Human activities significantly alter ecosystems and their services; however, quantifying the impact of human activities on ecosystems has been a great challenge in ecosystem management. We used the Universal Soil Loss...Human activities significantly alter ecosystems and their services; however, quantifying the impact of human activities on ecosystems has been a great challenge in ecosystem management. We used the Universal Soil Loss Equation and county-level socioeconomic data to assess the changes in the ecosystem service of soil conservation between 2000 and 2010, and to analyze its spatial characteristics and driving factors in the southwestern China. The results showed that cropland in the southwestern China decreased by 3.74%, while urban land, forest, and grassland areas increased by 46.78%, 0.86%, and 1.12%, respectively. The soil conservation increased by 1.88 × 10^(11) kg, with deterioration only in some local areas. The improved and the degraded areas accounted for 6.41% and 2.44% of the total land area, respectively. Implementation of the Sloping Land Conversion Program and urbanization explained 57.80% and 23.90% of the variation in the soil conservation change, respectively, and were found to be the main factors enhancing soil conservation. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake was one of the factors that led to the degradation of soil conservation. Furthermore, industrial adjustment, by increasing shares of Industry and Service and reducing those of Agriculture, has also promoted soil conservation. Our results quantitatively showed and emphasized the contributions to soil conservation improvement made by implementing ecological restoration programs and promoting urbanization. Consequently, these results provide basic information to improve our understanding of the effects of ecological restoration programs, and help guide future sustainable urban development and regional industrial restructuring.展开更多
Being a key ecological security barrier and production base for grassland animal husbandry in China,the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure in North China directly affects grassland...Being a key ecological security barrier and production base for grassland animal husbandry in China,the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure in North China directly affects grassland degradation and restoration,thereby impacting grassland ecosystem services.This paper analyzes the spatiotemporal variation in grassland vegetation coverage,forage supply,and the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure from 2000 to 2015 in North China.We then discuss the spatial pattern of grassland ecological conservation under the impacts of grassland degradation and restoration,and livestock-carrying pressure.Over the last 16 years,the total grassland area in North China decreased by about 16,000 km^(2),with vegetation coverage degraded by 6.7%of the grasslands but significantly restored by another 5.4%of grasslands.The provisioning of forage by natural grassland mainly increased over time,with an annual growth rate of approximately 0.3 kg/ha,but livestock-carrying pressure also increased continuously.The livestock-carrying pressure index without any supplementary feeding reached as high as 3.8.Apart from the potential livestock-carrying capacity in northeastern Inner Mongolia and the central Tibetan Plateau,most regions in North China are currently overloaded.Considering the actual supplementary feeding during the cold season,the livestock-carrying pressure index is about 3.1,with the livestock-carrying pressure mitigated in central and eastern Inner Mongolia.Assuming full supplementary feeding in the cold season,livestock-carrying pressure index will fall to 1.9,with the livestock-carrying pressure alleviated significantly in Inner Mongolia and on the Tibetan Plateau.Finally,we propose different conservation and development strategies to balance grassland ecological conservation and animal husbandry production in different regions of protected areas,pastoral areas,farming-pastoral ecotone,and farming areas,according to the grassland ecological protection patterns.展开更多
Understanding the dynamics and patterns of biodiversity in transition forests is vital in promoting conservation and addressing environmental change issues.This work focused on elucidating the diversity,structure,and ...Understanding the dynamics and patterns of biodiversity in transition forests is vital in promoting conservation and addressing environmental change issues.This work focused on elucidating the diversity,structure,and carbon potentials of a forest-savannah ecosystem.To achieve this,8 forest plots that measured 50 m×50 m each was set up in a forest-savannah landscape and used to identify and measure tree species≥10 cm diameter at breast height(DBH measured at 130 cm).Species importance value was used to summarize the biodiversity patterns and the aboveground carbon estimates were elicited with the allometric equation.43 species within 22 families were enumerated and the diversity was generally low(ranging from 1.82-2.5).Species such as Daniellia oliveri(Rolfe)Hutch.&Dalziel,Py-rostria guinnensis Comm.ex A.Juss,Dialium guineense Willd.and Margariteria discoidea(Baill.)G.L Webster were the dominant species,and had the highest importance values of 113.06,55.13,28.16 and 16.95,respectively,while Allophlus africanus P.Beauv.,Annona senegalensis Pers.,Anthonatha macrophylla P.Beauv.,Ficus capensis Thumb.and Lecaniodiscus cupanioides Planch had the least importance values of 0.16 each.Carbon estimates ranged from 16.43172-42.9298 t/Ha.Most frequent species with higher basal areas no doubt contributed much to the carbon esti-mates,but did not have higher capacities in storing carbon.Managing the ecosystem with more carbon-dense species was seen as a suitable strategy for addressing environmental change in the ecosystem and region.展开更多
