An easy approach to assess the susceptibility of a landslide by utilizing simple raster overlay methods: A case study on Huangtupo landslide (P.R. China)

Semi qualitative index based methods using rankings and ratings are commonly used in susceptibility estimations over a wide area. However, generalized ranking and ratings are not applicable for one single landslide. This paper gives an easy and transferable approach to a susceptibility assessment of Huangtupo landslide (P.R. China), using raster addition without taking account for ranking and ratings. Slope, aspect, curvature, location and drainage buffer distance raster data sets have been obtained out of open source digital elevation models using ESRI’s ArcGIS. These conditioning factor raster data sets have been translated into raster data sets including simple yes or no criteria, referring to triggering or not. Subsequently they have been added by raster math to acquire a simple raster overlay map. After that this map is compared to initial displacement measurements, obtained by using a ground based synthetic aperture radar device. Acquired data is recalculated to a raster data set using the same spatial extent, to provide the possibility of comparison of the two raster data sets. The results reveal, that 76.35% of all measured movements occur in areas where raster cells include three or more conditioning factors, indicating that easy raster math operations can lead to satisfying results in local scale.     

Application of an integrated methodology for eutrophication assessment: a case study in the Bohai Sea

An integrated methodology for eutrophication assessment,which integrates both water quality indicators(causative factors) and ecological response indicators(effect factors),is described.It is then applied to rank the eutrophication status of the years 2007 and 2008 in the southwest Bohai Sea.The assessment model identified that north Bohai Bay and west Laizhou Bay were the two areas with the most serious eutrophication problems in the southwest Bohai Sea.In addition,compared to that in the west Laizhou Bay,the eutrophication conditions in the north Bohai Bay was more serious in both years.Eutrophication problems such as harmful algal blooms(HABs) and low dissolved oxygen(DO) events in north Bohai Bay were frequent.The integrated method outmatched the currently used Chinese nutrient index method by definitely identifying areas with the most serious eutrophication problems,while the nutrient index method gave ambiguous results between the two years.Inclusion of both causative factors and effect factors,combining concentration,spatial coverage and frequency of indicators,as well as use of multi-season monitoring datasets in the methodology result in a more accurate,representative and useful assessment.     

An indicator-based approach to assess village-level social and biophysical vulnerability of agriculture communities in Uttarakhand,India

With the growing recognition to myriad forms of current and future threats in the mountain agriculture systems,there is a pressing need to holistically understand the vulnerability of mountain agriculture communities.The study aims to assess the biophysical and social vulnerability of agriculture communities using an indicator-based approach for the state of Uttarakhand,India.A total of 14 indicators were used to capture biophysical vulnerability and 22 for social vulnerability profiles of15285 villages.Vulnerability analysis was done at village level with weights assigned to each indicator using Analytical Hierarchical Process(AHP).The results of the study highlight the presence of very high biophysical vulnerability(0.82 ± 0.10) and high social vulnerability(0.65 ± 0.15) within the state.Based on the results,it was found that incidences of high biophysical vulnerability coincide with presence of intensified agriculture land and absence of dense forest.Higher social vulnerability scores were found in villages with an absence of local institutions(like Self Helping Groups(SHGs)),negligible infrastructure facilities and higher occupational dependence on agriculture.A contrast was observed in the vulnerability scores of villages present in the three different altitudinal zones in the study area,indicating respective vulnerability generating conditions existing in these three zones.Biophysical vulnerability was recorded to be highest in the villages falling in the lower zone and lowest in the upper zone villages;whereas,social vulnerability was found to be highest in the middle zone villages and lowest in lower zone villages.Our study aids policy makers in identifying areas for intervention to expedite agriculture adaptation planning in the state.Additionally,the adaptation programmes in the region need to be more context-specific to accommodate the differential altitudinal vulnerability profiles.     

Social and ecological constraints on decision making by transhumant pastoralists: a case study from the Moroccan Atlas Mountains

Transhumant pastoralism is an important activity in southern Morocco. Migration pattern of transhumant pastoralists can be affected by physical factors (e.g. droughts and diseases) or socioeconomic factors (e.g. schooling options for children and migration costs). We studied the spatio-temporal rangeland usage of the three tribes Ait Mgoun, Ait Zekri, and Ait Toumert in the south-central Atlas region with a two-fold approach. First, we tracked the migration movements of one representative transhumant herd using the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS) collars, which record coordinates from satellite signals. Second, we interviewed herders to obtain information about general grazing practices of the respective tribe and to gain more direct information on motivations underlying decisions. For each tribe we observed small-, medium- and large-scale movements. We found that the most important drivers of migration decisions were seasonal fodder availability and weather conditions in combination with herd-specific risk and cost assessment, as well as personal factors. In conclusion, general migration patterns vary in time, both between and within the tribes, but according to a regulatory framework. Moreover, it appears that both the customary rules and its flexible adaptation to physical constraints are generally beneficial in terms of conservation of the arid and semiarid rangeland resources.     

