Wetland resource protection and rational utilization in China

Wetlands of China cover an area of 63 million ha, among which, natural wetlands 25 million ha, including mires, shallow lakes, etc., artificial wetlands 38 million ha. Besides these, there are a lot of rivers and islands, stretching 18,000 km of coastal line and coastal zone below the tidal within the water depth of 6 m. Based on the climatic regional differences, biota similarity and biodiversity abundance, China’s wetlands can be divided into 9 main regions. Wetlands not only have huge functions to regulate mankind’s living environment, but also are the important and precious natural resources. For a long period, since the contradiction between population and resources, energy, grain is getting more and more obvious, China’s wetlands are facing to serious disturbances, such as large-scale reclamation, overhunting, industrial waste water pollution and species introducing. They have brought about the wetland quantity reducing and quality falling, furthermore have effects on sustainable development. For the special national conditions of China, higher population pressure, China should carry out wetland resource protection and rational utilization, not only protection.     

Assessing the economic value of vernacular architecture of mountain regions using contingent valuation

Human pressure on mountain resources poses certain threats to their natural and man-made environment. Although there are many parameters involved, one of the driving forces behind this situation is the emphasis given so far only to the market value of mountain goods and services, ignoring the true social and environmental costs of using mountain resources. Towards this direction, the use of non-market valuation techniques could prove to be beneficial. Bearing in mind the above remarks, the paper presents an application of the Contingent Valuation Method, which aims at estimating the monetary value of a mountain settlement’s vernacular architecture, namely Metsovo. For this purpose, the survey focuses on Metsovo visitors’ willingness to pay a single annual voluntary contribution to an institution that would be founded in order to undertake all necessary actions required to preserve the town’s traditional character. The results are very promising and indicate that vernacular architecture holds a significant economic value that could justify the implementation of appropriate policies towards the protection of vernacular settlements in mountain areas.     

LOCATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH： CASE STUDY IN CHINA

This paper explores how location could affect economic growth and it has always been omitted in economic analysis. Geographic factors can affect economic activities. Three mechanisms of location affecting economic growth have been studied: consumption, production and migration. The initial superior location will take such advantages as lower transport costs and lower price level, so it could have higher consumption utility, higher productivity, and attract more human capital, then lead higher growth. Those regions with the superior location will have higher utility due to more product varities and the comparative lower price, and higher wage due to the production technology, and it would attract more individuals with higher human capital to move to this location. It is a kind of agglomeration, meaning the superior location will hold more advantages and higher growth rate, otherwise those locations with poor geographic factor will be even worse. Based on Chinese provincial economic growth experiences of these years, this paper does some empirical analysis by regressing on some variables including the geographic ones. In this paper, the dummy variables and population density are used to measure the location factor. And we find evidences supporting the view that dominant locations such as coastal areas grow faster, on the contrary,middle and western provinces grow slower. Location does affect economic growth.     

The appraisal of seven economic zones in China

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A STUDY ON COMMERCIAL ECONOMIC REGIONALIZATION IN CHINA

Commercial economic region (CER), or commercial geographical region, is the result of socialized production and development of commodity economy, characterized by system holisty, regional independence, interregional openness and relative steadiness. Commercial economic regionalization provides a scientific basis for organizing and building a commodity circulation network system with all directions, multifunction and openness, rational planning the direction of commodity flow. The principles of commercial economic regionalization are as follows: The principle taking a city business center as the core; the optimization principle of integrated function; the difference principle of physical geographical environment; the uniformity principle of human geographical environment; and the order principle of dissipative structure. According to the above-mentioned principles, China's CER can be divided into 4 1evels.     

The appraisal of seven economic zones in China

The seven economic zones are multiple economic zones, with the characteristic of both long-range economic zone and categorical economic zone. They are the transitional regions between the categorical economic zone and the comprehensive economic zone. The phenomena of overlapping are only allowed to appear in categorical economic zones. The influence of Hongkong return back to China should be considered when doing research on economic zones. Hongkong is the center of the southeastern coasts and will become an offshore banking center of the mainland. According to the theory of economic zoning, the division of the whole country into seven economic zones demonstrates the transitional nature clearly. With the further development of the economy, the deeper maturity of the central cities and the stronger connection of the regional economy, the composite economic zones will gradually turn into more integrated comprehensive economic zones.     

