Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

Development Of A Composite Drought Indicator For Operational Drought Monitoring In The Mena Region, Karim Bergaoui, Makram Belhaj Fraj, Stephen Fragaszy, Ali Ghanim, Omar Hamadin, Emad Al‑Karablieh, Jawad Al‑Bakri, Mona Fakih, Abbas Fayad, Fadi Comair, Mohamed Yessef, Hayat Ben Mansour, Haythem Belgrissi, Kristi Arsenault, Christa Peters‑Lidard, Sujay Kumar, Abheera Hazra, Wanshu Nie, Michael Hayes, Mark D. Svoboda, Rachael Mcdonnell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This paper presents the composite drought indicator (CDI) that Jordanian, Lebanese, Moroccan, and Tunisian government agencies now produce monthly to support operational drought management decision making, and it describes their iterative co-development processes. The CDI is primarily intended to monitor agricultural and ecological drought on a seasonal time scale. It uses remote sensing and modelled data inputs, and it reflects anomalies in precipitation, vegetation, soil moisture, and evapotranspiration. Following quantitative and qualitative validation assessments, engagements with policymakers, and consideration of agencies’ technical and institutional capabilities and constraints, we made changes to CDI input data, modelling procedures, and integration to tailor …

Natural Resource Conflict And Socioenvironmental Resistance In Arctic States: Assessing Domestic Risks To Circumpolar Security, Jen Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

How does climate change contribute to domestic natural resource conflict and socioenvironmental resistance in the Arctic? The literature assumes that developed Arctic nations possess sufficient state capacity to overcome risks of domestic conflict and unrest posed by regional development and environmental change. Arctic policy correspondingly focuses on natural resource competition, disputes, and conflict at the international level. The mechanisms and processes of domestic natural resource conflict and socioenvironmental resistance in the Arctic have thus been largely ignored in the literature, even though 27 cases of contention have occurred since the ‘shock’ sea-ice melt of 2007.

In this study, I draw …

Procedures For Rangeland Condition Assessment In The Kimberley 2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Natural resources published reports

This report defines the procedures used in 2022 by DPIRD to complete rangeland condition assessment (RCA) in the Kimberley region which has grass-based pastures. For the rest of the pastoral estate, DPIRD uses the Procedures for RCA in the Pilbara and southern rangelands which have predominantly shrub pastures.

RCA is the process DPIRD uses to make systematic, lease-level assessment of rangeland. Rangeland condition considers both the condition of pastures (as defined in the 'Pasture condition guide for the Kimberley') and soils as determined by erosion, using the erosion assessment method on pastoral lands in Western Australia (WA). The methods have …

What Waterfowl Hunters Want: Exploring Heterogeneity In Hunting Trip Preferences, Katherine A. Sainsbury, Howard W. Harshaw, David C. Fulton, Nicholas W. Cole, Ashley A. Dayer, Jennie N. Duberstein, Andrew H. Raedeke, Rudy M. Schuster, Mark P. Vrtiska

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Canadian and American waterfowl hunters were surveyed to identify their hunting trip preferences. Respondents were individuals that were now participating or had participated in waterfowl hunting, and most had hunted the majority of the last five years. We identified four latent classes of waterfowl hunters that varied in their preferences for harvest, access effort, length of travel, quantity of waterfowl seen, and the potential for interference/competition. We found a diminishing return associated with the number of waterfowl harvested, and that ‘devoted’ and ‘local’ hunters did not perceive appreciable benefit from harvesting more birds beyond harvesting a single bird. Results highlight …

Heavy Metal Movement Through Insect Food Chains In Pristine Thermal Springs Of Yellowstone National Park, Braymond Adams, John Bowley, Monica Rohwer, Erik Oberg, Kelly Willemssens, Wendy Wintersteen, Robert K.D. Peterson, Leon G. Higley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Yellowstone National Park thermal features regularly discharge various heavy metals and metalloids. These metals are taken up by microorganisms that often form mats in thermal springs. These microbial mats also serve as food sources for invertebrate assemblages. To examine how heavy metals move through insect food webs associated with hot springs, two sites were selected for this study. Dragon-Beowulf Hot Springs, acid-sulfate chloride springs, have a pH of 2.9, water temperatures above 70 ^oC, and populations of thermophilic bacterial, archaeal, and algal mats. Rabbit Creek Hot Springs, alkaline springs, have a pH of up to 9, some water temperatures …

Improve Governance System Of National Parks, Build The World‘S Largest National Park System With High Quality, Baorong Huang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Improving the governance system of national parks is an inevitable requirement for China’s high-quality construction of the world’s largest national park system. This study analyzes the main challenges and problems faced by China’s national park governance based on long-term investigation on national parks and national park system pilot areas. Under the overall logic of modernization of China’s national governance system and governance capabilities, drawing on international experiences in sound governance of regional and watershed public goods and national parks, this study proposes a theoretical framework for establishing a “four in one” national park governance system in China, including a comprehensive …

