An Ample and Vigorous Forestry and Nature Protection Community Area

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A statistical analysis of spatiotemporal variations and determinant factors of forest carbon storage under China's Natural Forest Protection Program

The Natural Forest Protection Program(NFPP)is one of the key ecological forestry programs in China.It not only facilitates the improvement of forest ecological quality in NFPP areas,but also plays a significant role in increasing the carbon storage of forest ecosystems.The program covers 17 provinces,autonomous regions,and municipalities with correspondingly diverse forest resources and environments,ecological features,engineering measures and forest management regimes,all of which affect regional carbon storage.In this study,volume of timber harvest,tending area,pest-infested forest,firedamaged forest,reforestation,and average annual precipitation,and temperature were evaluated as factors that influence carbon storage.We developed a vector autoregression model for these seven indicators and we studied the dominant factors of carbon storage in the areas covered by NFPP.Timber harvest was the dominant factorinfluencing carbon storage in the Yellow and Yangtze River basins.Reforestation contributed most to carbon storage in the state-owned forest region in Xinjiang.In state-owned forest regions of Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces,the dominant factors were forest fires and forest cultivation,respectively.For the enhancement of carbon sequestration capacity,a longer rotation period and a smaller timber harvest are recommended for the Yellow and Yangtze River basins.Trees should be planted in stateowned forests in Xinjiang.Forest fires should be prevented in state-owned forests in Heilongjiang,and greater forest tending efforts should be made in the state-owned forests in Jilin.

Effects of management regimes on carbon sequestration under the Natural Forest Protection Program in northeast China

Carbon sinks constitute an important element within the complex phenomenon of global climate change,and forest ecosystems are important global carbon sinks.The Natural Forest Protection Program（NFPP） is an ecological program in China that was established after catastrophic flooding in the country in 1998.The goals of the NFPP are to curb the deterioration of the ecological environment,strengthen the protection and restoration of habitat to increase biodiversity,and rehabilitate natural forests to support sustainable development in forest regions.This study looked at changes in carbon sequestration in a forested area of northeast China after the inception of the NFPP.The program divides China＇s natural forests into three classes—commercial and two types of noneconomic forests—that are subject to management regimes prescribing varying levels of timber harvest,afforestation,and reforestation.During the 18-year period from 1998 to 2015,the total amount of carbon sequestration increased at an average annual rate of 0.04 MT C.This trend reflects a transformation of forest management practices after implementation of the NFPP that resulted in prohibited and/or restricted logging and tighter regulation of allowable harvest levels for specific areas.In documenting this trend,guidelines for more effective implementation of forestry programs such as the NFPP in other countries in the future are also suggested.

Ecological and habitat ranges of orchids in the northernmost regions of their distribution areas:A case study from Ural Mountains,Russia

The Orchidaceae,which is one of the most interesting families of angiosperms,contains a large number of rare species.Despite their acknowledged importance,little attention has been paid to the study of orchids distributed in northern territories.In this study,we determined the syntaxonomical diversity and ecological parameters of orchid habitats in two of Europe's largest protected areas,the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve and the Yugyd Va National Park(northeastern European Russia),and then compared our findings to those in other parts of orchid distribution ranges.For this purpose,we studied 345 descriptions of plant communities(releves) containing species from Orchidaceae and defined habitat parameters using Ellenberg indicator values with the community weight mean approach,nonmetric multidimensional scaling(NMS),and relative niche width.We found that orchids were distributed in eight habitat types and 97 plant associations.The largest number of orchid species is found in forest communities.Half of the orchid species under study occur in the mires and rock habitats with open vegetation.Several orchids consistently occur in areas disturbed by human activity.In addition,our study indicates that the main drivers of orchid distribution across the vegetation types are light and soil nitrogen.Our analysis of the ecological parameters of orchid habitats indicates that some orchid species can be classified as habitat specialists that are confined to a relatively narrow ecological niche in the Urals(e.g.,Goodyera repens,Cypripedium guttatum and Dactylorhiza maculata).Several other species(e.g.Neottia cordata and Dactylorhiza fuchsia) grow under diverse ecological parameters.

Nutritional and medicinal characteristics of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) for applications in healthcare industry by artificial cultivation: A review

Andrias davidianus,i.e.Chinese giant salamander(CGS),is one of the largest and oldest amphibians existing in the world and is also one of the valuable biological resources of China.Wild CGS has been threatened with extinction in the past decades due to over capturing,deterioration of natural environment,the slow breeding and growth of the wild species in nature.However,in the past twenty years,with the breakthrough and progress of artificial breeding technology by artificial insemination,the number of artificially cultivated CGS has increased rapidly.Artificially cultivated CGS can either be released to the CGS living environment to increase the population in nature or legally applied in food and medicinal industry as a feedstock due to the unique nutritional and medicinal values of CGS as recorded historically.In this review,the nutritional components,bioactive components and medicinal activities of the artificially cultivated CGS will be summarized.The mucus,skin,meat and bone of CGS contain many different bioactive substances thereby having various medicinal activities including anti-aging,anti-fatigue,anti-tumor,therapy of burn and anti-infection and other physiological functions.This paper will further discuss the potential applications of the artificially cultivated CGS in healthcare industry and prospects of future technological development.

