Delimiting the boundaries of a Mountain Natural Heritage Site through multi-objective modelling. eco.mont (Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research)|eco.mont Vol. 7 No. 1 7 1|

Defining the boundaries of natural heritage sites is critical to the protection, management and conservation of natural resources. This paper develops a multiobjective programming model based on game theory. It considers the economic and ecological benefits of various land use / land cover types, as determined by the local government and academic stakeholders’ expectations. A range of boundaries is identified by the Nash equilibrium, satisfying all players’ interests. Combining this with landscape types and considering geographic characteristics obtained from field investigations, we identify a final boundary for the Tomur buffer region in China’s Xinjiang Tianshan World Heritage Site. This novel process greatly improves our ability to shape optimal boundaries in environmental and economic terms. Future work should aim to consider widely the value orientations of various stakeholders, combining these with the cultural values and spatial properties of land use / land cover types to obtain more socially acceptable boundaries

The Carbon-Coated ZnCo2O4 Nanowire Arrays Pyrolyzed from PVA for Enhancing Lithium Storage Capacity

In this paper, ZnCo2O4 nanowire arrays with a uniform carbon coating were introduced when polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) served as the carbon source. The coating process was completed by a facile bath method in PVA aqueous solution and subsequent pyrolyzation. The PVA-derived carbon-coated ZnCo2O4 nanowire array composites can be used directly as the binder-free and self-supported anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In the carbon-coated ZnCo2O4 composites, the carbon layer carbonized from PVA can accelerate the electron transfer and accommodate the volume swing during the cycling process. The lithium storage properties of the carbon-coated ZnCo2O4 composites are investigated. It is believed that the novel carbon-coating method is universal and can be applied to other nanoarray materials

Car Tourism in Xinjiang: The Mediation Effect of Perceived Value and Tourist Satisfaction on the Relationship between Destination Image and Loyalty

This study aims to test a model linking destination image, perceived value, tourist satisfaction, and tourist loyalty. Based on a sample of 300 tourists travelling by car from the World Natural Heritage Site of Tianchi, China, a new model of destination image was explored and data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that perceived value and satisfaction are direct antecedents of destination loyalty. Above all, perceived value and tourist satisfaction mediate the relationship between destination image and loyalty. Finally, this study discusses the theoretical and management implications of the findings in order to boost the tourism industry in the context of car trips

Ecological risk assessment of geohazards in Natural World Heritage Sites: an empirical analysis of Bogda, Tianshan

Ecological risk assessment plays an important role in avoiding disasters and reducing losses. Natural world heritage site is the most precious natural assets on earth, yet few studies have assessed ecological risks from the perspective of world heritage conservation and management. A methodology for considering ecological threats and vulnerabilities and focusing on heritage value was introduced and discussed for the Bogda component of the Xinjiang Tianshan Natural World Heritage Site. Three important results are presented. (1) Criteria layers and ecological risk showed obvious spatial heterogeneity. Extremely high-risk and high-risk areas, accounting for 13.60% and 32.56%, respectively, were mainly gathered at Tianchi Lake and Bogda Glacier, whereas the extremely low-risk and low-risk areas, covering 1.33% and 17.51% of the site,were mainly distributed to the north and scattered around in the southwest montane region. (2) The level of risk was positively correlated with the type of risk, and as the level of risk increases, the types of risk increase. Only two risk types were observed in the extremely low-risk areas, whereas six risk types were observed in the high-risk areas and eight risk types were observed in the extremely high-risk areas. (3) From the perspective of risk probability and ecological damage, four risk management categories were proposed, and correlative strategies were proposed to reduce the possibility of ecological risk and to sustain or enhance heritage value

Effect of Roads on Ecological Corridors Used for Wildlife Movement in a Natural Heritage Site

Roads are the link between geographic space and human socio-economic activities, promoting local economic development, and simultaneously causing various negative effects, such as segmentation, interference, destruction, degradation, and pollution. In China, the construction of roads is rapid, which might affect wildlife movement, landscape pattern, and land use change, thereby, affecting the conservation of heritage sites. In the present study, the minimum cumulative resistance model, along with geographic information system technology, was adopted to compute the ecological corridor for wildlife movement between the source patches and to analyze ecological corridor changes under two conditions (road presence/absence) at two time points in Kanas, nominated as a World Natural Heritage site. The relationships between the ecological corridor changes and various factors, including the cutting index of the ‘road-effect zones’, terrain, and road geometric characteristics, were examined using the geographical detector model to identify the influencing factors and mechanisms of the corridor changes, in order to rationally simulate the potential ecological corridors. In addition, the detached and fragmented ecological patches can be connected to effectively protect the biodiversity, biological habitats, and species, which are important means to achieve regional sustainable development and ecological construction

How to Promote Sustainable Relationships between Heritage Conservation and Community, Based on a Survey

Community residents have a strong stake in a local heritage site and may be an important force in its conservation, management and development. Positive relationships between the heritage site and community residents can promote its protection. A questionnaire survey was conducted with local residents of Bogda World Natural Heritage, Xinjiang, China, to assess their perceptions towards the World Natural Heritage, and their attitudes towards participation in heritage conservation. The local residents have made positive contributions to the conservation of heritage resource in the past several years. However, because of the asymmetry between responsibility for conservation and benefit sharing, the authors recommend that a “Community co-management framework” should be established to mobilize residents to participate in heritage conservation. Furthermore, participatory approaches and communication mechanisms are suggested to promote sustainable relationships between community development and heritage conservation. The empirical study can be used as an input to policy making and management for sustainable conservation, and the study contributes to the literature related to community participation at heritage sites

The Influence of Complex Subway Station Construction on High Retaining Walls and Appropriate Countermeasures

Anzhen Bridge Station of Beijing metro line 12, which adopts a separated-island platform constructed by the undermining method, passes along the retaining wall of the North Third Ring Road. A numerical simulation method is adopted to study the deformation laws of the retaining wall under the influence of station construction. The simulation data show that the affected retaining wall will have large settlement and tilt, and countermeasures must be taken. Four countermeasures are formulated, and their control effects are analyzed. The calculation results show that the combination of anchor cables and waist beams can effectively control the tilt of the retaining wall, but the control effect on the absolute settlement is not obvious. The control effect of isolation piles is better than that of foundation grouting. The joint control method of anchor cables combined with waist beams, isolation piles, and deep hole grouting makes the deformation meet the target, and according to this measure, a concept of joint control aiming at the influence of the “source,” “propagation,” and “object” is proposed, which can provide a reference for similar projects with a great difficulty in deformation control

Effect of High-Voltage Additives on Formation of Solid Electrolyte Interphases in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed at the interface in lithium-ion batteries plays an important role in isolating electrons and permeating ions during charging/discharging processes. Therefore, the formation of a good interface is crucial for better battery performance. In this study, additives based on adiponitrile (ADN) and trimethyl borate (TMB) were employed to broaden the electrochemical window and form a good SEI layer. Electrochemical Atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM) was used for in situ studies of film-formation mechanisms in high-voltage electrolytes on high-temperature pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), as well as Li- and Mn-rich (LMR) materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with electrochemical methods revealed a synergistic reaction between the two additives to form a more stable interfacial film during charging/discharging processes to yield assembled batteries with improved cycle performance, its capacity increased from below 100 mAh/g to 200 mAh/g after 50 cycles. In sum, these findings would have great significance for the development of high voltage lithium-ion batteries with enhanced performance