Report on Chicago Park District Lagoon & Natural Area Rehabilitation Project, Cook County /

This project is for the ecological rehabilitation of lagoons and natural communities at 24 parks within the Chicago Park District. The development of Chicago's lagoon system began shortly after the State of Illinois created the Chicago Park District in 1869. The lagoons were expanded over the next 50 years into 14 parks and they have become extremely important ecologic, recreation, and historic resources. A variety of factors over the last 140 years have contributed to the current deteriorated condition of the lagoons which require the expenditure of funds for major rehabilitation activities. Age of infrastructure, erosion, and sedimentation were the natural forces at work; however, the lagoons' popularity and lack of comprehensive management plan also contributed. All of the lagoons are eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic places as major contributing features. Additionally, the lagoons in Columbus, Garfield, Humboldt, Jackson, Lincoln, Sherman and Washington Parks are historic landmarks. The Park District has already invested over $5 million for partial lagoon restoration at Humboldt, Douglas, Sherman, McKinley, Riis and Garfield Parks, and additional work is required.

黄土丘陵区县南沟流域生态恢复的生态经济耦合过程及可持续性分析

生态恢复不但是自然和技术过程,更重要的是经济过程,生态经济耦合是生态恢复成败及能否持续的关键。综合应用经济学、能值和生态足迹分析工具,系统研究了黄土丘陵区县南沟流域生态恢复过程中的生态经济系统演变过程及其特征,旨在探索生态可持续的经济社会发展机制。结果表明,2000～2005年流域产业结构及其多样性显著改善,生产力显著提高并跨越低水平进入高水平发展阶段,农民的生活状况已经由温饱逐步迈向小康水平。基于能值的生态经济耦合分析结果显示2002～2005年流域环境负载率(ELR)下降,持续性指数(ESI)增加。生态足迹结果显示流域2000年和2005年的生态盈余分别为0.03hm2和0.239hm2,新指标万元产值生态足迹(EFprod)分别为53.5hm2/万$和33.6hm2/万$,生态压力指数(EFPI)分别为0.980和0.838,流域处于弱可持续状态。上述结果显示生态恢复提高了流域资源利用和转换效率,环境负载率下降,人类经济活动对生态生产性有效空间的占用减少,可持续性提高。研究结果表明生态恢复是黄土丘陵区实现生态经济良性耦合、协调发展的基本途径。

黑龙江省安达市草地碱化后土壤物理性状变化

调查了安达市盐碱地生物资源环境研究中心试验区羊草Leymus chinensis地土壤物理性状,包括土壤硬度、含水量、饱和导水率、粒径分布、剖面特征和土壤温度等。阐明土地碱化对土壤物理性质的影响,为安达市以及松嫩平原生态环境的修复和土地资源的永续利用提供科学依据。同时,讨论了地下水化学成分和土壤冻融变化对碱化的可能影响,认为在没有植被覆盖的条件下,冻融变化会加剧土壤的碱化程度。

Rehabilitating agricultural streams in Australia with wood : a review

Worldwide, the ecological condition of streams and rivers has been impaired by agricultural practices such as broadscale modification of catchments, high nutrient and sediment inputs, loss of riparian vegetation, and altered hydrology. Typical responses include channel incision, excessive sedimentation, declining water quality, and loss of in-stream habitat complexity and biodiversity. We review these impacts, focusing on the potential benefits and limitations of wood reintroduction as a transitional rehabilitation technique in these agricultural landscapes using Australian examples. In streams, wood plays key roles in shaping velocity and sedimentation profiles, forming pools, and strengthening banks. In the simplified channels typical of many agricultural streams, wood provides habitat for fauna, substrate for biofilms, and refuge from predators and flow extremes, and enhances in-stream diversity of fish and macroinvertebrates.

Most previous restoration studies involving wood reintroduction have been in forested landscapes, but some results might be extrapolated to agricultural streams. In these studies, wood enhanced diversity of fish and macroinvertebrates, increased storage of organic material and sediment, and improved bed and bank stability. Failure to meet restoration objectives appeared most likely where channel incision was severe and in highly degraded environments. Methods for wood reintroduction have logistical advantages over many other restoration techniques, being relatively low cost and low maintenance. Wood reintroduction is a viable transitional restoration technique for agricultural landscapes likely to rapidly improve stream condition if sources of colonists are viable and water quality is suitable.

