Conservation Index Research Articles

Evaluation and Trade-Offs/Synergies of Ecosystem Services in an Ecologically Fragile Region: A Case Study of Western Jilin Province

Ecosystem services (ES) are the foundation for the survival and development of human society. It is of great significance to clarify the trade-off and synergy between different types of ES in promoting regional sustainable development. This paper selects the western Jilin Province as a case, focusing on exploring the trade-offs and synergies of ES in ecologically fragile areas, enriching the geographical types of research on the relationships between ecosystem services. Utilizing the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model, this study focused on quantifying four pivotal services—carbon storage, water yield, soil conservation, and habitat quality index—over a two-decade span encompassing the years 2000, 2010, and 2020, and analyzed the trade-offs/synergies between the four ecosystem service functions. The results show that from 2000 to 2020, among the four ecosystem services, water yield and soil conservation increased by 13.57 × 109 m3 and 220.61 × 106 t, respectively, while carbon storage and habitat quality decreased by 5.09 × 106 milligrams and 0.01 units, respectively. At the regional scale, there were only synergistic relationships between carbon storage and soil conservation, and carbon storage and habitat quality. This study provides scientific references to promote sustainable development in the western Jilin Province and offers new insights into the trade-off and synergy of ecosystem services in ecologically fragile areas.

Elucidating population structure and genetic diversity of intercross sheep through pedigree analysis

The aim of this study was to assess the population structure and genetic diversity along with determining the accuracy of ongoing selection program in a closed flock of Intercross sheep through pedigree analysis. The pedigree records of 2245 animals maintained at CSWRI-NTRS, Garsa, Kullu during the period from 2012 to 2023 were utilized to calculate the genealogical information, genetic conservation index and other parameters based on gene origin probabilities. Lambs born during 2020 and 2023 were considered as reference population. ENDOG version 4.8 software package was used for pedigree analysis. Analysis revealed that the mean generation interval for the reference population was 3.20 years with a longer interval in dam-offspring pathways relative to sire-offspring pathways. Average inbreeding coefficients for whole and reference population were 0.21 and 0.49 % and corresponding average relatedness was 1.24 and 1.72 %, respectively. The average maximum, equivalent and completed generations were 2.50, 1.96 and 1.63 with 0.12 %, 0.17 % and 0.20 % increase in inbreeding coefficient, respectively. This resultant effective population size estimated using individual increase in inbreeding was 156.52. Effective numbers of founders (fe) and ancestors (fa) was 68 and 61, respectively for reference population with a ratio of 1.11, indicating occurrence of minor effects of bottleneck in the flock. The genetic contribution of most influent ancestors contributing 50 % of the gene pool was only 23. The estimated founder genome (fg) and non-founder genome (fng) were 35.87 and 75.91, respectively in the present population. The estimate for fg/fa ratio was 0.59 which explained that 59 % of the original genetic diversity is exit in the reference population. Genetic conservation index (GCI) ranged from 1 % to 20.28 % with a mean value of 4.91 %. Overall, males recorded a slightly higher GCI than females, i.e., 5.23 vs 4.65 %, respectively. The results revealed that, the population has augmented genetic diversity and low level of inbreeding. Small fraction of genetic diversity was vanished due to unequal contribution of founders and minor bottleneck effects occurred due to disproportionate contribution of breeding animals to gene pool of population. Use of a sufficient number of breeding rams and optimum contribution selection (OCS) is recommended to maintain the genetic diversity as well as enhancing production potential in this population.

Conservation Prioritization of Orthoptera Assemblages on a Mediterranean Island

In response to the ongoing global extinction, conservationists must prioritize future conservation investments to ensure that such measures are biologically effective and economically viable. To propose an effective conservation plan for Orthoptera assemblages on Cyprus Island, we introduce the Standardized Conservation Index (StCI), a biodiversity index accounting for the conservation value (ci), presence, dispersal ability, endemism and conservation status of a species. We evaluated the effect of eleven environmental variables on StCI, ci, species richness and the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, using linear and generalized linear models. Species and environmental data were collected in 60 localities that were placed along four elevational zones and included seven habitat types. Our results revealed the importance of rural mosaics and forests for the conservation of Orthoptera. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index failed to show the importance of high-altitude forests. The Orthoptera species diversity was favored by flower heads and the soil humidity, while rock cover and high shrubs had a positive and negative effect, respectively, on the StCI and ci values. Our results underline the value of StCI in complementing traditional diversity indices, as a scale-independent index that can be used for different taxa to prioritize sites of conservation concern.

