Winners and losers in a transforming landscape: assessing the impact of dry forest conversion on high-risk species in Michoacán, Mexico (1986–2025)

Achieving sustainable land use is one of the most important ways to achieve regional socio-economic sustainable development. We have collected 12 papers in this special issue “Sustainable Land Use in China” to show the varied application of sustainable land use studies and to provide meaningful decision-making information and policy implications for land use planners. We summarize the contributions to this special issue on sustainable land use and place them in perspective. Several studies focus on sustainable urban land use, some focus on sustainable rural land use, and others on environmental issues on land use. These studies have analyzed a broad array of topics related to land use, including the dynamic changes and driving forces of land use spatial patterns, sustainable land use, land use policy and optimization, and the environmental problems related to certain types of land use.

The issue of ensuring the sustainable development of mankind today is recognized as one of the most pressing issues facing society. The purpose of the study is to generalize the features of sustainable land using, identify the main problems of sustainable use of agricultural land in Ukraine and the key ways to solve them. The paper summarizes the key stages of the formation of prerequisites for sustainable land using, systematizes documents and events to create a model of sustainable development, highlights the basic principles and goals of sustainable agricultural land use, in accordance with the concept of sustainable development. The authors emphasize that the practical implementation of the concept of sustainable agricultural land use requires prioritization of agricultural land, especially environmental, as well as increasing the responsibility of agricultural businesses for disturbing the ecological balance and excessive anthropogenic pressure on land resources. It is noted that in Ukraine there is an irrational structure of land use, which is environmentally dangerous. The main problems of sustainable agricultural land use development are highlighted. The authors note that in recent years in Ukraine there have been negative trends in the development of processes that significantly affect agricultural land use. The most acute environmental problems are the development of degradation processes in the arable lands of Ukraine, which are continuous, regional or local in nature. The authors argue that the decline in the natural potential of agricultural land in Ukraine is becoming an even more serious threat to the sustainable development of land use than environmental problems. The priority directions of development of sustainable land use in Ukraine are offered, which will allow passing to the model of sustainable agricultural land use.

Currently, the problems of sustainable and rational land use are becoming relevant in most countries of the world. Ukraine is no exception. And these issues have become extremely urgent as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In view of this, the purpose of the article is to study and summarize the international experience in the development of the system of sustainable and rational land use; identification of modern problems of land use in the conditions of the legal regime of martial law in Ukraine and ways to solve them. To achieve this purpose, the following general scientific methods were used: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, component analysis, comparison, analogy, classification, statistical analysis, expert survey, bibliometric analysis, trend analysis (using the Google Trends), structural and logical generalization. A bibliometric and trend analysis of the relationship between the terms «sustainable land use» and «rational land use» is carried out. On the basis of the study and generalization of international experience, specific features and differences in the development of the system of sustainable land use in some countries of the world have been identified. A statistical analysis of indicators of land use development in Ukraine in the pre-wartime period is carried out. The problems, threats and risks of land use associated with hostilities on the territory of Ukraine are identified. The experience of implementing national land restoration policies by countries affected by hostilities is analyzed. It is determined that the current economic conditions in Ukraine require the creation of appropriate institutional conditions and the improvement of mechanisms for ensuring sustainable land use, taking into account the specifics of wartime. As a result of the study, it is proved that in order to ensure sustainable and rational land use in Ukraine, taking into account the best world practices that are used in most countries of the world, it is necessary to develop a set of provisions and recommendations of a theoretical, methodological and practical nature.

Evaluation of sustainability is the core of research on sustainable land use. To a certain extent, traditional social, economic and ecological evaluation for sustainable land use can be regarded as an appraisal on the temporal scale without evaluation of spatial patterns. Landscape ecology can help to realize spatial evaluation for sustainable land use. In this paper, we construct landscape ecological indicators for evaluating sustainable coastal land use from the aspects of landscape productivity, threats and stability, to realize a synthetic temporal-spatial evaluation. These cover the five pillars of sustainable land use, i.e. productivity, security, protection, viability and acceptability. The results of applying landscape ecological evaluation to a case study in Wudi County in China show that land use sustainability is somewhat low and there are great regional differences between its 11 villages. We classified the 11 villages into 5 grades: strong sustainable land use, sustainable land use, weak sustainable land use, weak unsustainable land use, and strong unsustainable land use. Each grade has different land use characteristics and differs in the counter-measures required. But the core countermeasures in all the grades are to improve landscape productivity, to reduce human threats and to optimize landscape patterns.