Carbon storage serves as a key indicator of ecosystem services and plays a vital role in maintaining the global carbon balance.Land use and cover change(LUCC)is one of the primary drivers influencing carbon storage va...Carbon storage serves as a key indicator of ecosystem services and plays a vital role in maintaining the global carbon balance.Land use and cover change(LUCC)is one of the primary drivers influencing carbon storage variations in terrestrial ecosystems.Therefore,evaluating the impacts of LUCC on carbon storage is crucial for achieving strategic goals such as the China’s dual carbon goals(including carbon peaking and carbon neutrality).This study focuses on the Aral Irrigation Area in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China,to assess the impacts of LUCC on regional carbon storage and their spatiotemporal dynamics.A comprehensive LUCC database from 2000 to 2020 was developed using Landsat satellite imagery and the random forest classification algorithm.The integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs(InVEST)model was applied to quantify carbon storage and analyze its response to LUCC.Additionally,future LUCC patterns for 2030 were projected under multiple development scenarios using the patch-generating land use simulation(PLUS)model.These future LUCC scenarios were integrated with the InVEST model to simulate carbon storage trends under different land management pathways.Between 2000 and 2020,the dominant land use types in the study area were cropland(area proportion of 35.52%),unused land(34.80%),and orchard land(12.19%).The conversion of unused land and orchard land significantly expanded the area of cropland,which increased by 115,742.55 hm^(2).During this period,total carbon storage and carbon density increased by 7.87×10^(6) Mg C and 20.19 Mg C/hm^(2),respectively.The primary driver of this increase was the conversion of unused land into cropland,accounting for 49.28%of the total carbon storage gain.Carbon storage was notably lower along the northeastern and southeastern edges.By 2030,the projected carbon storage is expected to increase by 0.99×10^(6),1.55×10^(6),and 1.71×10^(6) Mg C under the natural development,cropland protection,and ecological conservation scenarios,respectively.In contrast,under the urban development scenario,carbon storage is projected to decline by 0.40×10^(6) Mg C.In line with China’s dual carbon goals,the ecological conservation scenario emerges as the most effective strategy for enhancing carbon storage.Accordingly,strict enforcement of the cropland red line is recommended.This study provides a valuable scientific foundation for regional ecosystem restoration and sustainable development in arid regions.展开更多
Understanding the attributes of traditional, location-specific land-use systems will provide insights for improvement of such systems and design of new ones for wider applicability. The integrated rice ＋ fish system ...Understanding the attributes of traditional, location-specific land-use systems will provide insights for improvement of such systems and design of new ones for wider applicability. The integrated rice ＋ fish system developed by the Apatani tribe of Ziro valley, Arunachal Pradesh, Northeastern India is such a unique system. Faced with shortages of their staple food items （rice and fish）, these subsistence farmers developed this ingenious system--in preference to the wide-spread shifting cultivation in the region--by capitalizing on the good water supply （from rainfall supplemented by natural flow from hills surrounding the valley）. Two rice crops are grown annually and fish is reared in paddy fields during the main rainy season. Crop residues and animal wastes are the sources of nutrients to crops, chemical fertilizers and insecticides are not used. Over the years, rice yield has been stable at about 3,700 kg.ha-1.year-1. Recently, UNESCO has tentatively added the valley as a ＂world heritage site＂ recognizing its ＂extremely high productivity＂ and ＂unique＂ ecological preservation. The resilience and the sustainability of the system could be attributed to efficient nutrient cycling and nutrient input through water seeping in from surrounding hills, which have not been, but deserve to be, quantified.展开更多
