Human impact gradients via anthropogenic pollen indicators:insights gleaned from a case study in the Rif Mountains(Northern Morocco)

Understanding the relationship between modern pollen and vegetation is crucial for interpreting fossil pollen records and assessing human impact on the environment,both of which are essential for effective environmental management strategies.Despite numerous studies on fossil pollen records in the Rif landscape,research specifically focusing on modern pollen and its implications for understanding human impact on the natural landscape is notably lacking.This paper presents novel anthropogenic pollen indicators for the Rif Mountains and seeks to evaluate the gradients of human impact on the southern Mediterranean landscape.We employed a combination of modern pollen analysis,vegetation survey,and ordination techniques,incorporating various environmental and land-use variables.Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA)allowed us to evaluate the relationships between pollen types and environmental variables,helping us identify key anthropogenic pollen indicators associated with land use and human activities:Poaceae,Cannabist,Olea-t,and Asteraceae for cultivation;Brassicaceae,Genista-t,Poaceae,Asteraceae and Plantago-t,for grazing;Apiaceae,Urtica-t and Genista-t for slashing and burning.Additionally,an anthropogenic index score(AIS)was calculated for each sampled location.Correspondence analysis(CA)was then used to correlate each specific pollen type with levels of human impact as follows(a)low(e.g.,Cedrus atlantica-t,Quercus canariensis-t),(b)moderate(e.g.,Erica-t,Arbutus unedo-t,Eucalyptus-t),and(c)high(e.g.,Cannabis-t,Brassicaceae,Olea-t,Nicotiana-t).This paper enhances our comprehension of land-use dynamics and impact levels,providing essential insights for evaluating anthropogenic impact trends and human-induced changes in the Rif Mountains landscape.

Spatial differences of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)among counties(cities)on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains

The county(city)located on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains is the primary area to solidify and extend the success of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China in poverty alleviation.Its Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)are intertwined with the concerted economic and social development of Xinjiang and the objective of achieving shared prosperity within the region.This study established a sustainable development evaluation framework by selecting 15 SDGs and 20 secondary indicators from the United Nations’SDGs.The aim of this study is to quantitatively assess the progress of SDGs at the county(city)level on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains.The results indicate that there are substantial variations in the scores of SDGs among the nine counties and one city located on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains.Notable high scores of SDGs are observed in the central and eastern regions,whereas lower scores are prevalent in the western areas.The scores of SDGs,in descending order,are as follows:62.22 for Minfeng County,54.22 for Hotan City,50.21 for Qiemo County,42.54 for Moyu County,41.56 for Ruoqiang County,41.39 for Qira County,39.86 for Lop County,38.25 for Yutian County,38.10 for Pishan County,and 36.87 for Hotan County.The performances of SDGs reveal that Hotan City,Lop County,Minfeng County,and Ruoqiang County have significant sustainable development capacity because they have three or more SDGs ranked as green color.However,Hotan County,Moyu County,Qira County,and Yutian County show the poorest performance,as they lack SDGs with green color.It is important to establish and enhance mechanisms that can ensure sustained income growth among poverty alleviation beneficiaries,sustained improvement in the capacity of rural governance,and the gradual improvement of social security system.These measures will facilitate the effective implementation of SDGs.Finally,this study offers a valuable support for governmental authorities and relevant departments in their decision-making processes.In addition,these results hold significant reference value for assessing SDGs at the county(city)level,particularly in areas characterized by low levels of economic development.

Sustainable land-use patterns for arid lands: A case study in the northern slope areas of the Tianshan Mountains

Sustainable land use patterns are ecological and economic prerequisites of regional sustainable development. This is especially true for arid lands, where the environment is wholly fragile thanks to extremely limited precipitation, and where human activities have greatly transformed natural desert system by clearing natural vegetation, expanding oases and even building dams on inland rivers. However, the current studies on land use patterns are still characterized by field investigations and case studies, with almost no solid scientific basis. This paper holds that land types and their combination patterns are the principal basis for designing sustainable land use patterns, and that GIS and RS-based large-scale land type mapping and the study of their spatial combination structures should be coordinated with the demand of social development. The existing environmental problems induced by irrational land use mostly result from their deviation from the natural properties of land types. Taking the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains （NSTM） as an example and considering land type patterns as the basis of land use patterns, this paper improves the vertical oa- sis-and-mid-mountain two-belts development model and the sustainable mountain land use model for arid lands put forward in recent years; and in terms of oases patterns, it outlines oasis development models, including intensive land use pattern in alluvial-diluvial fans, moderate agricultural development pattern in alluvial plains, and ecological land use pattern in river-end oases.

