Greg Asner: Ecology from the air

譯者: Aileen Huang 審譯者: Willy Feng

Technology can change our understanding of nature.

我們對自然的認識 隨著科技而改變

Take for example the case of lions.

拿獅子來說

For centuries, it's been said that female lions

好幾世紀以來 我們都認為

do all of the hunting out in the open savanna,

只有母獅會在大草原上會狩獵

and male lions do nothing until it's time for dinner.

公獅總是坐享其成

You've heard this too, I can tell.

就以這一對而言 這是正確的

Well recently, I led an airborne mapping campaign

我最近主持的空拍地形描繪計畫

in the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

位於南非的克魯格國家公園

Our colleagues put GPS tracking collars

我們在公獅跟母獅的

on male and female lions,

頸子上配戴GPS追蹤頸環

and we mapped their hunting behavior

然後我們從空中追蹤

from the air.

觀察牠們的狩獵習性

The lower left shows a lion sizing up

左下方的圖 可以看出一隻獅子準備獵食

a herd of impala for a kill,

要把羚羊群聚一起 準備狩獵

and the right shows what I call

右圖就是我說的

the lion viewshed.

獅子的視域

That's how far the lion can see in all directions

這是獅子在各方向視野所及的範圍

until his or her view is obstructed by vegetation.

直到視野被植被遮擋

And what we found

我們發現

is that male lions are not the lazy hunters

公獅並不是我們想像中

we thought them to be.

好吃懶做的傢伙

They just use a different strategy.

牠們只是用了不同的策略

Whereas the female lions hunt

相較於喜愛在大草原

out in the open savanna

進行長距離狩獵的母獅

over long distances, usually during the day,

通常是日間狩獵

male lions use an ambush strategy

公獅更喜歡在夜間埋伏

in dense vegetation, and often at night.

在茂密的植被區域

This video shows the actual hunting viewsheds

這段影片說明 母獅跟公獅狩獵視域的差異性

of male lions on the left

左邊是公獅的視域

and females on the right.

右邊的是母獅

Red and darker colors show more dense vegetation,

紅色深色區塊 表示茂密的植被

and the white are wide open spaces.

白色區塊代表開放場域

And this is the viewshed right literally at the eye level

這個視域高度

of hunting male and female lions.

就是公獅跟母獅眼睛看到的高度

All of a sudden, you get a very clear understanding

你會突然瞭解

of the very spooky conditions under which

公獅狩獵時的

male lions do their hunting.

詭譎氣氛

I bring up this example to begin,

我以這個例子開場白 因為它能強調

because it emphasizes how little we know about nature.

我們對大自然的了解這麼淺

There's been a huge amount of work done so far

時至今日 已有大量計畫投入

to try to slow down our losses of tropical forests,

試圖減緩熱帶森林消失

and we are losing our forests at a rapid rate,

儘管它消失的速度迅速

as shown in red on the slide.

可以從投影片上的紅色看出來

I find it ironic that we're doing so much,

諷刺的是 我們做得這麼多

yet these areas are fairly unknown to science.

對科學而言 這些卻是陌生的區域

So how can we save what we don't understand?

究竟如何保護我們不了解的雨林呢

Now I'm a global ecologist and an Earth explorer

我是全球生態學家跟地球探險家

with a background in physics and chemistry

我有物理跟化學的背景

and biology and a lot of other boring subjects,

還有生物以及一堆無聊科目的知識

but above all, I'm obsessed with what we don't know

但更重要的是

about our planet.

我對於未知的地球的狂熱

So I created this,

所以我創立了

the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, or CAO.

卡內基空中天文台號 簡稱CAO

It may look like a plane with a fancy paint job,

它看起來像一架花俏的飛機

but I packed it with over 1,000 kilos

但是當我把它裝滿

of high-tech sensors, computers,

超過1000公斤的高科技感應器、電腦

and a very motivated staff

還有一群積極主動的組員

of Earth scientists and pilots.

地球科學家跟飛行員

Two of our instruments are very unique:

我們有兩台非常特別的儀器

one is called an imaging spectrometer

一個是成像光譜儀

that can actually measure the chemical composition

它能即時測量 飛行路線經過的

of plants as we fly over them.

植物的化學成分

Another one is a set of lasers,

另一台是一組雷射

very high-powered lasers,

非常高功率的雷射

that fire out of the bottom of the plane,

能從飛機底部射出

sweeping across the ecosystem

掃過整個生態統

and measuring it at nearly 500,000 times per second

同時以幾乎每秒50萬的速度

in high-resolution 3D.