Comparative life cycle assessment of landfill sludge treatment technologies in China.

Reasonable treatment of large amounts of sludge excavated from landfills has gained increasing attention due to the diminishing availability of landfill space in China. In this study, five landfill sludge (LS) treatment technologies using life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) were investigated, i.e., co-incineration in coal-fired power plants (CFPP) and waste incineration power plant (WIPP), co-processing in cement kiln, bricks production, and sintering ceramsite. The LCA results demonstrate that sintering ceramsite outperforms other technologies and LCC results indicate sintering ceramsite also provides the highest economic benefit ($869.94). To further enhance environmental and economic performances of the LS treatment, the substitution of coal with natural gas and biomass can reduce Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction (ECER) index by 74% and 98%, respectively. This substitution can increase economic returns by 24% and 26%, respectively. Furthermore, national-level economic benefit and carbon emission reduction potential of different LS treatment technology alternative scenarios were assessed. Results display that a combination of 50% CFPP, 25% bricks, and 25% ceramsite (biomass) offers the highest economic gain, which is 3.02 times that of 50% CFPP and 50% cement (original case). Conversely, the replacement of 25% brick with 25% cement in the above combination result in the lowest carbon reduction, which is 9.35 times that of the original case.

Genealogical structure and genetic variability: A step towards conservation of white Morada Nova sheep in semi-arid region

Morada Nova breed has a low effective herd, and its white variety is in risk of extinction in Brazilian semi-arid region. This study aimed to evaluate white Morada Nova sheep’s genetic variability and population structure in four flocks. These are the only flocks in the world. The assessed parameters of pedigree integrity and a genealogy record of 219 animals. 44.74 % did not have pedigree information on their mother or father, and 50.47 % did not have available information on their grandparents. 52.97 % had a pedigree in their first ancestry (obtained through the average of known parents), 23.74 % in the second, 13.58 % in the third, and 5.33 % in the fourth. The effective size was 10.7, considering the complete equivalent generation. The effective number of founding animals (fe) and ancestors (fa) was 10, indicating the effective participation of all founding animals in the population over the generations, reducing losses of genetic variability. Out of all the ancestors, only 3 explained 50 % of the population’s genetic variability, reflecting the low values of fa and fe. The population’s average inbreeding and kinship coefficients were 2.61 and 4.54. The F statistics of Wright, Fis, Fst, and Fit, were −0.012, 0.016, and 0.003. The genetic conservation index (GCI) had an average of 2.01 ± 1.29, with minimum and maximum values of 1.0 and 6.38, respectively. Approximately, 71 % of the population had GCI below 2.0, while only 5.9 % of sheep had an GCI bigger than 5.0. This indicates the absence of sub-structures inf the population. There is no population subdivision, considering the genealogical structure of the evaluated flocks. The inbreeding and kinship coefficient values are controlled and serve as a starting point for establishing a future management plan for the genetic variability of the flock. It is recommended to use strategies to increase the effective population size, to meet the minimum number recommended by FAO and to promote the conservation and genetic improvement of the breed.

Enhancing fatigue reliability prediction of offshore wind turbine jacket joints through individual uncertainties for each degree of freedom of stress concentration factor