Problems And Suggestions Of Building Scientific Decision-Making And Advisory Mechanism Of National Parks—Governance-Based Perspective, Yu Wei, Duowei Cheng, Yi Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

National parks are multi-factor, multi-functional and multi-dimensional complexes, which makes them difficult to follow the traditional administration and management modes, and need to explore the construction of a modernized governance system. An important step in enhancing the effectiveness of governance is to establish a reasonable, and efficient scientific decision-making and consultation mechanism. China has made remarkable progress in scientific decision-making and consultation in national parks. However, there are still some problems with the national parks’ decision-making process and effectiveness due to vague definition of authority and responsibility, dependence on departmentalized management paths, and inadequate upward and downward transmission of information …

Regime Of National Park Group Based On Protected Area System In Tibetan Plateau, Dong Chen, Yafei Wang, Dengsheng Wu, Jie Fan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China’s national park reform has entered a new stage of promoting reform based on the protected area system. The national park team of the second comprehensive scientific investigation and research on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) took the lead in putting forward the construction plan of the TP protected area, which is dominated by national park in area and function. The TP national park group, including “small group” which refer to national park, and “large group” which refer to different protected areas, innovates the long-term mechanism for the construction of national ecological security barriers on TP. The national park group requires …

Experience And Enlightenment Of Eu Natura 2000 Protected Area Network, Ling Tang, Baorong Huang, Tong Jin, Xuetian Hu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The EU Natura 2000 protected area network, covering nearly 19% of the land and 10% of the sea in the EU, has played an important role in protecting biodiversity and enhancing regional socio-economic well-being, and is regarded as the most successful protected area network in the world. Its successful experience is mainly reflected in five aspects. (1) The adoption of regional biodiversity conservation legislation and the promotion of compliance with the law by member countries to promote the construction of the protected area network. (2) The establishment of a decision-making and implementation mechanism that combines the EU resolution process and …

The Fuxi Farm: Practice Exploration And Reflection On Integrated Innovation Of Smart Agriculture Technology, Yucheng Zhang, Xiaobo Zhang, Shuqin Gao, Congcong Zheng, Jingyao Zhang, Ya Wen, Lujun Li, Zhuo Wang, Tie Li, Honglong Zhao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Smart agriculture plays a pivotal role in enhancing food security by optimizing resource use and improving crop yields through the application of AI technologies. The establishment of smart farms is critical to rapidly integrating AI into agricultural production, offering platforms for both the deployment and testing of AI solutions and equipment. This paper examines the development of smart farms, with a focus on practices from developed countries, and assesses the current status of smart farming in China. We then focus on exploring the content, pathways, and practices for constructing a smart agricultural production system in China through the establishment of …

Accelerate Innovation Of Forage Intelligent Breeding Technology: Reflection And Suggestions, Haichun Jing, Weijuan Hu, Jingbo Jin, Jingyu Zhang, Yao Zhou, Yue Gong, Gang Yao, Lei Wang, Kang Chong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The world is facing unprecedented changes today, with continuous population growth intensifying the pressure on food demand. The shift towards diversified dietary structures has increased the demand for feed grains, while climate change further threatens China’s food security by affecting agricultural productivity and carbon sequestration economy. At present, China has entered a new era of food supply and feed. As the food supply for animals, forage is the core component of feed, and its industrial development has profound strategic significance for ensuring national food security. This study analyzes the current situation of China’s forage seed industry, summarizes the cutting-edge achievements …

Rapid Soil Detection Technology Aids In Assessing Soil Nutrients In China, Wei Wu, Xiaoyong Liao, Xiaopeng Li, Yuntao Wu, Huixian Lu, Yucheng Zhang, Jiabao Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Soil quality is the core issue for ensuring China’s food security, and soil health is the top priority of soil quality. Comprehensive, rapid and accurate acquisition of soil background data is the prerequisite for achieving homogeneous soil management and formulating balanced fertilization strategies, which will play a key role in improving non-point source pollution caused by unreasonable fertilization and achieving balanced grain yield increase. This study reviews rapid soil testing methods both domestically and internationally. Based on previous research, it proposes a technical approach to rapidly detect soil nutrient concentrations by calculating the gamma quanta released during the decay of …

Hillside Agricultural Machinery And Agricultural Intelligence Driven By New Technologies, Hong Qiao, Yanfeng Lyu, Enhao Zheng

