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The Yellow River Delta (YRD), a critical economic zone along China's eastern coast, also functions as a vital ecological reserve in the lower Yellow River. Amidst rapid industrialization and urbanization, the region has witnessed significant land use/cover changes (LUCC), impacting ecosystem services (ES) and ecological security patterns (ESP). Investigating LUCC's effects on ES and ESP in the YRD is crucial for ecological security and sustainable development. This study utilized the PLUS model to simulate 2030 land use scenarios, including natural development (NDS), economic development (EDS), and ecological protection scenarios (EPS). Subsequently, the InVEST model and circuit theory were applied to assess ES and ESP under varying LUCC scenarios from 2010 to 2030. Findings indicate: (1) Notable LUCC from 2010 to 2030, marked by decreasing cropland and increasing construction land and water bodies. (2) From 2010 to 2020, improvements were observed in carbon storage, water yield, soil retention, and habitat quality, whereas 2020-2030 saw increases in water yield and soil retention but declines in habitat quality and carbon storage. Among the scenarios, EPS showed superior performance in all four ES. (3) Between 2010 and 2030, ecological sources, corridors, and pinchpoints expanded, displaying significant spatial heterogeneity. The EPS scenario yielded the most substantial increases in ecological sources, corridors, and pinchpoints, totaling 582.89 km2, 645.03 km2, and 64.43 km2, respectively. This study highlights the importance of EPS, offering insightful scientific guidance for the YRD's sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cuxtal Ecological Reserve is located in the urban periphery of Merida. This reserve represents an element of tourist interest due to the diversity of tourist resources, although these have not been recognized yet. In addition, most of the local population has traditional culinary knowledge, which is little explored from a tourist perspective. This article proposes to identify the culinary resources of the reserve to elaborate a culinary map. The study is based on in-depth interviews with residents to assess their culinary knowledge, visitor surveys, and the field's traditional food and agricultural product mapping. The results show that it has the potential to develop culinary tourism. Gastronomy can play an important role in boosting the local economy and conserving culinary identity among the inhabitants under the pressure of ultra-processed food from Merida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing the composition of mosquito community, their temporal dynamics and relationship with abiotic factors in urban areas is of interest in public health because many species are vectors of pathogens. This is the first survey of diurnal adult mosquitoes in an urban reserve in Buenos Aires City (Argentina). Fortnightly daytime samples were carried out during a year affected by a drought due to La Niña effect, to describe the adult mosquito community and analyze its association with environmental variables. Ten species belonging to the genera Culex L., Aedes Meigen, Psorophora Robineau-Desvoidy and Mansonia Blanchard were captured, some of which are vectors of pathogens (e.g. Aedes albifasciatus (Macquart) and the complex Culex pipiens L.). Diversity did not vary significantly among seasons, and the composition was moderately similar (ANOVA: p = 0.11; Dice-Sorensen: 0.50-0.77). However, classification of species as core, common or rare in the community varied. A canonical correspondence analysis allowed us to identify a group of five species associated with summer and high temperatures. The other species were not grouped, and were associated with rainfall, relative humidity or another season. These associations help to understand the presence and abundance of those species during a prolonged drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While knowledge of the ecological impacts of marine debris is continually advancing, methods to evaluate the comparative scale of these impacts are less well developed. In the case of costly environmental restoration in marine and coastal environments, quantifying and comparing the ecological impacts of diverse forms of ecosystem injuries can facilitate a more efficient selection of restoration projects. This article proposes evaluating marine debris removal projects in an ecological service equivalency analysis framework that can be used to compare marine debris removal to other types of environmental restoration. Drawing on existing spatial and temporal data with respect to marine debris impacts on habitats and resources, we demonstrate how resource managers and organizations involved in marine debris removal can quantify the ecological service benefits of a removal project and use it to comparatively select between projects based on present value ecological benefits. This valuation can be useful in natural resource damage assessment restoration selection, and for directing limited funds to marine debris removal projects which produce the greatest gains in ecological services. This ecological scaling framework is applied to a seagrass injury case study to demonstrate its application for scaling marine debris removal as compensatory restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal Architecture & Design / Revista de Arquitectura & Diseño is the property of ECORFAN-Mexico S.