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GCOE Message from the editor
To project members and graduate students,
Welcome to the second newsletter. The main theme of this issue is to report fieldworks in Taihu, China. A brief description of Taihu is as follows.
General overview and background
Taihu/ Lake Tai太湖; literally "Grand Lake") is a lar
江蘇) 浙江) provinces i
its southern shore forming the boundary between the two provinces. With an area of 2,250 km² and an average depth of 2 meters, it is the third largest freshwater lake i t islands, ranging in size from a few square meters to several square miles.
Lake Tai is linked to the renowne also the origin for a number of rivers. In recent years, Lake Tai has been plagued by pollution as a result of rapid economic growth in the surrounding region.
Research onTaihu and Tiaoxi Area
July29-30
Tiaoxi (Tiao River苕溪) / Research on Spoon net fish and hygrophyte. A view of Tiaoxi.
Hygrophyte grows well in the riverbank though despite the lower water quality.
Likewise，the river is remains a suitable habitat for freshwater fish.
A strain of
Seems to be widely distributed in the water surrounding
Taihu and Tiaoxi.
Rhinogobius giurinus
Attendees
Professor Li (李) along with students from Tongji
University （同済大学）
矢原、島谷、鹿野、中島、佐藤 from Kyushu University; 西廣、from the University of Tokyo
Asian Conservation Ecology
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GCOE
⇒This area is protected as wetland. The former residents having been moved
out with only the rice paddies remaining
A huge leech showed up, swimming leisurely like a fish.
Trapa incisa
This species is endangered in Japan but is common in Taihu
and Tiaoxi River, China （ヒメビシ）
July 31
Taihu and its surrounding area / Research on Spoon net fish and hygrophyte.
→Acheilognathus macropterus
This species has migrated from Japan, now having become excepted as an established
foodsource in China, always being served deep fried, indeed it was delicious.
→
This little fellow is strikingly prominent with his black fin.
Carassius auratuｓ
Research on Chongming Island and Dingshanhu Lake （suburb of Shanghai city）
August 2
Chongming Island （崇明島）/ Research on spoon net fish and hygrophyte.
Chongming Island is the largest island in the Shanghai region and the third largest in China. The east part of
this island extends into a vast salty wetland which is registered as one of China:s 36 Ramsar wetland sites of
international importance. The expansive view from the sea of reeds stretching to the horizon was awe inspiring.
Meanwhile a great variety of birds were seen including storks （コウノトリ）and the black-faced spoonbills
Chongming Island is well protected as a priority project which has been named ``Ecology Island``. （クロツラヘラサギ）, and many others.
August 3
Dingshan Lake and its surrounding area / Research on spoon net fish and hygrophyte The lake water is seriously polluted, with an undesirable odor.
To the Chinese, lakes are not only treated as drains but also a traffic way, food buffets, and as the beautiful
landscape of hometown. The maintenance of such multifunctional requirements of rivers in the country despite
the challenge of rapid economic growth, might hopefully lead to a continued biodiversity conservation focus,
and further improvements in the future. An Ecology revolution seems imminent in this most ancient and
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GCOE
Announcement
Global Biodiversity Outlook 3A first draft of the third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3) is now available for peer review
until 1 October 2009. GBO-3 will provide an assessment of global biodiversity and will be an important
tool in informing the international biodiversity commitments during the CBD COP10 in Nagoya, Japan in
2010.
Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive review of the current understanding of the value of biodiversity.
Chapter 2 summarizes the actions taken so far by governments, communities and NGOs to address
biodiversity loss.
Chapter 3 assesses the current status and trends of biodiversity, using indicators developed to measure
the rate of biodiversity loss.
Chapter 4 reports the outcome of a new analysis, undertaken for this Outlook by an international group
of leading scientists, of the available evidence regarding scenarios for the future – with particular
emphasis on ecosystem tipping points, and how to avoid them.
Chapter 5 evaluates the lessons from actions to date, the current status of biodiversity, and projections
of possible outcomes for the decades ahead.
The pdf file of the draft GBO3 is available on the CBD webpag
also on our webp
Workshop
Workshop in Kyushu University September 11
Organized by T. Yahara.
How can we integrate satellite images with ground observations in order to monitor biodiversity changes in Asia?
Contributors: Hiroyuki Muraoka (Gifu University),
Rikie Suzuki (JAMSTEC), Rei’ichiro Ishii
(JAMSTEC), Shin Nagai (JAMSTEC), Takeshi
Kajisa (Kyushu University), Yasuhiro Mitani
(Kyushu University).
Check the report at
home/katsudou-houkoku
Meetings
GCOE special staff meeting September 3
The first meeting room of Biology Department.
(2nd floor)
am 10:00~ GCOE special staff meeting
pm:13:00~ meeting with administration staff from the university side
Next issue will feature a report on fieldworks in
Cambodia.
Photo: Forest in the Svay BakaoComunity