Integrating a DNA barcoding project with an ecological survey: a case study on temperate intertidal polychaete communities in Qingdao, China

In this study, we integrated a DNA barcoding project with an ecological survey on intertidal polychaete communities and investigated the utility of CO1 gene sequence as a DNA barcode for the classification of the intertidal polychaetes. Using 16S rDNA as a complementary marker and combining morphological and ecological characterization, some of dominant and common polychaete species from Chinese coasts were assessed for their taxonomic status. We obtained 22 haplotype gene sequences of 13 taxa, including 10 CO1 sequences and 12 16S rDNA sequences. Based on intra- and inter-specific distances, we built phylogenetic trees using the neighbor-joining method. Our study suggested that the mitochondrial CO1 gene was a valid DNA barcoding marker for species identification in polychaetes, but other genes, such as 16S rDNA, could be used as a complementary genetic marker. For more accurate species identification and effective testing of species hypothesis, DNA barcoding should be incorporated with morphological, ecological, biogeographical, and phylogenetic information. The application of DNA barcoding and molecular identification in the ecological survey on the intertidal polychaete communities demonstrated the feasibility of integrating DNA taxonomy and ecology.     

Regional ecological security and diagnosis of obstacle factors in underdeveloped regions: a case study in Yunnan Province,China

In order to clarify regional ecological security status and formation mechanism of regional ecological security barriers in underdeveloped regions of China, we took Yunnan province as a case to evaluate its regional ecological security by using entropy matter-element model, comprehensive index and GIS spatial method, and we diagnosed its obstacle factors through obstacle degree model. We found a low overall level of regional ecological security in Yunnan. Only Kunming fell into the good level, 68% of the regions were below the critical safe level. For the vast majority of regions in Yunnan, their regional ecological security was unstable. The indexes related to per capita resources, geological and topography environment, economic, and technology were at the unsafe or dangerous level. The indexes related to urban expansion, level of income, cultivated land quality were at the level of critical safety. The indexes concerning urban management capacity, air quality and water environment were at the good or ideal level. Yunnan’s regional ecological security was not good due to natural obstructive environment itself, simultaneously lower backward economic and social level restricted the ability of ecological security response to manage ragile ecological environment. The results of the composite index were roughly consistent with those of the entropy weight matter-element model. The mean values of the classification index, from high to low, were: the state index > the response index > the pressure index. The state index and the response index had a significant mutual promotion to each other. The regions with good composite index, state index and response index mainly distributed in the central regions of Yunnan Province. Spatial autocorrelation of regional ecological security level in Yunnan was not obvious. Water resources, economic and social development were main obstacle factors of the regional ecological security. When distinguishing with obstacle type, Kunming belonged to natural ecological environment barrier type, while other regions belonged to economic and social barrier type.     

An object-based approach for two-level gully feature mapping using high-resolution DEM and imagery: a case study on hilly loess plateau region,China

Gully feature mapping is an indispensable prerequisite for the motioning and control of gully erosion which is a widespread natural hazard. The increasing availability of high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and remote sensing imagery, combined with developed object-based methods enables automatic gully feature mapping. But still few studies have specifically focused on gully feature mapping on different scales. In this study, an object-based approach to two-level gully feature mapping, including gully-affected areas and bank gullies, was developed and tested on 1-m DEM and Worldview-3 imagery of a catchment in the Chinese Loess Plateau. The methodology includes a sequence of data preparation, image segmentation, metric calculation, and random forest based classification. The results of the two-level mapping were based on a random forest model after investigating the effects of feature selection and class-imbalance problem. Results show that the segmentation strategy adopted in this paper which considers the topographic information and optimal parameter combination can improve the segmentation results. The distribution of the gully-affected area is closely related to topographic information, however, the spectral features are more dominant for bank gully mapping. The highest overall accuracy of the gully-affected area mapping was 93.06% with four topographic features. The highest overall accuracy of bank gully mapping is 78.5% when all features are adopted. The proposed approach is a creditable option for hierarchical mapping of gully feature information, which is suitable for the application in hily Loess Plateau region.     