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article takes its cue from Timothy Morton's invitation to think all things in terms of radioactivity. Instead of focusing on objects, however, the author explores radiation in the imagination of animal desire in the nuclear dystopia. Her working hypothesis is that the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone—now an ecological reserve—is paradigmatic or symptomatic, a theater for the complicated libidinal architecture of the kinds of postapocalyptic sites that may in coming years become the primary places for charismatic megafauna to live, and in which conservation becomes the management not just of bodies, populations, or sexual practices but of desire itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential influence of natural ecosystems on human health has been widely acknowledged globally. Nevertheless, the causality of such a correlation among the middle-aged and older populations in developing countries awaits further investigations. This study aims to understand how a specific natural ecosystem change, namely the establishment of ecological reserves, improves the physical and mental health of middle-aged and older residents in China. Two batches of national key eco-function zones (NKEFZs) in 2011 and 2016 are selected as a quasi-experiment; and a total of 128,755 middle-aged and older residents from a combined data set from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) and China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Studies (CHARLS) from 2010 to 2020. A difference-in-differences method was used to identify the causal effects of the natural ecosystem improvement on human health outcomes. The results indicate significant and sustained improvements in the physical health of local middle-aged and elderly residents following the implementation of the NKEFZs policy. Notably, ecological reserves with a water conservation function and those in Karst area have the most salient effects on physical health. Furthermore, this study shows that the creation of ecological reserves improves the mental health of middle-aged and older residents, with the effect varying based on changes in physical health. This study provides new insights into the positive impact of natural ecosystem improvement on human health outcomes, in particular physical and mental health. • There is a strong link between natural ecosystems and human health. • Establishment of NKEFZs can improve the physical health of middle-aged and elderly residents in China. • Conservation of water resources and maintenance of the Karst landform ecosystem are the greatest improvements to physical health. • Establishment of NKEFZs also had a positive impact on mental health. • Effects of mental health improvement vary subject to changes in physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exotic species pose a threat to most ecosystems because of their potential to establish negative interactions with native biota. However, exotic species can also offer resources to native species, especially within highly modified environments such as urban ecosystems. We studied 17 exotic-native pairs of species with the potential to compete with one another, or in which one of the species could offer resources to the other, in an urban ecological reserve located within Mexico City. We used two-species occupancy models to analyze the potential association between the presence of the exotic species and the spatial distribution of the native species, as well as to assess if these species tend to avoid each other (negative spatial interaction) or to co-occur more often than expected under the hypothesis of independent occurrences (positive spatial interaction). Our results revealed few cases in which the exotic species influenced occupancy of the native species, and these spatial interactions were mainly positive, indicated by the fact that the occupancy of the native species was usually higher when the exotic species was also present. Seven of the eight observed non-independent patterns of co-occurrence were evident during the dry months of the year, when resources become scarce for most species. Our results also demonstrate that the observed patterns of species co-occurrence depend on the distance to the nearest urban structure and the amount of herb, shrub, and tree cover, indicating that these habitat features influence whether native species avoid or co-occur with exotic species. Our study represents an important contribution to the understanding of temporal dynamics in the co-occurrence between exotic and native species within urban ecological reserves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, protected areas have been connected with the rest of the world through telecouplings (socioeconomic and environmental interactions over distances) that are essential for their structures and functions. Unfortunately, many of the Earth's protected areas are located in regions with frequent natural disasters that can profoundly affect telecouplings. Although there have been many studies evaluating socioeconomic or ecological effects of natural disasters separately, systematic evaluations of socioeconomic and ecological effects of natural disasters by altering multiple telecouplings have remained rare. With long-term data collected in China's Wolong Nature Reserve for giant pandas (Wolong), we applied the telecoupling framework to assess the effects of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake on telecouplings that link Wolong with the rest of the world, as well as their subsequent effects on coupled human and natural systems in Wolong. Our results show that the earthquake altered all major components of multiple telecouplings and generated complex socioeconomic and ecological effects in Wolong. Based on these understood effects, we provide suggestions to enhance environmental sustainability and human well-being in Wolong and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bryophyte diversity in northern British Columbia