Changes In Land Use Structure Research Articles

Response of ecological quality to the evolution of land use structure in Taiyuan during 2003 to 2018

The change of regional land use structure has important influence on the stability of ecosystem structure and function. As a typical representative of resource-based cities in central of China, original land use structure was changed because of industrial transformation and upgrading in Taiyuan, which has become a key link in ecological environment construction. Using the Environment for Visualizing Images (ENVI), this paper calculates the ecological quality metrics of Taiyuan in the process of industrial transformation and upgrading, and explores the response of ecological quality in Taiyuan to the spatiotemporal evolution of land use structure. The results show that: (1) From 2003 to 2018, the proportion of urban construction land in east and south of Taiyuan continued to increase. (2) The ecological quality of Taiyuan improved generally. The most obvious improvement was achieved in the Fenhe River Valley. Some parts of the valley changed from strongly bad area (RSEI: 0.2–0.4) to strongly good area (RSEI: 0.8–1.0). (3) The ecological quality in Taiyuan was distributed unevenly in space. In 2013, the ecological quality in the south was poorer than that in 2003 and 2008. However, the ecological quality in that region showed a significant rebound in 2018. The research results shed important new light on urban land use structure, ecological quality evaluation, and formulation of ecological protection policies.

Land Use Change and Livelihoods in the Plantation Nouvelle de Ngambe Tikar (Pnnt) Community Forest, Center Region of Cameroon

This study aims at identifying changes in land use composition, structure and distribution in PNNT Community Forest in the Center Region of Cameroon, from 2001 to 2020 and to investigate the impact of the search for livelihoods on the change. Obtained results revealed that there are four major land uses in the PNNT community forest; Moist evergreen forest, degraded forest, savanna and bare soils. Land use change analysis indicated that, the surface area covered by moist evergreen forest reduced by 5% while that of savanna reduced by 15.4% from 2001 to 2020. The findings indicated that 255,87 hectares of moist evergreen forest was lost between 2001 and 2020; an average of 13.47 hectares per year. The surface area of savanna reduced significantly from 1919.28 hectares in 2001, 1658.39 hectares in 2011 and to 1124,91 hectares in 2020. Results further revealed a substantial increase in the surface area of bare soil by 17% and degraded forest by 3.4% over 19 years. The total surface area of degraded forest increased by 174.4 hectares from 2001 to 2020. The land use with the most significant positive change was bare soils which increased from 396.61 hectares in 2001 to 1272.45 in 2020; a global increase of 875.84 hectares. Agricultural expansion, increased logging and harvesting of non-timber forest were identified as drivers of land use change in the community forest.

Research on the influence of land use change to habitat of cranes in Shengjin Lake wetland.

Shengjin Lake wetland reserve is an important habitat for the winter cranes of our country, and the change of land use structure in the area have had a vital influence on the winter cranes and their habitat. The TM remote sensing images of 1986-2015years were selected in this paper, and the land use change model and gray relational analysis model were used to analyze the effect of land use degree on the habitat of the winter crane and correlation degree between cranes and land use of Shengjin lake wetland. The land use transformation method was employed to analyze the transfer of the habitat of cranes and the relationship between the size of the cranes habitat and the number of populations. The results showed that the degree of land use change fluctuated greatly in different periods, and comprehensive index of land use degree between 220 and 260, also the land use was based on woodland, grassland, and water and their effect on the habitat was limited; the marsh land had the highest retention rate among the cranes habitat being 34.44%. While the reed flat had the lowest rate, only 15.36%, and the reed breach land was mainly transferred to marsh and dry land, 23.22% and 18.16%, respectively. The mud was mainly transferred to water and farmland, respectively, for 31.79% and 27.75%; except the period from 2011 to 2015, the change of habitat area was basically consistent with the change of the number of cranes.

