Regional scalable priorities for national biodiversity and carbon conservation planning in Asia.

To achieve the goals of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, we must identify representative targets that effectively protect biodiversity and can be implemented at a national level. We developed a framework to identify synergies between biodiversity and carbon across the Asian region and proposed a stepwise approach based on scalable priorities at regional, biome, and national levels that can complement potential Convention on Biological Diversity targets of protecting 30% land in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Our targets show that 30% of Asian land could effectively protect over 70% of all assessed species relative to only 11% now (based on analysis of 8932 terrestrial vertebrates), in addition to 2.3 to 3.6 hundred billion metric tons of carbon. Funding mechanisms are needed to ensure such targets to support biodiversity-carbon mutually beneficial solutions at the national level while reflecting broader priorities, especially in hyperdiverse countries where priorities exceed 30% of land.

[Effect of cultivation for snail control on schistosomiasis in Changsha urban section of Xiangjiang River].

OBJECTIVE: To study a reliable, friendly environmental and sustainable Oncomelania snail control method in marshlands of the Xiangjiang River. METHODS: According to the special characteristics of the marshlands of the Xiangjiang River, smoothing and cultivating in beaches were applied for snail control. In sections with scarce distribution of snails, lowering parts of 4.4 beaches and raising other parts were added. RESULTS: Since 2003, the project has been practiced for 8 years. The average snail density declined by 99.83% with the simple smoothing beaches and then cultivation there. The average snail density declined by 100% with lowering parts of beaches and raising other parts and then cultivation. The schistosome infection rate was 0.31% with a declined rate of 93.84% in residents in 2006. The schistosome infection rate was 1.03% in 2010. The test result of water contamination was negative. CONCLUSIONS: The method of simple smoothing beaches and then cultivation can control the density of snails in marshlands and the method of lowering parts of beaches and raising other parts and then cultivation is more effective.