Conservation Of Rural Areas Research Articles

Open-Source Design of Infiltration Trenches for Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation in Rural Areas of Central Chile

Specific algorithms are developed to solve the equations that define the physical dimensions under various conditions. In this sense, the storm index method was incorporated for the variable precipitation intensity, expanding the number of rainfall stations with the intensity duration frequency (IDF) curves from 9 to 31 within the considered territory (the Biobio Region of Central Chile). Likewise, the infiltration values and runoff coefficients necessary for calculating the dimensions of the trenches were obtained using the Python programming language. The results show that an open-source Python solution allows high reliability and efficiency based on the tests developed. For this reason, this prototype is expected to add new mathematical expressions that may arise to better account for an efficient design of soil and water conservation works or infiltration trenches. In this way, it is concluded that it is possible to develop simulation models for the efficient design of trenches based on well-defined and limited theoretical modeling, adding to computer language tools. This allows for a virtuous synergy that can help address efficient public policies to conserve soil and water in Chile and elsewhere.

Tourism Development and Urban Landscape Conservation in Rural Areas: Opportunities and Ambivalences in Local Regulations—The Case of Spain

This article analyzes local-level normative regulations aimed at directly or indirectly conserving the urban landscape in rural areas. Using a discursive analysis methodology on regulatory documents being enforced in a series of localities assigned to a tourism promotion program, the evidence suggests that promotional activity retroactively influences the phraseology of these municipal regulations. The results obtained point to the existence of perpetuating historicist approaches within the current regulations, which appear to largely derive from the search for success in the tourism market and the resulting benefits to the local economy.

Water Resource Management and Rural Development: Challenges, Solution and Conservation in Rural Areas of Uttar Pradesh

Water Resource Management and Rural Development: Challenges, Solution and Conservation in Rural Areas of Uttar Pradesh

Brazilian Forest Code as an Instrument for Environmental Conservation – Case Study of the Curupaí and Engano Watersheds, Mato Grosso do Sul/Brazil

Objective: To analyze Rural Environmental Cadastres (CAR) of 126 properties in two microbasins with gullies and ravines, aiming to assess the effectiveness of the Forest Code in post-promulgation environmental conservation. Theoretical framework: The urgent need for monitoring stands out amid pressure on Permanent Preservation Areas (PPA) and Legal Reserves (LR). CAR and the application of geotechnologies play a crucial role in environmental analysis and preservation. Method: It consisted of the temporal analysis of land use and vegetation cover to determine any significant changes attributable to the new legislation. Results and conclusion: The results reveal stability in land use and cover over 12 years, with predominant agricultural use and inadequacies in LR in over half of the properties. PPAs indicate better compliance but reveal challenges in self-declaration. Despite the Forest Code, there are obstacles in implementation, requiring improvements in rural oversight and awareness. Research implications: This study highlights challenges in Forest Code implementation and emphasizes the continuous need for improvements in environmental oversight and awareness among rural landowners, pointing out gaps in compliance with Legal Reserves and highlighting the utility of an automatic system in demarcating Permanent Preservation Areas. These contributions strengthen environmental management and conservation on rural properties. Originality/value: The study provides valuable insights for managers, legislators, and researchers in environmental policies, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvements in conservation in rural areas. The detailed analysis in microbasins reveals the effectiveness of legal guidelines and underscores challenges in Forest Code implementation.

Evaluating barriers to effective rural stakeholder engagement in catchment management in Malawi

Water quality and quantity are heavily influenced by catchment management, yet without participation by local communities, opportunities for enhanced protection and conservation in rural areas is limited. This paper explores the factors hindering local participation in catchment management, analysing stakeholder engagement by conducting in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and evidence syntheses in three contrasting catchments in Malawi. Our findings reveal omission of key actors in the catchment management process. Rural communities were least involved in catchment management. Barriers limiting participation were found to be interlinked and complex including weak regulatory frameworks, inadequate resources, lack of commitment, corruption, resistance to change, poor coordination, and cultural factors. Analysis of the interlinkages highlighted areas for intervention in promoting stakeholder participation which would, in turn, improve water security at catchment level. A comprehensive theory of change-based engagement framework that considers specific socio-cultural, economic, and political contexts to overcome the identified barriers is proposed.

