The conservation value of suburban golf courses in a rapidly urbanising region of Australia

The conservation value of suburban golf courses was assessed in southeast Queensland, Australia, by investigating their capacity to support urban-threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and frogs. Terrestrial vertebrate assemblages were compared between golf courses and nearby eucalypt fragments and with suburban bird assemblages. Biotic diversity varied among golf courses. While some had conservation value (supporting high densities of regionally threatened vertebrates), most failed to realise that potential, supporting only common urban-adapted species. Golf courses were generally a better refuge for threatened birds and mammals than for threatened reptiles and amphibians. Reasons for the relative absence of threatened herpetofauna are currently unclear but could be attributed to increased sensitivity to isolation, exposure to herbicides or greater disruption of ground-level habitats. While species-specific studies are required to identify the ecological role played by habitats on golf courses and the potential for long-term viability, the results confirm that suburban golf courses can have local conservation value for threatened vertebrates. Given their ubiquity, golf courses present a significant opportunity for urban wildlife conservation. Thus while the golf industry is making genuine attempts to improve its environmental management standards, it is important to ensure those efforts target the needs of regionally threatened species. Legislation may be required to ensure ecological criteria are incorporated in new golf developments. Ongoing research is investigating the effect that golf course design and management practices have on the local diversity of threatened vertebrates.     

Natural links: naturalistic golf courses as wildlife habitat

Worldwide, there are over 25,000 golf courses. In the United States, there are approximately 15,000, with developers building about 350 new courses each year. Japan, Taiwan, China, and other countries are experiencing a similar golf boom. Some developers regard golf course development as one of the fastest growing types of land development in the world. Typically considered by ecologists to be an environmental problem, scientists are now reexamining golf courses to assess their potential to be wildlife habitat. Can naturalistic courses (those with substantial amounts of native wildlife habitat) actually benefit wildlife populations, especially birds, and still be attractive to golfers? My ecological research with a well-known naturalized links-style golf course in Kansas suggests that a naturalistic golf course can support significant numbers of birds, including many threatened species. When compared to a nearby natural area, the golf course equaled the natural area in total bird species richness but not in the relative abundance of specific kinds of birds. Naturalistic golf courses, while not natural areas, can complement biological reserves, military reservations, greenbelts, parks, farms, backyards and other units of the regional habitat mosaic. The large amount of habitat on naturalistic courses also reduces water runoff, irrigation, and chemical inputs. Furthermore, raising the profile of naturally landscaped golf courses can engage thousands of additional people in wildlife habitat preservation issues. Naturalistic courses are growing in popularity and the golfing community is responsive to aesthetic and environmental concerns. With the involvement of ecologists, this burgeoning interest in natural habitats on golf courses may significantly increase the amount of wildlife habitat, especially if designers build these kinds of courses in urban areas and on degraded landscapes such as landfills, quarries, and eroded lands.     

A model of greenhouse gas emissions from the management of turf on two golf courses

An estimated 32,000 golf courses worldwide (approximately 25,600 km²), provide ecosystem goods and services and support an industry contributing over $124 billion globally. Golf courses can impact positively on local biodiversity however their role in the global carbon cycle is not clearly understood. To explore this relationship, the balance between plant-soil system sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions from turf management on golf courses was modelled. Input data were derived from published studies of emissions from agriculture and turfgrass management. Two UK case studies of golf course type were used, a Links course (coastal, medium intensity management, within coastal dune grasses) and a Parkland course (inland, high intensity management, within woodland).Playing surfaces of both golf courses were marginal net sources of greenhouse gas emissions due to maintenance (Links 0.4 ± 0.1 Mg CO₂e ha^− 1 y^− 1; Parkland 0.7 ± 0.2 Mg CO₂e ha^− 1 y^− 1). A significant proportion of emissions were from the use of nitrogen fertiliser, especially on tees and greens such that 3% of the golf course area contributed 16% of total greenhouse gas emissions. The area of trees on a golf course was important in determining whole-course emission balance. On the Parkland course, emissions from maintenance were offset by sequestration from trees which comprised 48% of total area, resulting in a net balance of −4.3 ± 0.9 Mg CO_2e ha^− 1 y^− 1. On the Links course, the proportion of trees was much lower (2%) and sequestration from links grassland resulted in a net balance of 0.0 ± 0.2 Mg CO_2e ha^− 1 y^− 1. Recommendations for golf course management and design include the reduction of nitrogen fertiliser, improved operational efficiency when mowing, the inclusion of appropriate tree-planting and the scaling of component areas to maximise golf course sequestration capacity. The findings are transferrable to the management and design of urban parks and gardens, which range between fairways and greens in intensity of management.     