掃瞄出3D高解析圖

Here's an image of the Golden Gate Bridge

這是舊金山的金門大橋

in San Francisco, not far from where I live.

距離我家不太遠

Although we flew straight over this bridge,

儘管我們飛過了這座橋

we imaged it in 3D, captured its color

我們以3D描繪 記錄色彩

in just a few seconds.

僅僅花了幾秒鐘

But the real power of the CAO

但是CAO真正的強項

is its ability to capture the actual building blocks

是它能記錄生態系裡的

of ecosystems.

組成元件

This is a small town in the Amazon,

這是亞馬遜的一個小鎮

imaged with the CAO.

以CAO描繪的

We can slice through our data

我們能從資料中取樣分析

and see, for example, the 3D structure

例如植被的3D結構

of the vegetation and the buildings,

還有建築

or we can use the chemical information

或是我們可以應用化學資料

to actually figure out how fast the plants are growing

來調查植物的生長速度

as we fly over them.

在我們飛越它們的當下

The hottest pinks are the fastest-growing plants.

深粉紅色的是生長最迅速的植物

And we can see biodiversity in ways

我們觀察到的生物多樣性

that you never could have imagined.

也是從所未見的

This is what a rainforest might look like

如果你從熱氣球往下看

as you fly over it in a hot air balloon.

雨林可能會長這樣

This is how we see a rainforest,

但這是我們看到的雨林

in kaleidoscopic color that tells us

跟萬花筒一樣的繽紛色彩

that there are many species living with one another.

告訴我們有很多生物同時存在

But you have to remember that these trees

你別忘了

are literally bigger than whales,

這些樹有的比鯨魚還要大

and what that means is that they're impossible to understand

也就是說 如果僅僅在地面上走過

just by walking on the ground below them.

你是絕對無法了解它們的

So our imagery is 3D, it's chemical, it's biological,

所以我們的影像是3D的 是化學的 是生物的

and this tells us not only the species

它說明的

that are living in the canopy,

不只是在樹冠層的生物

but it tells us a lot of information

還有很多的資訊

about the rest of the species that occupy the rainforest.

關於雨林中的其他物種

Now I created the CAO

我創立CAO的目的

in order to answer questions that have proven

是為了解開不論從任何制高點

extremely challenging to answer from any other vantage point,

都具有相當挑戰性的問題

such as from the ground, or from satellite sensors.

不論是從地面或是衛星感測器

I want to share three of those questions with you today.

今天我要跟你分享其中三個問題

The first questions is,

第一個問題

how do we manage our carbon reserves

我們該如何管理

in tropical forests?

熱帶森林的碳儲量?

Tropical forests contain a huge amount of carbon in the trees,

熱帶森林的樹木含有大量的二氧化碳

and we need to keep that carbon in those forests

我們必須把二氧化碳保留在森林裡

if we're going to avoid any further global warming.

如果要避免地球暖化持續惡化

Unfortunately, global carbon emissions

遺憾的是全球森林砍伐

from deforestation

所釋出的碳排放量

now equals the global transportation sector.

已經等於全球交通釋出的碳排放量

That's all ships, airplanes, trains and automobiles combined.

這包含所有的船隻、飛機、火車、汽車總和

So it's understandable that policy negotiators

所以政策談判者當然會

have been working hard to reduce deforestation,

持續努力減低森林砍伐

but they're doing it on landscapes

但是這些地區 在科學領域中

that are hardly known to science.

都是相對陌生的區域

If you don't know where the carbon is exactly,

如果不確實知道二氧化碳在哪裡

in detail, how can you know what you're losing?

又該如何知道會失去什麼呢?

Basically, we need a high-tech accounting system.

其實我們需要一個高科技的會計系統

With our system, we're able to see the carbon stocks

在我們的系統裡 你可以仔細看見

of tropical forests in utter detail.

熱帶雨林的碳儲量

The red shows, obviously, closed-canopy tropical forest,

紅色區塊是熱帶森林的茂密樹冠層

and then you see the cookie cutting,

然後像是蛋糕被切開

or the cutting of the forest in yellows and greens.

黃色跟綠色區塊是被開發的地帶

It's like cutting a cake except this cake

就像切蛋糕一樣

is about whale deep.

只是這塊蛋糕大概有一隻鯨魚這麼深

And yet, we can zoom in and see the forest

我們能同時放大

and the trees at the same time.