ANALYZE THE DRINKING WATER QUALITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN RURAL HARYANA: A CASE STUDY OF JIND DISTRICT

found in the oceans. 1.5 percent of water is found in polar ice, and only 1 percent of water is found in the form of rivers, lakes and underground water. Only 3 percent of the water on earth is present in the form of fresh water. Therefore, due to less availability of fresh and clean water on the earth, the problem of water scarcity has started emerging in various areas. As a result, conserving water becomes a far more important step in finding a solution. Under this research work, information related to water resource management in rural areas of the JIND district of Haryana state has been displayed. Under which water sources are available in rural areas of the district, the quality of drinking water, the utility of water in various works, implemented schemes, and water conservation methods related to water conservation in the district have been demonstrated. This research work has been completed based on primary and secondary data. Under this research work, primary data has been collected by random sampling of rural areas of JIND district and secondary data has been gathered from a variety of sources, including magazines, books, research papers, etc. In this manner, information about water conservation in rural areas of the JIND district that was gathered from primary and secondary sources has been described scientifically. As a result, the rural residents of the JIND district are well-versed in water conservation information, and they practice water saving techniques. This research study contributes to the scientific understanding of the data pertaining to the district's rural water resource management.

Festschrift initiative: Celebrating Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick AM

AbstractThis Festschrift celebrates the distinguished 52‐year academic career of Jamie Kirkpatrick. All thirteen publications by Kirkpatrick in Geographical Research are curated as a virtual issue. Following a consultation process, six papers are highlighted in more detail. These were published from volume 13 to the latest volume. Kirkpatrick's research activities over the past five decades can be broadly sequenced into nine subject areas: (1) eucalypt genecology; (2) bush remnants in cities; (3) biogeography; (4) plant community survey and conservation planning; (5) fire ecology and management; (6) rare species ecology and management; (7) the politics of environment; (8) the socioecology of conservation in rural areas and gardens; and (9) biogeomorphology. His many publications and wide participation in public processes have, according to his own assessment, been a mixture of effective in changing the world, prescient, and wrong.

Conserving fertilizer in China's rural-agricultural development: The reversal shifts and the county-specific EKC evidence from Hubei

This paper examines China's fertilizer conservation in 1978–2017. The provincial data displays a positive reversal shift consistent to the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in fertilizer application. The occurrences of applying less fertilizer but achieving higher farming output, is a positive signal for fertilizer conservation. Then we select Hubei as a case study for more county-specific examinations. To examine Hubei's 80 county-level areas in 2000–2017, we define an ecological impact index of fertilizer use as the local fertilizer application divided by the agricultural gross product. After passing the unit root tests, the panel regressions indicate the N-shaped EKC shift: Hubei's annual county-specific fertilizer-impact indexes rose first with the rural household income, and then declined before they started increasing again, while time effect also existed significantly in the samples. We advise local agricultural policy implementers keep multi-scalar measures and circular economy to conserve fertilizer-use, with more stakeholders engaging fertilizer conservation in rural areas. • We examine the provincial shifts of China's annual chemical fertilizer applications in 1978–2017. • The provincial figures indicate positive signs of farming conservation across provinces in various stages. • The panel regressions of the county-specific data of Hubei in 2000–2017 indicate the N-Shaped EKC. • Hubei's county-specific fertilizer figures rose first, then declined, and rose again, with rural household income. • Policy makers should realize that the rural income growth alone cannot maintain conserving fertilizer and multi-scalar policy implementation and more local engagement help sustain long-term fertilizer ​conservation.

