Number Of Nature Reserves Research Articles

The role of green financing and natural resources towards sustainable environment: A comparative study of US-China

The US and China are the most significant contributors to global CO2 emissions. Though both countries have taken tremendous strides toward reducing CO2 emissions, the mission towards carbon neutrality and Sustainable Environment (SEN) remains a far cry. Because of the significance of both countries in the world and the number of natural reserves (NTR) they both hold, the present study is conducted to draw a comparison between US and China in terms of the determining the role played by NTR, green financing (GFN) for SEN. This study employs a sophisticated time-series estimate technique called BARDL to consider the most critical factors in the US and China context. In addition, the present study also validates the relevancy of Environment Kuznets Curve (EKC) curve in both countries in the presence of NTR and GFN. The findings through the BARDL reported incremental effects of NTR towards CO2, and detrimental effects of GFN towards CO2, whereas the findings also reported the validation of EKC. Based on the findings, both of the countries are recommended to take severe initiatives for preserving the NTR, whereas there is a need to have more environmentally friendly initiatives backed by GFN and sustainable investments that need to be deployed for the betterment of ecology.

Real-Time Garbage Object Detection With Data Augmentation and Feature Fusion Using SUAV Low-Altitude Remote Sensing Images

Recently, a number of nature reserves have been shut down because of serious pollution from tourist garbage. Garbage monitoring in high-altitude natural reserves using small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) remote sensing is an important and urgent need for environmental protection. In order to help cleaners to eliminate garbage more conveniently and quickly, a novel approach is proposed to detect scattered garbage regions in real time using low-altitude remote sensing videos captured by SUAVs. First, the high-resolution, low-altitude, multitemporal remote sensing images and videos containing scattered garbage were collected through SUAV and then proposed a data augmentation method to expand the training samples. Second, the Yolov4 detection network was used to classify the scattered garbage regions. Finally, the location of the object was roughly calculated according to the altitude, flight direction, global positioning system, and digital elevation model (DEM). Then, the garbage object was marked on the video, while the object location was marked on the map. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a mean accuracy of 91.34% and provides better performances on the real data set compared with state-of-the-art methods.

Venomous Stings and Bites in the Tropics (Malaysia): Review (Non-Snake Related)

The success in conservation and increase in number of nature reserves resulted in repopulation of wildlife across the country. Whereas areas which are not conserved experience deforestation and destruction of animal’s natural habitat. Both of these scenarios predispose mankind to the encounter of animals, some of which carry toxins and cause significant harm. This review dwells into the envenomation by organisms from the land and sea, excluding snakes which are discussed separately. Rapid recognition of the organism and rapid response may aid in further management and changes the prognosis of victims.

Changes in area and number of nature reserves in China

Nature reserves (NR) are the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation. Over the past 60years, the rapid expansion of NRs in China, one of the world's megadiverse countries, has played a critical role in slowing biodiversity loss. We examined the changes in the number and area of China's NRs from 1956 to 2014 and analyzed the effect of economic development on the expansion of China's NRs from 2005 to 2014 with linear models. Despite a continuing increase in the number of NRs, the total area of China's NRs decreased by 3% from 2007 to 2014. This loss resulted from downsizing and degazettement of existing NRs and a slowdown in the establishment of new ones. Nature reserves in regions with rapid economic development exhibited a greater decrease in area, suggesting that downsizing and degazettement of NRs are closely related to the intensifying competition between economic growth and conservation. For example, boundary adjustments to national NRs, the most strictly protected NRs, along the coast of China's Yellow Sea, a global biodiversity hotspot with a fast-growing economy, resulted in the loss of one-third of the total area. One of the most important ecosystems in these NRs, tidal wetlands, decreased by 27.8% because of boundary adjustments and by 25.2% because of land reclamation. Our results suggest conservation achievement, in terms of both area and quality, are declining at least in some regions in the Chinese NR estate. Although the designation of protected areas that are primarily managed for sustainable use has increased rapidly in recent years in China, we propose that NRs with biodiversity conservation as their main function should not be replaced or weakened.

Conservation of Terrestrial Vertebrates in a Global Hotspot of Karst Area in Southwestern China.