Assessing the effects of long-term recreational activities on landscape changes in Abant Natural Park,Turkey

Natural, protected areas offer many possibili- ties for recreation in rural areas such as camping, one of the most popular activities. The system established for pro- tected areas in Turkey aims to provide a foundation for conserving areas for recreation. One such area, Abant Natural Park, is convenient for visits from Turkey＇s two most populated metropolitan areas, Istanbul and Ankara. It also attracts tourists from other regions and countries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the vegetation loss and land cover changes due to picnic/camping, transhu- mance, and construction over 40 years （1966-2004） in the park using data on visitor numbers, vegetation patches, corridors and connectivity. For evaluating landscape vari- ables, remote sensing data and aerial photos were used. When aerial photos were imported into the ERDAS Imagine program, ground control points identified, and individual images orthorectified, land degradation was not found in the use of camping areas. Moreover, manmade areas （road, car park and hotel） observably increased, thus decreasing the forest lands. The findings show that the land use types that have had the greatest ecological impact are transhumance and construction of hotels, which also require infrastructure development. The intensity of the ecological effects mandates precautions to lessen the impacts and the need for continuing assessment to ensure sustainable use of the area.

Considerations on Compiling the Part on Nature and Ecology Protection of China's Environmental Code

The legal protection of nature has progressed from a separated to integrated protection of resources and environment.Looking at nature from a dialectical and unified perspective,sustainable development requires such integrated protection of the ecosystem for public sharing of natural wealth,convergence of governance of environment and resources,and promotion of ecosystem-based integrated management of environment and resources.China's Nature and Ecology Protection Law is gradually moving towards comprehensive governance for protection of the overall ecosystem.We must work harder to make such a comprehensive governance possible.Thus,China's environmental code(Code)must be moderately developed,including choosing the right title,the scope of work,the objectives and the compiling mode,and establishing a multi-level and diverse integrated system,and addressing five major relationships.

Detection of the Hazards That Threaten Some Coastal Areas, and Ecosystem-Based Solution to Strengthen the Natural Defenses

The coastal strip of the Nile delta has been vulnerable to environmental hazards. Field surveys, interpretation of Landsat enhanced thematic mapper imageries (ETM), and hydrochemistry analysis of the water samples was used as methods and materials to detect the hazards associated with climate change which threaten some natural protection coastal areas of the central part of the Nile Delta and assess its magnitude. The invasion of seawaters is the main hazard due to the impacts of global warming phenomena. Elimination of the coastal dunes which act as natural defenses has been accelerating the negative impacts that have been appearing clearly on low-lying lands. Planting that protected areas of the coastal strip are considered the most suitable ecosystem-based and most beneficial solution should be authorized and adopted by the local administration to preserve those areas and adapt to these disasters.

Protective Effects of Certain Natural and Synthetic Complexans on the Toxicity of Chromium and Tin to a N_2-Fixing Cyanobacterium, Anabaena doliolum

The effects of chromium and tin on survival, growth, carbon fixation, nitrate reduction, ammonia assimilation, and nitrogenase activity of a N_2-fixing cyanobacterium, Anabaena doliolum, and their amelioration by synthetic and natural complexans, viz., EDTA, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), pyridine dicarboxylic acid (PDA), and citrate, have been studied. Chromium proved to be much more toxic than tin, as it inhibited growth yield (49%), carbon fixation (53%), and nitrate reductase (79%), glutamine synthetase (30%), and nitrogenase activities (77%) at its sublethal concentration, whereas tin induced less inhibition of growth yield (42%), carbon fixation (50%). and nitrate reductase (66%), glutamine synthetase (32.4%), and nitrogenase activities (70%). Despite its inhibitory effects at 10μml^(-1), EDTA supplementation in metal-spiked medium counteracted the toxicity of chromium and tin more significantly than NTA, PDA, and citrate. When supplemented with LD_(50) of Cr, EDTA protected growth, carbon fixation, NR, GS. and Noase, respectively, by 32.6, 50.0, 33.3. 17.7. and 65.4%. However, EDTA-induced restoration of the above parameters at a sublethal concentration of tin was only 30.2, 50.0,28.1, 27.7, and 61.5%, respectively. Although NTA and citrate at 10/μgml^(-1) each were stimulatory to various processes of test cyanobacterium, they were comparatively less effective than EDTA in the amelioration of metal toxicity. On the basis of these observations, a generalized hierarchical sequence of protective efficiency of synthetic and natural cornplexing ligands may be given as EDTA > NTA > citrate > PDA. It seems plausible that the toxicity of various heavy metals may be regulated by a large array of organic complexing agents of the aquatic environment because they possess various metal binding sites. (c) 1989 Academic Press,lnc.

Project to Protect Natural Forests

Gungjor County in Qamdois situated on the middlesection of the Jinsha-jiang River,on the upperreaches of the Yangtze Riverand in the northern part ofHenduan Mountains.Foreststhere total 220,198 hectares,and the forested area totals60,791 hectares.They com-bine to function as a naturalscreen on the Yangtze’s upperreaches.

Natural Awareness:Environmental Protection Supervisors and Their Guide

ZHOU Youhong works to inform students about environmental protection. Enthusiastic about her work, she spreads knowledge to element college and secondary school students. She said only when she began studying in university did she realize the harm of industrial pollution. She said she hopes through her efforts she can help the younger generation realize the value of environmental protection.

Phytochemical Analysis of Medicinal Plants with Kidney Protective Activities

In view of the increasing number of patients undergoing kidney dialysis or transplant every year, a survey of the literature on renal protective medicinal plants was undertaken. Most of them are from traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Although many of the medicinal herbs reported have not been investigated in terms of active chemical ingredients, some do have compounds well characterized. They fall into a wide range of structures. Several groups of compounds with well established activities are discussed. These include： antioxidant phenolic compounds like tannins, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, unsaturated organic acids and lignans; circulation enhancing compounds like saponins, and basic alkaloids with multiple targets （G-protein coupled receptors）. Also presented are proinflammatory and antiinflammatory fatty acids like linoleic （n-6） and α-Iinolenic （n-3） acids, respectively. Attention is also drawn to the plants containing nephrotoxic aristolochic acid. Different directions of future research are also presented. We hope that this review may provide some leads for new drug discovery and development, and more rational application of TCM.