Equilibrium between Clinopyroxene and Host Rocks:Implication for the Magmatic Source and Evolution of Alkali Basalts of the Taohekou Formation in the Northern Daba Mountains,China

The Taohekou Formation is a volcanic-sedimentary terrane formed in the early Silurian in the northern Daba Mountains, China. The volcanic rocks, with dominant alkali basalts and minor mantle xenoliths, are enriched in clinopyroxene phenocrysts. Geochemical analysis shows that the composition of clinopyroxenes from different lithofacies has a close affinity. There is a liner correlation present in composition of clinopyroxenes （including phenocryst, microcrystal and xenocryst） from coarse porphyritic basalts, pillow or fine porphyritic basalts to amygdaloidal basalts. All the cllnopyroxenes, except the clinopyroxenes in mantle xenoliths, show a similar pattern of trace elements and REE, which indicates that they are likely products of successive fractional crystallization from cognate magma. Clinopyroxenes in mantle xenoliths, however, are mantle xenocrysts. The crystallization pressure of clinopyroxenes gradually decreases from mantle xenolith, deep-seated xenocryst, coarse porphritic basalts, pillow or fine porphritic basalts, to amygdaloidal basalts, which are 1.92-4.41 GPa, 1.18-2.36 GPa, 1.13-2.05 GPa, 0.44-0.62 GPa and 0.14-0.28 GPa respectively. Calculation results suggest that the primary magma originated from a mantle region deeper than 68 km and stagnates in intervals of 37-68 kin, 15-20 km and 5-9 km during its ascent. The alkali basalts are characterized by increasing concentrations of Si and alkaline with the magmatic evolution. Meanwhile, they are markedly enriched in LREE, and the patterns of trace elements and REE are similar to those of oceanic island basalts.

Temporo-Spatial Distribution and Evolution of Ore Deposits in the West Sector of the Northern Qilian Mountains

The west sector of the northern Qilian Mountains is well-known for the Jingtieshan-type iron deposits. A new breakthrough has been made in prospecting for gold and copper in recent years. In this paper, the distribution characteristics of ore deposits in the study area are discussed from the viewpoint of tectonic evolution. It is suggested that there are 9 stages of mineralization from the Palaeoproterozoic to Indosinian. Four minerogenetic series and two minerogenetic subseries of ore deposits are recognized. Iron mineralization occurred in several stages, while most of the metals were accumulated in large amounts in the Caledonian. The enrichment and mineralization of gold is related to large-scale shear-strike-slip faults and the ascent and unloading of deep-seated fluids.

An analysis of oasis stability in arid areas:a case study in the northern slope areas of the Tianshan Mountains

This paper discusses oasis stability at regional scale with a case study in the northern slope areas of the Tianshan Mountains (NSTM). The results showed certain significant aspects. (1) As long as water resources in the oasis keep stable and their utilization efficiency can be maintained or gradually increased, the primary productivity could be continuously increased and the natural primary productivity keeped relatively stable. In this case, it is considered that the oasis is stable and its sustainable development can be achieved at regional scale. (2) Considering the availability of water resources in the oases, the oases on the alluvial-diluvial fans are highly stable. In the alluvial plain downstream of the groundwater overflowing zones the oases are moderately stable and in the lacustrine deltas or dry lacustrine deltas the oases are lowly stable. (3) Enlargement of oases and the increase of water resources and vegetation coverage in the oasis will certainly enhance the 'cold-island effect' of the oasis and increase the stability of oases.

