Removal of competitive native species combined with tree planting can accelerate the initial afforestation process: an experiment in an old field in Japan invaded by dwarf bamboo and kudzu

Restoring natural forests after field abandon- ment is a land management objective that fosters the re- covery of forest biodiversity. We performed seeding and transplanting of native tree species 40 years after the abandonment of an arable field that became dominated by a dwarf bamboo （Pleioblastus chino （Franch. et Sav.） Makino） and by kudzu （Pueraria lobata （Willd.） Ohwi）. By permutation tests, the removal of competing vegetation （gap creation） significantly increased the survival of three seeded species of Fagaceae and of eight transplanted spe- cies. In contrast, intact vegetation prevented most indi- viduals of all species from surviving for 1 year after planting. The lack of natural recruitment of Fagaceae in the nonseeded subplots indicated that seed limitation was a cause of the slow afforestation. Although litter accumula- tion in gaps at the time of seeding slightly increased sur- vival for late-germinating Quercus myrsinifolia Blume andCastanopsis sieboldii （Makino） Hatus. ex T. Yamaz. et Mashiba, the effect was not consistent among plots and was not statistically significant. Our results suggest that for successful afforestation using native trees in abandoned fields, it will be necessary to remove competitive native species to avoid severe limitations on microsite availability and that simultaneous tree establishment by seeding or transplanting should be implemented to accelerate the establishment of native tree species.

Effects of Sowing Time on the Growth, Development and Productivity of Sweet Sorghum

The experiments were conducted to determine suitable sowing time in order to achieve high plant biomass and sugar content of sweet sorghum for bioethanol manufacture. The results showed that germination rate reached > 80% in all trial times (p > 0.05). The growth and development speed of sweet sorghum reduced when seeds were sowed in August and was significantly different from other sowing times (p < 0.05). Sowing from March to June obtained the highest plant height during all growth and development stages. Lodging and diseases observed in all periods of sowing, and planting began in July and August had lower percentage. In contrast, the productivity of fresh weight (1310.4 g/whole plant), sugar content (14.9% Brix), biomass yield (122.4 tons/ha) and theoretical converted ethanol yield (5 tons/ha) were the highest when sweet sorghum planted from March to June. It was observed that sowing sweet sorghum in four periods of month from March to June had the desirable biomass for bioethanol production.

SPATIAL GRADIENT ANALYSIS OF URBAN GREEN SPACES COMBINED WITH LANDSCAPE METRICS IN JINAN CITY OF CHINA

Urban green spaces have been arisen growing concern responded to the social and environmental costs of urban sprawl. A wide range of planning and policies has been and/or will be designed to protect urban green spaces and optimize their spatial pattern. A better design or planning of urban green space can make a major contribution to quality of environment and urban life, and furthermore can decide whether we can have a sustainable development in the urban area. Information about the status quo of urban green spaces can help planners design more effectively. However, how to quantify and capture such information will be the essential question we face. In this paper, to quantify the urban green space, a new method comprising gradient analysis, landscape metrics and GIS was developed through a case of Jinan City. The results demonstrate: 1) the gradient analysis is a valid and reliable instrument to quantify the urban green space spatial pattern precisely; 2) using moving window, explicit landscape metrics were spatially realized. Compared with quantifying metrics in the entire landscape, it would be better to link pattern with process and establish an important basis for analyzing the ecological and socioeconomic functions of green spaces.

Predicting herbicides concentrations in paddy water and runoff to the river basin