Implementation of a GIS-based management tool for conservation of biodiversity within the municipality of Oslo, Norway

Tools to effectively apply biological information in daily physical planning cases are viewed as essential in order to preserve and manage natural habitats in highly pressured urban areas. This paper describes a GIS-based management tool for conservation and management of biodiversity and the process of implementation in the capital of Oslo, Norway. The main objective of this multi-agency effort is to ensure a sustainable and responsible management of the biodiversity within the municipality. A political decision on the state level encourages all municipalities to survey and classify their biological diversity according to a scale of importance within 2003. Furthermore the results from the survey were encouraged to be implemented in the daily physical planning at a local level. The assignment called for structured, classified and accessible information about the biological resources of the municipality. The electronic tool presented makes it possible to combine biological information with any other information that is relevant for a planning issue. We believe the GIS-based management tool has a strong potential to be transferred to other municipalities in Norway as well as to other countries with organised environmental management systems at both local, regional and national levels.     

On the use of biotechnology for biodiversity conservation in arid countries with special reference to Oman

The paper considers the possible uses of biotechnology for biodiversity conservation in arid countries with special reference to Oman, wherever appropriate. The application of biotechnology for biodiversity conservation is poorly understood in the arid regions and, therefore, there is a need for strategies to link these two areas. There are four categories of challenges, (i) Environmental, (ii) Scientific, (ii) Socioeconomic and (iv) Administrative. Overcoming these challenges and benefiting from the potential of biotechnology to promote biodiversity conservation should receive serious attention in the arid nations of the developing world.     

Freshwater biodiversity: a review of local and global threats

The total freshwater biodiversity is not fully known. In particular, freshwater invertebrates and microbes are poorly studied groups, and in tropical latitudes, that support most of the species of the world, the information is lacking. Although almost a hundred thousand of species live in fresh water, the species losses continue at the high rate and the probability of preserving much of the remaining biodiversity in fresh water seems to be very low. Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly influenced by multiple stressors that lead to loss of sensitive species and an overall reduction in diversity. Environmental change threatens freshwater biodiversity. This paper reports an extensive review of work that evaluates the current main threats for freshwater biodiversity, on a local and global scale.     

Shades of Green, Fields of Gold: representations, discourse and the politics of golf in Singapore

The issue of golf course provision in the land-scarce city-state of Singapore has always been a contentious one. Using various methodologies, including face-to-face interviews with golfers, non-golfers, golf club managers and planners, the multiple meanings of golf courses and golfing in Singapore are explored, and it is illustrated how differing images of golf are appropriated to suit the particular agendas of its proponents and opponents. These include representing golf courses as expansive spaces, parks, gardens and open spaces, viewing golf as an elitist leisure activity, and asserting that golf is a 'healthy' sport. It is also shown how such representations of golf are shaped by the wider socio-political context of Singapore, and it is argued that understanding how landscapes of golf are 'read' and how discourses of golfing are articulated is important in resolving the issue of golf course provision.     

基于OBE理念的地方高校应用型课程建设——以基础工程课程为例

应用型课程建设是应用型高校人才培养的关键。成果导向教育OBE围绕着定义预期学习目标、实现预期学习目标、评价学习产出展开,有利于实现教育范式由内容为本向学生为本的根本转变。首先,从教学内容、教学方法和课程评价三方面,指出了基础工程课程中亟待改革的问题。其次,基于OBE理念对教学内容进行了重构,并提出了以工程应用为导向的教学方法改革措施,以及具备知识考核和能力考核双重功效的课程评价体系。进一步,建立了课程的反馈与持续改进机制,包括课程成绩评价、学生满意度调查和第三方评价。最后,介绍了提升教师实践能力的措施以及应用型教材的编写情况。     

The distribution, abundance and diversity of birds in Manila's last greenspaces

Urban environments are not considered areas with conservation importance. However greenspaces in cities have been previously identified as areas with significant avian biodiversity. We investigated the distribution and diversity of birds in what are increasingly considered as Metropolitan Manila's last greenspaces; the University of the Philippines campus, military cemeteries and two government operated parks. Using species–area analysis, abundance and diversity indices, TWINSPAN ordination and logistic regression to determine important landscape features for species presence, we describe the distribution of bird communities and diversity in Metropolitan Manila. Two major bird community groupings were observed. These are the urban exploiters and the urban adaptable with the former occurring in high abundances and the latter in low abundances in greenspaces. The number of built and natural spatial entities determines abundances. Species area analysis suggests that the greenspaces are distinct habitats that preserve faunal uniqueness whereas urbanization tends to decrease diversity. These observations suggest that greenspaces harbor significant avian biodiversity as well as the presence of endemic and threatened species. As the greenspaces possess remnant wetland and wooded habitat we recommend that they be preserved and maintained by ensuring that these habitats are incorporated in any urban development plan.     

地方院校土建类专业力学系列课程教学体系改革与实践

力学系列课程是土建类专业的主干课程,也是重要的专业基础课。文章分析了目前地方院校土建类专业力学系列课程教学体系存在的问题,提出力学系列课程"三模块、三层次"的教学体系改革思路。实践证明,这种模块化、层次化的课程教学体系,符合地方院校培养应用型人才的要求,具有重要的现实意义。