Effects of altitude on county economic development in China

Mountain regions play an increasingly essential role in global sustainable development, and the related sustainable development issues have attracted increasing attention. There are obvious vertical spatial differentiation phenomena in both natural and socio-economic fields with altitude being a key factor affecting the economic development of mountain regions. However, the exact influence of altitude is still unknown. Based on the county scale, this paper used the gravitational potential energy model to evaluate the effects of altitude on economic development in China. The results indicate that the high-altitude areas were the depression areas of county economic development, and county economic density showed a decreasing trend with the increase of altitude. County economic density respectively decreased by 0.10%, 0.04% and 0.02% with every 1% increase in altitude in 2000, 2005 and 2010. Here we demonstrate that high altitude has negative effect on county economy, although the negative effect presented a downward trend. The results also showed that increasing capital and labor investments could reduce the negative effect of high altitude on county economy. In 2010, with every 1% increase in capital and labor density, county economic density increased by 0.62% and 0.83%, respectively. The effects of altitude were the results of multidimensional factors. The fundamental approach to reduce the negative effects of high altitude is to combine the ecological environment and resources to develop characteristic industries. The construction of infrastructure should be strengthened, which can promote the occurrence of the contra-flow of people, logistics and capital, and promote the balanced development of county economy.     

基于水稳定同位素的地下水型陆地植被识别:研究进展、面临挑战及未来研究展望

地下水型陆地植被具有重要的生态服务功能,但正遭受严重威胁,亟需在水资源管理中予以关注和保护.准确识别地下水型陆地植被是其管理和保护的前提.水稳定同位素方法是识别地下水型陆地植被的唯一直接方法,其中:①直接比较法只能获得植物对地下水利用的定性信息,但目前的应用最为广泛;②同位素混合模型能定量评估植物对地下水的依赖性,近期随贝叶斯模型的引入取得了较大进展.当前,植物对地下水利用的时空异质性增加了基于水稳定同位素的地下水型陆地植被的识别难度,还限制了小尺度上的研究成果向大尺度上的拓展;部分植物以间接方式利用地下水,对地下水型陆地植被的识别造成了困扰;根系吸水过程中的同位素分馏和同一植株内木质部水同位素组成的时空异质性常使植物样品的代表性受到质疑;采集到具有代表性的地下水和土壤样品也是当前面临的一个主要挑战.为应对上述挑战,未来应加强3个方面的研究:①研发植物木质部水同位素组成的原位在线连续观测技术,提升基于水稳定同位素的地下水型陆地植被识别的时空分辨率;②借助控制性的同位素标记实验,精细刻画地下水-土壤-植物体系内同位素体的迁移和分馏过程;③将同位素观测与具有物理学意义的生态水文模型相耦合,提高定量评估的分辨率和降低不确定性,探索解决时空异质性和升尺度难题的途径.     

Effects of Climatic Change on Evapotranspiration in Zhalong Wetland, Northeast China

1 Introduction As a result of persistent increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since the 1950s, global and regional climate features, such as temperature and precipitation, have ob- viously changed (Yu et al., 2002). The General Circulation Models (GCMs) provide potential climate scenarios by studying the effects of carbon dioxide on the temperature. Tickell (1993) predicted that the mean temperature will increase by 1℃ till the year 2050 and by 3℃ at the end of the 22th century. S…     

Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Water Quality and Nutrient Removal Efficiency of Restored Wetland: A Case Study in Fujin National Wetland Park,China

To investigate the spatio-temporal and compositional variation of selected water quality parameters and understand the purifying effects of wetland in Fujin National Wetland Park(FNWP), China, the trophic level index(TLI), paired samples t-test and correlation analysis were used for the statistical analysis of a set of 10 water quality parameters. The analyses were based on water samples collected from 22 stations in FNWP between 2014 and 2016. Results initially reveal that total nitrogen(TN) concentrations are above class V levels(2 mg/L), total phosphorus(TP) concentrations are below class Ⅲ levels(0.2 mg/L), and that all other parameters fall within standard ranges. Highest values for TN, pH, and Chlorophyll-a were recorded in 2016, while the levels of chemical oxygen demand(COD_(Mn)) and biochemical oxygen demand(BOD5) were lowest during this year. Similarly, TN values were highest between 2014 and 2016 while dissolved oxygen(DO) concentrations were lowest in the summer and TP concentrations were highest in the autumn. Significant variations were also found in Secchi depth(SD), TN, CODMn(P 0.01), TP, and DO levels(P 0.05) between the inlet and outlet of the park. High-to-low levels of TN, TP, and TDS were found in cattails, reeds, and open water(the opposite trend was seen in SD levels). Tested wetland water had a light eutrophication status in most cases and TN and TP removal rates were between 7.54%–84.36% and 37.50%–70.83%, respectively. Data also show no significant annual changes in water quality within this wetland, although obvious affects from surrounding agricultural drainage were nevertheless recorded. Results reveal a high major nutrient removal efficiency(N and P). The upper limits of these phenomena should be addressed in future research alongside a more efficient and scientific agricultural layout for the regions in and around the FNWP.     