Response of ecosystem service value to land use/cover change in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China

Land use/cover change(LUCC)is becoming more and more frequent and extensive as a result of human activities,and is expected to have a major impact on human welfare by altering ecosystem service value(ESV).In this study,we utilized remote sensing images and statistical data to explore the spatial-temporal changes of land use/cover types and ESV in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China from 1975 to 2018.During the study period,LUCC in the study region varied significantly.Except grassland and unused land,all the other land use/cover types(cultivated land,forestland,waterbody,and construction land)increased in areas.From 1975 to 2018,the spatial-temporal variations in ESV were also pronounced.The total ESV decreased by 4.00×10^(8) CNY,which was primarily due to the reductions in the areas of grassland and unused land.Waterbody had a much higher ESV than the other land use/cover types.Ultimately,understanding the impact of LUCC on ESV and the interactions among ESV of different land use/cover types will help improve existing land use policies and provide scientific basis for developing new conservation strategies for ecologically fragile areas.

The Role of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Rural Development in the Karakorum, Hindu Kush & Himalayan Region: Examples from the Northern Mountainous Belt of Pakistan

Pakistan is predominantly a mountainous country where rural development activities are characterised by inconsistency, politically motivated short-term projects without proper feedback. Since the inception of the country, the top-down approach has been followed, and the same development plans that were formulated for the plain areas have been extended to the mountains without any modification. In doing so, neither the participation of the local communities was cared for, nor the mountain specificities were considered in the planning process. Moreover, the representation of the local inhabitants was improper and contradictory to the facts. This biased approach has been one of the main causes for the failure of development projects carried out by different agencies of the Government. Contrary to the perception of the state authorities, the mountain communities proved to be more open to accept new approaches and demonstrated the capacity and capability of being a dependable development partner. In this paper, a detailed account of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme （AKRSP） has been presented to assess and evaluate the approach followed by this non-governmental organisation （NGO）, and the response of the local inhabitants as collaborators in the development process. The achievements of the AKRSP from project planning, implementation and monitoring can be adopted as a model for rural development not only in the plains, but also in the mountainous areas of the developing countries in the world.

Climate change in the Tianshan and northern Kunlun Mountains based on GCM simulation ensemble with Bayesian model averaging

Climate change in mountainous regions has significant impacts on hydrological and ecological systems. This research studied the future temperature, precipitation and snowfall in the 21^（st） century for the Tianshan and northern Kunlun Mountains（TKM） based on the general circulation model（GCM） simulation ensemble from the coupled model intercomparison project phase 5（CMIP5） under the representative concentration pathway（RCP） lower emission scenario RCP4.5 and higher emission scenario RCP8.5 using the Bayesian model averaging（BMA） technique. Results show that（1） BMA significantly outperformed the simple ensemble analysis and BMA mean matches all the three observed climate variables;（2） at the end of the 21^（st） century（2070–2099） under RCP8.5, compared to the control period（1976–2005）, annual mean temperature and mean annual precipitation will rise considerably by 4.8°C and 5.2%, respectively, while mean annual snowfall will dramatically decrease by 26.5%;（3） precipitation will increase in the northern Tianshan region while decrease in the Amu Darya Basin. Snowfall will significantly decrease in the western TKM. Mean annual snowfall fraction will also decrease from 0.56 of 1976–2005 to 0.42 of 2070–2099 under RCP8.5; and（4） snowfall shows a high sensitivity to temperature in autumn and spring while a low sensitivity in winter, with the highest sensitivity values occurring at the edge areas of TKM. The projections mean that flood risk will increase and solid water storage will decrease.

Expansion of Juniperus sibirica Burgsd.as a response to climate change and associated effect on mountain tundra vegetation in the Northern Urals

Shrub expansion into arctic and alpine tundra is one of the prominent vegetation changes currently underway.We studied the expansion of shrub vegetation into high elevation tundra in the Kvarkush Range of the Northern Ural mountains,Russia.Age structure analysis of the dominant shrub Juniperus sibirica Burgsd.seems to support ongoing upslope advance of shrubs,a process particularly active in the second half of the 20 th century.We found a close connection between the expansion of shrub vegetation and the general change in climatic conditions of the cold season(months with mean airtemperature below 0°Сfrom November to March).In general,the greatest influence on the distribution of J.sibirica is exerted by the climate conditions of the beginning(November-January)and the end(March)of the cold season.With increasing elevation,the correlation coefficients between the establishment of J.sibirica shrubs and the precipitation of the beginning of the cold season increased,and reached maximum values at the top elevation level of the study area.However,the upwards shift of J.sibirica into typical mountain tundra does not lead to changes in the ecological structure of vegetation at this stage,but simply a decrease in the area of mountain tundra.

