The Hongze Lake serves as the first important transfer and storage path along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP-ER). After the Project began operating in 2013, eutrophication in the lake has created increasing public concern regarding the direct effect on water quality from the project. In this paper, we used multivariate statistical methods to examine the variances between water quality variables at four site groups (inlets and outlets in the study area) and during three seasons (wet, normal, and dry seasons) in Eastern Hongze Lake. We also used redundancy analysis (RDA) to analyze environmental factors’ impact on water quality. We found that (1) the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were exceeding the standard values; (2) No significant spatial heterogeneity regarding nitrogen and phosphorus among the inlet/outlet of Eastern Hongze Lake existed in normal and wet seasons, and there was no evidence demonstrating that SNWDP-ER could improve eutrophication or even contribute to eutrophication in the dry season; (3) Environmental factors (land use, water diversion, and population) have limited influences on water quality, which was possibly caused by the overly-high river input and artificial input of nitrogen and phosphorus. Thus, it is critical to reinforce the control of pollution sources and enhance the ecological restoration.

Parafimbrios has been reported in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. In this paper, based on morphological and molecular data, Parafimbrios lao was reported as the first record of a genus and species of odd scaled snake in China. This record extends the extent of occurrence to 65,000 km(2) and the area of occurrence to 20 km(2).

Speeches delivered in the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to the Convention on Biological Diversity represent leading discourses about biodiversity conservation. The discourse shared by high-level politicians is especially influential in the financing and decision-making process of global biodiversity governance. However, the speeches given in the COPs have not been the subject of systematic analyses until now. This study analyzes the host countries’ speeches given at the six most recent COPs and investigates which discourses have been expressed in the speeches. The regulatory discourse that views nature as a resource was found to be the dominant discourse, while other discourses that view nature as a scientific object or a spiritual entity were represented only marginally. As the need for a transformational policy for biodiversity conservation is growing amid a global pandemic, it is essential to deepen our understanding of the dynamics and complexity of nature and reflect it in the policy process. This study suggests that more balanced discourse on biodiversity may earn broader audiences’ consensus on biodiversity conservation.

Four new triterpene glucosides (1–4) were isolated from the 90% ethanol extract of Salacia cochinchinensis, together with five known compounds (5–9). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis including HRESIMS, IR, 1 D and 2 D NMR analysis. All isolates were assayed for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Compound 9 showed remarkable α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 0.31 μM, and the triterpene glycosides (1–5) exhibited moderate α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Graphical Abstract