The widespread distribution of river sand-harvesting activities continues to degrade river water quality and the surrounding riverine environments. This study determined practical effects of sand-harvesting on two riv...The widespread distribution of river sand-harvesting activities continues to degrade river water quality and the surrounding riverine environments. This study determined practical effects of sand-harvesting on two rivers in Kakamega County Kenya. Water samples were tested for turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS). For riparian soils, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), pH, organic carbon (OC), moisture content and textural class were determined on composite samples obtained from the field. Two control sites not affected by sand-harvesting were also used for comparison. Results indicate TSS concentrations increased during the rainy season when sand-harvesting was occurring, with significant differences between the control and sand-harvesting sample groups. Between seasons—dry and wet—in natural circumstances, the riparian soil moisture and phosphorus contents increased significantly. The study shows that river sand-harvesting degrades the aesthetic value of riparian areas, and makes rivers prone to bank erosion, and silt. This increases river water turbidity. The study concludes that sand-harvesting does not directly affect the riparian soil moisture content, total N, P, pH, OC or textural class, but reduces productivity of riparian land and puts the riverine ecosystems at risk.展开更多
Protection of the ecological environment is an effective strategy for maintaining ecosystem health,improving provision of ecosystem services,and increasing human well-being.However,traditional calculations of the valu...Protection of the ecological environment is an effective strategy for maintaining ecosystem health,improving provision of ecosystem services,and increasing human well-being.However,traditional calculations of the value of ecosystem services(VES)provide weak guidance because they ignore the costs of these services,leading to economically inefficient strategies.To understand the difference between VES and the net ecosystem services value(NES,after subtracting costs from VES)and to improve evaluations of ecosystem services,we estimated NES for China's Mainland(including farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland).NES totaled 10.0×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1)in 2014,which is only 35.1%of the corresponding VES.Grassland NES was–0.7×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1),in contrast with a positive grassland VES.NES of farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland in2014 totaled 7.2×10^(12)RMB,accounting for 27.0%of China’s GNP.Recent Chinese planning based on VES emphasizes forest conservation and ignores the conservation of other important ecosystems,such as grassland,leading to a continuing loss of China’s natural capital.Due to regional differences in economic conditions,resource endowments,and geographical characteristics,VES and NES differ among regions.To maximize the ecological benefits from conservation,it is necessary to account for these differences by comparing strategies based on NES,thereby choosing projects that maximize both economic and ecological benefits.To maintain the ecological balance,ecological restoration and socioeconomic activities should account for the costs of providing ecosystem services.This is essential to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of projects.展开更多
基金Under the auspices of National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China(No.2011BAC09B08)Special Issue of National Remote Sensing Survey and Assessment of Eco-Environment Change between 2000 and 2010(No.STSN-04-01)
文摘Human activities significantly alter ecosystems and their services; however, quantifying the impact of human activities on ecosystems has been a great challenge in ecosystem management. We used the Universal Soil Loss Equation and county-level socioeconomic data to assess the changes in the ecosystem service of soil conservation between 2000 and 2010, and to analyze its spatial characteristics and driving factors in the southwestern China. The results showed that cropland in the southwestern China decreased by 3.74%, while urban land, forest, and grassland areas increased by 46.78%, 0.86%, and 1.12%, respectively. The soil conservation increased by 1.88 × 10^(11) kg, with deterioration only in some local areas. The improved and the degraded areas accounted for 6.41% and 2.44% of the total land area, respectively. Implementation of the Sloping Land Conversion Program and urbanization explained 57.80% and 23.90% of the variation in the soil conservation change, respectively, and were found to be the main factors enhancing soil conservation. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake was one of the factors that led to the degradation of soil conservation. Furthermore, industrial adjustment, by increasing shares of Industry and Service and reducing those of Agriculture, has also promoted soil conservation. Our results quantitatively showed and emphasized the contributions to soil conservation improvement made by implementing ecological restoration programs and promoting urbanization. Consequently, these results provide basic information to improve our understanding of the effects of ecological restoration programs, and help guide future sustainable urban development and regional industrial restructuring.