We explored diurnal and seasonal variations in stomatal conductance in dry evergreen and dry deciduous forests in Cambodia and examined the stomatal response characteristics at two sites using a Jarvis-type model. Although stomatal conductance had maximum values at 9:00 (0900) or 10:00 (1000) in the morning and decreased continuously during the evening, transpiration showed peak values in the daytime and minimum values in the morning or evening at both sites in correspondence with the vapor pressure deficit. Stomatal conductance decreased in the rainy season to the late dry season; the pattern was clearer in the dry evergreen forest than in the dry deciduous forest. Stomatal conductance and volumetric soil water content had similar seasonal patterns, although these patterns differed between the dry evergreen and dry deciduous forests. The seasonal patterns of stomatal conductance and transpiration were different in the dry evergreen forest in the rainy season as a result of the moist air conditions. Clear differences were observed in maximum stomatal conductance and the function of the vapor pressure deficit between the two sites. In particular, compared to the results of other studies, the two sites showed large differences in their responses to the vapor pressure deficit. The functions of photosynthetically active radiation and the vapor pressure deficit showed wide daily change, suggesting that these factors may greatly impact the diurnal change of stomatal conductance. The vapor pressure deficit and volumetric soil water content also showed large seasonal variations and remarkable differences in function. The vapor pressure deficit had a large influence on stomatal conductance in the early dry season, whereas volumetric soil water content had a large effect in the late dry season.

Aim of the studyThe purpose of the study is to consider the issue of sustainable land use in Ukraine, taking into account the consequences of the war. The legal definition of sustainable land use is currently not sufficiently justified and balanced. In Ukraine today, the paradigm of sustainable (balanced) land use is still being formed, and the Land Policy Strategy for the management of land resources and land use should be based on it.Material and methodsThe method of analysis is used to determine the possibilities of a more rapid development of the socially oriented market economy after the war. This can happen thanks to the deepening of the theoretical foundations of the rational use of land resources (the synthesis method), optimization of the economic, social and ecological components of land use (deduction method), which in turn will contribute to increasing the socio - economic efficiency of the use and reproduction of the productive potential of Ukraine's lands in the post-war period (system approach).Results and conclusionsIt was determined that sustainable (balanced) land use should be understood as a system of organizing the use and protection of land and other natural resources and biodiversity and corresponding land relations corresponding to the relations of social development, in which the optimal relationship between social, ecological and economic factors of land use development is achieved. The essence of the research component of the institutionalization of balanced land use is disclosed. A paradigm of views on sustainable land use is formulated, taking into account the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

A multi-stage tracking for mustard rot disease combining surface meteorology and satellite remote sensing

The main reason for the forest fragmentation in most natural ecosystems in the wet zone of Sri Lanka is a result of large scale clearing of natural forests for human settlements as well as in the form of tea, rubber and cinnamon plantations. In addition, illegal logging and over-exploitation of natural resources have posed massive threats to both nature and the humans including the loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, landslides, flash floods, land degradation and increasing poverty. This paper discusses about the potential to develop the rural green economy as a result of consolidating these agricultural lands into analog forests as a sustainable land use practice in a participatory approach model. Bangamukanda Estate (BKE), a manmade analog forest in Galle District was selected for this assessment. Participatory rural appraisal methods were used to obtain information on resource utilization by the local community in nearby Bangamukanda and Liyanagamakanda villages. The past records obtained by the long term ongoing analog forestry establishment programme were also used for analysis the livelihood changes of the people in those villages due to the positive impacts of this analog forest ecosystem.Various interventions had been made in the view of addressing the issues such as encouraging local farm ers to change into sustainable community based cultivation of timber, fruits, spices and medicinal plants, paying them for the environmental services they render and enhancing their income through green employment. Crop diversification helped to stabilize the economy of the local farmers and minimize the current environmental impact that resulted from mono-crop cultivation. The introduction of new sustainable agricultural activities, such as bee keeping and planting fruits resulted in the production of value added farm products and organic fruits to be sold in the market. Through environmental based tourism activities such as providing accommodation, eco guidance, food and fruit for tourists, assisting environmental research activities, the stakeholders are earning a better income which trends to the development of the green economy of the country. Key words: Bangamukanda, analog forest, crop diversification, sustainable land use, rural green economy, green employment