The karst area of southwest China (KASC) is the largest piece of karst landscape on the earth and a global biodiversity hot-spot with high concentrations of endemic species. Although a number of nature reserves (NRs) have been established across the region, the representativeness of biodiversity of the NR system is still unknown. Based on comprehensive literature and field surveys, and intensive consultations with zoologists and wildlife managers, we compiled distributions of 1,204 terrestrial vertebrate species and 271 NRs in KASC. We found Jinxiu, Mengla, Hekou, and Jinghong have the richest amphibian species; Jinxiu has the highest species richness of reptiles; Jinghong, Menghai, and Mengla have the largest numbers of avian species; whereas, Mengla, Longzhou, and Ningming have the greatest mammalian diversity in the region. Gap analysis among NR system, species richness pattern, and five biogeographic indicators found insufficient representation of the NR system on territorial vertebrate diversity. The conservation effectiveness in Guizhou Province was much lower than that in Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces. Under-representation and over-representation simultaneously occurred in many of the ecoregions, elevation classes, vegetation types, landcover categories, and human disturbance intensity gradients. For conservation of terrestrial vertebrates in KASC, several suggestions were presented in this study.

Классификация черноольшаников песчаных массивов Ростовской области

The results of geobotanical survey of Alnus glu­ti­nosa arena forests at three sandy areas within the North of the Rostov and the West of the Volgograd regions of the Russian Federation are given. The territory is situated at the East European Plain where steppes are zonal type of vegetation. This territory is well developed agricultural region with highly transformed lands. Nevertheless, the fragments of natural vegetation support rather high floristic and phytocoenotic diversity and they contain a number of endemic species also (Fedyaeva, 2002). Small patches of alder forest stands generally occur in roundish and tape-like depressions on the second and third sandy terraces of the Don River. These woods were in a focus of interest of many scientists, e.g. G. M. Zozulin (1992) who studied these more than 30 years. But the special papers including the ecologo-floristic characteristic of natural arena alder forests were missing up to now. According to vegetation classification based on the Braun-Blanquet approach (Braun-Blanquet, 1964) the alder forests are referred to four formerly described associations of the alliances Alnion incanae and Alnion glutinosae: Aceri tatarici–Alnetum glutinosae, Urtico dioicae–Alnetum glutinosae, Ficario–Ulmetum minoris and Carici elongatae–Alnetum glutinosae. Proposed 4 subassociations and 10 variants reveal the syntaxonomical structure of these associations. The comparative analysis of syntaxa of the forests of the alliances Alnion incanae and Alnion glutinosae within the Rostov region, in the Russian Southern Nechernozemje, in Ukraine and the Central Europe was done. It is emphasized that the differentiation of the alder communities is complicated due to their intrazonal positions in a landscape. There are a very few character species at the association level. At the same time a lot of plant communities reflect the ecotone features between the meso-hygrophyte forests of the class Querco-Fagetea and the mire woods of the class Alnetea glutinosae. Therefore we had to apply both the classical and nonclassical syntaxonomical analysis (Mirkin et al., 2009). It is obvious that the alder forests syntaxonomy at the lowest level will be specified in the nearest future. There are noticeable differences in species composition of studied communities depen­ding on their position in landscape. For example, there are communities with a large amount of species of the class Querco-Fagetea occurring in the forest margins and on slopes. The role of species of the class Alnetea glutinosae increases on the gradient from the outskirts of wood massifs to their central parts in lowlands also. Species of the alliance Alnion incanae are widely presented in all communities. Although the described communities are small in size and rather rare on the territory studied they contain 27 vascular plant species included in the Red Data Book of the Rostov region (Krasnaya…, 2004). These woods considerably increase the biodiversity within the steppe zone as well. The organization of a number of nature reserves is necessary to protect the certain types of alder forests.