Capturing hedgerow structure and flowering abundance with UAV remote sensing

AbstractHedgerows are an abundant and ecologically important feature of many rural areas. Their biodiversity value depends on composition, structure and availability of food resources, which can be significantly impacted by poor management. However, information about hedgerow condition is very limited due to field surveys being costly and labour‐intensive. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with miniaturized cameras could prove a more cost‐effective and time‐efficient hedgerow surveying solution while preserving a high level of detail unattainable with airborne or satellite sensors. This study explored whether UAV remote sensing is a viable alternative for performing hedgerow condition surveys at local scale, focusing on hedgerow structure and flowering abundance. We acquired UAV Red, Green and Blue (RGB) and multispectral nadir and oblique imagery of structurally different hedgerows and used them to generate 3D point clouds and models with SfM workflow. Height thresholding allowed extraction of hedgerow extents, with root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) of height and width ranging from 0.11 to 0.23 m. RGB flower classification showed poor relationship with ground measurements (R2 = 0.31–0.42) due to confusion with woody material of hedgerows. Inclusion of a near‐infrared channel in multispectral imagery significantly improved the relationship (R2 = 0.68–0.75, RMSE = 10%). Our study shows UAV remote sensing has high potential for performing detailed surveys of hedgerows, providing better characterization of structural variations and distribution of flowers than traditional ground surveys due to larger coverage. More comprehensive understanding of hedgerow, or other vegetated buffer strips, conditions offered by UAV surveys can enable better informed decisions on habitat management and biodiversity conservation in rural areas. Acquisitions over larger areas, potentially integrated with satellite remote sensing, can allow assessment of hedgerow connectivity over farm to landscape scales, contributing to better understanding of the hedgerow network and its role as a wildlife corridor.

Research on the Energy‐Saving Design Path of Rural Farmhouses under the Background of Ecological Livability

Different from the state of large‐scale energy use and concentrated energy conservation in urban areas, the state of energy use and energy conservation in rural areas has its own characteristics and typical problems. Rural areas have been concentrated on the multiple differences in economic, social, and construction characteristics such as mountain and peace dam topography, natural and artificial construction, developed and underdeveloped, rapid urban development, and relatively backward rural development. It has practical problems that need to be solved urgently, such as the “insufficient savings” in the construction of farmhouses and the “insufficient open source” of clean energy applications. The discussion will be conducted from three aspects: the planning and layout design of rural houses in Chongqing, the performance of the enclosure structure of rural houses in key seasons, and the application of renewable clean energy in rural houses. Then put forward is the energy‐saving design path of Chongqing farmhouse. It aims to improve the indoor and outdoor thermal environment of farmhouses, saving heating energy consumption in winter and air‐conditioning energy consumption in summer and effectively benefit users to use renewable energy such as biogas, straw, and solar energy. Finally, explore the adaptability between the design methods of farmhouses and the local characteristics of Chongqing’s rural areas. In the work of Chongqing Design Going to the Countryside, we create a contemporary farmhouse case that is not only energy‐saving but also has good indoor and outdoor space quality. It also provides a reference for the energy‐saving design of farmhouses in Chongqing and other regions in China.

More than sweat equity: Young people as volunteers in conservation work

Abstract This paper examines how young people come to be enrolled and engaged in programmes of unpaid environmental conservation in rural areas. Set within a theoretical debate regarding the nature of unpaid work and its relationship to voluntary and coercive forms of environmental action, the paper identifies four pathways and two types of recipient organisations through which young people become involved in efforts to protect and enhance rural landscapes and locales. Drawing on a combination of extended survey and in-depth qualitative research in the west and south of rural England, the paper considers the systems of governance that surround the organisation of these unpaid activities and shows how these are rationalised and designed as practical and embodied experiences of citizenship. The paper argues that enhancing participation rests less on how to foster more young participants into the conservation sector than how to structure these activities in more productive ways that go beyond simple ‘sweat equity’. The findings have implications for the training and organisation of volunteers in other sectors.

Understanding Impacts of Cultural Tourism on Sustainability of Rural Architecture in Three Villages of Bursa

This paper aims to describe consequences of cultural tourism for sustainability of rural architectural heritage, forming traditional identity of three villages, named as Misi, Gölyazı, and Tirilye, in Bursa. Before making a detailed assessment, it is better to give brief information about legalization concerning relation in between tourism and rural architectural heritage. Afterwards, the common values of selected case studies are given while also evaluating the problems and threats on their sustainability. It concludes with recommendations defining what can be done to conserve and reuse rural architectural heritage in villages of a historic city while preventing and improving them against touristic demands. Hence, this study is essential as investigating the challenges in conservation of rural areas in City of Bursa, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS) in Turkey, while revealing rise of touristic activities together with increasing interest and public awareness in its architectural and natural heritage.

