Tourism Potential of Agricultural Heritage Systems

Traditional agricultural systems are threatened world-wide mainly due to the introduction of modern agricultural techniques and the emigration of farm labourers from remote rural villages. The objective of the programme 'Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems' (GIAHS), initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2002, is dynamic conservation of traditional agricultural systems. This article addresses the definition and content of agricultural heritage systems and discusses conservation options in the light of developing rural tourism. An explorative survey was conducted in Longxian village, situated in Zhejiang Province, southern China, focusing on the tourism potential of a typical Rice-Fish Agricultural System. The identification of heritage resources is a first step in the process of transforming an agricultural landscape into a cultural tourism landscape. However, the future of these landscapes is in the hands of a range of stakeholders and depends on their capacity to manage, in a sustainable way, tourism development strategies alongside conservation policies.

Icefish (Salangidae) as an indicator of anthropogenic pollution in freshwater systems using nitrogen isotope analysis

We investigated differences in delta N-15 of seston and icefishes from seven freshwater ecosystems with different trophic states in China. An increase of seston delta N-15 values was accompanied by an increase of total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Significantly positive correlations were observed between delta N-15 of icefishes and delta N-15 of seston, total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. This study demonstrated that icefishes could be preferred indicators of anthropogenic contamination in test systems because they integrated waste inputs over long time periods and reflected the movement of waste through the pelagic food chain.

Food web of macroinvertebrate community in a Yangtze shallow lake: trophic basis and pathways

No detailed food web research on macroinvertebrate community of lacustrine ecosystem was reported in China. The present study is the first attempt on the subject in Lake Biandantang, a macrophytic lake in Hubei Province. Food webs of the macroinvertebrate community were compiled bimonthly from March, 2002 to March, 2003. Dietary information was obtained from gut analysis. Linkage strength was quantified by combining estimates of energy flow (secondary production) with data of gut analysis. The macroinvertebrate community of Lake Biandantang was based heavily on detritus. Quantitative food webs showed the total ingestion ranged from 6930 to 36,340 mg dry mass m(-2) bimonthly. The ingestion of macroinvertebrate community was higher in the months with optimum temperature than that in other periods with higher or lower temperature. Through comparison, many patterns in benthic food web of Lake Biandantang are consistent with other detritus-based webs, such as stream webs, but different greatly from those based on autochthonous primary production (e.g. pelagic systems). It suggests that the trophic basis of the web is essential in shaping food web structure.