This paper presents the fatigue reliability prediction for welded planar tubular joints of offshore fixed jacket support structures. A coupled model is employed to calculate the dynamic response of the jacket support structure under wind and wave loads. Stress concentration factors (SCFs) are evaluated using Efthymiou parametric equations, and the hot-spot stresses at eight locations on the chord and brace of the tubular joints are derived by summing the stress components from axial, in-plane, and out-of-plane actions. The stress distribution is determined using the rainflow counting method, fatigue damage from an S–N curve, and Miner’s rule. Uncertainties associated with the fatigue lifetime evaluation procedure are identified, quantified, and modeled. The focus is specifically given to modeling the uncertainty related to the SCFs, and a framework is proposed to evaluate the fatigue reliability of the joint by incorporating individual uncertainties for each degree of freedom of the SCFs (i.e., axial load crown, axial load saddle, in-plane bending moment, and out-of-plane bending moment). The results reveal that assuming the same uncertainty level (Coefficient of Variation of 0.2) as recommended by DNV-RP-C210 for each degree of freedom of the SCFs and including the uncertainty after obtaining the stress distribution from rainflow counting does not consistently yield conservative reliability index values, as it depends on the critical hot spot. It is essential to note that the simplified assumptions derived from the oil and gas sector may not directly translate to the offshore wind industry due to differences in loading conditions. A reduction of up to approximately 24% in the reliability index is observed for one critical hot spot, while an increase of up to 20% was observed for another. Overall, this paper provides valuable insights into the complex interplay of factors affecting the reliability of joints in offshore fixed jacket support structures, shedding light on the need for tailored approaches to address uncertainties in the specific context of the offshore wind industry.

Analysis of Endangered Andalusian Black Cattle (Negra Andaluza) Reveals Genetic Reservoir for Bovine Black Trunk.

This comprehensive study on the Andalusian Black cattle breed reveals a substantial population decline, with the average herd size decreasing significantly from 305.54 to 88.28 animals per herd. This decline is primarily attributed to agricultural changes and the introduction of foreign meat-focused breeds. The male-to-female ratio shift is noteworthy, with more cows than bulls, impacting selection intensity for both genders. Inbreeding levels, though relatively low historically (5.94%) and currently (7.23%), raise concerns as 37.08% historically and 48.82% currently of the animals exhibit inbreeding. Positive assortative mating is evident, reflected by the increasing non-random mating coefficient (α). Key ancestors play a crucial role in shaping genetic diversity, with one ancestor significantly influencing the current genetic pool and the top 10 ancestors contributing substantially. Breed maintains a conservation index of 2.75, indicating relatively high genetic diversity. Recent conservation efforts have led to an increase in registered animals. The Cañadas Reales, historical transhumance routes, may have contributed to genetic connections among provinces. Challenges include the historical bottleneck, demographic changes, and potential impacts from reproductive practices. The Andalusian Black breed's conservation necessitates ongoing efforts in genealogical registration, targeted breeding programs, and collaborative initiatives to address the observed demographic shifts and ensure sustainable genetic diversity.

On the integration of inspection data with seismic resilience assessment of corroded reinforced concrete structures

This research aims to improve the traditional statistical approach to evaluate the seismic resilience of concrete structures exposed to chloride attack. In the mentioned approach, the uncertain parameters are modeled using certain probability distribution functions (PDFs) selected from some standards such as fib. However, the mentioned PDFs should contain the actual conditions of the desired structure. This paper introduces a Bayesian framework for updating PDFs used in deterioration analysis, which is an important part of the life-cycle seismic resilience assessment process of corroded concrete structures. The proposed methodology was applied to a two-story reinforced concrete school in Iran that suffered from chloride corrosion for twenty years. The seismic resilience of the structure was investigated for a 50-year life cycle. The results showed that the updated model can significantly reduce the uncertainty of the influencing parameters in the seismic resilience evaluation process. Using the updated model resulted in a conservative seismic resilience index compared to the non-updated model. This research shows that the role of inspection data in periodically updating the seismic-resistance calculations of corroded concrete structures is not only necessary but also possible and beneficial.

Enhancing Skills, Mood, and Performance in Overweight Handball Players: Exploring Individual vs. Collective Verbal Encouragement Strategies.