Modelling ecological cognitive rehabilitation therapies for building virtual environments in brain injury

Brain Injury (BI) has become one of the most common causes of neurological disability in developed countries. Cognitive disorders result in a loss of independence and patients? quality of life. Cognitive rehabilitation aims to promote patients? skills to achieve their highest degree of personal autonomy. New technologies such as virtual reality or interactive video allow developing rehabilitation therapies based on reproducible Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), increasing the ecological validity of the therapy. However, the lack of frameworks to formalize and represent the definition of this kind of therapies can be a barrier for widespread use of interactive virtual environments in clinical routine.

Importance of soil ecology in vegetation rehabilitation on a North Stradbroke Island sand mine

Sibelco Australia Limited (SAL), a mineral sand mining operation on North Stradbroke Island, undertakes progressive rehabilitation of mined areas. Initial investigations have found that some areas at SAL’s Yarraman Mine have failed to redevelop towards approved criteria. This study, undertaken in 2010, examined ground cover rehabilitation of different aged plots at the Yarraman Mine to determine if there was a relationship between key soil and vegetation attributes. Vegetation and soil data were collected from five plots rehabilitated in 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and one unmined plot. Cluster (PATN) analysis revealed that vegetation species composition, species richness and ground cover differed between plots. Principal component analysis (PCA) extracted ten soil attributes that were then correlated with vegetation data. The attributes extracted by PCA, in order of most common variance, were: water content, pH, terrolas depth, elevation, slope angle, leaf litter depth, total organic carbon, and counts of macrofauna, fungi and bacteria. All extracted attributes differed between plots, and all except bacteria correlated with at least one vegetation attribute. Water content and pH correlated most strongly with vegetation cover suggesting an increase in soil moisture and a reduction in pH are required in order to improve vegetation rehabilitation at Yarraman Mine. Further study is recommended to confirm these results using controlled experiments and to test potential solutions, such as organic amendments.

Ecological restoration of forests in Fennoscandia : Defining reference stand structures and immediate effects of restoration.

The first aim of this thesis was to explore the structural characteristics of near-natural forests and to quantify how human utilization has changed them. For this, we examined the stand characteristics in Norway spruce Picea abies (L.) Karst-dominated old-growth stands in northwestern Russia and in old Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L.-dominated stands in three regions from southern Finland to northwestern Russia. In the second study, we also compared stands with different degrees of human impact, from near-natural stands and stands selectively cut in the past to managed stands. Secondly, we used an experimental approach to study the short-term effects of different restorative treatments on forest structure and regeneration in managed Picea abies stands in southern Finland. Restorative treatments consisted of a partial cut combined with three levels of coarse woody debris retention, and a fire/no-fire treatment. In addition, we examined burned and unburned reference stands without cutting treatments. Results from near-natural Picea abies forests emphasize the dynamic character of old-growth forests, the variety of late-successional forest structures, and the fact that extended time periods are needed to attain certain late-successional stages with specific structural and habitat attributes, such as large-diameter deciduous trees and a variety of deadwood. The results from old Pinus sylvestris-dominated forests showed that human impact in the form of forest utilization and fire exclusion has strongly modified and reduced the structural complexity of stands. Consequently, small protected forest fragments in Finland may not serve as valid natural reference areas for forest restoration. However, results from the restoration experiment showed that early-successional natural stand characteristics can be restored to structurally impoverished managed Picea abies stands, despite a significant portion of wood volume being harvested. A variety of restoration methods is needed, due to differences in the condition of the forest when restoration is initiated and the variety of successional stages of forest structures after anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Keywords: dead wood, disturbance dynamic, fire, near-natural stand, rehabilitation, succession

Demonstration reaches: Looking back whilst moving forward with river rehabilitation under the Native Fish Strategy