We tested the heterogeneity/productivity hypothesis with respect to the abundance and richness of birds and the vegetation density hypothesis with respect to birds' nest predation rates, and determined the relative importance of forested vegetation formations for the conservation of birds in the Pantanal. We estimated the apparent nesting success, and the abundance and richness of nesting birds' in four forest types, by monitoring nests during two reproductive seasons in four forested physiognomies (two high productivity/heterogeneity evergreen forests = Cambará and Landi; two low productivity/heterogeneity dry forests = Cordilheira and Carvoeiro) in the Pantanal wetland in Poconé, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. We found 381 nests of 46 species (35 Passeriformes and 11 non-Passeriformes) in the four forest types. Of these, we monitored 220 active nests belonging to 44 species, 101 during the reproductive season of 2001 and 119 in 2002. We supported the productivity/heterogeneity hypothesis since the two evergreen forests had higher nest abundance and one of them (Cambará) had higher nesting species richness than the dry forests. The number of nests found in each habitat differed with most nests monitored in the Cambará forest (82%), followed by Landi (9%), Cordilheira (6%) and Carvoeiro (3%) forests. The total number of nests monitored was significantly higher in evergreen forests than in dry forests. Also, more species nested in evergreen (37 species) than in dry (16 species) forests. A Correspondence Analysis revealed that only Carvoeiros had a different nesting bird community. The overall apparent nesting success of 220 nests was 26.8%. We did not support the vegetation density hypothesis since nest predation rates were similar between evergreen (73.5%) and dry (70%) forests, and were higher in the Landi (85%) than in the other three forests (69.2 to 72.2%). Our data indicate that Cambará forests seem to be a key nesting habitat for many bird species of the Pantanal. If this local pattern also occurs in other regions of the Pantanal, the use and management of Cambará forests might prove to be important for the conservation of forest birds of this biome. However, conflicting results with other taxonomic groups show that conservation measures for these forests and land use policies should be based on a more complete biodiversity evaluation of the region.

Exploring the relationship between new-type urbanization and sustainable urban land use: Evidence from prefecture-level cities in China

Urbanisation is a pressing trend in the twenty-first century. People’s lives more and more concentrate in cities: in 2030, approximately 6 out of 10 people will reside in urban areas. Therefore, cities are crucial for the success of the Great Transformation towards sustainability, including the transformation to sustainable land use. Not only does the growth of cities cause soil sealing in urban areas, but also production patterns for urban supply with food and goods influence land use in rural areas. Thus, it is indispensable to direct cities to a pathway of sustainable land use. This chapter contextualises cities and their sustainable development within the frameworks of international and national law and, beyond that, presents instruments of transformative planning. Does international law already reflect the importance of urbanisation for sustainable development? Does it provide orientation for cities towards more sustainability? The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) presented a normative compass as guideline for sustainable city development. The WBGU declares urban land use to be one underestimated transformative action field for cities. Within the SDGs, especially target 15.3 (land degradation neutrality) may become an important guideline for sustainable urban land use. Some cities already develop an adequate pathway towards sustainability. Thereby, many of them not only act on a local but also on an international level. Also, states set institutional and legal frameworks for transformative actions that have an effect on the cities themselves, as well as their transboundary activities. What are their potentials and limitations due to national legislation? How should the transformative power of cities be unleashed? This chapter points out the need for a polycentric responsibility architecture for sustainable urbanisation and will provide a concrete perspective for sustainable urban land use by particularly elaborating on the instrument of transformative planning.

Evaluating the effectiveness of sustainable urban land use in China from the perspective of sustainable urbanization

Introduction. Science and practice are faced with the need for a balanced revision of ideological, theoretical and methodological foundations of agricultural land use. The formation of a new philosophy and methodology of sustainable agricultural land use in Ukraine opens the possibility of applying its results not only for effective regulation of land relations, but also the organization of protection and rational use of land, definition and justification of economic and organizational measures to restore their productivity. Sustainable agricultural land use requires taking into account economic, environmental and social factors that significantly affect the condition of land, their productivity, and at the same time the efficiency of agricultural formations. The purpose of the article is to highlight the main aspects of sustainable development in the field of agriculture in the formation of sustainable land use, to clarify promising areas for economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The article is devoted to the definition of the basic principles, system of indicators on which the conceptual bases of formation of agricultural land use through the prism of sustainable development are based. Problems and modern tendencies of development of agricultural land use in the conditions of land reform are revealed. The complexity and versatility of sustainable agricultural land use necessitates systemic and process-functional approaches to its formation. The basic scientific principles, concepts and the proposed system of indicators that reflect the functioning of land use - give a systematic idea of the formation of sustainable agricultural land use. The functioning of sustainable agricultural land use will not only increase soil fertility, rational land use and positive impact on the environment, but also allow to obtain environmentally friendly products, the need for which is due to negative socio-demographic processes. Key words: sustainable development, agricultural land use, aspects of sustainability, rational use.

