No abstract

Irrigation systems are critical for food security and drought adaptation in mountainous areas. However, lack of funding and low efficacy of government-funded irrigation projects hinders irrigation infrastructure development. A public-private partnership (PPP) model is recommended for irrigation development, but its application in mountainous areas has not been well-documented and analyzed. Based on a case study of pumping station projects in the Lujiang Flatland in the Nujiang River Valley of Southwestern China, this paper aims to reveal the critical success factors of the PPP model in the development of agricultural irrigation infrastructure in mountainous areas. Results showed that the basic models of PPP projects in the study area can be described as follows: (1) private companies invested in and constructed pumping stations; (2) communities operated the stations; (3) farmers paid for the services; and (4) private companies profited from charging water fees, obtaining policy supports, or utilizing farmlands. The main success factors include: (1) rational project design according to local conditions; (2) multi-centered management mechanisms; (3) balanced cost-and risk-sharing mechanisms; and (4) building mutual trusts among stakeholders. This study offers applicable lessons and useful insights for irrigation water development projects and adaptation to drought in mountainous rural communities.

Population-based studies on snow leopard (Panthera uncia) are of theoretical and practical significance for the conservation of alpine ecosystems, though geographic remoteness and isolation hinder surveys in many promising regions. The Sanjiangyuan National Park on the Tibetan Plateau is acknowledged as a main snow leopard habitat, but most of the region remains unexplored and unknown. We adopted a combined approach of route survey and camera trapping survey to explore the population density of snow leopard in the Yage Valley region of the Sanjiangyuan National Park. Results indicated that (1) large populations of blue sheep contributed to the major food supply for snow leopards, along with diverse prey species as dietary supplementations, and (2) a population density of four to six snow leopards per 100 km 2 on the north bank was estimated, and nine to fourteen individuals within the valley core areas were identified. We also argue that under the potential impacts of hydropower dams, this valley ecosystem should be symbolized as a conservation hotspot and therefore merits prioritized conservation. We recommend further surveys combined with novel methods/techniques and advocate a sustainable ecotourism model for the first V-shaped valley along the Yangtze mainstream.

Our knowledge of how niche dynamic patterns respond to invasion trajectories and influence invasion risk prediction is elusive for the majority of notorious invaders, hindering scientific understanding, biosecurity planning and practice, and management implementation. We used Mikania micrantha, one of the most notorious invasive alien species in the world, to test the hypothesis that multiple invasion trajectories could induce niche dynamics inconsistency and increase risk uncertainty of invasive alien species. We compiled a robust database of M. micrantha occurrence across its native range in Central and South America and invaded ranges in China. This database was used to clarify different invaded ranges and invasion trajectories of M. micrantha in China. Principle Component Analysis of climatic variables associated with the database was used to detect its niche dynamic patterns associated with multiple invasion trajectories. Maximum Entropy algorithm was used to predict the high-risk area of M. micrantha invasion using occurrence datasets for invaded ranges where niches remained conservative, and to identify area changes with the inclusion of occurrences datasets for invaded ranges where niche shifts occurred. M. micrantha invasion occurred in three geographically distinct regions, with conservative climate niches in southern and southeastern China and climatic niche shifts in southwestern China. A high-risk area for M. micrantha invasion spanned multiple provinces and cities, and expanded considerably with the inclusion of the occurrence dataset for southwestern China. Our findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of invasion mechanisms and the practical optimization of biosecurity planning and implementation.

Management of biological invasions is a tremendous challenge for both ecological and socioeconomic systems. Public education positively affects stakeholder knowledge and facilitate management of invasive alien species (IAS). However, our knowledge of the role of social media in public knowledge of IAS is elusive for the majority of invaders. In this study, we used Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera; noctuidae), one of the most notorious invasive insects in China, as a case to test the hypothesis that social media could improve farmers’ knowledge of IAS. We conducted household questionnaires at the village level in the China-Myanmar-Laos border region (China) and used quantitative descriptions and binary logistic regressions in statistical analyses. Our results indicated that farmers often used 12 social media applications on smartphones (SMASs) and obtained information about S. frugiperda from six SMASs, with high preferences for WeChat and TikTok, and obtained a high level of knowledge of S. frugiperda from SMASs; further, socio-demographic factors and of SMAS-based information significantly influenced farmers’ knowledge of S. frugiperda. We suggested that well-designed and conducted educational programs based on the use of SMASs could improve the performance of IAS management, and the government plays an important role in such a circumstance. Our findings contribute to theoretical insights into the role of public education in IAS improvement, and empirical bases for the optimization of IAS management.