‘Demonstration reaches’ are sections of river where multiple threats to native fish are addressed through river rehabilitation and strong community participation. They are an important way of promoting the key driving actions of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority's Native Fish Strategy (NFS) by using on-ground community-driven rehabilitation. Measuring rehabilitation success against well-defined targets and using this information to adaptively mange activities is fundamental to the demonstration reach philosophy. Seven years on from the establishment of the first demonstration reach, there are now seven throughout the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), all in differing states of maturation and but all applying a standardised framework for monitoring native fish outcomes. In this study, we reflect on the role that demonstration reaches have played within the NFS, synthesise some key findings from 32 monitoring and evaluation outputs, and highlight some of the successes and barriers to success. We make recommendations as to how to strengthen the demonstration reach model to ensure it remains a relevant approach for fish habitat rehabilitation beyond the NFS and MDB.

Barriers to plantation activities in different agro-ecological zones of Southern India

This paper analyses environmental and socio-economic barriers for plantation activities on local and regional level and investigates the potential for carbon finance to stimulate the increased rates of forest plantation on wasteland, i.e., degraded lands, in southern India. Building on multidisciplinary field work and results from the model GCOMAP, the aim is to (1) identify and characterize the barriers to plantation activities in four agro-ecological zones in the state of Karnataka and (2) investigate what would be required to overcome these barriers and enhance the plantation rate and productivity. The results show that a rehabilitation of the wasteland based on plantation activities is not only possible but also anticipated by the local population and would lead to positive environmental and socio-economic effects at a local level. However, in many cases, the establishment of plantation activities is hindered by a lack of financial resources, low land productivity and water scarcity. Based on the model used and the results from the field work, it can be concluded that certified emission reductions such as carbon credits or other compensatory systems may help to overcome the financial barrier; however, the price needs to be significantly increased if these measures are to have any large-scale impact.

Three-part ecological model of community reintegration of ex-prisoners

Seventy nine prisoners completed a questionnaire before and after prison release. Drug use and health ratings changed over time, while employment and housing stability, finance, and social support did not. Participants had higher depression and anger before leaving prison, but anxiety remained low. Several life conditions predicted current emotional state.

A graphical tool for designing interactive video cognitive rehabilitation therapies

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) has become one of the most common causes of neurological disability in developed countries. Cognitive disorders result in a loss of independence and therefore patients? quality of life. Cognitive rehabilitation aims to promote patients? skills to achieve their highest degree of personal autonomy. New technologies such as interactive video, whereby real situations of daily living are reproduced within a controlled virtual environment, enable the design of personalized therapies with a high level of generalization and a great ecological validity. This paper presents a graphical tool that allows neuropsychologists to design, modify, and configure interactive video therapeutic activities, through the combination of graphic and natural language. The tool has been validated creating several Activities of Daily Living and a preliminary usability evaluation has been performed showing a good clinical acceptance in the definition of complex interactive video therapies for cognitive rehabilitation.

Hydromorphic change and biotic response challenge efficient river rehabilitation

From an extensive literature review and meta-analyses, this study has i) identified the most important hydromorphological process related to river degradation and rehabilitation, ii) conceptually linked it to evolutionary and functional response chains of aquatic biota, and iii) provided empirical evidence and ecological data for the respective hydromorphological requirements, preferences and limitations of aquatic plants, benthic invertebrates, lampreys, and freshwater fishes.

Ecological validity in neuropsychological assessment: A case for greater consideration in research with neurologically intact populations

The focus of the discipline of neuropsychology is shifting towards a greater emphasis on understanding the relationship between assessment results and performance of everyday tasks (ecological validity). To date, the literature has highlighted the importance of this concept in the assessment of patients with brain injury or disease (e.g. in rehabilitation and forensic settings). This paper presents the argument that there is another important area in which the ecological validity of neuropsychological assessments should be considered: in clinical outcomes studies using neurologically intact participants. For example, determining the extent to which a medical procedure or intervention affects performance of everyday cognitive tasks can provide useful information that can potentially guide decision-making regarding treatment options. It is argued that tests designed with ecological validity in mind (the verisimilitude approach), as opposed to traditional tests, may be most effective at predicting everyday functioning. Explanations are proposed as to why researchers may be reluctant to use tests with verisimilitude in favor of more traditional measures. (c) 2006 National Academy of Neuropsychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.