Debris flow susceptibility assessment using a probabilistic approach: A case study in the Longchi area,Sichuan province,China

The Longchi area with the city of Dujiangyan, in the Sichuan province of China, is composed of Permian stone and diorites and Triassic sandstones and mudstones intercalated with slates. An abundance of loose co-seismic materials were present on the slopes after the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, which in later years served as source material for rainfall-induced debris flows or shallow landslides. A total of 48 debris flows, all triggered by heavy rainfall on 13th August 20l0, are described in this paper. Field investigation, supported by remote sensing image interpretation, was conducted to interpret the co-seismic landslides in the debris flow gullies. Specific characteristics of the study area such as slope, aspect, elevation, channel gradient, lithology, and gully density were selected for the evaluation of debris flow susceptibility. A score was given to all the debris flow gullies based on the probability of debris flow occurrence for the selected factors. In order to get the contribution of the different factors, principal component analyses were applied. A comprehensive score was obtained for the 48 debris flow gullies which enabled us to make a susceptibility map for debris flows with three classes. Twenty-two gullies have a high susceptibility, twenty gullies show a moderate susceptibility and six gullies have a low susceptibility for debris flows.     

Planning conservation corridors in mountain areas based on integrated conservation planning models: A case study for a giant panda in the Qionglai Mountains

With the accelerated urbanization, human activities pose serious threats to species because of fragmentation. Planning conservation corridors between habitats could improve species mobility in order to address the human disturbance. However,there are a limited number of studies that focus on assessing the effect of human activities on species movement in mountain areas as well as how to integrate different conservation models relating to conservation corridors identification. In our study, we modified the resistance model and took land use data as input parameters to quantify the impacts of human activities in mountain areas. Meanwhile, different conservation planning models, including Circuit model and Least Cost Path(LCP) algorithm, were integrated. Moreover, our approach was applied to identify giant panda corridors in Miarro nature reserve, Caopo nature reserve, and Wolong nature reserve. The results suggested that the impacts of human activities were limited in valley regions due to topography by resistance model. Secondly, Circuit model demonstrated that the conservation corridorsfor giant panda could not be identified between the Miarro and the Caopo nature reserves. Additionally,more detailed corridors between habitats were planned by the LCP algorithm. Furthermore, we also identified bottlenecks for migration in each corridor,indicating that human activities' interference was the primary cause. Our approach not only could connect habitats for conservation in mountain areas but also found out that the corridor could not be identified between habitats.     

具有二次服务、反馈、启动故障的M/G/1重试排队系统

考虑了一个具有二次服务、反馈和启动故障的M/G/1重试排队系统.在假定重试区域中只有队首的顾客允许重试的情况下,重试时间具有一般分布时,得到了系统稳态的充分必要条件.求得稳态时系统队长和重试区域中队长分布及相关指标.     

Ecological vulnerability analysis of Tibetan towns with tourism-based economy: a case study of the Bayi District

This paper provides a generalizable mode for the ecological vulnerability evaluation for tourism planning and development in high mountain areas. The Bayi District located in southeastern Tibet is taken as a typical town to study the conflict between the protection of natural ecological environment and the exploitation of tourism resources. Based on the Sensitivity-Recovery-Pressure (SRP) framework, a set of vulnerability evaluation systems for plateau tourism regions were developed. The spatial principal component analysis (SPCA), remote sensing and GIS technologies were integrated to apply for spatial quantification of evaluation index system. The ecological vulnerability of the Bayi District was divided into five levels: potential, mild, moderate, severe, and extreme, and our results showed that significantly severe and extreme vulnerability areas were mainly distributed throughout the southwestern and central northern alpine pasture and glacial zones. Potential and mild vulnerability areas were mainly distributed in the vicinity of the Yarlung Zangbo River tributary basin. Then three tourism development and environmental protection zones were classified and appropriate measures for the protection were proposed. It also provides a reference for the spatial distribution of a range of areas that require different protection measures according to ecological vulnerability classification.     

Paradigm and ecological implication of changing agricultural land-use: A case study from Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Himalaya, India

The paper scrutinizes that the changes in any sub-system(i.e.agriculture,livestock and forest) have direct impact on biophysical and social processes in village ecosystem of the central Himalayan region.In view of this,we studied the changes in spatial patterns of agricultural land use and dependency of agroecosystem on forest and animal husbandry over a period of two decades.Based on data analysis it was found that the cultivation of some traditional crops has either been abandoned in the area or declined by 25%-85% due to introduction of cash crops viz.,potato,kidney bean and apple farming with acreage increased up to 51%-72% in the last three decades.Livestock population of different categories has declined drastically by 17%-75%,and has resulted shortage of farmyard manure,deterioration of soil quality and fertility which leads to un-sustainability of agriculture system.The changes in agrobiodiversity have led to the dramatic increase in soil loss and runoff from the croplands together with the increase pressure on forests.The economic evaluation of each crop showed higher monetary benefit from cash crops as compared to traditional crops.Among all the evaluated crops,the monetary output/input ratio was found highest(3.04) for kidney bean and lowest(1.26) for paddy.Changes in land use and management have improved household income but at the cost of forest degradation,less productive animal husbandry and loss of agrodiversity in the region.Therefore,there is an urgent need to bring desirable changes in agricultural policy,research,land use and efficient management of the resources for maintaining sustainability in agro and Himalayan forest ecosystem.     