看看森林還有樹木

And what's amazing is, even though we flew

驚人的是

very high above this forest,

儘管我們從高空飛過

later on in analysis, we can go in

分析之後 我們能進入

and actually experience the treetrops,

並且體驗樹冠層的

leaf by leaf, branch by branch,

每一片葉 每一個樹枝

just as the other species that live in this forest

如同森林裡的其他生物一樣

experience it along with the trees themselves.

親身體驗這些樹木

We've been using the technology to explore

我們應用這種科技探索

and to actually put out the first carbon geographies

並整合出第一份

in high resolution

高解析度的碳地圖

in faraway places like the Amazon Basin

包含遙遠的亞馬遜河流域

and not-so-faraway places like the United States

還有鄰近的

and Central America.

美國跟中美洲

What I'm going to do is I'm going to take you on a high-resolution, first-time tour

現在我要帶你體驗 首度的高解析碳地理圖

of the carbon landscapes of Peru and then Panama.

探索祕魯跟巴拿馬

The colors are going to be going from red to blue.

顏色會由紅色到藍色

Red is extremely high carbon stocks,

紅色是極高碳含量

your largest cathedral forests you can imagine,

這裡有你能想像到最壯觀的森林

and blue are very low carbon stocks.

藍色代表很低的碳含量

And let me tell you, Peru alone is an amazing place,

單單是祕魯 就是一個不可思議的地方

totally unknown in terms of its carbon geography

她的碳地圖

until today.

從未被探討過

We can fly to this area in northern Peru

我們先飛到祕魯北部

and see super high carbon stocks in red,

紅色代表極高碳含量

and the Amazon River and floodplain

亞馬遜河域跟洪氾區

cutting right through it.

切過了這個地區

We can go to an area of utter devastation

再看看狀況極糟的地方

caused by deforestation in blue,

因為森林砍伐轉為藍色

and the virus of deforestation spreading out in orange.

森林砍伐如同病毒 蔓延到橘色的區域

We can also fly to the southern Andes

我們再飛到安第斯山脈的南方

to see the tree line and see exactly how

看看森林的邊緣

the carbon geography ends

隨著上升的山脈地形

as we go up into the mountain system.

觀察碳地圖如何止盡

And we can go to the biggest swamp in the western Amazon.

接著來到西亞馬遜的最大沼澤地

It's a watery dreamworld

這個夢幻水澤地

akin to Jim Cameron's "Avatar."

類似詹姆斯·卡麥隆的「阿凡達」

We can go to one of the smallest tropical countries,

我們可以到最小的熱帶國家

Panama, and see also a huge range

巴拿馬

of carbon variation,

觀察變化萬千的碳地圖

from high in red to low in blue.

從高密度的紅色 到低密度的藍色

Unfortunately, most of the carbon is lost in the lowlands,

可惜低地的碳含量 已經消失殆盡

but what you see that's left,

但是看到左側的區塊

in terms of high carbon stocks in greens and reds,

紅色跟綠色標示的高碳含量

is the stuff that's up in the mountains.

是在山區的部分

One interesting exception to this

有個例外 很有趣

is right in the middle of your screen.

在銀幕的正中央

You're seeing the buffer zone around the Panama Canal.

是巴拿馬運河周遭的緩衝區

That's in the reds and yellows.

紅色跟黃色的區塊

The canal authorities are using force

運河的管理單位 以強制手段

to protect their watershed and global commerce.

捍衛的流域跟全球經濟

This kind of carbon mapping

這樣的碳地圖描繪

has transformed conservation

改變了環境保育

and resource policy development.

以及資源政策的發展

It's really advancing our ability to save forests

大大提升我們的能力

and to curb climate change.

在保育森林跟抑制氣候變遷 有很大助益

My second question: How do we prepare for climate change

我的第二個問題是： 我們該如何為氣候變遷做準備？

in a place like the Amazon rainforest?

以亞馬遜熱帶雨林為例

Let me tell you, I spend a lot of time

我花了很多時間在這些地方

in these places, and we're seeing the climate changing already.

而且我們已經看到氣候變遷

Temperatures are increasing,

溫度上升

and what's really happening is we're getting a lot of droughts,

真實的是 乾旱越來越頻繁

recurring droughts.

重複不斷的乾旱

The 2010 mega-drought is shown here

這裡顯示2010年的超級旱災

with red showing an area about the size of Western Europe.