This study was conducted to investigate the dissipation pattern and runoff of herbicides to the river basin from the paddy fields. Pesticide paddy field model(PADDY) was applied to predict herbicide concentration in paddy fields. A field study was conducted in a paddy farm of Higashi Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan in the year of 2003 paddy season. The herbicides were mefenacet, thiobencarb, and bensulfuron methyl. The sample water was analyzed by using gas chromatography and HPLC after solid phase extraction. Predicted dissipation rate of thiobencarb in paddy water was higher(DT_ 50 = 4 36) than that measured, with a lower k value(-0 069). Two weeks after application no thiobencarb was detected in the drainage channel and down stream. In the down stream, thiobencarb was detected until 3 d after application, with a range of 0 02% to 0 08% of applied herbicide. The predicted dissipation rate(k) and half-life(DT_ 50 ) of mefenacet was not significantly different from that of measured. In the drainage channel, upstream and downstream mefenacet was found during the whole study period. In downstream, the maximum concentration of mefenacet was present 0 61% of applied in the paddy field on 3DAH. The dissipation rate(k) of BSM varied from -0 0860 to -0 1059 to with half-life(DT_ 50 ) 3 5 and 2 84 d. In upstream water, no BSM was detected except trace amounts(0 01 μg/L) at 3 d after application. However, in the drainage channel 8%, 6% and 1 58% of applied BSM was present at 0, 1 and 3 d after application respectively. In the down stream, the highest concentration was 1 06%, shortly after application.

Impact of Land Use Change on Groundwater Recharge in Guishui River Basin,China

It is important to understand how land use change impacts groundwater recharge,especially for regions that are undergoing rapid urbanization and there is limited surface water.In this study,the hydrological processes and re-charge ability of various land use types in Guishui River Basin,China(in Beijing Municipality) were analyzed.The impact of land use change was investigated based on water balance modeling,WetSpass and GIS.The results indicate that groundwater recharge accounts for only 21.16% of the precipitation,while 72.54% is lost in the form of evapotranspiration.The annual-lumped groundwater recharge rate decreases in the order of cropland,grassland,urban land,and forest.Land use change has resulted in a decrease of 4 × 106 m3 of yearly groundwater recharge in the study area,with a spatially averaged rate of 100.48 mm/yr and 98.41 mm/yr in 1980 and 2005,respectively.This variation has primarily come from an increase of urban area and rural settlements,as well as a decrease of cropland.

Landscape ecological characteristics in temporal changes of riverside open space in urbanized area

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The impact of urban planning on land use and land cover in Pudong of Shanghai, China

Functional zones in cities constitute the most conspicuous components of newly developed urban areas, and have been a hot spot for domestic and foreign investors in China, which not only show the expanse of urban space accompanied by the shifts both in landscape (from rural to urban) and land use(from less extensive to extensive), but also display the transformation of regional ecological functions. By using the theories and methods of landscape ecology, the structure of landscapes and landscape ecological planning can be analyzed and evaluated for studying the urban functional zones' layout. In 1990, the Central Government of China declared to develop and open up Pudong New Area so as to promote economic development in Shanghai. Benefited from the advantages of Shanghai's location and economy, the government of Pudong New Area has successively built up 7 different functional zones over the past decade according to their functions and strategic goals. Based on the multi-spectral satellite imageries taken in 1990, 1997 and 2000, a landscape ecology analysis was carried out for Pudong New Area of Shanghai, supported by GIS technology. Green space (including croplands) and built-up areas are the major factors considered in developing urban landscape. This paper was mainly concerned with the different spatial patterns and dynamics of green space, built-up areas and new buildings in different functional zones, as influenced by different functional layouts and development strategies. The rapid urbanization in Pudong New Area resulted in a more homogeneous landscape. Agricultural landscape and suburban landscape were gradually replaced by urban landscape as the degree of urbanization increased. As a consequence of urbanization in Pudong, not only built-up patches, but also newly-built patches and green patches merged into one large patch, which should be attributed to the construction policy of extensive green space as the urban development process in Pudong New Area. The shape of green area of 7 functional zones became more and more regular because of the horticultural needs in Shanghai urban planning. Some suggestions were finally made for the study of future urban planning and layout.