is insufficiently studied. We conducted a bryophyte survey in a 2.2-km2 proposed ecological reserve at the summit of Pink Mountain in the Peace River District of northern British Columbia. Pink Mountain is at the southern periphery of the ranges of several arctic flora species as well as the northernmost reaches of other temperate flora species. The south summit of Pink Mountain has a high floristic diversity coincident with its limestone geology, which provides a more alkaline condition for plant growth than the north summit does. We documented 65 species, including 2 new provincial records for British Columbia (Polytrichum hyperboreum and Tayloria hornschuchii), one red-listed (threatened) species (Tortula systylia), and one blue-listed (at-risk) species (Mnium arizonicum). Polytrichum hyperboreum and T. hornschuchii have affinities to habitats more typical of polar regions. The presence of P. hyperboreum at Pink Mountain represents a southward range extension from 61°33'N in western North America. Because isolated populations at species distribution limits are likely to be vulnerable to climate change, the establishment of an ecological reserve on the south end of the summit of Pink Mountain is important for the preservation of bryophyte habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve (SMER), southern California, an ~ 108 Ma diorite-gabbro pluton has weathered spheroidally resulting in the formation of concentric rindlets, i.e., a rindlet zone, around an unaltered ellipsoidal core of the parent rock. To our knowledge little is known about how spheroidal weathering is produced in Mediterranean climates like that characteristic of portions of the Peninsular Ranges. Hence, we undertook a detailed study aimed at determining the textural and chemical changes associated with the spheroidal weathering of the diorite-gabbro pluton. The parental spheroidally weathered corestone is characterized by a hypidomorphic-granular texture, and consists primarily of plagioclase, amphibole, and biotite, along with minor amounts of pyroxene and quartz. Within the corestone, sericite, and uncommonly, calcite and chlorite, replace plagioclase. The latter mineral also infrequently replaces portions of amphibole and biotite. Such alteration products are derived from sub-solidus deuteric alteration of the pluton. XRD clay mineral analysis of the 13 rindlets indicates the presence of mostly kaolinite and vermiculite, and a far lesser volume of green smectite. Thin section study of rindlet samples suggests that vermiculite is derived from the weathering of biotite, the most extensively altered mineral in the rindlet zone. Such alteration is paralleled by statistically significant losses of K mass across the rindlet zone. In addition, statistically significant losses of Ca and Na mass across the rindlet zone, likely reflect conversion of sericite to kaolinite. In contrast, the absence of statistically significant losses of Mg, Fe, and Mn over most of the rindlet zone, implies that fluids were mostly oxidizing, and that any Mg leached from amphibole was likely fixed within smectite, while leached Fe and Mn precipitated out as oxides or oxyhydroxides. Though calcite was present in the corestone, its absence in the rindlets indicates that fluids were sufficiently acidic to dissolve and remove it. Previous studies have shown that spheroidal weathering occurs when volume expansion produced by a positive ΔV of reaction builds up internal elastic strain energy in the rock. For example, this type of reaction occurs when iron oxidizes within biotite resulting in an expansion of d(001) from 10 Å to 10.5 Å, or when biotite is transformed into vermiculite leading to an expansion of d(001) from 10 Å to 14 Å. Data presented here suggest that the conversion of biotite to vermiculite, and the resulting positive ΔV produced the spheroidal fracturing of the corestone at SMER. Hence, these and other data discussed in this paper suggest that the weathering of biotite is the primary driving force in the formation of spheroidally weathered corestone in the Mediterranean climate of the Peninsular Ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Located along the Argentine coastline of northern Patagonia, are San Matías (SMG) and San José (SJG) gulfs; although they are regarded as an area with a high-priority conservational status, knowledge on their diversity is currently fragmentary. Studies on molluscs from this area have been historically centred in economic resources and few works have referred to non-commercial species. The present study aims to document the biological diversity of molluscs at the SMG/SJG area, in order to determine the significance of these two gulfs in the context of the Argentine marine fauna; to evaluate how well represented is this fauna in three protected areas; and to compare the fauna present in the protected areas with that of a non-protected area. For that purpose, molluscs coming from 132 sampling stations, ranging from the intertidal to 170 m depth, were studied, and a thorough bibliographic compilation was performed. A total of 196 species of molluscs are reported for the area. Surprisingly, almost one third of these species lacked previous records for SMG/SJG, including several new/possibly new species. The three studied protected areas contain 88.3% of the species recognised for the entire SMG/SJG area. Although several species appear as exclusive from one of these three areas, many of them are also present in an intermediately located, non-protected area. Molluscan diversity at the SMG/SJG area is greater than previously thought, comprising about 41.4% of the bivalves and 37.8% of the gastropods present in the Argentine shelf; thus suggesting that the area may be considered as a hot-spot of diversity in the Argentine Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience with alchemy at the Sylvia McLaughlin Ecological Reserve in California.