Re-evaluating safety risks of multifunctional dikes with a probabilistic risk framework

Abstract. It is not uncommon for a flood defence to be combined with other societal uses as a multifunctional flood defence, from housing in urban areas to nature conservation in rural areas. The assessment of the safety of multifunctional flood defences is often done using conservative estimates. This study synthesizes new probabilistic approaches to evaluate the safety of multifunctional flood defences employed in the Netherlands and explores the results of these approaches. In this paper a case representing a typical Dutch river dike combining a flood safety function with a nature and housing function is assessed by its probability of failure for multiple reinforcement strategies considering multiple relevant failure mechanisms. Results show how the conservative estimates of multifunctional flood defences lead to a systematic underestimation of the reliability of these dikes. Furthermore, in a probabilistic assessment uncertainties introduced by multifunctional elements affect the level of safety of the dike proportional to the reliability of the dike itself. Hence, dikes with higher protection levels are more suitable to be combined with potentially harmful uses for safety, whereas dikes with low protection levels can benefit most from uses that contribute to safety.

Spatial Variability of Local Rural Landscape Change under Rapid Urbanization in Eastern China

Understanding the characteristics of rural landscape change during the urbanization process is crucial to developing more elaborate rural landscape management plans for sustainable development. However, there is little information revealing how rural landscapes change at a local scale and limited evidence addressing how to improve the practicability of these management approaches. This paper aims to investigate local rural landscape compositions and patterns and to identify the spatial variability of local rural landscape change under rapid urbanization in eastern China to provide detail approaches to practicable and efficient local landscape management. The land use composition and landscape pattern from 2009 to 2012 were analyzed in three rural areas, namely, Daxing (DX) in Beijing, Quzhou (QZ) in Hebei Province and Changshu (CS) in Jiangsu Province. The results showed that the three rural areas varied in landscape pattern and land use composition change, even in the short term. Local farmland decreased slightly, demonstrating the effectiveness of the national farmland protection policy. Compared to the other two rural areas, CS was more diverse, fragmented and complex, and it had the greatest change rate between 2009 and 2012. In this rural area, semi-natural land dramatically increased, from 9.15% to 39.85%, and settlement construction unexpectedly decreased. QZ was characterized by a highly homogenous landscape dominated by farmland, which accounted for more than 80% of the total area, and it showed a slow decrease in farmland with weak increases in semi-natural land and construction. DX was characterized by a simple and homogenous landscape and had a median change rate of 9.32%, presenting a common land use change trend of a fast expansion in construction but decreases in farmland and semi-natural land. During decreases in highly valuable natural land, semi-natural land was important for nature conservation in rural areas at a local scale, but that process needs further improvement, especially in DX and QZ. Generally, local rural landscapes became more disaggregated and diverse during landscape change. Land use switches among farmland, orchards, nurseries, and other production lands were the major driving force for local change. Considering differential characteristics of landscape change among rural areas, we suggest that efficient landscape management requires the development of strategies that account for the spatial variability of urbanization effects. Subsidies for the management of semi-natural land with high natural value are meaningful for local natural conservation.

Promoting the Rural Development through the Ecotourism Activities in Indonesia

This paper describes the problems of rural development in Indonesia. Problems can be broken down and find a way out through the development of ecotourism in rural area. Furthermore, this also accelerates the economic transformation from agriculture to manufacturing and services, improves welfare to farmer and promotes an environmental conservation in rural areas. Meanwhile, there is a significant increase in the demand for tourism visits come from foreign and domestic tourists. This needs to be anticipated by all stakeholders in the all regions. This can be conducted through the following efforts, i. e. (i) to develop products with an emphasis on education, (ii) to develop entrepreneurship in managing tourism services, (iii) to strengthen leadership for guiding a conservation vision, (iv) to develop infrastructure with regard to the carrying capacity of the environment, (v) to develop homestay as a place of learning development for products and services, and services standards, (v) to promote rural tourism and environmental values elsewhere.