SEFIDROOD RIVER SUB-WATERSHED-DAM-ESTUARY AND DEGRADATION MODEL:A HOLISTIC APPROACH IN IRAN

The major concern of this article is to address the shortcoming and outgoing effects of the human activities on the landscape patterns and their consequences in the Sefidrood River watershed in Iran. A flow of data includes three inputs; each of them belongs to one part of three zones of a fluvial system. The three parts of the Sefidrood River fluvial system include Zone 1,a sub-watershed as degradation modeling site,Zone 2,Sefidrood Dam as dam site,and Zone 3,17km away from the Sefidrood River path to the Caspian Sea as ending point site. The degradation model in the Zone 1 provides a suitable mean for decision support system to decrease the human impacts on each small district. The maximum number for degradation coefficient belongs to the small district with the highest physiographic density,relatively cumulative activities,and a lower figure for the habitat vulnerability. The human degradation impact were not limited to the upstream. The investigation to the Sefidrood Dam and ending point of the Sefidrood River depicts that sedimentation continues as a significant visual impact in the Sefidrood Dam reservoir and the estuary.

A dwarf bamboo(Pleioblastus chino) and winter browsing by Japanese hare(Lepus brachyurus) combine to limit establishment of transplanted native tree seedlings in an abandoned agricultural field

Natural forest recovery on abandoned farmland is hindered by a variety of factors and active restoration plays an important role when quick afforestation is desired. We investigated seedling survival of four transplanted native tree species （Quercus myrsinifolia, Quercus serrata, Aphananthe aspera, and Rhus sylvestris） by experimentally manipulating the vegetation cover, which was mainly dominated by dwarf bamboo （Pleioblastus chino）, and herbivore access to the planting sites on farmland that had been abandoned for 15 years at the start of the study. Few transplanted seedlings of any species survived under intact vegetation cover, irrespective of herbivore presence. In gaps in the vegetation cover, winter browsing by Japanese hare （Lepus brachyurus） damaged all species. However, lower browsing frequency and higher resprouting ability after grazing of the seedlings enabled both Quercus species to survive better than the other species. These results indicate that dwarf bamboo and the hare jointly limit the establishment of native trees in old fields. If active afforestation by transplanting seedlings at sites dominated by dwarf bamboo is planned, a combination of vegetation removal, selection of suitable species, and temporary seedling protection will be most effective.

Community Participation in Forest Resource Management in Nepal

Livelihood of the people in Nepal hills depends much upon forest resources in addition to farming as forest plays a critical role in the well being of the farming households where access to alternative sources, such as energy for cooking, nutrition for animals, materials for fertilizer and constructing materials for shelter, are limited. Thus, the well being of the people in the hills is directly affected by the management of these forest resources. This issue was addressed in this paper by examining the forest resource management practices and its effect on well being of rural people in two different stages in a village lying in the steep hill of Mahabharat Range in the southern hills of Kathmandu valley, Lalitpur District. The main ethnic/caste groups in the village are Brahmin/Chhetri (high Hindu caste), Magar/Tamang (Tibeto Burmans) and Kami (occupational caste: cobbler). Currently there are four community forest users groups, with mixed ethnic membership, organized to manage the forest resources. The endowments, weak institutional settings, before 1990 helped the Bhramins, Magars and Tamangs to get access into the private forest endowment, which made them easy to get access to the forest resources, mainly fuel wood, fodder and timber in 1990 and enhanced their well beings. But the socially backward Kami could not get benefit from the institutions that existed during that time and had less chance to enhance their well beings. After the set up of different endowments during late 1990s, i.e., hand over of forest management to usersgroupsin line with the concept of community forest, environment to use the forest resources became better for all the groups, along with the management of the forest. This enhanced the well beings of all the groups in the study village. However, the ability of Kami to use the forest resources to enhance their well beings was still lacking behind. The reason was partially due to the difference in endowments carried over from the endowments before 1990, and partly due to their occupational work and location of their settlements.

Stochastic Approach on Forest Fire Spatial Distribution from Forest Accessibility in Forest Management Units, South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

This study explores stochastic approach to analyzing the forest fire spatial distribution from forest accessibility using 2-parameters Weibull distribution model. MODIS firespot data, as a proxy for forest fire location, from 2001 to 2012 was analyzed by correlating its spatial distribution with the distance from settlement and road/lake in 11 Forest Management Units (FMUs) in South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. (For more information,please refer to the PDF.)