Copyright of Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciências Ambientais is the property of CBPC - Companhia Brasileira de Producao Cientifica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Within a geographic information systems environment, we combine field measures of mangrove tree diameter, mangrove species distribution, and mangrove tree density with remotely sensed measures of mangrove location and mangrove canopy cover to estimate the mangrove carbon holdings of northern Ecuador. We find that the four northern estuaries of Ecuador contain approximately 7,742,999 t (§15.47 percent) of standing carbon. Of particularly high carbon holdings are the Rhizophora mangle-dominated mangrove stands found in and around the Cayapas-Mataje Ecological Reserve in northern Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador, and certain stands of Rhizophora mangle in and around the Isla Corazón y Fragata Wildlife Refuge in central Manabó Province, Ecuador. Our field-driven mangrove carbon estimate is higher than all but one of the comparison models evaluated. We find that basic latitudinal mangrove carbon models performed at least as well, if not better, than the more complex species-based allometric models in predicting standing carbon levels. In addition, we find that improved results occur when multiple models are combined as opposed to relying on any one single model for mangrove carbon estimates. The high level of carbon contained in these mangrove forests, combined with the future atmospheric carbon sequestration potential they offer, makes it a necessity that they are included in any future payment for ecosystem services strategy aimed at using forest systems to offset CO2 emissions and mitigate predicted CO2- driven temperature increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological compensation for hydropower development should internalize the exterior costs of losses to both humans and the environment from hydropower projects and their associated resettlement projects in a reservoir wetland. However, the externalities from the resettlement are rarely considered in current compensation policies or regulations, and thus many new environmental issues arise in the reservoir wetland region. In this context, an ecological compensation accounting method for hydropower resettlement was established in this study based on human welfare change. Within it, the preferences of respondents for environmental, social, and cultural attributes can be identified and evaluated through an integration of a choice experiment with a random utility model. Thus, the ecological compensation standard for hydropower resettlement could be determined, while various compensation schemes can be considered for the wetland region in accordance with the preferences of re-settlers. With a case study of the Pondo hydropower resettlement project in Tibet, China, the results showed the utility of the respondents for a single attribute ranged from 43.08 to 127.69 CNY, with the sequence of importance being natural environment, religious practice, and social relationships. Accordingly, the ecological compensation standard for the Pondo hydropower resettlement would be set in the range of 90–127.69 CNY per year, per family. Comprehensive environmental, social, and cultural compensation should be considered to improve human welfare and ecological service function in the Pondo reservoir wetland region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the knowledge of biodiversity and identify larval habitats used by immature mosquitoes in the Atlantic Forest, we conducted a study in areas with various stages of preservation within the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve in Cachoeiras de Macacu, Rio de Janeiro state. The Culicidae fauna were sampled during February, April, June, August, October, and December 2012; February, March, April, May, June, August, October, and December 2013; and January and March 2014. Immature mosquitoes were collected with dippers and suction tubes (mouth aspirators). Over the sampling period, 2697 larvae of 56 species were collected, some of which are recognized vectors of human diseases. The larval mosquito community found in artificial habitats, temporary ground water, and phytotelmata differed between sites, except for the mosquito fauna in bromeliads, which were almost 80% similar. Species segregation was more evident between larval habitats than between sites. Culex usquatus was the dominant species and colonized the highest number of larval habitats. The artificial larval habitats found in REGUA were colonized by a great diversity of species and high abundance as well, thus human artifacts left by the public in the area that collect water may promote an increase in mosquito populations. Among the species collected, some are known or suspected vectors of pathogens to humans and/or veterinary relevance, and their medical relevance is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition represents a significant N input for many terrestrial ecosystems. N deposition can affect plants on scales ranging from photosynthesis to community composition, yet few studies have investigated how changes in N availability affect plant water relations. We tested the effects of N addition on plant water relations, hydraulic traits, functional traits, gas exchange, and leaf chemistry in a semi-arid ecosystem in Southern California using long-term experimental plots fertilized with N for over a decade. The dominant species were Artemisia california and Salvia mellifera at Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve and Adenostoma fasciculatum and Ceanothus greggii at Sky Oaks Field Station. All species, except Ceanothus, showed increased leaf N concentration, decreased foliar carbon to N ratio, and increased foliar N isotopic composition with fertilization, indicating that added N was taken up by study species, yet each species had a differing physiological response to long-term N addition. Dry season predawn water potentials were less negative with N addition for all species except Adenostoma, but there were no differences in midday water potentials, or wet season water potentials. Artemisia was particularly responsive, as N addition increased stem hydraulic conductivity, stomatal conductance, and leaf carbon isotopic composition, and decreased wood density. The alteration of water relations and drought resistance parameters with N addition in Artemisia, as well as Adenostoma, Ceanothus, and Salvia, indicate that N deposition can affect the ability of native Southern California shrubs to respond to drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Scolytinae and Platypodinae are group of widely distributed tropical insects that are capable of using a wide range of hosts. The study of diversity associated with conservation sites allows estimating the richness and abundance of species, their population dynamics as well as understanding the population behavior over time. The species richness and abundance of Scolytinae and Platypodinae was studied in the Chontalpa Ecological Reserve (REC) and the José Narciso Rovirosa Botanical Garden (JBU) in Tabasco, Mexico. Insects were captured with ethyl alcohol traps. A total of 7 057 specimens belonging to 46 species and 26 genera were collected and identified; 42 species from 23 genera belong to Scolytinae and four species from three genera to Platypodinae. The species Bothrosternus foveatus (Blackman, 1943); Dendroterus luteolus (Schedl, 1951); Dendrocranulus guatemalensis (Hopkins, 1915); Micracis swainei (Blackman, 1920); Pseudothysanoes tenellus (Wood, 1971) y Ambrosiodmus obliquus (Leconte, 1878) are new records for the state of Tabasco. The species Corthylus papulans Eichhoff, 1869 with 2 509 specimens (35.55); Xyleborus volvulus (Fabricius, 1775) with 1 435 (20.33); and Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, 1868 with 1 061 (15.03) were the most common species, representing 70.9 % of total. The population dynamics of these insects showed its highest peak during February and March with 2 728 specimens in JBU and December with 322 in REC of year 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadbeater's possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) is an arboreal marsupial that occurs primarily in the montane ash forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria. Leadbeater's possum is among the best studied endangered species globally. Despite extensive monitoring and research, the ongoing population trajectory of the species has resulted in its recent upgrading from Endangered to Critically Endangered. One of the key processes threatening the species is the widespread use of clearfell logging, which significantly degrades the habitat of the species and results in long-term habitat loss, fragmented populations, and an elevated risk of high-severity crown-scorching fires. A general principle underpinning conservation biology is to remove key threatening processes to enhance the conservation of species. The cessation of clearfell logging and a major expansion of the reserve system are urgently needed to limit the risk of extinction of Leadbeater's possum. Current government policies and practices that continue to result in clearfelling of montane ash forests run counter to the large body of science indicating what is needed to conserve Leadbeater's possum. A large ecological reserve is urgently required to maximise the chances that the species will persist in the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to gain insight into the diversity of culturable actinobacteria in desert soil crusts and to determine the physiological characteristics of the predominant actinobacterial group in these crusts. Culture-dependent method was employed to obtain actinobacterial strains from desert soil samples collected from Shapotou National Desert Ecological Reserve (NDER) located in Tengger Desert, China. A total of 376 actinobacterial strains were isolated and 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis indicated that these isolates belonged to 29 genera within 18 families, among which the members of the family Geodermatophilaceae were predominant. The combination of 16S rRNA gene information and the phenotypic data allowed these newly-isolated Geodermatophilaceae members to be classified into 33 "species clusters," 11 of which represented hitherto unrecognized species. Fermentation broths from 19.7% of the isolated strains showed activity in at least one of the six screens for antibiotic activity. These isolates exhibited bio-diversity in enzymatic characteristics and carbon utilization profiles. The physiological characteristics of the isolates from different types of crusts or bare sand samples were specific to their respective micro-ecological environments. Our study revealed that members of the family Geodermatophilaceae were ubiquitous, abundant, and diverse in Shapotou NDER, and these strains may represent a new major group of potential functional actinobacteria in desert soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its ‘ecological reserve’, South African National Water Act of 1998 is perceived as one of the most ambitious Water Acts in the world from an environmental perspective. At first sight, this ‘ecological reserve’ provision could be mistaken for a typical case of North–South policy transfer when actually it was initially engineered by the Department of Water Affairs and its civil engineers in the 1970s–1980s. The paper shows the renewed influence of the scientific community over the definition of the concept during the debate leading to the adoption of the Water Reform Act in the mid-1990s. While investing in the international arena, South African hydro-ecologists managed to reinforce their position in the domestic arena at the same time. Therefore, we demonstrate complex interdependence between domestic and international levels benefiting this travelling concept. Finally, we emphasize that for hydro-ecologists, the international arena was never a resource already there but an opportunity created. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The biophysical features of small islands (SI) distinguish them from other territories; isolation, small size and several anthropogenic pressures reduce the resilience of ecosystems and increase their vulnerability to global changes. Many SI have a shortage of infrastructures, institutions and technical/financial resources that hinder planning and require different integrated solutions. In Portugal, the National Ecological Reserve (NER) is legally binding for spatial planning instruments. It aims to defend natural values and areas of ecological value, or sensibility, or susceptible to natural hazards. However, the criteria for the design of NER are strictly set for mainland territory, not taking into account specific features of small islands. A case study of the Azores Archipelago is used to demonstrate that spatial planning instruments should be adapted to island contexts. Such adaptation will increase the effectiveness of their implementation in relation to the protection of natural resources, stability of biophysical structures and prevention of natural hazards. Observing the main differences between mainland and the Azores Archipelago it is possible to define a methodological transposition of the NER aims and goals into an island context. This approach is an answer to the constraints in effective adaptation of spatial planning instruments for islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A temporal observational study was conducted of the Culicidae fauna in a remnant area of Atlantic Forest within a private reserve (Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve-REGUA) presenting typical vegetation cover of dense rain forest, with some patches recovering a floristic composition similar to that of the original community. Research was carried out to analyze the influence of climatic factors (mean monthly temperature, rainfall, and air relative humidity) on the temporal dynamics of the mosquito communities that occur in the reserve. The completeness of the mosquito inventory was assessed with individual-based rarefaction-extrapolation curves. Differences in species composition between sites and months were tested with PERMANOVA. True diversities of orders 0, 1, and 2 (effective numbers) were estimated and compared between sites, months, and years. Multiple stepwise regressions were used to assess relationships between climatic variables, measures of diversity, and abundances of the most common species. There were significant interactive effects between year and site on measures of diversity. However, diversity estimates showed little variation among months, and these were weakly correlated with climatic variables. Abundances of the most common species were significantly related to temperature or relative humidity, but not rainfall. The presence of mosquito species known to be vectors of human diseases combined with an intermittent flow of visitors to the study area suggests there is a risk of disease transmission that warrants further monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a broad evaluation of the implications of market-based conservation ( MBC) strategies from economic, social and ecological perspectives. After reviewing the economic theory that underlies MBC initiatives, we develop a list of approaches that have been labeled as 'market-based', and categorize them according to the degree to which they are free-standing markets or require the intervention of the state. A multidisciplinary critique reveals the potential problems and pitfalls of MBC are due to a lack of ability to deal with dynamic systems in the real world. The dynamics of these three systems can undermine the intended goals of MBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a self-adaptive GA-aided multi-objective ecological reservoir operation model (SMEROM) and applies it to water quality management in the Xiangxi River near to the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. The SMEROM integrates statistical water quality models, multi-objective reservoir operations, and a self-adaptive GA within a general framework. Among them, the statistical water quality models of the Xiangxi River are formulated to deal with the relationships between reservoir operation and water quality, which are embedded in constraints of the SMEROM. The multiple objective functions, including maximizing hydropower generation, minimizing loss of flood control, minimizing rate of flood risk, maximizing the average remaining capacity of flood control and maximizing the benefit of shipping, are considered simultaneously to obtain comprehensive benefit among the environment, society and economy. The weighting method is employed to convert the multiple objectives to a single objective. To solve the complex SMEROM, an improved self-adaptive GA is employed through incorporating simulated binary crossover and self-adaptive mutation. To demonstrate the advantage of the developed SMEROM model, the solutions through ecological