Evolution of urban construction land structure in Henan Province based on information entropy and equilibrium model

The paper aims to accurately identify the evolution characteristics of urban land use structure in Henan Province, clarify the current situation and problems of urban land use structure, and provide reference and basis for the optimization of urban land use structure and urban land allocation. Statistical analysis, comparative analysis, information entropy, equilibrium and dominance were used. From 2007 to 2016, the urban construction land area in Henan Province showed an overall upward trend; from 2007 to 2016, the per capita construction land area in Henan Province showed an overall upward - downward - upward trend. From 2007 to 2016, the information entropy, equilibrium and dominance curves of urban land use structure in Henan Province are in a stable state, which shows that the change of urban land use structure tends to be gentle, the overall fluctuation range is not large, and all types of land are relatively uniform. To a certain extent, it can show that urban land development in Henan Province is relatively mature. In the structure of urban construction land in Henan Province, the proportion of residential land is the highest, and its area and proportion are increasing year by year. This is closely related to the increase of urban population. The proportion of industrial land is higher, but it decreases year by year. The land for urban green space, square and road traffic facilities is increasing year by year, and others. Although the land use area of different types is increasing year by year, the proportion of structure is decreasing year by year, and the urban land use structure of Henan Province is in the stage of continuous adjustment.

Frozen Histories or Narratives of Change? Contextualizing Land-Use Dynamics for Conservation of Historical Rural Landscapes.

Current research has identified extensive changes in land-use structure and land management of Central European rural landscapes due to shifting political and economic trajectories. These changes are exemplified by diverse processes of agricultural intensification, privatization and land fragmentation, land abandonment and overall changes in modes of production. The extensive record of these historically specific processes has posed a fundamental challenge for rural landscape conservation, which is addressed in this paper. First, we identify the key contradictions in rural landscape conservation, which include (i) conservation based on cultural versus environmental/ecological values, (ii) conservation based on spatial landscape patterns versus individual landscape features, and (iii) conservation based on the preservation of past landscapes versus conservation that also address the processes of change. Subsequently, we use a case study of an existing open-air museum in Zubrnice, northern Czechia, to analyze and discuss these dichotomies. In this regional case study, we first contextualize the land-use/land-cover change (LULC) reconstructed from old maps using a thorough archive (documentary proxies) and field research (survey of agrarian terraces, clearance cairns, and remnants of orchards) that enabled the construction of a narrative of specific landscape structures and features. Finally, we integrate the collected data with a novel methodological approach that allow for the spatial identification of the landscape segments that represent the narratives of historical change in modes of rural production and are therefore suitable for integration within the existing open-air museum to improve its conservation and education status.

From communism to a free-market economy: A reflection of socio-economic changes in land use structure in the vicinity of the city (Beskid Sądecki, Western Polish Carpathians)

From communism to a free-market economy: A reflection of socio-economic changes in land use structure in the vicinity of the city (Beskid Sądecki, Western Polish Carpathians)

Urbanization processes related to the development of residential functions in gminas adjacent to the city of Olsztyn

Abstract Political transformations in Poland have led to rapid suburbanization. Suburbias are beginning to develop functions and services characteristic of urban areas. The highest rate of growth is noted in residential development, in particular in the segment of single-family homes. Those developments bring about changes in demographics and social infrastructure. This study analyzes 4,000 real estate transactions conducted in 2007-2014, involving land plots zoned for residential construction, in order to determine the spatial changes that take place in the gminas adjacent to the city of Olsztyn, in view of the development of the local real estate market. The major trends relating to the number of concluded transactions, changes in real estate prices over time, the number of completed construction projects (new single-family homes) and changes in land-use structure are described. Demographic and social changes that inevitably follow from urbanization are described in the analyzed gminas. The results of this study will be used to determine whether Olsztyn’s suburbias are merely “bedroom communities” or whether they constitute autonomous territorial units.

Changes in land use structure in suburban zones in Poland after the 90

Suburbanisation is currently an essential characteristic of urban development in big European cities and their peripheral zones, both in the so called Old Europe and in most big cities in post-Communist countries. Suburbanisation is re^ ected mainly in changes within land use, intensi cation of development outside the city borders (especially along exit roads), and increased commuting. Land use structure is the outcome of decisions of bodies responsible for spatial man- agement. It also depends on external factors (economic, technological, and social) and internal ones (e.g. current land de velopment, attractiveness of land location within the city). Q e aim of the paper is to present changes in land use structure in Poland after the 90. with special focus on changes within suburban zone of Poznan city.

