Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Occupancy Of Fish Species Of Greatest Conservation Need And Temporal Patterns Of Assemblage Occurrence In Sandhills Ecoregion, Nebraska Streams, Braxton M. Newkirk

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fish species’ occurrence is influenced by environmental conditions across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Alteration to stream systems has the potential to affect occurrence patterns of fish species. Stream systems of the North American Great Plains face threats originating from climate change and anthropogenic activities resulting in negative implications for many fish species. The Sandhills Ecoregion, Nebraska is considered one of the largest intact grasslands in North America, and thus may experience fewer threats than surrounding areas. Stream systems of the Sandhills Ecoregion are home to 12 fish species of greatest conservation need (SGCN). Little context exists regarding the environmental …

Understanding Mechanisms For Coastal Marsh Sustainability In A Changing Climate, Ashley R. Booth

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the Chenier Plain of Louisiana and Texas, coastal marshes are subject to high rates of relative sea level rise (RSLR), restricted sedimentation, and declining elevation attributed to subsidence and decades of intensive management. These marshes were created via mineral sedimentation but now largely accrete via organic matter accumulation. This organic matter accumulation (OMA) – or the balance between plant productivity and decomposition – is essential for maintaining elevation and thus long-term sustainability. However, management for elevation is complicated by a poor understanding of how abiotic factors like flooding and salinity impact processes driving OMA and elevation. To better understand …

Climatological Trends And Effects Of Aerosols And Clouds On Large Solar Parks: Application Examples In Benban (Egypt) And Al Dhafrah (Uae), Harshal Dhake, Panagiotis Kosmopoulos, Antonis Mantakas, Yashwant Kashyap, Hesham El-Askary, Omar Elbadawy

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Solar energy production is vastly affected by climatological factors. This study examines the impact of two primary climatological factors, aerosols and clouds, on solar energy production at two of the world’s largest solar parks, Benban and Al Dhafrah Solar Parks, by using Earth observation data. Cloud microphysics were obtained from EUMETSAT, and aerosol data were obtained from the CAMS and assimilated with MODIS data for higher accuracy. The impact of both factors was analysed by computing their trends over the past 20 years. These climatological trends indicated the variations in the change in each of the factors and their resulting …

Optimization For Qinghai-Xizang Plateau Ecological Security Barrier System, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Wenwu Zhao, Xiaoming Feng, Shiliang Liu, Chiyuan Miao, Xuhui Wang, Chunyang He, Changjia Li, Aizhong Ye, Zhongmin Hu, Zhifeng Liu, Dingyang Zhou

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The ecological security barrier system is a composite system to maintain ecological security and sustainable development within and outside the region. This system enables the maintenance of the structure and function of the ecosystem in the ecological security barrier region relatively shielded from or minimally impacted by external environmental threats, so that forms a multilevel and orderly stable pattern. Over the period from 2000 to 2020, the ecosystem water conservation function was on the rise, and the soil conservation function, net ecosystem productivity, and habitat quality were generally stable in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Comparing the previous three national parks and …

Green Certificate Of “Lucid Waters And Lush Mountains” And The Yellow River Demonstration, Guangqian Wang, Deyu Zhong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Guided by the “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets”, this work systematically studies the mechanism for realizing ecological value and proposes an implementation plan centered on a Green Certificate system for ecological assets, to be advanced in three stages. The Green Certificate serves as an objective and quantifiable proof of ecological assets, integrating four categories of ecological products—ecological water, soil and water conservation, carbon sequestration, and afforestation (grass planting)—into a unified, tradable rights certificate system. This provides an institutional foundation for transforming “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains” into “Gold and Silver Mountains” through market mechanisms. Taking the Yellow …

Coordination Degree Of Composite Systems And Its Application, Ke Qi, Jiaojun Zhu, Dexiong Teng, Xiao Zheng, Huaiqing Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