基金The Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program,No.2019QZKK0404Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,No.XDA20020401。
文摘Being a key ecological security barrier and production base for grassland animal husbandry in China,the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure in North China directly affects grassland degradation and restoration,thereby impacting grassland ecosystem services.This paper analyzes the spatiotemporal variation in grassland vegetation coverage,forage supply,and the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure from 2000 to 2015 in North China.We then discuss the spatial pattern of grassland ecological conservation under the impacts of grassland degradation and restoration,and livestock-carrying pressure.Over the last 16 years,the total grassland area in North China decreased by about 16,000 km^(2),with vegetation coverage degraded by 6.7%of the grasslands but significantly restored by another 5.4%of grasslands.The provisioning of forage by natural grassland mainly increased over time,with an annual growth rate of approximately 0.3 kg/ha,but livestock-carrying pressure also increased continuously.The livestock-carrying pressure index without any supplementary feeding reached as high as 3.8.Apart from the potential livestock-carrying capacity in northeastern Inner Mongolia and the central Tibetan Plateau,most regions in North China are currently overloaded.Considering the actual supplementary feeding during the cold season,the livestock-carrying pressure index is about 3.1,with the livestock-carrying pressure mitigated in central and eastern Inner Mongolia.Assuming full supplementary feeding in the cold season,livestock-carrying pressure index will fall to 1.9,with the livestock-carrying pressure alleviated significantly in Inner Mongolia and on the Tibetan Plateau.Finally,we propose different conservation and development strategies to balance grassland ecological conservation and animal husbandry production in different regions of protected areas,pastoral areas,farming-pastoral ecotone,and farming areas,according to the grassland ecological protection patterns.
文摘Understanding the dynamics and patterns of biodiversity in transition forests is vital in promoting conservation and addressing environmental change issues.This work focused on elucidating the diversity,structure,and carbon potentials of a forest-savannah ecosystem.To achieve this,8 forest plots that measured 50 m×50 m each was set up in a forest-savannah landscape and used to identify and measure tree species≥10 cm diameter at breast height(DBH measured at 130 cm).Species importance value was used to summarize the biodiversity patterns and the aboveground carbon estimates were elicited with the allometric equation.43 species within 22 families were enumerated and the diversity was generally low(ranging from 1.82-2.5).Species such as Daniellia oliveri(Rolfe)Hutch.&Dalziel,Py-rostria guinnensis Comm.ex A.Juss,Dialium guineense Willd.and Margariteria discoidea(Baill.)G.L Webster were the dominant species,and had the highest importance values of 113.06,55.13,28.16 and 16.95,respectively,while Allophlus africanus P.Beauv.,Annona senegalensis Pers.,Anthonatha macrophylla P.Beauv.,Ficus capensis Thumb.and Lecaniodiscus cupanioides Planch had the least importance values of 0.16 each.Carbon estimates ranged from 16.43172-42.9298 t/Ha.Most frequent species with higher basal areas no doubt contributed much to the carbon esti-mates,but did not have higher capacities in storing carbon.Managing the ecosystem with more carbon-dense species was seen as a suitable strategy for addressing environmental change in the ecosystem and region.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFD1900503).
文摘Carbon storage serves as a key indicator of ecosystem services and plays a vital role in maintaining the global carbon balance.Land use and cover change(LUCC)is one of the primary drivers influencing carbon storage variations in terrestrial ecosystems.Therefore,evaluating the impacts of LUCC on carbon storage is crucial for achieving strategic goals such as the China’s dual carbon goals(including carbon peaking and carbon neutrality).This study focuses on the Aral Irrigation Area in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China,to assess the impacts of LUCC on regional carbon storage and their spatiotemporal dynamics.A comprehensive LUCC database from 2000 to 2020 was developed using Landsat satellite imagery and the random forest classification algorithm.The integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs(InVEST)model was applied to quantify carbon storage and analyze its response to LUCC.Additionally,future LUCC patterns for 2030 were projected under multiple development scenarios using the patch-generating land use simulation(PLUS)model.These future LUCC scenarios were integrated with the InVEST model to simulate carbon storage trends under different land management pathways.Between 2000 and 2020,the dominant land use types in the study area were cropland(area proportion of 35.52%),unused land(34.80%),and orchard land(12.19%).The conversion of unused land and orchard land significantly expanded the area of cropland,which increased by 115,742.55 hm^(2).During this period,total carbon storage and carbon density increased by 7.87×10^(6) Mg C and 20.19 Mg C/hm^(2),respectively.The primary driver of this increase was the conversion of unused land into cropland,accounting for 49.28%of the total carbon storage gain.Carbon storage was notably lower along the northeastern and southeastern edges.By 2030,the projected carbon storage is expected to increase by 0.99×10^(6),1.55×10^(6),and 1.71×10^(6) Mg C under the natural development,cropland protection,and ecological conservation scenarios,respectively.In contrast,under the urban development scenario,carbon storage is projected to decline by 0.40×10^(6) Mg C.In line with China’s dual carbon goals,the ecological conservation scenario emerges as the most effective strategy for enhancing carbon storage.Accordingly,strict enforcement of the cropland red line is recommended.This study provides a valuable scientific foundation for regional ecosystem restoration and sustainable development in arid regions.