Hydrological setting of infertile species-rich wetland——a case study in the warm temperate Japan

The detailed groundwater flow and water chemistry to illustrate landscape structure of the infertile peatless mire by using piezometers and groundwater wells were measured. The instruments were installed in lines through a small spring-fed wetland underlying little peat from the hillslope to the valley bottom in southwestern Japan. Flow net and EC data clearly indicated that the wetland was situated in a high-EC groundwater upspring area. The low-productivity graminous vegetation was related with four hydrological factors such as: (1) high water level; (2) low-EC(<25 micro S/cm) groundwater; (3) weakly upward hydraulic gradient; and (4) overflowing of negatively pressured groundwater. In other words, the “old or deep groundwater” constructed the foundation of slope-wetland, and maintained the high groundwater level. In contrast, overflowing “youthful groundwater” is supplied from head of slope-wetland preferentially through the shallow substratum. The plant communities of the peatless mire in southwestern Japan are similar to those of raised bog in northern cool temperate Japan. There have been some reports verifying that the underlying mineral substrata of such wetlands were quartzile rocks such as granite, rhyolite, chart and well-leached sand. Results showed (1) low cation availability affects the water acidity; (2) upward seepage of high-EC groundwater composed the foundation of the investigated peatless mire; and (3) the poor mineral condition seems to play a similar role to northern ombrotrophic(rain-fed) condition.

EFFECTS OF SEASONALITY ON STREAMFLOW AND WATER QUALITY OF THE PINANG RIVER IN PENANG ISLAND,MALAYSIA

For the Pinang River, originating in the western highlands of Penang Island, the nature, sources and extent of pollution were studied. The river water samples collected at five selected sites were analyzed for various physical and chemical parameters, namely temperature, DO, BOD, COD, SS, pH, ammoniac nitrogen (AN), and conductance. Long-term data of rainfall and temperature were analyzed to determine the seasonal variations of the streamflow.The streamflow during the dry season is extremely Iow compared to the wet season, thus concentrations of contaminants derived from point pollution source increase due to lack of rainfall and runoff events. On the contrary, in the predominantly urban and agricultural catchments, non-point pollution source increases during rainy season through seepage and runoff. Effects of seasonal variations consequently determine the quantity and quality of the water parameters.The Jelutong River, the Dondang River and the Air Itam River carry the seepage from widely urban and residential arcas to the main Pinang River systems. Water quality of the Pinang River at different points assessed by the water quality indices was compared. According to the quality indices during the study period, water quality in the upper reaches of the river is medium to good. It dwindled in the plains, due to the seepage from urban areas and discharges from the industrial and agricultural lands.

River system in Japan from a landscape ecological aspect

The objective of this study was to elucidate characteristics associated with rivers by classification of major rivers in Japan into several types based on riparian conditions. As the results of principal component analysis (PCA) with use of parameters reflecting forms and artificial alterations of respective rivers, four major components such as “comprehensive riparian size', “intactness of water front', “continuity of streams' and “simplicity of landform in river basin' were extracted. Subsequently, cluster analysis was performed based on principal component scores, leading to successful classification of major rivers into 6 types. These findings disclosed that (1) the extracted principal components provide effective viewpoint for classification of rivers; (2) distribution of respective classes indicates area properties; and (3) the employed quantitative procedures were found effective for classification of major rivers.

Carbon stock measurements of a degraded tropical logged-over secondary forest in Manokwari Regency,West Papua,Indonesia