A composite system (CS) is an organic whole composed of multiple subsystems. It has the property of operating in a coordinated manner through the interconnection and interaction between its subsystems, which could be evaluated by the indicator of coordination degree of composite systems (CDoCS). However, there is currently a lack of quantitative methods for CDoCS and the CDoCS-based technology for composite system optimization. As a result, there is a lack of effective solutions to the problems caused by the disharmony of composite systems such as the mountain-water-forest-farm-lake-grass-sand systems (i.e., composite ecosystems) and the social-economic-natural systems. Therefore, the connotation of CDoCS …

Research On Regional Suitability Assessment And Promotion Mechanisms Of Conservation—Based Utilization Models For Black Soil, Xiaojie Liu, Liangjie Xin, Jiliang Ma, Yuxian Wang, Fan Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Black soil represents a high-quality and scarce arable land resource, serving as a critical foundation for ensuring food security in China. However, prolonged development and utilization have resulted in varying degrees of degradation of black soil in Northeast China, directly affecting national food security and ecological stability. Since 2015, China has initiated and progressively intensified efforts in black soil protection. Technical models such as the “Lishu Model” and the “Longjiang Model” have been developed, demonstrated, and promoted, leading to increasingly significant conservation outcomes. Nevertheless, current technical models for black soil protection face dual challenges: unclear suitability boundaries and difficulties in …

Evolutionary Logic And Development Trends Of China’S Ecological And Environmental Fiscal Polocies—Quantitative Analysis Based On Policy Texts, Yu Qi, Wumei Shi, Yankun Xu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The modern fiscal system has a unique role in promoting the development of green transformation, taking into account the different interests of different subjects, linking different governance links, and balancing the distribution of benefits between regions and generations, and has become a tool that is increasingly relied upon to improve the basic system of ecological civilization, sound ecological and environmental governance system, and innovate the mechanism of green and low-carbon development. Through a retrospective study of 1 516 policy texts issued by the central government departments since the reform and opening up of China, which are closely related to “ecological …

Comparison And Enlightenment Of International Renewable Energy Legislation Systems, Lanchun Li, Wei Feng, Wei Chen, Qing Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The high-quality development of renewable energy cannot be achieved without legal system guarantees. In the new era, the deepening of national major strategies such as energy revolution, high-quality development, and dual carbon have put forward new and higher requirements for China’s renewable energy legal system. Based on the perspective of “past-now-future”, this study systematically reviews the development process and evolution trend of international renewable energy legal systems, extracts typical experiences of major countries, and compares and summarizes the analyses of China’s legal systems. In light of gaps, it is proposed to further improve the revision of the Renewable Energy Law …

Alabama Agricultural Producers’ Experiences With Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) And Their Preferences Concerning Wild Pig Management, Hailey E. Ellis, Luren M. Jaebker, Alan D. Bright, Mark D. Smith, Keith M. Carlisle

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Government agencies and landowners use a variety of lethal methods to reduce invasive wild pig populations and resulting agricultural damages. To provide decision-makers with information regarding Alabama farmers’ experiences with wild pigs and their preferences for management actions, we surveyed Alabama Farmers Federation members in 2020. We found that wild pigs were commonly present on livestock, timber, and crop production acreage, but wild pig damages and costs were much more common among crop producers. Respondents' wildlife acceptance capacity for wild pigs was low and all lethal control methods were considered aceptable by most reposndents, particularly those performed by landowners. While …

Roaded Catchments In Wa, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Roaded catchments are earthwork structures designed to increase the amount of run-off from the catchment above a receiving farm dam.

Roaded catchments are lined with clay and compacted to make a smooth surface that reduces infiltration and increases run-off. Roaded catchments should discharge into a silt trap and then into a dam (excavated earth tank). This combined structure should be fenced to exclude livestock.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends that roaded catchments are part of an integrated water and salinity management program.