Zróżnicowanie nakładów na ochronę środowiska na terenach wiejskich w ujęciu regionalnym w latach 2005–2012

The study addresses the issue of investments related to wastewater management and water conservation in rural areas. The aim of the study was to assess the level of investment in the field of water and wastewater management in spatial terms. The scope of the research covered years 2005–2012. The data comes from the Central Statistical Office databases and publications, as well as available literature on the subject. It was revealed that expenditures on water supply and wastewater management in rural areas are covered mostly from environmental funds and funds from municipal budgets. In the case of sewage treatment plants and sewerage network, a significant share of the money came from EU funds.

Spatial scaling of protected area influences on human demography and livelihoods in Botswana

SUMMARYA growing body of ‘people and parks’ literature examines the interactions between protected areas (PAs) and people who live around them. This study of Chobe National Park (Botswana), which has one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa, highlights a PA's influence beyond its buffer zone and provides a more detailed understanding of the complex dynamics within a PA buffer. Overall net population growth in the areas adjacent to Chobe National Park (hereafter referred to as the ‘buffer’ area) does not preclude outmigration from certain Park buffer areas where declining agricultural opportunities have pushed working-age residents in search of work to urban areas around and beyond the Park. At the same time, skilled workers have moved to some of these rural Park buffer villages to take advantage of new civil service positions. The PA also influences long-time rural dwellers’ social and economic exchanges with urban kin and exacerbates dependence relations, placing economic strain upon urban migrants. In this way, the economic and social effects of PAs are neither uniform across their borders nor limited to those borders. These outcomes have important implications for biodiversity conservation in rural areas as they suggest that population growth may not be an accurate proxy for threats to biodiversity, if new and long-term residents come to rely on less resource-intensive livelihood practices.

Direct sale as a means for promoting the sustainable use of plant genetic resources: The case of the Tuscany Region

Similarly to other Northern countries, Italy has witnessed a growth in recent years of forms of direct sale of agri-food products. These so-called short supply chains often open new opportunities for the development and conservation of rural areas which are not merely economic in nature. The case study described here presents the results of a survey conducted in the Tuscany Region the purpose of which was to understand if and how direct sale has a part to play in promoting more diversified agricultural systems and in increasing or maintaining agrobiodiversity. The support that the institutions provide for direct sale in this context can be considered as a form of implementation of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) that Italy has ratified and which obliges its contracting parties to promote a sustainable use of plant genetic resources.

Landcare and private conservation trusts: Fertile common ground?

Landcare and private conservation trusts: Fertile common ground?

Land clearance and social capital in mountain agro–ecosystems: the case of Opuntia scrubland in Ayacucho, Peru

Opuntia scrublands are important ecological–economic systems in rural Andean areas. They provide goods for peasants' diet and animal feed, as well as cochineal insects, a highly valued source of dyes. Land clearance on these scrublands promotes changes in land use, from nonproductive wilderness to cochineal and fruit harvest areas, grazing lands, and fuel–wood supply zones. Here we empirically explore the role of social capital on land clearance, based on a case study of the Humanga region of Ayacucho, Peru. The literature on social capital is showing evidence of the positive effect of social capital on development actions and on environmental conservation in rural areas of developing countries such as participatory forest management. Here, the notion of social capital is captured by the idea that some features of social organization, such as networks, facilitate coordination and cooperation within the peasant communities that help in managing different economic activities, both on- and off-farm. The habilitation of the scrublands in the Andean mountain environment could be generating negative externalities as a consequence of altering the vegetation cover such as soil erosion. Because the benefits arising from land clearance activities are obtained by cochineal collecting households and the negative environmental effects are costs imposed upon noncochineal collectors, the social capital associated with scrubland habilitation could be perverse from an agro–environmental viewpoint and a revision of some government policies and of some NGOs actions for rural development through the promotion of various community networks in this deprived area could be needed.