reservoir operation are compared with those through the traditional reservoir operation and the practical operation in 2011, in terms of water quality, reservoir operation and objective function values. The results show that most of benefit in the ecological operation is better than that in the traditional or practical operations except for the hydropower benefit and loss benefit of flood control. This is because flood control and environmental protection are reasonably considered in the ecological operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the bromeliad species Tillandsia deppeana in Cuba. Topics include the first T. deppeana collection in Cuba dating back from 1929 brought from Central Cuba by Canadian dendrologist and botanist J. G. Jack, the plants with funnelform rosette spikes in a spiral arrangement with water-holding properties. Also mentioned are growth of the herbaria specimen at Pico Potrillio and the endangered species conservation managed by the Ecological Reserve Pico San Juan.

A number of mathematical models and solution techniques have been developed to design systems of reserve sites to protect species and their natural habitats. This paper presents two optimization models for obtaining ecological reserve systems that are spatially compact. Compact reserve systems will increase species persistence relative to more fragmented systems and can reduce the costs associated with reserve boundaries. These optimization models employ a hierarchical approach that incorporates both the boundary length of all clusters and the sum of within-cluster distances. Unlike previous approaches, we argue that measuring the distance between sites within clusters (and not between clusters) is more appropriate. Numerical experiments are conducted on synthetic grid systems and on a real-world hexagonal data set. These experiments confirm that the models produce reasonably compact clusters of reserve sites that respect species availability and budget constraints. Simplifications to the models are developed that significantly reduce the computational effort, while still identifying reasonable sets of reserve clusters. Sensitivity of the results to changes in model parameters (number of allowable sites, number of possible clusters, and rarity of species covered) is also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Portuguese National Ecological Reserve (NER) was created in 1983, with the aim of preserving, in certain areas, the biophysical structure necessary to maintain exploitation of natural resources and land use without jeopardizing their sustainability. For the first time, issues related to groundwater resources were addressed. Since then, this legal tool has been revised for a better integration of the new national and European legislation and new scientific and technical knowledge. In the latest NER, the concept of 'strategic areas of protection and aquifer recharge (SAPAR)' was created, being now necessary to define which are the methodologies and criteria to be applied for its delimitation. This paper summarizes the strategic guidelines that were established from debates held in several meetings with land-use planners, water resources managers, specialists and other stakeholders concerning the development of harmonized definitions and criteria of NER. As a result of those contributions a report was elaborated where guidelines and criteria for the NER delimitation were defined at national level, in accordance with national legislation and other relevant sector plans. In this work, the articulation and integration of SAPAR-protected areas in Portuguese Water Act and the expected difficulties of its application at operative level are evaluated since the SAPAR are important for the control of urban sprawl and therefore to preserve groundwater resources and dependent ecosystems. A brief explanation about the Portuguese main hydrogeological features is given for a better understanding of the groundwater resources and dependent ecosystems. Finally, the key guidelines for a good NER delimitation are compiled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work applies ecological footprint analysis to establish the framework of a carrying capacity model for a national park. The model estimates changes in ecological footprint and biocapacity indicators for Taroko National Park (Taiwan) from 2002 to 2011. The findings indicate that: (1) In the past 10 years, the biocapacity status of Taroko National Park has remained within the environmental capacity; however, the per-capita ecological reserve decreased by 73.38 % between 2002 and 2011, from 0.085010 global hectares to 0.022633 global hectares. Evaluation of the ecological footprint intensity index reveals that the park has maintained a level 1 status, the highest ecological security level; (2) Linear estimation undertaken in the study predicts that when the ecological footprint intensity index reaches 0.5-when the ecological security level falls from level 1 (good) to level 2 (fair)-the critical tourist-carrying capacity would be 3,380,351 visitors per year, or 1.18 times the number of tourists in 2011. Furthermore, when the ecological footprint intensity index reaches 0.8-when the ecological security falls to level 3 (poor)-the critical tourist-carrying capacity would be 5,408,561 visitors per year, or 1.88 times the number of tourists in 2011. This work adopted the ecological footprint method and the threshold ecological footprint intensity index value to estimate the critical number of tourists for the sustainable biocapacity of Taroko National Park. The results are intended to serve as a reference for national park administrators to develop policies on tourist carrying capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]