Sacred sites as habitats of culturally important plant species in an Indian megacity

Cultural ecosystem services related to urban green spaces contribute significantly to liveable cities. While previous studies highlight the intersection of cultural ecosystem services with societal values, spiritual or religious values associated with urban nature have received less attention. In India, as in other parts of the world, sacred sites are known for their biological richness, but analyses from urban sacred sites are largely missing. Based on a stratified random sampling approach, we analysed the cultivated and wild plant species assemblages of 69 sacred sites in the megacity of Bengaluru, India, in relation to biological and cultural features, and parameters related to the urban matrix and type of sacred sites (temple vs. katte). Unlike other urban studies, we found a dominance of native species in the cultivated and spontaneous species pools (121 species in total), with Ficus religiosa and Azadirachta indica as most frequently planted species. Culturally relevant species prevailed in the species pool (89%), with overlaps between religious (36%), medicinal (50%) and ornamental (62%) plants; only 11% of species were weeds. Urban matrix parameters (age of development, housing density) and size and type of sacred sites were related to differences in species assemblages. We identified key species for different classes of age and housing density, and for types of sacred sites. Our study demonstrates that urban sacred sites have an important potential in harbouring both native and culturally significant species that can support urban livelihoods in developing countries by a range of cultural and provisioning ecosystem services, including medicinal uses. As such sites are conserved by communities for spiritual or cultural beliefs, local biodiversity can be enhanced, e.g. by adapting management practices through community participation. This would strengthen the important contribution of sacred sites within the green infrastructure of rapidly growing megacities.     

和谐社会下失地农民社会保障体系的构建——以合肥经济技术开发区为例

在分析我国失地农民社会保障问题现状及当前存在的主要问题的基础上,以合肥经济技术开发区为例,构建了失地农民社会保障体系。     

The value of vegetation cover for ecosystem services in the suburban context

Latin-American cities can be characterized by dynamic processes of urbanization that encroach upon the natural and semi-natural surrounding landscapes. Our study presents the effects of landscape development, transformed from semi-natural conditions into a mostly disperse suburban settlement. We explore the impact that this transformation has had on this context by three ecosystem services that regulate rainwater runoff, enhance microclimate conditions and help to improve air quality by monitoring vegetation cover. We have designed a spatio-temporal hierarchical analysis which employs remote sensing techniques to capture the structural changes of this landscape over long, medium and short term scales on two spatial levels. This methodological approach was tested in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago (MAS) as case study area. Despite of the increase in impervious surfaces due to urban processes, there has also been an increase in vegetation cover, which has led to an improvement in the provision of the above-mentioned ecosystem services. Hence, if diverse urbanization processes continue and they are coupled with an increase in vegetation cover, the provision of ecosystem services could also expand. This phenomenon can be observed in some areas, where public and private green spaces are created and maintained. Our data analyses give evidence that certain types of suburban areas which increase the share of vegetation cover can provide daily ecological benefits for urban neighborhoods, and beyond, for adjacent areas. Moreover, suburban development can successfully provide ecological benefits to citizens. Such processes can only be ecologically sustainable if the composition of vegetation is well-adapted to the regional climatic conditions.     

安徽省农民“退宅进城入镇”的实践与成效——以天长市铜城镇为例

天长市铜城镇根据当地工业基础较好、农村"空巢户"较多、农民进城入镇的愿望较强烈的现状,通过调查研究,在集中民意的基础上规范操作,开展试点,循序渐进,创造条件,引导农民"退宅进城入镇",并积极引导农村土地流转,解除"退宅进城入镇"农民的后顾之忧。通过开展"退宅进城入镇"工作,为开发土地资源,增加经济效益,促进农地规范流转及农业现代化发展,助推城镇化进程,提高居民的生活质量探索了新道路。     

Public perceptions and attitudes toward green infrastructure on buildings: The case of the metropolitan area of Athens,Greece