Spatial distribution of mountainous regions and classifications of economic development in China

China is a mountainous country with a great diversity of landform and geomorphology. This diversity underlines the need for regionalization and classification. This study defines the mountain terrains and regions with three criteria - elevation, relative height, and slope, and examines the extent of mountainous regions by using county as the basic administrative unit. According to the three parameters of economic base, resident income and development potential, we classified the economic development level in mountainous regions of China. The findings reveal that the extent of the mountainous region accounts for 74.9% of the Mainland China’s total area. The economic development of mountainous regions in China is classified into 4 main types and 23 subtypes.     

Urban expansion and its influencing factors in Natural Wetland Distribution Area in Fuzhou City, China

This paper principally focuses on land use dynamics,urban expansion and underlying driving forces in the Natural Wetland Distribution Area(NWDA)of Fuzhou City in the southeastern China.Based on time series Landsat TM/ETM+imageries and historical data,relationships between urban land expansion and its influencing factors from 1989 to 2009 were analyzed by using an integrated approach of remote sensing(RS)and geographic information system(GIS)techniques.The results showed that built-up land increased from 151.16 km2in 1989 to 383.76 km 2in 2009. Approximately 64.25%of the newly emerging built-up land was converted from cropland(29.47%),forest and shrub (25.78%),water(3.73%),wetland(4.61%),and bare land(0.66%)during 1989 and 2009.With a remarkable decrease in cropland,the proportion of non-agricultural population increased by 23.6%.Moreover,rapid development of infrastructures,facilities,industrial parks,and urban and rural settlements along the Minjiang River resulted in the eastward and southward expansion of built-up land.Additionally,the growth pattern of built-up land in the NWDA is highly correlated with socio-economic factors,including the gross domestic product(GDP),GDP per capita,and structure of industry.As a result,the observed environmental degradation such as loss of cropland and wetland due to heavy pressure of rapid urbanization have greatly impaired the carrying capacity of city.Thus,in addition to scientific and rational policies towards minimizing the adverse effects of urbanization,coordination between the administrative agencies should be urgently strengthened to balance the conflicts between urban development and ecological conservation to make sure the sustainable land use.     

Impact of Wetland Change on Local Climate in Semi-arid Zone of Northeast China

Wetlands are sensitive to climate change, in the same time, wetlands can influence climate. This study analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of wetland change in the semi-arid zone of Northeast China from 1985 to 2010, and investigated the impact of large area of wetland change on local climate. Results showed that the total area of wetlands was on a rise in the study area. Although natural wetlands(marshes, riparians and lakes) decreased, constructed wetlands(rice fields) increased significantly, and the highest increase rate in many places exceeded 30%. Anthropogenic activities are major driving factors for wetland change. Wetland change produced an impact on local climate, mainly on maximum temperature and precipitation during the period of May–September. The increase(or decrease) of wetland area could reduce(or increase) the increment of maximum temperature and the decrement of precipitation. The changes in both maximum temperature and precipitation corresponded with wetland change in spatial distribution. Wetland change played a more important role in moderating local climate compared to the contribution of woodland and grassland changes in the study area. Cold-humid effect of wetlands was main way to moderating local climate as well as alleviating climatic warming and drying in the study area, and heterogeneity of underlying surface broadened the cold-humid effect of wetlands.     

Value Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services in the Da Hinggan Mountains,China

This study examined regional differences in ecosystem services for the Da Hinggan Mountains(DHM),China.A correction index was constructed based on ten-year aver...     

Molecular Fingerprints of Soil Organic Matter in a Typical Freshwater Wetland in Northeast China

Natural wetlands are known to store huge amounts of organic carbon in their soils. Despite the importance of this storage,uncertainties remain about the molecular characteristics of soil organic matter(SOM), a key factor governing the stability of soil organic carbon(SOC). In this study, the molecular fingerprints of SOM in a typical freshwater wetland in Northeast China were investigated using pyrolysis gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry technology(Py-GC/MS). Results indicated that the SOC, total nitrogen(TN),and total sulfur contents of the cores varied between 16.88% and 45.83%, 0.93% and 2.82%, and 1.09% and 3.79%, respectively. The bulk δ^13C and δ^15N varied over a range of 9.85‰, between –26.85‰ and –17.00‰, and between –0.126‰ and 1.002‰, respectively. A total of 134 different pyrolytic products were identified, and they were grouped into alkyl(including n-alkanes(C:0) and n-alkenes(C:1),aliphatics(Al), aromatics(Ar), lignin(Lg), nitrogen-containing compounds(Nc), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), phenols(Phs), polysaccharides(Ps), and sulfur-containing compounds(Sc). On average, Phs moieties accounted for roughly 24.11% peak areas of the total pyrolysis products, followed by Lg(19.27%), alkyl(18.96%), other aliphatics(12.39%), Nc compounds(8.08%), Ps(6.49%), aromatics(6.32%), Sc(3.26%), and PAHs(1.12%). Soil organic matter from wetlands had more Phs and Lg and less Nc moieties in pyrolytic products than soil organic matters from forests, lake sediments, pastures, and farmland.δ^13 C distribution patterns implied more C3 plant-derived soil organic matter, but the vegetation was in succession to C4 plant from C3 plant. Significant negative correlations between Lg or Ps proportions and C3 plant proportions were observed. Multiple linear analyses implied that the Ar and Al components had negative effects on SOC. Alkyl and Ar could facilitate ratios between SOC and total nitrogen(C/N), while Al plays the opposite role. Al was positively related to the ratio of dissolved organic carbon(DOC) to SOC. In summary, SOM of wetlands might characterize by more Phs and lignin and less Nc moieties in pyrolytic products. The use of Pyrolysis gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry(Py-GC/MS) technology provided detailed information on the molecular characteristics of SOM from a typical freshwater wetland.     