This comparative study investigates the effectiveness of two teaching methods, individual verbal encouragement and collective verbal encouragement, in enhancing the technical-tactical skills and mood state of obese students during handball matches. This study employs a randomized controlled design and involves 28 overweight students (50% females), age: 17.4 ± 2.08 years and BMI: 26.8 ± 1.5 for females and 27.3 ± 2.1 for males. Technical-tactical skills are assessed through performance metrics (individual evaluation proposal by Gréhaigne) such as Ball Played (BP), Conquered Ball (CB), Lost Ball (LB), Shoots/Goals, Conservation index, and defensive index, while mood states are evaluated using pre- and post-tests (BRUMS Scale). Results reveal that individual verbal encouragement significantly enhances technical-tactical skills and positively influences the mood state of overweight students compared to collective verbal encouragement. Boys in Session 1 with VEI displayed a significantly higher number of ball plays (mean difference = 0.94 standard deviations, p = 0.004) and conquered balls (mean difference = 0.78 standard deviations, p = 0.006) compared to VEC. They also had a lower number of Lost Balls (mean difference = -0.62 standard deviations, p = 0.018) and a higher shooting efficiency (Shoots/Goals ratio, mean difference = 0.67 standard deviations; p = 0.013). Similar trends were observed in Session 2, with VEI, again, demonstrating advantages. Girls exhibited analogous improvements with VEI in both sessions. Notably, these performance enhancements coincided with positive emotional changes, with VEI leading to a greater decrease in depression and fatigue scores for both boys and girls. The study highlights the importance of tailoring teaching methods to the specific needs of overweight students in the context of handball, emphasizing the effectiveness of individualized verbal encouragement for skill development and emotional well-being. These findings offer practical implications for educators and coaches involved in physical education, advocating for personalized approaches to optimize learning experiences for overweight students in sports settings.

Mapping of Multiple Hazards in the Cilongkrang Sub-Watershed, Majalengka, Indonesia

The intensive agricultural activities in the Cilongkrang Sub-Watershed are causing environmental changes that can lead to various disasters. This study aims to map the spatial distribution of multiple hazards, including flash floods, erosion, and landslides. Three hazards selected because the critical condition of Cilongkrang Sub-Watershed as an upstream area caused the area to be prone to those hazards. The flash flood hazard model was created using the Flash Flood Potential Index (FFPI) method, which uses land use, slope, vegetation cover, and soil texture. The erosion hazard model was created using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) method with parameters such as erosivity, erodibility, slope length factor, crop management index, and soil conservation index. The landslide hazard model was created using the Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) method, which uses slope, landform, land use, and soil texture. The results showed that the dominant flash flood-prone areas were in the medium class of 1.556 hectares, the erosion tended to be very low, which was 2.699,5 tons/ha/year, and The Argapura Sub-District encompasses multiple regions that are highly susceptible to landslides.

Freshwater macroinvertebrates along the Nigeria-Cameroon border enhance the conservation value of the lower Guinea forest biodiversity hotspot

In Nigeria and tropical Africa, the bias towards the protection of natural sites on account of terrestrial biodiversity or their resultant ecosystem services has led to a considerably low number of freshwater conservation studies in the region. To close this gap, six lotic freshwater systems in three different natural sites (Obudu Mountains, Agbokim Waterfalls, and Cross River National Park) along the Cameroon border of Nigeria were evaluated for the biodiversity of macroinvertebrates and some aspects of water quality in December 2021 and March 2022. Among other macroinvertebrate-related indices, the community conservation index (CCI), which considers the presence of threatened, rare, and notable species, was used for the conservation evaluation of the freshwater systems. The Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera (EPT) species were notably rich at the sites, with over 12 species each at the Afundu Stream, Kwa River, Cataract Stream, and Agbokim River. All of the sites had a very high conservation value, according to the CCI, which was greater than 20. Some Obudu sites (Grotto and Becheve streams), despite having fewer EPT taxa, had higher CCI than the Kwa or Agbokim River. This was due to the presence of the endangered damselflies (Africocypha centripunctata and Allocnemis vicki) at the Obudu sites and a rare mayfly species in Nigeria (Tricorythus tinctus), which was reported at Agbokim and Kwa Rivers. The presence of a notable damselfly genus (Pentaphlebia) at the Afundu stream of the Obudu Mountains also raises some hope that the critically endangered damselfly (Pentaphlebia gamblesi), whose adult was last seen in 1973, could still be alive at the site. Canonical Correspondence Analysis revealed that the proportion of scrapers had a strong association with high BOD and EC in Agbokim River, while the Becheve and Grotto streams which had high vegetal cover was positively associated with shredders. Also, increasing DO in Afundu Stream, Kwa River and Cataract Stream was positively associated with EPT richness. This study revealed that more freshwater ecological studies need to be conducted at isolated natural sites and protected areas in Africa. Findings from such studies have implications for preserving freshwater ecosystems of high conservation value from the various threats that characterize the Anthropocene.