Several studies have been conducted in the past on carbon stock measurements in the tropical forests of Indonesia. This study is the first related research conducted in the New Guinea Island. In a degraded logged-over secondary forest in Manokwari Regency （West Papua, Indonesia）, carbon stocks were measured for seven parts, i.e., above-ground biomass （AGB）, below-ground biomass （BGB）, under-storey biomass （B）, necromass of dead leaves （N~）, necromass of dead trees （Art）, litter （L） and soil （S） using appropriate equations and laboratory analysis. Total carbon stocks were measured at 642.8 tC.h~~ in the low disturbance area, 536.9 tC＇ha-~ in the moderate disturbance area and 490.4 tC＇ha ~ in the high disturbance area. Bu, N1 and N were not significant in the carbon stock and were collectively categorized as a total biomass complex. The carbon stock of litter was nearly equal to that of the total biomass complex, while the total carbon stock in the soil was eight times larger than the total biomass complex or the carbon stock of the litter. We confirmed that the average ratio of AGB and BGB to the total biomass （TB） was about 84.7% and 15.3%, respectively. Improvements were made to the equations in the low disturbance logged-over secondary forest area, applying corrections to the amounts ofbiomass of sample trees, based on representative commercial trees of category one. TB stocks before and after correction were estimated to be 84.4 and 106.7 tC.ha-~, indicating that these corrections added significant amounts of tree biomass （26.4%） dur- ing the sampling procedure. In conclusion, the equations for tree biomass developed in this study, will be useful for evaluating total carbon stocks, especially TB stocks in logged-over secondary forests throughout the Papua region.

Distribution patterns and relationship between elevation and the abundance of <i>Aedes aegypti</i>in Mojokerto city 2012

Mosquitoes are one of the insects that have an important role as vectors of disease agents. The diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are still public health problems in Indonesia especially in East Java Province, for example, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF). DHF is a very alarming disease because the occurrence of this epidemic is no longer just confined to certain geographic locations. At present, Mojokerto is a district in East Java region known as endemic for DHF in Indonesia. The number of cases in this district tends to rise and expand distributed. The spread pattern of dengue cases in this district is not certainly known. The aim of this research is to determine the distribution pattern of mosquitoes and its relationship between elevation and density of Aedes aegypti in the Mojokerto district that caused dengue virus transmission. Sampling was conducted at two locations in the Mojokerto district, in the urban and rural, namely Prajurit Kulon for urban and Dlanggu for rural. We used survey for mosquito larvae by WHO standard and for mosquito eggs by ovitrap. The coordinates of sampling locations are recorded using GPS and then identification of mosquitoes is performed at the Laboratory of Ecology and Animal Diversity, University of Brawijaya. Quantitative data were analyzed to determine the abundance, relative abundance, frequency, relative frequency and IVI (Importance Value Index). Mosquito distribution patterns were analyzed with Morisita index. The research findings indicated that there are five mosquitoes species consisted of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Aedes laniger, Culex bitaeniorchynchus and Culex quinquefasciatus. Aedes aegypti is the dominant species in urban area while Culex quinquefasciatus is the dominant species in rural area. Morisita index showed that mosquito dispersal on patterns in Mojokerto district is uniform. The elevation of the area and density of Aedes aegypti has a positive correlation.

Peatland Fires in Riau, Indonesia, in Relation to Land Cover Type, Land Management, Landholder, and Spatial Management

Peatland in Southeast Asia has an important function in the provision of ecosystem services such as carbon sink, climate regulation, water supply, biodiversity, and others. Recurrent fires in the peatland, especially in Indonesia, have changed peatland functions from carbon sequestration to carbon emission, causing severe environmental and economic problems. Fire prevention requires an understanding of the factors affecting fire in peatland. We compared fire occurrences in 2014 between different land cover types, land management systems, landholders, and proximity to roads and canals in Riau Province, Indonesia. Remote sensing and field data were collected and analyzed. Shrubland was the most fire-prone land cover, while plantations and mangrove forests were the least. Shrubland has high fire occurrence regardless of land management and landholder type. Peat swamp forests that are allowed to be utilized were more fire-prone than conserved peat swamp forests. Oil palms from unregistered companies had more fires than those from registered companies and smallholders. Coconut and sago plantations from companies had more fires than smallholder cultivation. Proximity to roads and canals affects the occurrence of fires in peat swamp forests;however, proximity had less of an effect on fire occurrence in shrubland. The high percentage of burned areas in shrubland showed that land cover was a major factor that affects fire in peatland, followed by land management, landholders, and proximity to roads and canals. These findings indicate the importance of law enforcement and land management systems, management schemes by different landholders, and the spatial arrangement of land cover, roads, and canals for integrated peatland management and restoration of shrubland into peat swamp forest and other fire-resistant land cover types with sustainable production.