The article examines the key aspects of sustainable land use as a foundation for the effective development of rural areas and communities. Balanced land use should be viewed through the lens of land management development and the implementation of integrated land resource management. The excessive intensification of agriculture and the rapid expansion of cities lead to the loss of beneficial land functions, causing land degradation. The study assessed the ecological stability of territories and revealed an unsatisfactory state of ecological stability in Ukraine, associated with the high level of land plowing (68.4%). It is noted that preserving and restoring land as a unique natural resource requires active intervention by government bodies to stimulate measures for the protection and restoration of land resources through the implementation of effective environmental initiatives. Due to progressing erosion, approximately 40–50 billion hryvnias are lost annually. It is proposed to develop a conceptual strategy for enhancing the ecological sustainability of land management at the legislative level, as well as during the reform of land relations, with a focus on the ecological reorganization of the land management system in the country, regions, and newly established territorial communities. Ecologically sustainable land use is possible only with the implementation of scientific and technological advancements and the orientation of the economy towards ecological principles at the national, regional, and local levels. Sustainable land use development means not only the effective utilization of land resources but also the creation of an appropriate land institutional structure and a favorable environment for land resource management, as well as the formation of social relations that promote the rational use of ecosystems while maintaining a balance between environmental, economic, and social components. In recent years, the practice of farming under market conditions has confirmed that the productivity and efficiency of agricultural activities primarily depend on the effective use of agricultural land. Modern research presents various approaches to identifying factors that influence the efficiency of agricultural land use. It should be noted that effective land use in agricultural enterprises must be combined with economic efficiency in land management. One of the important ways to achieve this is by enhancing the operation of agricultural producers, as well as improving the mechanism based on the integration of ecological and economic components, which ensure the quality use of agricultural land.

In today’s conditions, issues related to the ecology and sustainability of natural ecosystems and their components are becoming more relevant. It should be noted that the main driving force affecting the use of land resources is climate change. The demand for land will only grow. At the same time, sustainable (balanced) land use, which is carried out on the basis of sustainable development, equally concerns not only ensuring the protection and maintenance of land potential for future generations, but also providing social and economic opportunities today. Comprehensive spatial development plans for territorial communities are a strategic tool for ensuring effective management of territories. They must not only meet the current needs of the population, economy and infrastructure, but also form the basis for sustainable land use in the long term. In this context, it is important to integrate the principles of land management, which are based on scientific justification for the distribution of land for specific purposes, taking into account state, public and private interests. In addition, comprehensive spatial planning of the development of territorial communities in the face of modern environmental challenges requires the integration of strategic environmental assessment as a key tool for ensuring sustainable development. The growth of anthropogenic load, degradation of natural resources and the consequences of military actions require an objective assessment of the state of the environment, analysis of the potential impacts of planning decisions and the search for alternative approaches that minimize the negative impact on ecosystems. Effective strategic environmental assessment will contribute to the adoption of balanced decisions that will ensure environmental safety, biodiversity conservation and compliance with the goals of sustainable development of territorial communities. It is obvious that sustainable land use, for example, for forestry lands and sustainable use of forest resources are interconnected, since they relate to the use of natural resources that are in an inextricable organic connection. Therefore, the simultaneous integrated use of natural resources, inextricably linked to land, carried out at the level of sustainable nature management, is an important object of planning territorial development, environmental safety, and rational use of land resources. In this regard, the subordination of the legal regime of forestry lands to the legal regime of forests growing on these lands becomes important. In this case, the role of recreational and health-improving forests, which perform mainly recreational, sanitary, hygienic, health-improving functions and are located on relevant lands that require special protection at the level of comprehensive spatial development plans, is actualized in the planning process.