Assessing environmental burdens of China's wooden flooring production based on life-cycle assessment

After over 30 years of rapid development in the wooden flooring industry in China, there is an imperative need to address the resulting environmental impacts. Therefore, this study analyzed the environmental impacts of the four most common types of wooden flooring in China, such as solid wood flooring, multi-layer engineered wood flooring, three-layer engineered wood flooring, and laminated flooring, utilizing the life-cycle assessment approach. This study assessed 12 environmental indicators, the comprehensive index of energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER), and the eco-efficiency of the four wooden flooring types. A trade-off was observed among the various impact categories, making it challenging to rank the environmental performance of the four types of wooden flooring. Contribution analysis revealed that woody raw materials and electricity consumption in the production process were the primary environmental hotspots of wooden flooring. The ECER index indicated that the multi-layer engineered wood flooring exhibited the highest environmental impacts, followed by laminated flooring, three-layer engineered wood flooring, and solid wood flooring. The eco-efficiency of solid wood flooring was 237%, 767%, and 1454% higher than that of three-layer engineered wood flooring, multi-layer engineered wood flooring, and laminated flooring, respectively. Sensitivity analysis revealed that enhancing the environmental performance of wooden flooring lies in reducing power consumption and woody raw material consumption during the production process. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the environmental impacts associated with wooden flooring manufacturing, while also serving as a reference for further improvements in reducing their environmental impacts.

Equivalent analytical models for assessment of landfill composite liners

An equivalent analytical model based on time moments is proposed to estimate the properties of landfill composite liners. The service performance of landfill liners composed of a geomembrane layer (GMBL), a geosynthetic clay layer (GCL), and an attenuation layer (AL) and a GMBL, compacted clay layer (CCL), and AL were equivalently analyzed. The equivalent analysis and quantitative correlation of contaminants at the bottom of the GMBL/GCL/AL and GMBL/CCL/AL systems were considered according to the relative concentration (CN), instantaneous flux (JI) and accumulative flux (JA). The relative concentration (CN) was found to be the most conservative equivalent index. The thickness equivalent relation of the AL for the different composite liners was consequently obtained using the pure diffusion equivalent model and the advection–diffusion equivalent model. It was found that the pure diffusion thickness equivalent relationship was a simplified linear correlation and independent of time. The quadratic polynomial equivalent equations of AL thickness for different service times were obtained by the group method of data handling. The results showed that GCL-based composite liner had a better environmental protection performance than the CCL-based composite liner. When the thickness of the GMBL/CCL/AL composite liner was fixed, the corresponding equivalent thickness of AL in the GMBL/GCL/AL composite liner decreased with an increase in the leachate head and the wrinkle length for the same value of CN.

A novel conserved B-cell epitope in pB602L of African swine fever virus

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a complex DNA virus and the only member of the Asfarviridae family. It causes high mortality and severe economic losses in pigs. The ASFV pB602L protein plays a key role in virus assembly and functions as a molecular chaperone of the major capsid protein p72. In addition, pB602L is an important target for the development of diagnostic tools for African swine fever (ASF) because it is a highly immunogenic antigen against ASFV. In this study, we expressed and purified ASFV pB602L and validated its immunogenicity in serum from naturally infected pigs with ASFV. Furthermore, we successfully generated an IgG2a κ subclass monoclonal antibody (mAb 7E7) against pB602L using hybridoma technology. Using western blot and immunofluorescence assays, mAb 7E7 specifically recognized the ASFV Pig/HLJ/2018/strain and eukaryotic recombinant ASFV pB602L protein in vitro. The 474SKENLTPDE482 epitope in the ASFV pB602L C-terminus was identified as the minimal linear epitope for mAb 7E7 binding, with dozens of truncated pB602l fragments characterized by western blot assay. We also showed that this antigenic epitope sequence has a high conservation and antigenic index. Our study contributes to improved vaccine and antiviral development and provides new insights into the serologic diagnosis of ASF.Key points• We developed a monoclonal antibody against ASFV pB602L, which can specifically recognize the ASFV Pig/HLJ/2018/ strain.• This study found one novel conserved B-cell epitope474SKENLTPDE482.• In the 3D structure,474SKENLTPDE482is exposed on the surface of ASFV pB602L, forming a curved linear structure.

Enhanced photochemical efficiency of PSII in Prosopis juliflora suggests contribution to invasion advantage over native C3 xero-halophytes under salt stress.

Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters related to PSII photochemistry, photoprotection and photoinhibition were investigated in four C3 plant species growing in their natural habitat: Prosopis juliflora ; Abutilon indicum ; Salvadora persica ; and Phragmites karka . This study compared the light reaction responses of P. juliflora , an invasive species, with three native co-existing species, which adapt to varying water deficit and high salt stress. Chlorophyll a fluorescence quenching analyses revealed that P. juliflora had the highest photochemical quantum efficiency and yield, regulated by higher fraction of open reaction centres and reduced photoprotective energy dissipation without compromising the integrity of photosynthetic apparatus due to photoinhibition. Moreover, the elevated values of parameters obtained through polyphasic chlorophyll a fluorescence induction kinetics, which characterise the photochemistry of PSII and electron transport, highlighted the superior performance index of energy conservation in the transition from excitation to the reduction of intersystem electron carriers for P. juliflora compared to other species. Enhanced pigment contents and their stoichiometry in P. juliflora apparently contributed to upregulating fluxes and yields of energy absorbance, trapping and transport. This enhanced photochemistry, along with reduced non-photochemical processes, could explain the proclivity for invasion advantage in P. juliflora across diverse stress conditions.

Genetic impact of external Targhee sires at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station: a case study of introgression.

Sheep breeders requested that the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station (USSES) to participate in national genetic evaluation through the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP). The reasons included the need for (1) a comparison of the productivity of industry and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) lines, (2) transparency of USDA flocks, (3) genetic ties for NSIP by sampling of industry flocks, and (4) development of premium genetic lines for public release. In response, USSES began to incorporate external sires from NSIP participating flocks into the USSES Targhee flock. Our objective, based on a pedigree analysis, was to test if introgression of external genetics into the flock was achieved. The pedigree included 13,189 animals with mean maximum generations, mean complete generations, and mean equivalent complete generations of 4.2, 1.8, and 2.6, respectively. The mean generation interval was 3.1 yr. The reference population was defined as lambs born from 2021 to 2023 (n = 792). Two additional populations were defined as the current mature ewe flock (n = 123) and the current mature rams (n = 14). The Genetic Conservation Index averaged 7.7 for the full population and 25.7 for the reference population. Overall inbreeding was 0.003 for the full population and 0.006 for the reference population. The rate of inbreeding was 0.0003 per generation. Average relatedness was 0.015 for the full population and 0.018 for the reference population. The effective number of founders, effective number of ancestors, and founder genome equivalents contributing to the reference population were 60, 39, and 19.1, respectively. The ratio of the effective number of founders to the effective number of ancestors was 1.5, indicating the presence of genetic bottlenecks. Measures of effective population size ranged from 102 to 547. Of the 704 offspring produced by external sires, 17 ram lambs and 132 ewe lambs were retained for breeding. The USSES sires produced 299 offspring with 2 ram lambs and 51 ewe lambs retained. Incorporating external sires resulted in a cumulative percentage of genetic variance of 48.8, 49.1, and 44.2 of external genetics for the reference population, current mature ewe flock, and current mature rams, respectively. Stakeholder needs were addressed by introgression of external sires and participation in NSIP, but future selection practices need to be modified to maintain a minimum of 50% USSES core genetics in the flock.

Setting priorities and evaluation of habitats for the conservation of orthopterans: case study in the Aggtelek National Park (N Hungary)

The biodiversity conservation needs recent high-quality data and efficient methods for prioritizing species and sites for conservation. Here we prioritized Orthoptera habitats of the Aggtelek National Park, based on revised and actualized distribution data of 69 Orthoptera species living at 98 sites. The simple ranking and complementary areas methods were used with species richness (S), rarity weighted species richness (SR), and number of rare species (SQ). Additionally, the Grasshopper Conservation Indexes (GCI” and GCIn”) combining European and local rarity and dispersal capacity of the species were also tested. Contrary to simple ranking the complementary areas method represented the whole fauna and significant part of the species-site data records. All the used indices performed similar except the standardized GCIn” which is highly affected by the differences in study intensity of sites. High-priority areas of the Aggtelek National Park were designated in the plateau above Jósvafő and Aggtelek villages and in the small, isolated hill near Jósvafő (Szőlő-hegy) covered with remained mosaic of former vineyards, orchards and hayfields. The combined use of the efficient indices provides additional ranking that allows the best selection of hotspots to support efficient use of limited resources in nature conservation.