SCISSORS DIFFERENCE AND ITS IMPACTS ON ECONOMIC VALUE OF CULTIVATED LAND IN CHINA

1IN T R O D U C T IO NAs we allknow,China isa countrywith vastpopulationand scarcelandpercapita(Y ANG and LI,2000)."T rea-suringlandverymuch,utilizinlgandrationallaynd pro-tectingthe cultivatedland conscientiously"is funda-mental statepolicyofChina.At the…     

Regional difference in social capital and its impact on regional economic growth in China

Social capital has played an increasingly important role in regional development. China is a country with high stocks of social capital. Using several different indicators of social capital, this study tries to research the regional disparities in social capital and the influence of social capital on economic growth of China in 1978–2004. Measuring social capital with indicators of associations, charities and blood donation rates, this study finds significant regional disparities in social capital at provincial level in China. Those indicators for social capital are highly correlated with regional economic performance. Statistical analysis shows that social capital has a significant and positive effect on a long-term provincial economic growth. This relationship exists after controlling policy, macro location factors, and per capita GDP in the initial year. The empirical findings indicate that institutions, culture and social relations are critical for regional development in China. Therefore, the creation and support of social capital should be paid more attention to when making regional policy.     

Soil Cellulase Activity and Fungal Community Responses to Wetland Degradation in the Zoige Plateau,China

Four soil types(peat, marsh, meadow, and sandy) in the Zoige Plateau of China are associated with the severity of wetland degradation. The effects of wetland degradation on the structure and abundance of fungal communities and cellulase activity were assessed in these 4 soil types at 3 depths using DGGE(Denatured Gradient Gel Electrophoresis), q PCR(Quantitative Real-time PCR),and 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid assays. Cellulase activity and abundance of the fungal community declined in parallel to the level of wetland degradation(from least to most disturbed). DGGE analysis indicated a major shift in composition of fungal communities among the4 soil types consistent with the level of degradation.Water content(WC), organic carbon(OC), total nitrogen(TN), total phosphorus(TP), available nitrogen(AN), and available phosphorus(AP) were strongly correlated with cellulase activity and the structure and abundance of the fungal community.The results indicate that soil physicochemical properties(WC, OC, TN, TP, AN, and AP), cellulase activity, and diversity and abundance of fungal communities are sensitive indicators of the relative level of wetland degradation. WC was the major factorinvolved in Zoige wetland degradation and lower WC levels contributed to declines in the abundance and diversity of the fungal community and reduction in cellulase activity.     

北京湿地分析与监测

在“3S”技术支持下,结合野外调查与室内综合分析,全面调查监测了北京地区湿地的类型、面积。其类型较多、分布较广、湿地环境差异显著,生物多样性丰富。湿地的主要类型包括湖泊湿地、河流湿地、水库、池塘、稻田等自然湿地和人工湿地,其中人工湿地面积为323541.822km²,自然湿地面积为138214.740km²,约占全市面积的0.3%。另外,选择重点水库湿地和典型湿地做了动态变化研究,结果表明:水库湿地中的密云水库、官厅水库和怀柔水库与1998年相比,面积分别减少了42.0%,23.9%和4.9%,典型湿地的景观格局也发生了相应的改变。由此可以看出,北京湿地面积逐年减少、生态环境质量逐年下降。最后,根据北京湿地现状和暴露出来的问题,提出了一些建设性的结论和建议。本项目的实施为进一步研究湿地变化与周边气候、地形地貌、土地利用、植被变化以及社会经济发展情况的关系,分析湿地受威胁因素,评价湿地生态环境现状,提出湿地保护的措施,奠定了基础。     

鄱阳湖流域湿地管理信息系统的开发与应用

针对鄱阳湖流域湿地的多样性和时空复杂性的特点,采用先进的大型关系数据库Oracle9i和空间数据库引擎ArcSDE9建立包含DLG、DOM、DEM和专题数据的多尺度无缝空间数据库,并在ArcEngine组件库的基础上开发了基于C/S模式的鄱阳湖流域湿地管理信息系统。