As the impact of green space shrinkage in urban centers becomes obvious, local and regional authorities must adopt environmental planning policies that can help create new green areas to ensure a good quality of life for citizens, along with the rehabilitation of the natural environment. One approach is the promotion of green infrastructure on buildings, including multi-dwelling apartment buildings. In order to effectively promote green infrastructure on buildings, it is essential to comprehend public attitudes toward green infrastructure, so that suitable and effective strategies can be implemented by policy makers. In this study, eight hundred respondents were asked to provide their views on green infrastructure on buildings, on construction that should take place on blocks of apartments in order to accommodate green infrastructure and on the related benefits that may arise from creating green spaces on buildings. A structured questionnaire and stratified sampling were used for the interviews, which were conducted with apartment owners in two regional units of Athens. The results showed that most citizens are willing to proceed with the installation of a green roof, trellis or vertical garden, in order to improve the aesthetics and functionality of the building they live in. Most of the respondents are not familiar with the energy savings that may occur from the installation of a green roof, vertical trellis or garden and wish for a subsidy from the state in order to implement green building solutions. To conclude, the participants in our study are not environmentally aware, since they are not interested in energy conservation but only about the aesthetics of their building; furthermore, they expect to receive financial support from the state in order to make any changes to their home.     

常州市城镇化对工业废水排放量的影响——以江苏省常州市为例

基于熵值法对常州市城市化水平进行评估,以2005~2014年数据为基础观察当地工业废水排放量变化趋势,运用灰色关联分析法研究城镇化对常州工业废水排放量的具体影响。结果表明:经济、人口和社会城镇化是影响工业废水排放量的主要因素;第二产业在工业中占据的比例是影响工业废水排放量的最主要的指标;城镇化的发展对工业废水排放量的影响处于减小趋势。     

考虑环境因素的中部省份城镇化水平评价指标体系构建

该文选取了2004—2012年数据,采用因子分析和DEA的方法对中部六省城镇化水平的指标进行筛选,采用Tobit方法探讨环境与城镇化水平之间的关系并进行回归分析。分析结果可以得出通过指标筛选以后的中部六省的城镇化水综合情况以及排名,为中部六省未来政策的制定提供依据。     

基于线粒体DNA Cyt b研究城市化对上海金线侧褶蛙遗传结构的影响

城市化在全球范围内快速扩张,已经成为影响物种进化的重要力量。两栖动物的迁移能力较弱,城市化导致两栖类被完全或部分的隔离,丢失更多的遗传多样性。本研究对上海市的金线侧褶蛙(Pelophylax plancyi)的mtDNA Cyt b部分序列进行分析,共扩增出235条序列,获得61个单倍型。研究表明城市区域遗传多样性较低,上海市的金线侧褶蛙分化程度处于中低的水平(Max F_ST=0.296;Min F_ST=0.004),各种群之间遗传分化有限。黄浦江及其支流可能作为水上扩散通道,有助于基因交流,各城市公园之间的遗传分化差异并不显著;而长江阻碍了种群之间的交流,城市公园和郊区,以及岛屿种群之间的遗传分化显著。此外,单倍型网络和系统发育分析表明,上海的金线侧褶蛙并没有对应城市化程度形成相应的单系。     

对三农问题和农村城市化问题的若干思考

中国是一个农业大国，农业经济状况在很大程度上决定了整体经济的发展态势。对中国当前农业发展现状中的主要问题进行分析，认为只有积极进行城市化建设才能解决中国农业发展的根本问题，同时，就中国城市化的路径选择与城市化发展的中短期目标提出自己的看法。     

城市快速发展下大庆城市湖泊保护与发展对策

改革开放以来,大庆作为著名的石油产地,在我国经济建设中发挥了重要作用,城市建设也得到了快速的发展。然而,快速城市化也为这个有着"百湖之城"之称的城市带来了许多新的问题。针对城市快速发展之下,大庆城市湖泊现状进行分析,提出大庆城市湖泊保护与利用的对策。