The impact of farm household tourism operations on poverty reduction and conservation under the control policies of China’s protected areas

Against the global trend of increasing multiple participants involvement in protected areas management, the Chinese government has implemented a series of stricter policies since 2015. Tourism is an important alternative livelihood for farmers near protected areas. Based on survey data from 1,028 households in six protected areas, this study uses the propensity score matching (PSM) method to empirically examine the change effects of poverty reduction and conservation of farmers engaged in tourism under the influence of protected areas tourism management policies. The PSM method reduces sample self-selection bias and improves the accuracy of research conclusions. The findings reveal that irrespective of whether the areas are subjected to regulatory policies or not, tourism operations are significantly and inversely correlated with households’ multidimensional poverty index, and are notably positively correlated with their comprehensive conservation index. Consequently, tourism operations exhibit substantial poverty alleviation and protective effects. However, the current suite of protected areas control policies has curtailed the sustainable growth of tourism within these areas, resulting in 9.64% decrease in poverty alleviation effects and 10.33% decrease in protective effects derived from tourism operations. Despite their restrictive impacts on tourism, these policies have yielded some positive outcomes, fostering social equity within protected areas and catalyzing the transition from traditional livelihoods. Drawing upon these empirical findings, this study proposes recommendations and directions for fine-tuning China’s existing regulatory policies pertaining to tourism in protected areas.

A novel single-loop Kriging importance sampling method for estimating failure probability upper bound under random-interval mixed uncertainties

For reliability analysis under wide existing random and interval mixed uncertainties (RIMU), the failure probability upper bound (FPUB), a conservative index to quantify the reliability level of the structure, is the basis for structural safety assessment under RIMU. To accurately and efficiently estimate FPUB, this paper proposes a novel importance sampling method based single-loop Kriging model (IS-SLK), in which the IS variance reduction is combined with the SLK of the performance function, and a new most reduction learning function under RIMU (MRLF-RI) is established. By introducing the IS probability density function (PDF), the proposed IS-SLK firstly expresses the FPUB as the product of the approximate FPUB estimated by current SLK and the correction term, then it designs a strategy of two-step adaptive updating SLK to calibrate FPUB. The innovation of the IS-SLK includes two aspects. Firstly, it constructs a quasi optimal IS PDF to approach the optimal one based on adaptively updating SLK, and the simple reject sampling method is employed to extract the sample of IS PDF, on which the required size of candidate sample pool for obtaining the convergent FPUB can be reduced and the robustness of the algorithm is improved. Secondly, based on the comprehensive consideration of multiple factors, which include the misclassification probability of structural state, joint PDF and Kriging prediction at the IS candidate sample, as well as the logical relationship between the states of random input candidate samples and those at different realizations of interval input, the new learning function named as MRLF-RI is established to adaptively select the training sample contributing most to improve the estimation accuracy of FPUB. Moreover, by deriving the upper bound of the expected relative error, a convergence criterion of MRLF-RI is constructed to further improve the efficiency. Compared with the up-to-date methods, the proposed IS-SLK is more efficient, and its superiority is verified by four examples.

Evaluation of energy saving and emission reduction effect of distributed energy system

The conventional evaluation methods of energy conservation and emission reduction lack the discussion of quantification index of energy conservation and emission reduction potential, and the evaluation effect is poor. Therefore, an evaluation method for energy conservation and emission reduction of distributed energy systems is proposed, which considers system dynamics and demand response. According to the requirements of system dynamics analysis, the relational variables in the system dynamics model are determined. The input-output relationship of energy saving, and emission reduction effect evaluation is described by system dynamics equation, and the input-output relationship of energy saving, and emission reduction effect evaluation is determined. Based on the maximum profit objective function and the minimum cost objective function of the user, the continuum equation of the medium transmission process in the distributed energy system is obtained. The evaluation indexes of energy saving, and emission reduction effect are selected from the three aspects of power consumption side, power generation side and the system itself to realize the evaluation of energy saving and emission reduction effect. The experimental results show that the evaluation curve obtained by this method is basically consistent with the actual curve, and the evaluation accuracy is high.