The information in this page is only a guide – seek expert advice before …

Ecological View And Practice Of Chinese Path To Modernization, Yue Shi, Jiangling Zhu, Jingyun Fang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Chinese path to modernization is characterized by emphasizing the harmony between humanity and nature. It upholds the principles of respecting, obeying, and protecting nature to achieve a coordinated integration of economic development and ecological conservation. This ecological view stems from China’s modernization practices, aligns with universal principles of modernization, and roots in features that are unique to China. It stresses a correct understanding of the human–nature relationship, the importance of systematic ecological planning and the central role of ecosystems in ecological conservation, and the necessity of following the laws of nature. Drawing on the experiences and lessons from Western …

Upholding “Triple Real” Vision For Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions To Advance Global Climate Governance, Nianzhi Jiao, Chuanlun Zhang, Tingwei Luo, Jihua Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Addressing climate change is a formidable challenge for humanity, and achieving the temperature control goals of the Paris Agreement cannot rely solely on greenhouse gas emission reductions—negative emissions are an inevitable solution. The ocean, as the planet’s largest active carbon reservoir, holds immense potential for negative emissions, yet there is no internationally recognized pathway to realize it. The UNESCO-IOC international program of Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions (ONCE) builds on the original theory of the microbial carbon pump (MCP) and integrates known ocean carbon sequestration mechanisms BCMS (standing for biological carbon pump, carbonate counter pump, MCP, solubility carbon pump) to propose …

International Game And Strategic Analysis Of China’S Methane Emission Control, Zixu Su, Xinhe Bao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of methane emission control becoming a hot spot in global climate governance, China, as a major methane emitter, has committed to announcing its 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions covering all greenhouse gases before COP30, drawing significant attention from the world. In order to systematically analyze the international dynamics and China’s response strategies in methane emission control, this article explains the necessity and urgency of methane mitigation based on the current situation of global methane emission, and also clarifies essential meaning of international game to reveal China’s challenge and opportunity amid the backlash against globalization. Besides, it sorts out …

Inter-Provincial Spatial Coupling Of Paddy Fields In China Has Accelerated The Water Consumption, Wenguang Chen, Wencai Zhang, Ming Lei, Ruqian Zhang, Zhenting Zhao, Enyi Xie, Jing Zhao, Xiangbin Kong

I-GUIDE Forum

Rice trade has played a significant role in ensuring global rice consumption security. However, the spatial coupling of paddy fields based on rice trade can also transfer ecological environmental effects and threaten the sustainability of local systems. As the largest rice producer and consumer in the world, as well as one of the countries with the lowest per capita water resources, studying the inter-provincial rice flow in China and its water resource utilization efficiency is of great significance for ensuring national rice security and water resource security. Research has found that, China's rice consumption decreased by 11.97 Mt from 2000 …

Sustainable Cities; A Case Study Analysis Of Chesapeake, Va, Blaizen B. Bloom

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper is a case study analysis of the City of Chesapeake, VA. Its purpose is to examine the influence between the City's actions and its impact on the Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, an analysis of future climate change impacts on the City of Chesapeake and the Chesapeake Bay in building an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable City.

Fire And Ant Interactions Mediated By Honeydew And Extrafloral Nectar In An Australian Tropical Savanna, Fernanda M. P. Oliveira, Carlos H. F Silva, Melinda L. Moir, Inara R. Leal, Alan N. Andersen

Natural Resources Research Articles

Fire is a major disturbance affecting ecosystems globally, but its impact on mutualisms has received minimal attention. Here, we use a long-term field experiment to investigate the impact of different fire regimes on globally important ant–honeydew and ant–extrafloral nectar (EFN) mutualistic interactions in an Australian tropical savanna. These interactions provide ants with a key energy source, while their plant and hemipteran hosts receive protection services. We examined ant interactions on species of Eucalyptus (lacking EFNs) and Acacia (with EFNs) in three replicate plots each of burning every 2 and 3 years early in the dry season, burning late in the …