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Hilly and mountainous areas play a crucial role in China’s agricultural production. However, the low level of comprehensive mechanization for crop cultivation, planting, and harvesting in these regions severely hampers the modernization of agriculture. The complex terrain and diverse cropping patterns in hilly areas necessitate the development of specialized agricultural machinery and robots tailored to these unique landscapes. To advance this process, the Chinese government has introduced a series of policies in recent years to support the research and development of agricultural machinery for hilly regions, providing strong backing for the advancement of agricultural technology in these areas. Against this …

Artificial Intelligence Innovation For Smart Plant Factory To Diversify Its Big Food Production Functions, Huaqin Gong, Haichun Jing, Xin Tan, Xianhui Wang, Yucheng Zhang, Rongcheng Lin, Mingyu Yang, Shuang Lin, Hualing Xie, Yanping Yang, Shitang Ye, Peng Li, Tingyun Kuang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China’s food security is facing more and more severe and complex challenges, such as tight balance between food demand and supply, the upgrading of consumption structure, and resource constraints. The plant factory is an advanced scenario in agricultural production, a diversified food production system that gets rid of the constraints of “ask for food from the mother nature” and respond to disasters and wars, and is oriented to space. Nevertheless, the high cost greatly limits the application and development of plant factories. The rapid development of artificial intelligence will bring new opportunities for the innovative development and expansion of plant …

Development Of The Quantitative Modelling Observation Protocol (Qmop) For Undergraduate Biology Courses: Validity Evidence For Score Interpretation And Uses, Lyrica Lucas, Anum Khushal, Robert Mayes, Brian Couch, Joseph Dauer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Educational reform priorities such as emphasis on quantitative modelling (QM) have positioned undergraduate biology instructors as designers of QM experiences to engage students in authentic science practices that support the development of datadriven and evidence-based reasoning. Yet, little is known about how biology instructors adapt to the pedagogical movement towards incorporating QM opportunities for students in the courses they teach. This study presents the development of the Quantitative Modelling Observation Protocol (QMOP), a classroom observation instrument designed to support the need to characterise various approaches that instructors use to implement QM instruction in undergraduate biology. QMOP provides information about the …

Declining Pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana) Population Productivity Caused By Woody Encroachment And Oil And Gas Development, Victoria M. Donovan, Jeffrey L. Beck, Carissa L. Wonkka, Caleb P. Roberts, Craig R. Allen, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Conservation is increasingly focused on preventing losses in species’ populations before they occur. Tracking changes in demographic parameters that can impact a population’s resilience in response to drivers of global change can support early conservation efforts. We assessed trends in population productivity (late summer juveniles per 100 females) relative to drivers of global change in 40 pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) herds across sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe in Wyoming. Pronghorn are an iconic rangeland species that have been exposed to increasing levels of anthropogenic, climatic, and land-use change. Using data collected across the state of Wyoming, we (1) assessed …

Experimental Sars-Cov-2 Infection Of Elk And Mule Deer, Stephanie M. Porter, Airn E. Hartwig, Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Jeffrey M. Marano, J. Jeffrey Root, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

To assess the susceptibility of elk (Cervus canadensis) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) to SARS-CoV-2, we performed experimental infections in both species. Elk did not shed infectious virus but mounted low-level serologic responses. Mule deer shed and transmitted virus and mounted pronounced serologic responses and thus could play a role in SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology.

Parallels Of Quantum Superposition In Ecological Models: From Counterintuitive Patterns To Eco-Evolutionary Interpretations Of Cryptic Species, David G. Angeler, Hannah B. Fried-Petersen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Background Superposition, i.e. the ability of a particle (electron, photon) to occur in different states or positions simultaneously, is a hallmark in the subatomic world of quantum mechanics. Although counterintuitive at first sight, the quantum world has potential to inform macro-systems of people and nature. Using time series and spatial analysis of bird, phytoplankton and benthic invertebrate communities, this paper shows that superposition can occur analogously in redundancy analysis (RDA) frequently used by ecologists.

Results We show that within individual ecosystems single species can be associated simultaneously with different orthogonal axes in RDA models, which suggests that they operate in …

Factors Affecting Walleye And Sauger Recruitment In Lewis And Clark Lake, South Dakota, 2001–2022, William J. Radigan, Phil Chvala, Christopher Longhenry, Mark A. Pegg

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Abundance of adult walleye (Sander vitreus) and sauger (Sander canadensis), two important sport fishes, decreased significantly during 2001–2022 in Lewis and Clark Lake, a border water between Nebraska and South Dakota, despite walleye fingerling stocking and stable age-0 abundance of both species. We sought to identify factors that drove variation in age-0 abundance from 2001 to 2022 using an information theoretic approach. Age-0 walleye catch per unit effort (CPUE) was correlated to mean monthly outflow, mean annual precipitation, and mean April gauge height in a delta. Age-0 sauger CPUE was correlated to adult conspecific CPUE, mean …

