Coral reef health and effects of socio-economic factors in Fiji and Cook Islands     

Hoffmann TC 《Marine pollution bulletin》2002,44(11):1281-1293

This research focuses on coral reef health in the South Pacific region, an area of high global coral diversity. Coral reef health surrounding four island case studies in the Cook Islands and Fiji have been assessed in areas that have not been previously surveyed. This study compares four islands with barrier and fringing reefs that have different levels of economic development, population pressure, land-use practices, and marine management practices. This interdisciplinary research methodology includes both ecological and social data collection to further understanding of human environment interactions. In comparing the reefs with different socio-economic factors, this research shows that reefs with traditional systems of resources management are healthier, population pressure is not the main factor causing the demise of the reefs and agro-industry is the main industry causing the degradation of the reef in these four South Pacific Islands. In addition, researchers need to use a whole reef perspective to examine coral reef health.  相似文献   

A Janus-faced biodiversity change and the partiality of ecological knowledge in a world biodiversity hotspot in Ghana: Implications for biodiversity rehabilitation     

Louis Awanyo 《Geoforum》2007,38(4):739-751

The Gyamfiase-Adenya-Obom cluster of villages in the forest-savanna region of Ghana is located within one of Conservation International’s 34 “World Biodiversity Hotspots” of the most biodiversity-threatened regions of the world. In collaboration with local farmers in this area since 1993, the People, Land Management and Ecological Change Project in Ghana (PLEC-Ghana) has been working on promoting biodiversity rehabilitation to address problems of biodiversity change. This goal is expected to be achieved through agrobiodiversity or biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices. However, farmers’ employment of these practices has been lackluster, even while they acknowledge biodiversity changes, dominated by Chromolaena odorata and other herbaceous species, that are driving the decline in forests and their biodiversity. In interpreting the difficulties of biodiversity rehabilitation in Gyamfiase-Adenya-Obom, this study outlines the diverging ecological knowledge of non-residents/outsiders and local farmers about biodiversity change, which it describes as Janus-like with two diverging faces. One face of biodiversity change shows the detrimental impacts on biodiversity and its observers—non-residents/outsiders—insist on biodiversity rehabilitation that nurtures forests, and the growth and domination of tree species. The other face of biodiversity change shows its agronomic advantages and its observers—the local farmers—are skeptical of current biodiversity rehabilitation practices. Farmers see agronomic benefits in biodiversity change, in particular the benefit of faster soil regeneration within the predominant bush fallow system of farming. And as a result of this observation, farmers continue with practices that sustain a decline in forests and biodiversity. Based on social and ecological research that explores three biodiversity-friendly practices promoted by PLEC-Ghana (fallow management, mulching, and intensive weeding to protect tree seedlings), this article discusses the partiality of ecological perspectives that emphasize either face of biodiversity change but not both, and the implications for biodiversity rehabilitation.  相似文献   

First international payment for marine ecosystem services: The case of the Banc d’Arguin National Park,Mauritania     

Thomas Binet  Pierre Failler  Pablo N. Chavance  Mohamed Abidine Mayif 《Global Environmental Change》2013,23(6):1434-1443

This article investigates whether the European Union-Mauritania fisheries agreement, which allocates part of the Europe's financial contribution to the conservation of marine ecosystems located within the Banc d’Arguin National Park, can be regarded as a payment for ecosystem service. A framework for qualification as such payment scheme was established based on an extensive literature review. The criteria identified for the qualification as a payment to ecosystem service pertain to: (1) the definition of the ecosystem service(s) involved; (2) the mechanism involved by the payment; and (3) the nature of the transaction. Interviews with local beneficiaries and subsequent data analysis led to the conclusion that this mechanism could be regarded as a payment to ecosystem service and so, through the European Union-Mauritania Fisheries agreement, the European Union were investing to protect local fish resources that could be exploited by its fishing fleet. This agreement, involving the first International Payment to Ecosystem Service of this kind, marks an important step towards better consideration of marine conservation in international public policy and foreign fishing policy in particular. However, this payment is small when compared to revenues generated through the exploitation of developing countries’ fishing grounds by fishing countries. Nevertheless it opens the door for more detailed applications of payment to ecosystem service schemes to other ecosystems contexts, and can provide a useful alternative source of financing of marine biodiversity conservation.  相似文献   