How Did The Deer Cross The Road? Reducing Habitat Fragmentation And Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Deaths Through Connective Conservation In The South Mountain Region, Pennsylvania, Jack B. Joiner, Emily R. Kreider, Thomas H. Manning, Madison E. Rowell

Student Publications

While some deleterious effects of road networks and the vehicles that travel them– such as pollution, fossil fuel extraction, and carbon emissions– are widely recognized, their significant role in causing an estimated one million wildlife deaths per day (Shilling et al., 2021) and contributing to habitat loss and degradation, the leading causes of global biodiversity decline (Pinto et al., 2023), has garnered less attention. Connective conservation policies, such as designating wildlife corridors and constructing wildlife crossings on roadways, have been proposed as a means of mitigating these repercussions. This study proposes a connective conservation plan addressing the logistics of a …

Red Fox, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

This factsheet provides information on the red fox in Western Australia (WA).

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a native of the northern hemisphere where it occurs throughout most of Europe, Asia, North America, and the northern coast of Africa. The red fox was first introduced to Australia (Victoria) from Britain as early as 1845 for hunting with foxhounds. Having become successfully established in Victoria by about 1870, it colonised most of mainland Australia over the next 70 years. Foxes are not found in the most northern regions of Australia, including northwest Kimberley.

In WA, the fox is a declared …

Intrinsic And Environmental Drivers Of Pairwise Cohesion In Wild Canis Social Groups, John F. Benson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Animals within social groups respond to costs and benefits of sociality by adjusting the proportion of time they spend in close proximity to other individuals in the group (cohesion). Variation in cohesion between individuals, in turn, shapes important group-level processes such as subgroup formation and fission–fusion dynamics. Although critical to animal sociality, a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing cohesion remains a gap in our knowledge of cooperative behavior in animals. We tracked 574 individuals from six species within the genus Canis in 15 countries on four continents with GPS telemetry to estimate the time that pairs of individuals within …

Strengthen S&T Empowered Green Development To Promote Harmonious Coexistence Between Humans And Nature, Jianguo Hou

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

No abstract provided.

Building A Community Of All Life On Earth: Man And The Biosphere Programme Bridging China And The World, Hongping He

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) launched by UNESCO has achieved remarkable accomplishments over more than half a century in the aspects of biodiversity conservation, interdisciplinary research, technological innovation, knowledge sharing, international cooperation, etc. China, as an active participant to MAB, is productive in the development of national network, nomination and periodic review of biosphere reserves, international cooperation, and so on, thus contributing to global environmental governance and building of a community of all life on Earth. To enable MAB to more effectively address global common environmental challenges and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it is recommended …

Mutual Empowerment And Synergies For Enhanced Outcomes: Pioneering A New Paradigm For Biodiversity Conservation—Significance Of Man And The Biosphere Programme For China And The World, Baotong Dong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The core of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) lies in promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. This study discusses the significance of MAB for the management of protected areas and biodiversity conservation in China and globally, evaluates the valuable insights that MAB provides for China’s biodiversity conservation efforts, examines the supporting role of China’s conservation practices in implementing MAB methodology, and offers perspectives on future pathways to strengthen global biodiversity conservation.

Building New-Style Protected Area System With Chinese Characteristics And Promoting Innovative Development Of The Man And The Biosphere Programme, Zhen Yan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Through innovative efforts to develop a national park-centered protected area system, China has made notable progress in science-based classification, protected areas consolidation and optimization, development and management, legal safeguards, and monitoring and oversight. These achievements have provided robust support for implementing the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), fostering a Chinese paradigm thereof. This paradigm features coordinated large-scale ecological conservation and improved livelihoods, integrated trans-boundary protection alongside monitoring and oversight, sustained advances in scientific research, and a balance between strict protection and rational utilization. Going forward, China will press ahead with building the world’s largest national park system, to serve …

Fruitful Cooperation Between China And Unesco In New Era, Changwei Qin

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, especially since President XI Jinping’s historic visit to the UNESCO Headquarters and his important speech delivered at the visit, China-UNESCO cooperation has achieved fruitful results. This study outlines China and UNESCO’s joint efforts and cooperation in promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, implementing UNESCO’s priority strategies, as well as the outcomes of cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, and communication and information.