If You Build It, Will They Come? Assessing Habitat Quality For Marsh Birds At Created Marshes In Southeastern Louisiana, Katherine Aylett Lipford

LSU Master's Theses

Wetland loss occurs at an alarming pace globally, with extremely high rates along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana loses a football field of wetland every 100 minutes: that is 77,000 m² of wetland bird habitat lost daily. In Louisiana, marsh creation projects combat wetland loss, and while wildlife habitat is often used as a justification for restoration, wildlife receives little to no consideration during and after construction. Habitat characteristics such as site-specific hydrology, vegetation composition, and habitat structure affect the abundance of wetland birds and understanding these features is crucial to creating habitat that will benefit birds. My …

Scientific Approach To Building A Highland Of Ecological Civilization In Xizang Of China, Xiaodan Wang, Jianxin Zhang, Da Wei, Hui Zhao, Jiangtao Hong, Yuling Liang, Yahui Qi, Zhengrong Yuan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Xizang, which plays an important barrier role in maintaining national ecological security, is a unique region that ensures China’s sustainable development and leads the construction of national ecological civilization. The Seventh Central Conference on the Work of Xizang has set clear goals and specific requirements for building an ecological civilization highland on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, which were identified as a new mission and task of Xizang government for environmental protection and sustainable development in the new era. Based on the previous research achievements about national ecological security barrier, this work further carried out the systematic study of ecological civilization highland …

Internal Logic And Policy Recommendations Of Big Data To Support High-Quality Development Of Modern Agricultural Industry, Yingming Li, Zitong Wang, Mingyue Wang, Shiyi Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Clarifying the internal logic of big data to support modern agricultural production is helpful to cultivate and develop new quality productive forces in agriculture. From the perspective of economics, this study proposes that the role of big data in modern agricultural production is mainly reflected in two levels. Firstly, it improves the total factor productivity of the traditional agricultural production function. Secondly, it changes the factor endowment structure of agricultural production and forms a new agricultural production function. Based on these, the realization form of big data to support modern agricultural production can be summarized as improving the efficiency of …

Development And Utilization Of Mineral Resources In The Arctic And China’S Strategic Countermeasures, Yina Su

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

There are abundant strategic mineral resources as oil, gas, iron ore, copper, and nickel in the Arctic region. If the Arctic routes can be opened in the future, they will become another important transportation channels connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, following the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal, which may reshape the world’s maritime trade and transportation pattern. With the development of science and technology, increase in mineral resources consumption and changes in the international environment, the strategic position of the Arctic region is increasingly elevated, and the United States, Russia and some other countries of the European Union …

Habitat Characteristics, Distribution, And Abundance Of Cicindelidia Haemorrhagica (Leconte) (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) In Yellowstone National Park, K. A. Willemssens, J. L. Bowley, L. Cavallini, E. Oberg, R.K.D. Peterson, Leon G. Higley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Rates Of Freshwater Drum Near The Northern Extent Of Their Range: Evidence Of Environment-Recruitment Relationships, M. Stuart, N. Kludt, M. A. Pegg, F. Montesanto, C. Lyon, C. J. Chance-Ossowski

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

High-Altitude Adaptation Is Accompanied By Strong Signatures Of Purifying Selection In The Mitochondrial Genomes Of Three Andean Waterfowl, A. M. Graham, P. Lavretsky, R. E. Wilson, K. G. Mccracken

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Long-Term Croplands Water Productivity In Response To Management And Climate In The Western Us Corn Belt, M. Khorchani, Tala Awada, M. Schmer, V. Jin, G. Birru, S.R.S. Dangal, Andrew E. Suyker, A. Freidenreich

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fauna, Flora, And Land Cover Changes Over The Last Two Decades In The Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, Gabriel De Oliveria, Steven R. Schultze, Guilherme Mataveli

Technical Reports

A technical report documenting ecosystem changes to the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta region due to urban expansion over approximately two decades (2001-2019).

Current Challenges And Future Of Agricultural Genomes To Phenomes In The Usa, C. K. Tuggle, J. L. Clarke, B. M. Murdoch, E. Lyons, N. M. Scott, B. Benes, J. D. Campbell, H. Ching, C. L. Daigle, S. D. Choudhury, J.C. M. Dekkers, J.R.R. Dorea, D. S. Erti, B. O. Fragomeni, J. E. Fulton, C. R. Guadagno, D. E. Hagen, A. S. Hess, L. M. Kramer, C. J. Lawrence-Dill, A. E. Lipka, T. Lubberstedt, F. M. Mccarthy, P. S. Schnable

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

15-Yr Biomass Production In Semiarid Nebraska Sandhills Grasslands: Part 1—Plant Functional Group Analysis, B. Zhao, B. M. Stephenson, T. Awada, J. Volesky, B. Wardlow

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.