Analysis of changes in the land use structure of developed and urban areas in Eastern Poland

Abstract The development of housing, services and industry as well as the accompanying infrastructure leads to the intensification of urbanisation processes and changes in land use structure. The area of land characterised by urban use is increasing. The above trend is also observed in Eastern Poland despite its predominantly rural character and the absence of metropolitan areas exerting great pressure on the local landscape, contributing to regional development and enhancing the region’s competitiveness. The paper discusses changes in land use structure in developed and urban areas in Eastern Poland. The analysis includes five Polish voivodeships (Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie) characterised by the lowest GDP per capita in the EU-25. For this reason, Eastern Poland will receive aid as part of the ‘Development of Eastern Poland’ Operational Program 2007-2013. This is the only supra-regional program in the European Union which promotes social and economic growth in underdeveloped regions by co-financing projects in urban development, road construction and tourism promotion. The analysis of changes in the share of developed and urban areas in total land area as well as changes in local land use structure (subgroups) covers the period of 2007-2013. The data relating to land use structure was supplied by the Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography. It was used to determine the scale and rate of urbanisation in the analysed voivodeships (regions) and their constituent poviats (counties) with special emphasis on suburban areas. The results were presented in the form of cartograms and thematic maps with the use of GIS tools. The GIS tools support the visualisation of the spatial distribution of the analysed phenomena.

Land use changes caused by bank erosion along the lower part of the Bosna river from 2001 to 2013

The river channel dynamics are result of the complex interaction between natural and human impact. In the presented study, we assessed spatial and temporal dynamics of Bosna river channel migration during 2001-2013 period using orthophoto images and GIS. We have identified that the total area of bank erosion during given period equaled 2.8695 km2, of which 1.2178 km2 were on the left bank and 1.6516 km2 on the right bank. The total area of bank accretion from 2001 to 2013 equaled 2.6841 km2, of which 1.2864 km2 was on the left bank and 1.3977 km2 on the right bank. The Bosna riverbed average movement in the period 2001-2013 was established in the amount of 60.7 m. During this period, the average lateral channel migration was 5.05 m per year. Lateral migration of the Bosna River has caused serious problems: disappearance of arable land, forests, pastures and meadows, economic loss due to the reduction of agricultural. Using statistical analysis of a land use structure changes along the lower part of Bosna River, we obtained the results which show significant lost in arable land. According to results, 42.3 ha of arable land, 171.9 ha forests and 31.8 ha pastures and meadows were lost during 2001-2013 period. The data presented here are significant for practical issues such as predicting channel migration rates for engineering and planning purposes, soil and water management.

Land use pattern optimization based on CLUE-S and SWAT models for agricultural non-point source pollution control

Improper land use is one major cause of non-point source pollution. Integrated modeling would support the evaluation and optimization of land use for the non-point source pollution control. In this study, the CLUE-S (the Conversion of Land Use and its Effect at Small regional extent) and SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) models were coupled to simulate pollution loads under different land use scenarios in the upstream watershed of Miyun Reservoir in Beijing, China. The results indicated that changes in land use structure and pattern under different land use scenarios have significantly affected the non-point source pollution load. The increase of orchards and loss of forest cover has led to an increase in the potential pollution loads of nitrogen by 5.27% and phosphorus by 4.03%. However, in the agricultural non-point source pollution control scenario, pollution loads of nitrogen decreased by 13.94% and phosphorus by 9.86%, resulting from the establishment of riparian vegetation buffers and restoring forest on unutilized land and slope arable land. Coupling the hydrological model SWAT and the land use model CLUE-S succeeded in evaluating the land use pattern for agricultural non-point source pollution control. The coupling of two models provides a new approach for land use optimization towards non-point source pollution control.

Effects of Land Use on Desertification in Typical Regions in the Horqin Sandy Land

In this study,the composition and spatial change of land use structure and sandy land was evaluated using data derived from the TM images of Naiman Banner in Inner Mongolia obtained in 1975,1985,1995 and 2005 under the support of 3S.The results revealed that the study area was primarily comprised of cultivated and sandy land.Specifically,cultivated and sandy land occupied 40.33% and 40.14% of the total study area,respectively.Furthermore,the results revealed that woodland and cultivated land increased more than any other types of land,as indicated by increases from 22 828 hm2 and 207 493 hm2 to 121 375 hm2 and 331 442 hm2,respectively.Conversely,the meadow area was reduced from 120 751 hm2 to 13 299 hm2.Overall,these results indicate that some meadow and sandy land was transformed to cultivated land,and some cultivated land was transformed to woodland.In addition,sandy land occupied more than 40% of the total study area,and these areas were dominated by fixed dunes,which occupied more than 50% of the total sandy land area.However,over the study period,the sandy land area was reduced,and the desertification index decreased from 0.24 to 0.19,which indicates that desertification was reversed.Areas in which desertification was reversed reflect conversion of sandy land to cultivated land and woodland,whereas areas in which desertification was expanded reflect the conversion of meadows and cultivated land to sandy land.