Achievement Of Chinese Biosphere Reserves Network And Suggestions For Its Development, Yaping Zhang, Ding Wang, Qiang Fang, Xiangjun Chen

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As the largest national platform for China’s implementation of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), the establishment of the Chinese Biosphere Reserves Network (CBRN) marks the Programme’s entry into a phase of integrated development in China. By leveraging regional and thematic networks of MAB, organizing multi-thematic training courses, constructing a multi-level talent cultivation system, hosting annual conference, running publications, promoting public communication with social media, strengthening the introduction and application of high technology, and establishing base for strategic research, CBRN has made significant achievements in international cooperation, capacity building, cultivation of youth talents, awareness raising, experience sharing, information exchange, …

Future Development Strategy And Action Plan For World Network Of Biosphere Reserves, Yu Wei, Xiaoli Shen, Yueyu Zou, Keping Ma

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Global environmental governance is currently encountering serious challenges. The lack of integration between biodiversity conservation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has imposed significant stress on the Earth system. Ecologically significant regions, particularly those with limited resources, are confronted with issues such as weak governance structures and restricted developmental opportunities. As the core platform of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) serves as a global model for reconciling conservation with sustainable development. Nevertheless, it continues to face major obstacles, including insufficient alignment with international frameworks, inadequate financial and human resource allocation, limited coordination …

Contribution Of Biosphere Reserves To Global Biodiversity Conservation And Climate Change, Zhiyun Ouyang, Yunong Yao, Jun Tang, Weihua Xu, Xiaosong Li, Li Zhu, Lei Cao, Mingli Lin, Yueyu Zou

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Biosphere Reserves are areas recognized by UNESCO that represent key terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems. These areas are strictly protected and designed to fulfill three primary functions: conserving biodiversity, promoting sustainable development, and supporting scientific research and education. As of now, 759 biosphere reserves have been established in 136 countries and regions worldwide, supporting the livelihoods of approximately 236 million people. The total area of biosphere reserves covers 7.67 million km2, accounting for 4.10% of global terrestrial area, 5.08% of freshwater surface, and 0.21% of marine areas. The reserves encompass diverse ecosystems, including 2.22 million km2 of forests, 2.24 million …

Goals Of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework And Solutions By China’S Biosphere Reserve Network, Guangchun Lei

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Biodiversity is the core element of earth life system, and it is also the source of food, drinking water, health, security, and social welfare for people. Biodiversity contains critical genetic resources that help people to response to future uncertainties, in particular, hold solutions to climate change. However, due to population outbreak, technology advancement, and unsustainable production and consumption, the earth ecosystem has been under significant development pressure, which indicated by human ecological footprint of 170% that earth ecosystem can provide, which led to continuous loss of biodiversity. If such trend continues, the sixth massive biodiversity extinction will unavoidable. This study …

Practical Experience And Achievements In Sustainable Development Of World Network Of Biosphere Reserves, Weihua Xu, Zuchen Ma, Günter Köck, Wenlu Chen, Zhiyun Ouyang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As the core of the UNESCO “Man and the Biosphere Programme” (MAB), the World Network of Biosphere Reserves holds irreplaceable strategic value in harmonizing ecological conservation with regional sustainable development. Based on the four strategic objectives outlined in the Strategy for the Man and the Biosphere Programme (2015–2025), this study systematically analyzes the innovative practices across representative global reserves, revealing critical pathways and implementation outcomes for the sustainable development of biosphere reserves. The research demonstrates that the scientific conservation measures—including the establishment of biodiversity monitoring systems, systematic habitat restoration, and the development of genetic resource conservation networks—have significantly enhanced biodiversity …