文摘Understanding the attributes of traditional, location-specific land-use systems will provide insights for improvement of such systems and design of new ones for wider applicability. The integrated rice ＋ fish system developed by the Apatani tribe of Ziro valley, Arunachal Pradesh, Northeastern India is such a unique system. Faced with shortages of their staple food items （rice and fish）, these subsistence farmers developed this ingenious system--in preference to the wide-spread shifting cultivation in the region--by capitalizing on the good water supply （from rainfall supplemented by natural flow from hills surrounding the valley）. Two rice crops are grown annually and fish is reared in paddy fields during the main rainy season. Crop residues and animal wastes are the sources of nutrients to crops, chemical fertilizers and insecticides are not used. Over the years, rice yield has been stable at about 3,700 kg.ha-1.year-1. Recently, UNESCO has tentatively added the valley as a ＂world heritage site＂ recognizing its ＂extremely high productivity＂ and ＂unique＂ ecological preservation. The resilience and the sustainability of the system could be attributed to efficient nutrient cycling and nutrient input through water seeping in from surrounding hills, which have not been, but deserve to be, quantified.
文摘The widespread distribution of river sand-harvesting activities continues to degrade river water quality and the surrounding riverine environments. This study determined practical effects of sand-harvesting on two rivers in Kakamega County Kenya. Water samples were tested for turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS). For riparian soils, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), pH, organic carbon (OC), moisture content and textural class were determined on composite samples obtained from the field. Two control sites not affected by sand-harvesting were also used for comparison. Results indicate TSS concentrations increased during the rainy season when sand-harvesting was occurring, with significant differences between the control and sand-harvesting sample groups. Between seasons—dry and wet—in natural circumstances, the riparian soil moisture and phosphorus contents increased significantly. The study shows that river sand-harvesting degrades the aesthetic value of riparian areas, and makes rivers prone to bank erosion, and silt. This increases river water turbidity. The study concludes that sand-harvesting does not directly affect the riparian soil moisture content, total N, P, pH, OC or textural class, but reduces productivity of riparian land and puts the riverine ecosystems at risk.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41641002)
文摘Protection of the ecological environment is an effective strategy for maintaining ecosystem health,improving provision of ecosystem services,and increasing human well-being.However,traditional calculations of the value of ecosystem services(VES)provide weak guidance because they ignore the costs of these services,leading to economically inefficient strategies.To understand the difference between VES and the net ecosystem services value(NES,after subtracting costs from VES)and to improve evaluations of ecosystem services,we estimated NES for China's Mainland(including farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland).NES totaled 10.0×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1)in 2014,which is only 35.1%of the corresponding VES.Grassland NES was–0.7×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1),in contrast with a positive grassland VES.NES of farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland in2014 totaled 7.2×10^(12)RMB,accounting for 27.0%of China’s GNP.Recent Chinese planning based on VES emphasizes forest conservation and ignores the conservation of other important ecosystems,such as grassland,leading to a continuing loss of China’s natural capital.Due to regional differences in economic conditions,resource endowments,and geographical characteristics,VES and NES differ among regions.To maximize the ecological benefits from conservation,it is necessary to account for these differences by comparing strategies based on NES,thereby choosing projects that maximize both economic and ecological benefits.To maintain the ecological balance,ecological restoration and socioeconomic activities should account for the costs of providing ecosystem services.This is essential to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of projects.
