Suchergebnisse

Globally, continuing environmental degradation is leading many countries to strengthen their systems of protected areas. However, this may not be sufficient to halt degradation and conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. To supplement its growing system of protected areas, the Chinese government is adopting a strategy of Ecological Conservation Redlines (ECRs). The ECRs define limits to human encroachment into ecologically sensitive and vulnerable areas and enforce strict conservation in order to guarantee national ecological security. ECRs are integrated in their design, are based on sound science, and provide a systemic management mechanism. ECR supports the formation of a comprehensive ecological conservation system that will lead to effective conservation for the most ecologically valuable and fragile ecosystems. The ECR approach seeks to improve China's ecological security and guide nature conservation in the future. It could also provide a valuable example of an effective approach for improving nature conservation worldwide.

Public governance often involves policy tools and stakeholders from multiple sectors. How different policy tools are used may affect the chances that the values and interests of diverse stakeholders can be aligned in mutually supportive ways. Drawing on insights from behavioral and cognitive economics, this article uses the case of land and ecological conservation in Twin Lake, Taiwan, to illustrate how various interactive dynamics—hierarchical exclusion and preemptive effects—may affect efforts in land and ecological conservation involving stakeholders from multiple sectors. Such illustrations may inform the choice and sequencing of policy tools for facilitating collaborative governance.

Sightseeing and recreation have become prevalent in the Kenting coral reef area. However, coral reefs in Kenting are being severely bleached at an increasing rate under the influence of excessive human activities and climate change that have necessitated stronger conservation policies by the government. Based on a random utility model for coral ecology conservation, the preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) values of diving, fishing, and sightseeing visitors are analyzed. Empirical results show that: (1) increasing living coral coverage, improving water quality, restricting the number of daily visitors, increasing biodiversity, increasing the ratio of marine protected areas, and reducing the coral reef&rsquo ; s conservation fund will improve the overall utility of Kenting for visitors ; (2) the WTP values significantly vary with respondents&rsquo ; socioeconomic background and travel behaviors ; (3) the results of a latent class model (LCM) also show that the two groups with different coral conservation preferences and WTP values have different socioeconomic backgrounds and travel behaviors.

Neoliberal conservation has recently become a topic of academic research and a method of practice within the context of globalization. Less attention has been given to how neoliberal conservation has been practiced at the urban scale. This paper draws on the concept of &lsquo ; urban-growth-oriented green grabbing&rsquo ; to capture the multidimensionality of the reasoning and process of ecological conservation in an urban growth context. It focuses on two ecological spatial protection plans for the DaPeng Peninsula in the city of Shenzhen, China. Through empirical investigation, this article traces the political economy of these plans and draws out the insights they offer regarding theories of urban environmentalism. The empirical results show that the ecological conservation plans are best understood as &lsquo ; green grabbing&rsquo ; that has been achieved by land transfer and spatial interest redistribution. Conceptually, the paper provides further evidence of the process of neoliberal conservation within the urban context.

Neoliberal conservation has recently become a topic of academic research and a method of practice within the context of globalization. Less attention has been given to how neoliberal conservation has been practiced at the urban scale. This paper draws on the concept of 'urban-growth-oriented green grabbing' to capture the multidimensionality of the reasoning and process of ecological conservation in an urban growth context. It focuses on two ecological spatial protection plans for the DaPeng Peninsula in the city of Shenzhen, China. Through empirical investigation, this article traces the political economy of these plans and draws out the insights they offer regarding theories of urban environmentalism. The empirical results show that the ecological conservation plans are best understood as 'green grabbing' that has been achieved by land transfer and spatial interest redistribution. Conceptually, the paper provides further evidence of the process of neoliberal conservation within the urban context.

Achieving sustainable socio-economic development in areas designated for ecological conservation is a challenge for many developing countries. The nexus between ecological conservation and socio-economic development is particularly complex in these areas for the reason that most of them are located in poor regions and their resource utilization is constrained by ecological conservation practices. A conceptual framework was proposed for examining the nexus between ecological conservation and economic development in a social-ecological system to explain the pathways and mechanisms of influence between the ecosystem and the social system. We chose the Lashihai watershed in Yunnan Province, China, as the case study area to explore whether a positive feedback loop between ecological conservation and socio-economic development has been formed, as well as how to promote the positive evolution of socio-economic and ecological status. The ecosystem and socio-economic system in the Lashihai watershed closely interact and form a dynamic system with a positive evolutionary trend. If negative factors, such as an uneven distribution of income and new population pressures, are not appropriately managed, they are likely to break the positive feedback loop and trap the system in a negative feedback loop. We discuss the main factors that contribute to the interactions between ecological conservation and livelihoods, and develop policy recommendations for governments in other countries and regions to promote conservation and better livelihoods in conjunction.

Understanding how indigenous people manage their natural resources can provide a basis for formulating appropriate policies for natural resources management that benefits them while preserving their cultural beliefs. The objective of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the management of natural resources and the conservation of river ecology by the indigenous people in the Nongchaiwan wetland. We conducted in-depth interviews with 5 key informants and quantitative surveys with 158 households in two phases over a period of 3 years. Ancestral spiritual beliefs that are still salient in the Lower Songkhram River Basin influence natural resources management because they traditionally link people and natural resources. Such spiritual beliefs in the Lower Songkhram River Basin supported the indigenous people to continue conserving the natural resources in their territory. In addition, property rights granted to indigenous people also contribute to the conservation of natural resources. Our findings suggest that policy makers should engage with local beliefs in order to achieve sustainable resource management and, therefore, such practices should be recognized and included in the government&rsquo ; s policies on natural resources management in locations, where indigenous people live for generations.

Abstract
In the context of China's "Constructing ecological civilization" initiative, Tibetan environmentalists are proactively incorporating ecological science into their wildlife conservation efforts. This ethnographic study explores the logics, rationales and motivations behind this approach among Tibetans in Qinghai province. The article contends that Tibetan environmentalists adopt ecological science to gain legibility in the eyes of both the state and the wider environmental conservation community, thereby enhancing their political legitimacy and social recognition. On one hand, this practice counters the stigmatizing narratives that depict Tibetan pastoralists as backward. By embracing scientific discourses and practices, they challenge such derogatory views and position themselves as forward-thinking conservationists. On the other hand, this strategy indirectly preserves the traditional knowledge of pastoralists. Through their involvement with ecological science, they merge traditional insights with scientific methodologies, ensuring the protection of their cultural heritage while adapting to the sociopolitical landscape of contemporary conservation dynamics in China.

Anthropic action with intense fruit exploitation for medicinal purposes has caused genetic erosion of 'andirobeira' (Carapa guianensis Aublet.), associated with unusual phasic germination, generating the need for research to obtain vigorous seedlings. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate different substrates on seedling germination and phasic development, contributing to the conservation of this important, very threatened, species. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, with three treatments: Yellow Latosol (LA), Quartzarenic Neosol (NQ) and Haplic Gleysol (GH), and three replications of 40 plants each. The following characteristics were evaluated: seedling height (AP), root length (CR), stem diameter (DC), and leaf area (AF), along with dry weights from seeds (PSS), roots (PSR), stems (PSC) and leaves (PSF), in addition to the total dry weight (PST), relative growth rate (TCR), and net assimilation rate (TAL). The conclusions were that the days after emergence do not influence the TCR and TAL, but the substrate characteristics affect seedling development. The substrate LA, relative to NQ and GH, should be chosen to obtain seedlings with better development, resulting in superior seedlings. Indeed, the development of seedlings in NQ and GH substrates indicates that their use in the recovery of degraded areas is possible, and the andirobeira presents phasic seedling development, which must be known for effective ecological conservation. Damage to the cotyledons must be avoided to supply the period in which the seedling returns to the heterotrophic state, otherwise the subsequent development of the plant may be compromised.