Ecohydrographic constraints on biodiversity and distribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton in coral reefs of the Red Sea,Saudi Arabia          下载免费PDF全文

Benjamin Kürten  Hisham S. Khomayis  Reny Devassy  Saskia Audritz  Ulrich Sommer  Ulrich Struck  Mohsen M. El‐Sherbiny  Ali M. Al‐Aidaroos 《Marine Ecology》2015,36(4):1195-1214

An integral concept of ecological research is the constraint of biodiversity along latitudinal and environmental gradients. The Red Sea features a natural example of a latitudinal gradient of salinity, temperature and nutrient richness. Coral reefs along the Red Sea coasts are supported with allochthonous resources such as oceanic and neritic phytoplankton and zooplankton; however, relatively little is known about how the ecohydrography correlates with plankton biodiversity and abundance. In this article we present the biodiversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton in Red Sea coral reefs. Oceanographic data (temperature, salinity), water samples for nutrient analysis, particulate organic matter, phytoplankton and zooplankton, the latter with special reference to Copepoda (Crustacea), were collected at nine coral reefs over ~1500 km distance along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The trophic state of ambient waters [as indicated by chlorophyll a (Chl a)] changed from strong oligotrophy in the north to mesotrophy in the south and was associated with increasing biomasses of Bacillariophyceae, picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus as indicated by pigment fingerprinting (CHEMTAX) and flow cytometry. Net‐phytoplankton microscopy revealed a Trichodesmium erythraeum (Cyanobacteria) bloom north of the Farasan Islands. Several potentially harmful algae, including Dinophysis miles and Gonyaulax spinifera (Dinophyceae), were encountered in larger numbers in the vicinity of the aquaculture facilities at Al Lith. Changes in zooplankton abundance were mainly correlated to the phytoplankton biomass following the latitudinal gradient. The largest zooplankton abundance was observed at the Farasan Archipelago, despite high abundances of copepodites, veligers (Gastropoda larvae) and Chaetognatha at Al Lith. Although the community composition changed over latitude, biodiversity indices of phytoplankton and zooplankton did not exhibit a systematic pattern. As this study constitutes the first current account of the plankton biodiversity in Red Sea coral reefs at a large spatial scale, the results will be informative for ecosystem‐based management along the coastline of Saudi Arabia.  相似文献   

A global map to aid the identification and screening of critical habitat for marine industries     

《Marine Policy》2015

Marine industries face a number of risks that necessitate careful analysis prior to making decisions on the siting of operations and facilities. An important emerging regulatory framework on environmental sustainability for business operations is the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standard 6 (IFC PS6). Within PS6, identification of biodiversity significance is articulated through the concept of “Critical Habitat”, a definition developed by the IFC and detailed through criteria aligned with those that support internationally accepted biodiversity designations. No publicly available tools have been developed in either the marine or terrestrial realm to assess the likelihood of sites or operations being located within PS6-defined Critical Habitat. This paper presents a starting point towards filling this gap in the form of a preliminary global map that classifies more than 13 million km² of marine and coastal areas of importance for biodiversity (protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas [KBA], sea turtle nesting sites, cold- and warm-water corals, seamounts, seagrass beds, mangroves, saltmarshes, hydrothermal vents and cold seeps) based on their overlap with Critical Habitat criteria, as defined by IFC. In total, 5798×10³ km² (1.6%) of the analysis area (global ocean plus coastal land strip) were classed as Likely Critical Habitat, and 7526×10³ km² (2.1%) as Potential Critical Habitat; the remainder (96.3%) were Unclassified. The latter was primarily due to the paucity of biodiversity data in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction and/or in deep waters, and the comparatively fewer protected areas and KBAs in these regions. Globally, protected areas constituted 65.9% of the combined Likely and Potential Critical Habitat extent, and KBAs 29.3%, not accounting for the overlap between these two features. Relative Critical Habitat extent in Exclusive Economic Zones varied dramatically between countries. This work is likely to be of particular use for industries operating in the marine and coastal realms as an early screening aid prior to in situ Critical Habitat assessment; to financial institutions making investment decisions; and to those wishing to implement good practice policies relevant to biodiversity management. Supplementary material (available online) includes other global datasets considered, documentation and justification of biodiversity feature classification, detail of IFC PS6 criteria/scenarios, and coverage calculations.  相似文献   

建筑用途的城市职住空间组织特征研究     

王淼  郭燕宾  杨旭东  张译  谢燕峰 《测绘科学》2021,46(1):196-202

针对现有职住空间关系的研究难以在微观维度上有效促进大城市职住功能空间的均衡发展以及规划政策与现状发展存在的时序错位问题,该文以北京市为例,从房屋建筑使用用途的角度切入,运用空间自相关分析模型、热点分析模型和职住用地比三个评价方法,同时借用ArcGIS软件平台进行空间分析与可视化表达,探究北京职住空间在乡镇尺度下的组织特征。研究发现:北京市职住空间表现为聚类分布的空间格局特征,以首都功能核心区为中心,大致呈现出环状圈层分布,北京市职住空间的“热点区”在空间分布上存在差异,而“冷点区”在空间分布上基本相同,职住空间关系存在失衡,与规划目标存在一定的偏差。提出的研究方法从微观维度分析了城市职住空间的组织特征,促进了城市规划与发展时序的有效结合,可在特大城市的职住空间关系的研究中进行推广应用。  相似文献   

Biodiversity and abundance patterns of rock encrusting fauna in a temperate fjord     

《Marine environmental research》2013

Fjords are semi-enclosed systems often with usually strong physical and chemical gradients. These gradients provide the opportunity to test the influence of various physical and chemical factors on biodiversity. However study area of this investigation, Trondheimsfjord, is a large water body where especially salinity gradient along the fjord is not well pronounced. The goal of this study was to establish within a temperate fjord a baseline identifying encrusting fauna on rocks and determine the factors driving changes along the length of the fjord and changing depths. There was no trend in species composition change and increase or decrease in number of species, diversity and number of individuals along the fjord. This was likely due to the relative homogeneity of both substrate (rocks) and environmental parameters. Nevertheless, the influence of fresh water inflow in the vicinity of the river mouth was apparent by the presence of characteristic brackish-water species at these locations. Multidimensional scaling analysis revealed three separate assemblages: intertidal, shallow and deep subtidal (below 50 m). Intertidal assemblages were species poor (one to 11 species) but relatively abundant (six to 2374 indiv./m² of rocks). Number of individuals and biomass was highest in the shallow subtidal (2059–13,587 indiv./m² of rocks). Overall the highest species number (45) was recorded at 50 m depth which is probably result of low competition pressure yet still relatively high nutrient concentration in comparison to shallower locations. Environmental parameters (i.e., tidal currents, wave action, salinity) change more drastically with depth than along the fjord and these changes are the major driving forces in shaping encrusting assemblages in Trondheimsfjord.  相似文献   