National Indicators Show Biodiversity Progress

In their Report “Global biodiversity: Indicators of recent declines” (28 May, p. [1164][1]), S. H. M. Butchart and colleagues commented that on a global scale there is little evidence that the rate of biodiversity decline is slowing and some evidence that it is increasing. However, there are some encouraging stories at national levels. For instance, the Chinese government has implemented biodiversity conservation action plans. The proportion of China's gross domestic product invested in environmental pollution control and forestry conservation has increased since 1990 and exceeded 1% since 2001; the number of nature reserves was 32 times the number in 1978, and the area devoted to reserves was 120 times the area in reserves in 1978 ([ 1 ][2]). There is more good news: Some indicators of pressures on biodiversity show declining trends. The total discharge of chemical oxygen demand and the amount of sulfur dioxide in waste gas, two nationally targeted pollutants, decreased 9.66 and 13.14%, respectively, as compared with that of 2005 ([ 2 ][3]). The discharge of toxic and harmful pollutants in wastewater, the emission intensity of chemical oxygen demand of key industries, the emission of soot dust and industrial dust in waste gases, and the discharge of solid wastes decreased annually 12.24, 21.62, 5.16, and 16.89% since 1998, respectively ([ 1 ][2]). Some indicators of the state of biodiversity showed recovering trends. The annual average net primary productivity, including forest resources as well as the area and growing stock of natural forests, has been increasing in the past two decades ([ 1 ][2], [ 3 ][4]); there is also a steady increase in the Marine Trophic Index from 1997 until now ([ 1 ][2]). Although substantial progress toward the 2010 target was made ([ 4 ][5]), we agree that China still faces severe environmental pressures, because total pollutant emissions are still high, and trends toward the loss of habitats, threatened species, and genetic resources are not effectively checked ([ 1 ][2]). 1. [↵][6] 1. H. G. Xu 2. et al ., BioScience 59, 843 (2009). [OpenUrl][7][CrossRef][8][Web of Science][9] 2. [↵][10] Ministry of Environmental Protection of China ([www.mep.gov.cn/zhxx/hjyw/201005/t20100514_189487.htm][11] [in Chinese]). 3. [↵][12] 1. Z. Q. Gao, 2. J. Y. Liu , Chin. Sci. Bull. 53, 317 (2008). [OpenUrl][13][CrossRef][14] 4. [↵][15] Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, China's Fourth National Report on Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (China Environmental Sciences Press, Beijing, 2009). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1187512 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #ref-4 [6]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [7]: {openurl}?query=rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1525%252Fbio.2009.59.10.6%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [8]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1525/bio.2009.59.10.6&link_type=DOI [9]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000271420000007&link_type=ISI [10]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [11]: http://www.mep.gov.cn/zhxx/hjyw/201005/t20100514_189487.htm [12]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [13]: {openurl}?query=rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1007%252Fs11434-008-0064-4%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [14]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1007/s11434-008-0064-4&link_type=DOI [15]: #xref-ref-4-1 View reference 4 in text

Optimal Translocation Strategies for Enhancing Stochastic Metapopulation Viability

Numerous methods have been proposed for enhancing species viability. Much attention has been given to the minimum required number of individuals, size and number of nature reserves, and value of habitat corridors. Surprisingly, however, the potential value of active management of a population through a program of translocations has only rarely been suggested, and explicit formulations of a theoretical basis for such a program are nonexistent. By drawing on the mathematical optimization technique known as dynamic programming, I develop an optimal dynamic strategy for translocation in a model population. I demonstrate this approach using a simple model for a hypothetical remnant population with two available habitat reserves incorporating demographic, environmental, and catastrophic forms of stochasticity. I then generalize the results by examining the effect on the cost and effectiveness of optimal translocation management of reserve size, population growth rate, environmental stochasticity, catastrophe size and frequency, translocation mortality rate, spatial correlation of population dynamics, and reserve size asymmetry. Simulated application of the optimal strategies, under a wide range of conditions, demonstrates that managed translocations averaging between 1 and 6 individuals/yr might dramatically enhance the probability of species persistence and reduce the required size of nature reserves, potentially by >1 order of magnitude. Given prohibitive financial and political costs of land acquisition for nature reserves, this technique could provide an important alternative for saving many endangered species.

THE SIZE OF NATURE RESERVES AND COSTS OF THEIR MAINTENANCE

A paper devoted to nature reserve size in the USSR, and more specifically to whether the areas of such reserves are adequate in particular natural zones and for particular species, determines that too many zapovedniki presently are too small to carry out their intended functions properly. In fact, until quite recently, in spite of a dramatic expansion of the total area and number of nature reserves, average reserve size has decreased. A trend toward decreasing reserve size and increasing per hectare maintenance expenditures can be noted as the level of economic development characteristic of particular natural zones increases (translated by Jay K. Mitchell, PlanEcon, Inc., Washington, DC 20005).

Ecological research in conserved areas in the orange free state

Abstract There is a need for the protection and scientific management of representative samples of each ecological area of the Orange Free State. Considerable progress has been made with the establishment of a large number of nature reserves by various authorities. Various ecological investigations have been undertaken in these reserves and a number of problems have been identified as a result of these studies. Priorities for future research are based on present information which has exposed gaps in ecological knowledge required for future management of reserved areas.