Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

Long Term Monitoring And Research On Temperate Glaciers And Related Environments Provide Technological Support For Regional Sustainable Development, Shijin Wang, Shichang Kang, Tuo Chen, Yuanqing He, Meixue Yang, Quanlian Li, Hewen Niu, Tao Pu, Binglin Zhang, Yanjun Che, Wanqin Guo, Xingguo Yan, Xinggang Ma, Rongjun Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

After nearly 20 years of development, the Yulong Snow Mountain National Field Observation and Research Station for Cryosphere and Sustainable Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences has built a field comprehensive observation system and data online visualization platform of temperate glacier and environment integrating observation, research, demonstration, and service. Based on the long-term positioning monitoring of temperate glaciers and the environment, and focusing on key scientific issues related to sustainable development in temperate glacier areas, this study deeply analyzes the mechanism of changes in temperate glaciers, reveals the hydrological, microorganisms, and climatic effects of temperate glacier change, evaluates the effectiveness of …

Yulong Snow Mountain National Field Observation And Research Station For Cryosphere And Sustainable Development

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

No abstract provided.

Describing Undergraduate Students’ Reasoning And Use Of Evidence During Argumentation About Socioscientific Issues Systems, P. Citlally Jimenez, Ashley R. Alred, Jenny M. Dauer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Introduction: We conducted research in a post-secondary, large-enrollment science literacy course that asks students to apply multidisciplinary scientific evidence when providing an argument about the potential social and ecological consequences of policy solutions to socioscientific issues (SSI).

Methods: Coding schemes were developed to describe students’ levels of proficiency in constructing arguments about the nature of SSI systems and were created through inductive coding of student arguments about SSI systems embedded within a structured decision-making process.

Results: The coding schemes included student practices in 1) providing reasoning about the potential consequences of multiple solutions for an SSI, 2) …

Combining Multi-View Uav Photogrammetry, Thermal Imaging, And Computer Vision Can Derive Cost-Effective Ecological Indicators For Habitat Assessment, Qiao Hu, Ligang Zhang, Jeff Drahota, Wayne Woldt, Dana Varner, Andy Bishop, Ted Lagrange, Christopher M. U. Neale, Zhenghong Tang

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Recent developments in Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs), thermal imaging, and Automachine learning (AutoML) have shown high potential for precise wildlife surveys but have rarely been studied for habitat assessment. Here, we propose a framework that leverages these advanced techniques to achieve cost-effective habitat quality assessment from the perspective of actual wildlife community usage. The framework exploits vision intelligence hidden in the UAV thermal images and AutoML methods to achieve cost-effective wildlife distribution mapping, and then derives wildlife use indicators to imply habitat quality variance. We conducted UAV-based thermal wildlife surveys at three wetlands in the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska. Experiments were …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …