The Development and Application of a GIS-Based Tool to Assess Forest Landscape Restoration Effects on Water Conservation Capacity

In forest landscape restoration, one of the key objectives is to improve the water conservation capacity of the deforested land. A rapid, accurate assessment of the effects of the restoration measures on the water conservation capacity of targeted forests can help forest managers to identify the best practices for forest restoration. However, the traditional assessment tools of forest water conservation function lack a description of forest growth, and are featured by complex computation, which fails to evaluate the effects of forest restoration on the regional forest water conservation capacity in an efficient way. To address this issue, through combining the forest restoration evaluation model (equivalent recovery area, ERA), classic forest water storage capacity estimation (total water storage capacity), this study has taken advantage of ENVI/IDL, ArcGIS Engine/C#.Net to develop the Forest and Water Assessment Tool (FWAT) for assessing the changes of the regional forest landscape and the associated forest water conservation capacity in various forest restoration scenarios. This tool has been successfully applied in the Upper Zagunao watershed, a large forested watershed in the Upper Yangtze River basin. According to the assessment, the forest water conservation capacity of the study watershed consistently increased from about 1580.76 t/hm2 in 2010 to a projected 2014.34 t/hm2 by natural restoration, and 2124.18 t/hm2 by artificial restoration by 2030. The artificial restoration measures yield a better effect on forest water conservation function than natural restoration. By 2030, the forest water conservation capacity of artificial restoration scenario is expected to be about 7% higher than that of natural restoration scenario. The FWAT as an efficient tool to assess the effects of forest restoration measures on regional forest water conservation capacity can provide scientific support for the design of forest restoration and management strategies worldwide.

Artificial Measures Are Not Necessarily Better Than Natural Recovery for the Extremely Degraded Alpine Meadow: The Results of Simulated Degradation Restoration After Three Years

Natural and artificial restoration measures are widely used to restore degraded ecosystems, such as degraded alpine meadow. The objective of this research was to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of natural and artificial measures for extremely degraded alpine meadows. We removed the surface soil (0–10 cm) of the alpine meadow to simulate the extremely degraded “black soil beach,” and set artificial measures (planting Festuca sinensis (E) and Elymus sibircus L. cv. chuan-cao No. 1 (F)) and natural recovery (N) (without any artificial auxiliary measures) in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China. After 3 years, we determined the characteristics of community and soil in the artificial and natural treatment. The results show that the species number, above-and below-ground biomass (AB, BB), root-shoot ratio (R/S) in N is significantly higher than that in artificial restoration (E and F); while the community coverage and concentration of soil total carbon, total nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen and microbial biomass phosphorus (TC, TN, MBC, MBN and MBP) in artificial restoration is significantly higher than that in N. In conclusion, compared with N, artificial measures (E and F) are not completely beneficial to the development of plant community diversity and the restoration of soil nutrients in the extremely degraded meadow. Thus, the establishment of artificial grassland is not necessarily better than natural recovery for the extremely degraded alpine meadow.

Restoration of Degraded Natural Limestone Forests in Cat Ba Biosphere Reserves, Vietnam

Vietnam experienced significant forest cover change during the last half of the twentieth century, and restoration of natural forests have increased since the 1990s. This study developed comparisons of human-intervened and naturally restored forests in Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam in order to gain a better understanding of restoration options for the dual objectives of biodiversity conservation and forest cover. The overstory trees (species composition, growth, and diameter distribution) and natural regeneration (species richness, density, and height distribution) were measured and compared in twelve plots established in natural (NPS) and artificial restoration (RPS) models for post-selective-logged forest, and natural (NPC) and artificial restoration (RPC) models for post-clear-cut forest. Results indicated that the overstory trees and natural regeneration of RPS and RPC was higher than that of NPS and NPC. We concluded that the forest restoration models had shown successes, although extensive silvicultural techniques should be applied for a more stabilized development, especially in the RPC.

Legal principles of state support in aquaculture sphere

The effective functioning of any sector of agriculture is provided with adequate comprehensive state support. Aquaculture is no exception. The paper discloses the content of state support for agricultural activities in the field of aquaculture. The legislation defining directions and general principles of aquaculture development are analyzed. It is established that support for aquaculture activities by the state should be carried out by every possible means both in the economic and other areas: encouragement to produce naturally safe aquaculture products that can compete with the markets of other countries; financial promotion of breeding; improving fish productivity of water bodies through artificial restoration of water living resources; restoration of the proportion of populations of endangered and rare species of animals and plants whose habitat is water; promoting the development of own production of aquaculture feed; carrying out research and development in the field of aquaculture for their financing and introduction of results into production; financial support; providing training for highly qualified aquaculture professionals; promoting sustainable aquaculture production, etc. Financial, organizational and legal mechanisms of state support in the field of aquaculture are considered. Keywords: aquaculture, state support, compensation, financing, agriculture, aquaculture entities

Use of a Common Garden Experiment in Selecting Adapted Beech Provenances for Artificial Stand Restoration

Increased frequency of extreme weather events has seriously affected forestry operations in south-eastern Europe. A precondition for effective artificial restoration of disturbed forest stands is site-adapted forest reproductive material (FRM). Common garden experiments (provenance trials) may assist in selecting such FRM. The main objective of this study was to establish among-provenance variation pattern using data from a beech provenance trial. Usefulness of the results in selecting seed sources for restoration of European beech stands is discussed. The trial was set up in 2007, at a slope of Medvednica mount facing north-west at 730-750 m above sea level. Plant heights were measured and survival scored in 2008 and 2015. Height increments were calculated and processed to determine variance components due to various effects. Highly significant provenance-by-block interaction was revealed, indicating strong microsite effects on provenance performances. Therefore, corrections were made and provenance mean height increments recalculated. Provenance mean height increment multiplied with survival was used as a measure of a provenance’s adaptedness. Regression tree (RT) analysis was used to determine the pattern of among-provenance variations. A set of provenance clus­ters was grown using climatic variables related to the provenance stands of origin as criteria. All analyzed effects were significant (provenance: F=2.07, p<0.05; block: F=5.07, p<0.05; provenance by block interaction: F=7.32, p<0.001). Data corrections reduced the interaction effect, thereby increasing reliability of calculated provenance adaptedness indices (AI). Provenances were grouped into 4 clusters due to elevation, mean July temperature and summer heat-to-moisture index (SHM). Cluster 4, containing provenances from the highest altitudes (>750m), had the highest mean AI (143.9±8.4 cm). The lowest mean AI (106.7±14.8 cm) had cluster 1, containing provenances from lower altitudes with lower mean July temperatures (≤18.4°C). Provenances originating from lower elevations with higher mean July temperatures (>18.4°C) were further divided into two clusters due to the SHM variable. Cluster 2 had the second highest mean AI (141.2±1.5 cm) and contained provenances from relatively wetter habitats (SHM≤48.2). Cluster 3, containing provenances from relatively arid habitats (SHM>48.2), had significantly lower mean AI (116.8±8.6 cm). Established among-provenance variation pattern might be used as a tool in selecting seed sources for artificial restoration of beech stands at mount Medvednica. It is advisable to use FRM from higher altitudes and/or from slightly lower altitudes (up to 150 m lower than a restoring site) but featured with warmer and drier conditions compared to the trial. Generally, provenance trials should be utilized as a valuable decision tool in restoring disturbed forest stands but may also be misleading if not well designed and analyzed.

On the research of cultural relic restoration under reverse design

At present, artificial restoration of cultural relics has been unable to solve the difficulties in restoration and protection of cultural relics, as well as low restoration rate a series of problems. In order to solve the above problems, this article conducts in-depth research on the emerging computer technology that can be used for cultural relic restoration, and proposes a computer-aided cultural relic restoration and reconstruction process based on the reverse design method, and explains the application of 3D printing technology to the restoration of ceramic cultural relics. In this paper, the unearthed cultural relics are protected to the maximum extent research, which provides a reference for improving the scientific nature and durability of cultural relics protection and inheritance.

Comparison of Plant and Microbial Communities between an Artificial Restoration and a Natural Restoration Topsoil in Coal Mining Subsidence Area

Increased attention has been paid to the influence of coal mining subsidence on ecological environment. Restoration of ecosystem in damaged mining area is critical for restoring disturbed environment. The comparing of plant communities and microbial communities in the artificial restoration and natural restoration areas provides an effective method for evaluating the restoration effects. However, such studies are limited in coal mining subsidence restoration areas. Subsidence area in Shendong mining area, located in the semi-arid region of Western China, was restored from 2003 with 5 ecological restoration plant species. In July 2017, the comparison and analysis of plant and microbial communities were conducted at the artificial restoration areas (AR) and the natural remediation areas (NR). The results showed that the artificial ecological restoration in Shendong mining area has achieved some success, but it has not recovered to a similar ecosystem before the destruction. A higher plant species, coverage and bacterial community diversity were observed in AR. However, these features have lower similarity compared with those in NR sites. Potential soil factors, such as pH, moisture content, total carbon content, organic matter, nitrogen and bulk density, have a greater impact on soil bacterial community structure and diversity. In the ecological restoration of the mining area, attention should be paid to the restoration of soil properties in the mining area. This study can provide theoretical guidance for more scientific ecological restoration in the damaged mining area.