Temporal and spatial responses of ecological resilience to climate change and human activities in the economic belt on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China

In the Anthropocene era,human activities have become increasingly complex and diversified.The natural ecosystems need higher ecological resilience to ensure regional sustainable development due to rapid urbanization and industrialization as well as other intensified human activities,especially in arid and semi-arid areas.In the study,we chose the economic belt on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains(EBNSTM)in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China as a case study.By collecting geographic data and statistical data from 2010 and 2020,we constructed an ecological resilience assessment model based on the ecosystem habitat quality(EHQ),ecosystem landscape stability(ELS),and ecosystem service value(ESV).Further,we analyzed the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of ecological resilience in the EBNSTM from 2010 to 2020 by spatial autocorrelation analysis,and explored its responses to climate change and human activities using the geographically weighted regression(GWR)model.The results showed that the ecological resilience of the EBNSTM was at a low level and increased from 0.2732 to 0.2773 during 2010–2020.The spatial autocorrelation analysis of ecological resilience exhibited a spatial heterogeneity characteristic of"high in the western region and low in the eastern region",and the spatial clustering trend was enhanced during the study period.Desert,Gobi and rapidly urbanized areas showed low level of ecological resilience,and oasis and mountain areas exhibited high level of ecological resilience.Climate factors had an important impact on ecological resilience.Specifically,average annual temperature and annual precipitation were the key climate factors that improved ecological resilience,while average annual evapotranspiration was the main factor that blocked ecological resilience.Among the human activity factors,the distance from the main road showed a negative correlation with ecological resilience.Both night light index and PM2.5 concentration were negatively correlated with ecological resilience in the areas with better ecological conditions,whereas in the areas with poorer ecological conditions,the correlations were positive.The research findings could provide a scientific reference for protecting the ecological environment and promoting the harmony and stability of the human-land relationship in arid and semi-arid areas.

The Carboniferous at the Northern Foot of the Dabie Mountains and Its Tectonic Implications

In the Qinling orogenic belt. oceanic crust originated in the Early Palaeozoic. while the product of conti-nental collision appeared as late as after the Triassic. The Late Palaeozoic records there are of major impor-tance for understanding the tectonic regime at that time. The Carboniferous and even Permian sequences andthe distribution of sedimentary facies in northern Huaiyang indicate that the rocks were formed in a large basinopening towards the south. Regional stratigraphic correlation shows that the interior of the Qinling orogenicbelt was a sea trough lying between the Yangtze and North China plates in the middle part of the LatePalaeozoic. With subsequent northward migration of the South China Sea, the two seas were connected witheach other. Both the melanges and the Dabie block ia the eastern sector of the Qinling belt were formed in theMesozoic ?.

Alkaline Basalts in the Bayingou Ophiolitic Melange of Northern Tianshan Mountains:Origination from Seamounts?

Objective The Bayingou ophiolitic Tianshan Mountains of melange is located in Northerm the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt which is the largest accretionary oroger among the European, Siberian, Tarim and North Chine cratons. The Bayingou ophiolitic melange provide a critical geological record for unraveling regional tectonic histor） and testing different tectonic models. However, previous studies were mainly concentrated on geochronology, rock combination, structural feature and geochemistry ol ophiolite, with little attention to oceanic island basalts in the Bayingou ophiolitic melange. Therefore, in this study, we focus on pillow basalts from ophiolitic melange.