Evaluation of land reclamation and implications of ecological restoration for agro-pastoral ecotone: case study of Horqin Left Back Banner in China

The agro-pastoral ecotone has been recognized as the main distribution area of reserved land resource for cultivation. Accordingly, clarifying this assumption, as well as concerting land reclamation and ecological restoration, is important to ensure food security and environmental improvement in the agro-pastoral ecotone. We selected Horqin Left Back Banner(HLBB) as the subject of our case study. The landscape ecological security pattern of this area was determined using the minimum cumulative resistance model. Over-cultivation, quantity of reserved land resource for cultivation, and changes in landscape indexes before and after land use adjustment were then analyzed. Over-cultivation is a serious problem in the agro-pastoral ecotone. Reserved land resource for cultivation is less than that considered previously, and the area of reserved land resource for cultivation in HLBB only accounts for 11.50% of total uncultivated land. With regard to changes in landscape indexes, the adjusted land use pattern is effective for anti-desertification. The compensation standard for abandoned cultivated land should be improved and the comprehensive results of ‘Grain for Green' should be evaluated to further implement ecological restoration in the agro-pastoral ecotone.     

Carbon storage and sequestration of national key ecological restoration programs in China: An introduction to special issue

<正>Although a crucial objective of ecosystem management should be the avoidance of degradation at the beginning,an unfortunate truth is that ecosystems have been substantially exploited,degraded and destroyed in the last century as a result of the global increase in economic and societal prosperity(Suding,2011).More than 60%of ecosystems have been converted for human use or degraded through unsustainable harvest,pollution,     

Assessing applicability of Near-Infrared/Green/Blue UAV modified camera in crop monitoring:a case study of eastern Zimbabwe

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs) have become popular and their use in agriculture monitoring is attracting more and more attention. There has emerged another class of agricultural UAVs whose normal consumer grade Red/Green/Blue(RBG) bands cameras have been modified to include the Near-Infrared(NIR) band by replacing one of the visible channel bands. This reduces the cost for agricultural UAVs. However, few researches have assessed the suitability of these modified UAV cameras in agricultural remote sensing. This study employed a modified UAV consumer grade camera with Blue/Green/Near Infra-red(BGNIR) bands to assess its applicability in crop remote sensing monitoring. Two experimental fields in Eastern Zimbabwe were used to assess the applicability of the modified BGNIR UAV camera in potato stress detection, maize senescence monitoring and chlorophyll concentration variations in bananas. Processed Green Normalized Vegetation Index(GNDVI) maps from the UAV imagery were compared with actual ground data of geo-tagged images taken during the UAV flights. Visual comparison between the ground and UAV imagery showed positive correlation. Highly stressed potato plants had lower GNDVI values than the healthier looking plants. Matured maize canopies also had lower GNDVI values than the late mature plants whose leaves were still green. GNDVI values in bananas from the first flight ranged from 0.094 91 to 0.334 74 and after the application of Nitrogen/Phosphorous/Potassium(NPK) fertilizer the GNDVI values ranged from 0.124 61 to 0.555 64. Increase in nitrogen also increases chlorophyll concentration in plant leaves hence the values of GNDVI increase after fertilization. We conclude that consumer grade modified UAV cameras are suitable in remote sensing of agricultural crops. Their adoption and utilization reduce the cost burden on farmers in developing countries especially in Africa, and help them to monitor their crops more efficiently.     

Reconstructing holocene palaeorunoff regimes from palaeoclimate: An initial attempt to apply a climatological approach to palaeohydrology for the north China plain

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Approach to quantification drawdown of groundwater wells:a case study from Sana'a City,Yemen

Although research on a field investigation about quantification drawdown of ground water wells has hitherto been conducted with emphasis on Sanaa basin which is 3 200 km2 in area characterized by general hazard in quantity and quality of water,there exist uncertainties about the size of the hazardous annual decline in the level of underground water.So the authors are trying to assess reliable hazard data on the depth of ground-water which were obtained by measuring static water level.The data set are twenty six wells from 9 regions which were selected to represent Sanaa basin and collected during the course of the 20 months groundwater monitoring survey from January 2008 to January 2009.The results show that the average drawdown during 20 months to be 3.22 m with an average 0.16 m per month and 2 m per year.