A study on the information entropy and fractal dimension of land use structure and form in Shanghai

Land use change is an important component of global environmental change, and a representation of the impact of human activities on physical environment. Study on regional and urban land use change is the newest trend now. This paper studied land use structure and form changes of the central area in Shanghai from 1947 to 1996 and revealed all the driving factors leading to such changes based on the system ideas and the fractal theories. The paper calculated and compared the information entropy and equilibrium degree of land use structure on different condition. The results showed that the information entropy and equilibrium degree of land use structure were increasing gradually based on study area, but were decreasing from 1947 to 1958 and start to increase since 1958 based on urbanized area. The differences in areas of each land use type are reducing and the land use structures are approaching to equilibrium state in Shanghai. In recent 50 years, the boundary dimensions of urban industrial area, farmland, village small town construction area and reserved land for construction purpose have an ascending trend, their boundary forms are even more complicated, but residential area and other urban landscapes change little. The radius dimensions of residential area, industrial area, other urban landscape and village small town construction area were increasing gradually, those of agricultural area and reserved land for construction purpose had an ascending trend before 1979 and started to descend since 1979. In recent 50 years, all the land use types have been expanding from city center to peripheries with different speeds and degrees.The radius dimension of farmland is maximal and that of residential area is minimal, which forms an annular spatial pattern from residential area to industrial area and to agricultural area according to distance away from city center. All these spatial-temporal feature changes are impacted by the local environment, traffic condition, economic development and government conduct, while economic development and government conduct are the most important driving factors leading to urban form changes.

Land-use change in a small catchment of northern Loess Plateau, China

In China, the new land policy “household responsibility system”, implemented since late 1970s and early 1980s, has advanced China’s agriculture and led to some changes in land-use structure. In this study, land-use change due to this land policy in a small catchment of the Loess Plateau, northern Shaanxi province, China, was studied by an interpretation of two aerial photographs (1975 and 1997). The land-use pattern in 1975 and 1997 was studied by various pattern measures: areal percentage, patch number per unit area, mean patch area, landscape diversity, fractal dimension and relative land-use suitability index. The results indicated that after implementation of the new land policy, the area percentage of terrace farmland, slope farmland, sparse woodland and bushland decreased obviously, while the area and the percentage of dense woodland, orchard and sparse wild grassland increased. Mean patch size of terrace farmland, dense woodland, bushland and sparse wild grassland became larger, while mean patch size of slope farmland, sparse woodland and orchard became smaller. Fractal dimension analysis indicated that, compared with 1975, the patch shape of orchard and slope farmland was becoming complex, while the patch shape of dense woodland, sparse woodland, bushland terrace farmland and sparse wild grassland was becoming more regular. Based on land-use suitability evaluation by calculating the R-value, the present land-use structure appears to be suitable.

Changes of landscape structure in Estonia during the Soviet period

The development of land-use structure during the Soviet period (1940–1991) has been analyzed. The main trends in land-use dynamics have been a decrease in the percentage of agricultural land and an increase in the share of forests. The most important driving factors of such a shift have been the land reforms of 1940, 1949 (collectivization followed by deportations), and 1989; and urbanization and concentration of agricultural production. Changes in land-use structure on the county level reflect well the socio-economic and political changes in Estonian society. An especially significant decrease in agricultural lands took place during the first ten years of collectivization. In coastal areas it has been combined with state political activities. Natural conditions also play an important role, particularly in local changes of land-use structure. The concentration of agricultural production, which is greater in the eastern part of Estonia (Upper Estonia), has caused many environmental problems. Likewise, land amelioration is one of the reasons for environmental disturbances. It has shifted agricultural activities from former arable lands to marginal areas (natural grasslands, wetlands). That is one of the reasons for nutrient cycling disturbances in agricultural landscapes. Despite many disturbances, Estonia has a well- developed network of ecologically compensating areas consisting of nature protection areas, forests, wetlands, and coastal waters. It is important to maintain this ecological network during privatization.