標註的紅色區塊 有西歐這麼大

The Amazon was so dry in 2010

2010年的亞馬遜非常乾燥

that even the main stem of the Amazon river itself

甚至連亞馬遜河的主流

dried up partially, as you see in the photo

有一部分都乾枯了

in the lower portion of the slide.

在幻燈片的下半部可以看到

What we found is that in very remote areas,

我們發現在非常偏遠地區

these droughts are having a big negative impact

這些乾旱對於熱帶森林

on tropical forests.

有很大的負面衝擊

For example, these are all of the dead trees in red

舉例 紅色顯示的是因為2010年旱災

that suffered mortality following the 2010 drought.

受災的枯死樹木

This area happens to be on the border

受災區在

of Peru and Brazil,

祕魯跟巴西的邊境

totally unexplored,

是從未被探索過的地帶

almost totally unknown scientifically.

幾乎是科學上的未知地帶

So what we think, as Earth scientists,

身為地球科學家

is species are going to have to migrate

我們認為物種會遷移

with climate change from the east in Brazil

隨著氣候的變遷

all the way west into the Andes

從巴西東部 往西移動到安地斯

and up into the mountains

往山上遷移

in order to minimize their exposure to climate change.

儘量減低氣候變遷 對他們的衝擊

One of the problems with this is that humans

其中一個問題就是

are taking apart the western Amazon as we speak.

人類整在瓦解西亞馬遜區域

Look at this 100-square-kilometer gash

看看這個100平方公尺的開發區

in the forest created by gold miners.

這是金礦工在森林裡開墾的

You see the forest in green in 3D,

3D的綠色區塊是森林

and you see the effects of gold mining

還有金礦開採帶來的效果

down below the soil surface.

在地底下的系統裡

Species have nowhere to migrate in a system like this, obviously.

物種沒有任何地方可以遷移

If you haven't been to the Amazon, you should go.

如果你還沒去過亞馬遜 你真應該去

It's an amazing experience every time,

不論你去哪裡

no matter where you go.

每一次都是不可思議的經驗

You're going to probably see it this way, on a river.

你可能會看到這種河上景色

But what happens is a lot of times

但很多時候

the rivers hide what's really going on

河流會隱藏森林裡的

back in the forest itself.

事實真相

We flew over this same river,

我們飛越同一條河流

imaged the system in 3D.

以3D掃描這個河域系統

The forest is on the left.

左邊的有森林

And then we can digitally remove the forest

然後我們以數位分析 把森林移開

and see what's going on below the canopy.

觀察樹冠層底下

And in this case, we found gold mining activity,

結果我們發現金礦開採活動

all of it illegal,

全都是非法的

set back away from the river's edge,

全都遠離河岸

as you'll see in those strange pockmarks

看那些奇怪的麻子點點

coming up on your screen on the right.

在銀幕的右側

Don't worry, we're working with the authorities

放心 我們已經跟當局在努力

to deal with this and many, many other problems

解決這個地區的採礦問題

in the region.

和許多其他的問題

So in order to put together a conservation plan

為了成立保育計畫

for these unique, important corridors

給這些獨特又重要的廊道

like the western Amazon and the Andes Amazon corridor,

例如西亞馬遜 以及安地斯亞馬遜廊道

we have to start making

我們開始製作

geographically explicit plans now.

地理上明確的計畫

How do we do that if we don't know the geography of biodiversity in the region,

如果不清楚這區域 生物多樣性的地理

if it's so unknown to science?

又該怎麼著手呢?

So what we've been doing is using

所以我們應用

the laser-guided spectroscopy from the CAO

CAO的雷射導引光譜

to map for the first time the biodiversity

繪製第一個亞馬遜雨林的

of the Amazon rainforest.

生物多樣性地圖

Here you see actual data showing different species in different colors.

這個資料以顏色標註不同的物種

Reds are one type of species, blues are another,

紅色的是相同物種 藍色則是另一種

and greens are yet another.

綠色也是不同種的物種

And when we take this together and scale up

當我們放大這張圖

to the regional level,

到區域性的規模

we get a completely new geography

我們看見一個全新的地理圖像

of biodiversity unknown prior to this work.

顯示前所未知的生物多樣性

This tells us where the big biodiversity changes

這告訴我們哪裡有大規模的生物樣性變化

occur from habitat to habitat,

從一個棲息地 到另一個棲息地

and that's really important because it tells us

這非常重要 因為我們可以知道

a lot about where species may migrate to

隨著氣候的變遷

and migrate from as the climate shifts.

