices based on net present cost,with the inclusion of a DG for economic comparison.Micro-hydro energy covers most of the electric load in the area,achieving a capacity factor of 47.5%.The cost of energy and net present cost were found to be sensitive to variables such as the price of diesel fuel,pipe head loss,and the growth of the village load.The optimized system demonstrated a hydro energy potential of 1405.37 MWh/year and a PV energy output of 274.04 MWh/year,resulting in a levelized cost of energy of 0.0057 and 0.049$/kWh for the hydro and PV components,respectively.