Spatial variability and its main controlling factors of the permafrost soil-moisture on the northern-slope of Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The soil moisture movement is an important carrier of material cycle and energy flow among the various geo-spheres in the cold regions.Thus, this research takes the north slope of Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as a case study.The present study firstly investigates the change of permafrost moisture in different slope positions and depths. Based on this investigation, this article attempts to investigate the spatial variability of permafrost moisture and identifies the key influence factors in different terrain conditions. The method of classification and regression tree(CART) is adopted to identify the main controlling factors influencing the soil moisture movement. The relationships between soil moisture and environmental factors are revealed by the use of the method of canonical correspondence analysis(CCA). The results show that: 1) Due to the terrain slope and the freezing-thawing process, the horizontal flow weakens in the freezing period. The vertical migration of the soil moisture movement strengthens. It will lead to that the soil-moisture content in the up-slope is higher than that in the down-slope. The conclusion is contrary during the melting period. 2) Elevation, soil texture, soil temperature and vegetation coverage are the main environmental factors which affect the slopepermafrost soil-moisture. 3) Slope, elevation and vegetation coverage are the main factors that affect the slope-permafrost soil-moisture at the shallow depth of 0-20 cm. It is complex at the middle and lower depth.

Retrogressive Microstructures of the Eclogites from the Northern Dabie Mountains, Central China: Evidence for Rapid Exhumation

The ultrahigh-pressure eclogites from the northern Dabie Mountains in central China occurred as tectonic lens or blocks within granitic gneisses or meta-peridotites. Petrologic studies suggest that the studied eclogites experienced strongly retrogressive metamorphism and produced a series of characteristic retrogressive microstructures. The retrograde structures mainly include: (1) oriented needle mineral exsolution, e.g., quartz needles in Na-clinopyroxene and rutile, clinopyroxene and apatite exsolution in garnet formed under decreasing pressure conditions during exhumation; (2) symplectite, especially, two generations of symplectites developed outside the garnet grains, which are called “double symplectite” here; (3) compositional zoning of minerals such as garnet and clinopyroxene; (4) minerals with a reaction rim or retrograde rim, e.g., omphacite with a diopside rim, diopside with an amphibole rim and rutile with a rim of ilmenite. These retrograde textures, especially mineral zoning and symplectite, provide important petrologic evidence for the exhumation process and uplift of high-grade metamorphic rocks such as eclogite in the northern Dabie Mountains, indicating a rapid exhumation process.

Degradation of High Mountain Ecosystems in Northern Europe

Data material of a long-term high mountain ecosystem research project was used to interpret thegrazing impact of reindeers. In central Norwayinvestigations were conducted to both, areas wherereindeer grazing is excluded, and areas whereintensive pasturing is present for a long period oftime. The comparative analysis of grazing impact was based on similar environmental conditions. Theresults were transposed to northern Norway wheredramatic overgrazing had been exceeding thecarrying capacity. Using landscape ecologicalmappings, especially of vegetation and soils, theimpact of reindeer grazing in different areas becameobvious. Non-grazed lichen-dominated ecosystems of the snow-free locations functioned sensitively nearthe limit of organism survival. These localities weremost influenced by grazing as they offer the winterforage to the reindeers. So, intensive grazing incentral Norway led to landscape degradation bydestruction of the vegetation and superinduced bysoil erosion. Those features were comparable to thesituation in northern Norway, where a broad-scale destruction of the environment combined with adepression of the altitudinal belts had occurred dueto overgrazing. Functioning principles of intact high mountain systems were explained and used to interpret theenvironmental background for the understanding ofdegradation phenomena. Finally, the use of a newmodel calculating the carrying capacity of high mountain landscape was discussed.

What are the keys to influence the life satisfaction of eco-migrants in the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains?A test based on the livelihood risk interaction