Soil and vegetation seasonal changes in the grazing Andean Mountain grasslands     

MU?OZ María ángeles  FAZ ángel 《山地科学学报》2014,11(5):1123-1137

Andean grasslands ecosystems are fragile environments with rigorous climatologic conditions and low and variable food for the grazing. The Apolobamba area is located in the Bolivian Andean Mountains. Its high grasslands provide a natural habitat for wild and domestic camelids such as vicuna（Vicugna vicugna） and alpaca（Lama pacos）. The botanical diversity plays an essential role in maintaining vital ecosystem functions. The objectives of this research were to determine the seasonal changes in soil properties, to study the vegetation changes during the wet and dry seasons and the influence of soil properties and camelid densities on the vegetation in the Apolobamba grasslands. Four zones with different vicuna populations were selected to be studied. The following soil parameters were determined： total organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable cations, pH and texture. The vegetation season changes were studied through botanical identification, above-ground biomass, plant cover and species richness. Results showed that some soil properties such as C/N ratio, CEC, silt and clay percentages kept stable against the seasonal changes. Generally, soil nutrients were relatively higher during the dry season in the surface and subsurface. The results did not point out the predominant vegetation growth during the wet season. The seasonal vegetation growth depended on each species. Thegood soil fertility corresponded to the highest plant cover. Soil fertility presented no influence on the above-ground biomass of the collected species. The negative influence of camelid grazing on soil properties could not be assessed. However, overgrazing could affect some plant species. Therefore, protection is needed in order to preserve the biodiversity in the Andean mountain grasslands.  相似文献   

Biodiversity and invasibility: Distribution patterns of invasive plant species in the Himalayas,Nepal   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

BHATTARAI Khem Raj  M?REN Inger Elisabeth  SUBEDI Suresh Chandra 《山地科学学报》2014,11(3):688-696

Invasive plant species are exerting a serious threat to biological diversity in many regions of the world. To understand plant invasions this study aims to test which of the two plant invasiveness hypotheses; ‘low native diversity' vs. ‘high native diversity', is supported by the regional distribution patterns of invasive plant species in the Himalayas,Nepal. This study is based on data retrieved from published literatures and herbarium specimens. The relationship between invasive plant species distribution patterns and that of native plant species is elucidated by scatter plots, as well as by generalized linear models. The native plant species and invasive plant species have similar distribution patterns and the maximum number of invasive plant species is found in the same altitudinal range where the highest richness for native tree species is found. There is a clear trend of higher invasive plant richness in regions where native tree species richness is relatively high.Consequently, the native plant richness is highest in the central phytogeographic region, followed by the eastern and the western regions, respectively. The invasive plant species also follows a similar trend.Additionally, the invasive plant species richness was positively correlated with anthropogenic factors such as human population density and the number of visiting tourists. This study supports the hypothesis that ‘high native diversity' supports or facilitates invasive plant species. Further, it indicates that nativeand invasive plant species may require similar natural conditions, but that the invasive plant species seem more dependent and influenced by anthropogenic disturbance factors.  相似文献   

改善MODIS BRDF产品热点效应的方法研究   总被引：3，自引：3，他引：0  

董亚冬  焦子锑  张虎  李佳悦  焦广平  石涵予 《遥感学报》2014,18(4):804-825

核驱动的Ross Thick-LiSparse Reciprocal(RTLSR)双向反射函数(BRDF)模型已广泛地应用于MODIS等星载传感器的业务化产品处理中。但是,对于多年MODIS二向反射产品历史数据,如何基于RTMLSR模型发展一种简单有效快速的方法,进行热点效应的校正是一个迫切需要解决的问题。本文提出了一种简单有效的方法,不需要对观测数据重新反演,直接在现有MODIS二向反射产品的基础上进行热点校正,方便用户对历史MODIS二向反射产品的使用。该方法应用POLDER-3/BRDF数据库和部分经MODIS业务化算法筛选的反射率数据进行验证,并与RTLSR模型和RTMLSR模型的结果进行比较,结果表明:(1)该方法比现有的MODIS业务化RTLSR算法,对热点反射率有明显改善,拟合相对误差平均降低了10.12%;(2)该方法相对于RTMLSR模型在热点反射率拟合效果上差别不大,相对误差相差2.10%;(3)该方法对热点和冷点归一化的植被指数(NDHD)的估算效果有一定程度的改善,相对于RTLSR模型降低了约4.99%,与RTMLSR模型的相对误差相差1.32%,该方法对直接应用现有MODIS BRDF产品,基于热点方向反射率反演植被结构参数(如植被聚集指数)的精度提高有现实应用价值。  相似文献