很多物種的遷移動向

And this is the pivotal information that's needed

保護區發展計劃的決策者

by decision makers to develop protected areas

正需要這種以他們區域背景做規劃的關鍵資訊

in the context of their regional development plans.

正需要這種以他們區域背景做規劃的關鍵資訊

And third and final question is,

第三個也是最後的問題

how do we manage biodiversity on a planet

我們如何管理地球上

of protected ecosystems?

受保護的生態系裡的生物多樣性?

The example I started out with about lions hunting,

我最初舉例的獅子狩獵

that was a study we did

那是我們的一項研究

behind the fence line of a protected area

在南非的

in South Africa.

圈化保護區裡

And the truth is, much of Africa's nature

事實上 未來非洲大部分的自然

is going to persist into the future

將會在這種圈化的保護區裡延續

in protected areas like I show in blue on the screen.

像銀幕上看到的藍色區塊

This puts incredible pressure and responsibility

這在公園的管理處

on park management.

造成極大的壓力跟責任

They need to do and make decisions

他們必須做出並且執行決策

that will benefit all of the species that they're protecting.

讓所有受保護的物種受益

Some of their decisions have really big impacts.

他們的一些決策有重大的影響

For example, how much and where

例如 以火作為管理工具的

to use fire as a management tool?

次數跟地點

Or, how to deal with a large species like elephants,

或是如何管理大型動物 例如大象

which may, if their populations get too large,

大象可能繁衍過量

have a negative impact on the ecosystem

對生態系裡的其他物種

and on other species.

產生負面衝擊

And let me tell you, these types of dynamics

這些動態變化

really play out on the landscape.

是真實在大地上演的

In the foreground is an area with lots of fire

前景看到的是大量用火

and lots of elephants:

還有很多大象的地帶

wide open savanna in blue, and just a few trees.

藍色是開放性的大草原 樹很少

As we cross this fence line, now we're getting

當我們跨過這個圍籬

into an area that has had protection from fire

進入的地區 用火適當

and zero elephants:

也沒有大象

dense vegetation, a radically different ecosystem.

茂密的植被 跟一個全然不同的生態系

And in a place like Kruger,

在克魯格國家公園

the soaring elephant densities

大象的族群暴增

are a real problem.

已經是個難題

I know it's a sensitive issue for many of you,

我知道對很多人而言 這議題很敏感

and there are no easy answers with this.

這也沒有簡單的答案

But what's good is that the technology we've developed

但往好處想 我們發展的科技

and we're working with in South Africa, for example,

還有例如我們跟南非的合作

is allowing us to map every single tree in the savanna,

讓我們描繪了大草原上的每棵樹

and then through repeat flights

經過反覆的飛行

we're able to see which trees

我們看到哪些樹

are being pushed over by elephants,

被大象推倒

in the red as you see on the screen, and how much that's happening

從銀幕上的紅色 可以看見

in different types of landscapes in the savanna.

還有次數的頻繁度 在大草原上不同的地景

That's giving park managers

這是公園管理員

a very first opportunity to use

有史以來第一次有機會用

tactical management strategies that are more nuanced

更細微的管理策略

and don't lead to those extremes that I just showed you.

進而避免我們剛看到的極端狀況

So really, the way we're looking

所以 我們現在看待保護區的方式

at protected areas nowadays

所以 我們現在看待保護區的方式

is to think of it as tending to a circle of life,

已經趨向一種生命循環

where we have fire management,

我們有用火管理, 大象管理

elephant management, those impacts on the structure of the ecosystem,

這些衝擊生態系統的結構

and then those impacts

而且這些衝擊

affecting everything from insects

影響的所有物種

up to apex predators like lions.

小至昆蟲 大至食物鏈頂端的獅子

Going forward, I plan to greatly expand

在未來 我計劃更大量使用

the airborne observatory.

卡內基空中天文台號

I'm hoping to actually put the technology into orbit

我希望讓這技術上星球軌道

so we can manage the entire planet

以這種技術

with technologies like this.

管理我們的整個星球

Until then, you're going to find me flying

在那之前 你會看到我不停飛行

in some remote place that you've never heard of.

在你從未耳聞的偏遠地區

I just want to end by saying that technology is

最後我要說 在管理我們的星球

absolutely critical to managing our planet,

這項科技絕對有關鍵的角色

but even more important is the understanding

但更重要的是理解它

and wisdom to apply it.

還有妥善的運用

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)