Eco-migrants'ability to adapt to livelihood risks and their satisfaction with lives directly affect the ecological and economic benefits of ecological migration engineering.To formulate an effective livelihood risk prevention system and welfare guarantee mechanism,we took the ecomigrants in Wuwei City as an example,developed an integrated analytical framework for life satisfaction and employed linear regression models to identify the interactions between livelihood risk and life satisfaction.Our findings indicate that 94.66%of eco-migrants in Wuwei City are threatened by livelihood risks after relocation.High living expenses,poor quality of redistributed production goods,and re-poverty constitute the main risks.The risk multiplicity index is 2.96.Besides cultural types,there are no significant differences in regions and livelihoods.A total of 55.73%of eco-migrants are satisfied with their lives,with the Liangzhou district scoring the highest.Except for satisfaction with development potential and public services,no significant intergroup differences were found among regions and livelihood patterns.Eco-migrant's life satisfaction is significantly affected by livelihood risks.Eco-migrants'satisfaction with living income,social integration,farmer-friendly policies and overall life is negatively affected by the risk of repoverty and inadequate social security.An ecomigrant's satisfaction with development potential and community construction is not influenced by one type of risk alone,but the interaction between risks has a strong influence.The interaction of welfare risks with economic risks and policy risks will balance and weaken the adverse effects of a single risk on those elements in the economic and policy spheres.This study offers novel ideas for rural revitalization,hollow governance,and well-being assurance.

Space Structuring of the Northern Foot of the Qinling Mountains(Xi'an Section) based on Landscape City

Northern foot of the Qinling Mountains(Xi'an Section) is a transitional section between the Qinling Mountains and Xi'an City, so it has great ecological signifi cance. On the basis of sorting out landscape city, space structuring of the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains was studied within the theoretical framework of landscape city, it was disclosed that northern foot of the Qinling Mountains was a signifi cant ecological screen for the landscape city spatial pattern of Xi'an, and an important carrier for its "mountain, water and city" cultures. Then, fi ve infl uence factors for the space structuring of the study area were given, and basic contents of the space structuring analyzed from fi ve perspectives of spatial structure, spatial form, ecological environment, integration of regional spaces, historical and cultural context, so as to explore ecological conservation and moderate utilization of the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains from the perspective of space structuring.

The Discovery of the Bivalve Fossil Arguniella from the Lower Cretaceous Shangkuli Formation in Northern Greater Khingan Mountains, China: Implications for Stratigraphic Correlation

Objective Typical Early Cretaceous non-marine bivalve fossils from Eastern Asia are represented by the Arguniella-Sphaerium assemblage,and they were important members of the Jehol Biota.Historically,the genus Arguniella in western Liaoning had been mistakenly identified as the Jurassic Ferganoconcha,re-identified as Arguniella with。

Evolution of economic linkage network of the cities and counties on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains,China

The exchanges between cities and counties in the northern slope economic belt of Tianshan Mountains(NSEBTM)are increasingly frequent and the economic linkages are increasingly close,but the spatial distribution of economic development and linkages among the cities and counties within NSEBTM is uneven.Therefore,it is of great significance to study the evolution of spatial-temporal pattern of the economic linkage network of cities and counties on NSEBTM to promote the coordinated and integrated development of the regional economy on NSEBTM.In this study,we used the modified gravity model and social network analysis method to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of the economic linkage network structure of cities and counties on NSEBTM in 2000,2010,and 2020.The results showed that the comprehensive development quality level of cities and counties on NSEBTM increased from 2000 to 2020,its growth rate also increased,and its gap between cities and counties continued expanding.Both the spatial distribution patterns of the comprehensive development quality level of cities and counties on NSEBTM in 2000 and 2010 were presented as“high in the middle and low at both ends”,while the spatial distribution pattern of 2020 was exhibited as“high value and low value staggered”.The total amount of external economic linkages of cities and counties on NSEBTM showed an obvious upward trend,and its gap between cities and counties continued expanding,presenting a pattern of“a strong middle section and weak ends”.The direction of economic linkages of NSEBTM existed obvious central orientation and geographical proximity.The density of economic linkage network of NSEBTM increased from 2000 to 2020,and the structure of economic linkage network changed from single-core structure centered with Urumqi City to multicore structure centered with Urumqi City,Karamay City,Shihezi City,and Changji City,shifting from unbalanced development to balanced development.In the future,we should accelerate the construction of urban agglomeration on NSEBTM,cultivate a modern Urumqi metropolitan area,improve comprehensive development quality of the cities and counties at the eastern and western ends,strengthen the intensity of economic linkages between cities and counties,optimize the economic linkage network,and promote the coordinated and integrated development of regional economy.