Documented Land Use Research Articles

Potential Contribution of Public Primary Schools in Attaining Ten Percent Tree Cover in Kenya

Purpose: This paper demonstrates the influence of school land-use practices on tree population in public primary schools in Kisumu County.
 Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed and systematic random sampling used to select 124 schools (20% of 615). Primary data came from self-administered questionnaires to school heads and harmonized using focus group discussions with teachers and pupils. Further, key informant interviews, observation, photography and desk studies were also used. Results: From the study, the average land size of a public primary school is 3.26Ha with approximately 23.7% unused spaces. 32.26% of the schools do not have a documented land use plan hence rely on sheer instincts and ad hoc decisions of the administration or Board of Management (BoM) for space allocation to any land cover. There is a significantly positive correlation between school land-use practices (r2=0.843) and tree population. Out of the common land use practices identified; forestry (p=2e-16), tree nursery (p=2e-16) and kitchen gardening (p=0.017) had a significant positive influence on the total tree population in schools. The findings show that land use practices positively influence tree population in public primary schools.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study demonstrates that school administration should take advantage of the unused spaces to provide adequate room for establishment of woodlots and gardens to facilitate the achievement of the 10% forest cover.
 Key Words: Land cover, Land use practices, Public Primary schools, school land size, tree population

Cannabis production and land use planning: A literature review

Cannabis production standards are evolving with little understanding of their implications on land use planning. Health Canada currently administers a federally-regulated licensing system that does not address odour and light pollution land use impacts across the rural landscape. This literature review addresses the regulatory history of cannabis production in Canada, reviews current production standards, and compares possible cannabis production conflicts with documented land use conflicts from other odourous and light intensive operations to reveal flaws in the existing licensing system. Established cannabis production markets will be examined for further comparisons.

Spatial Patterns of Vineyard Abandonment and Related Land Use Transitions in Beaujolais (France): A Multiscale Approach

While the resilience of French vineyards is currently threatened, this paper focuses on the Beaujolais terroir, where the disappearance of vineyards has been qualitatively observed by local stakeholders. A targeted survey was led at three complementary scales. First, we provide an overview of the evolution of agricultural landscapes and practices for the whole Beaujolais area since 1990 from national statistical databases. It shows that the vineyard extent reached a maximum during the 1990s and that significant bifurcation occurred in 2000. Second, we document land use evolution in relation to vineyard abandonment at a more local scale. Three case studies (lower Ardières, Marverand, Merloux) exemplify the main local settings, and the land uses are described over time from an analysis that employed multitemporal photo interpretation. The results quantified the decrease in the vineyard surface extent since 1999: approximately 30% was lost in regular terroirs and 5% was lost in high added-value terroirs. Third, at a fine scale, we explained the precise location of the abandoned parcels regarding the site characteristics (e.g., incoming solar radiation, slope gradient, terroir quality). The results showed differences in evolution patterns between southern and northern Beaujolais. In northern Beaujolais, winegrowers tended to abandon vine parcels that were considered of lower quality; while, in southern Beaujolais, the winegrowers tended to abandon vine parcels in relation to the difficulty of maintenance (remote and steep parcels were preferentially abandoned) or in relation to suburbanization (parcels close to built-up areas were preferentially abandoned).

Land value city of Makassar based on rent-bid curve

This study uses a library approach and field research. The library approach is carried out by reading theories related to land values from the literature study and used to obtain secondary data. Meanwhile, field research was carried out by observation to find out and document land use in the city of Makassar. The analytical method used is descriptive quantitative and qualitative to describe the land value of the distance between Makassar City and land use. Besides, spatial analysis is also used to interpret the land value of Makassar City based on the Bid-Rent Curve in the form of maps of distance and land use. Moreover, correlation analysis is used to determine the relationship between distance and land use to land value. The results of the study through the analysis stages above show the value of land in Makassar City is influenced by distance, where the closer to the city center the higher the land value and the farther from the city center, the lower the land value. Also, land use also affects the land value of Makassar City, wherein this study, the most critical land use is commercial land. This shows that there are conditions in accordance with the theory of Rent-Bid Curve.

Channel migration and its impact on land use/land cover using RS and GIS: A study on Khowai River of Tripura, North-East India

Channel migration becomes the main characteristic of the Khowai River of Tripura. A study on bank erosion and channel migration of the present course of the Khowai River through the synclinal valley of Atharamura and Baramura Hill Ranges indicates that the area is under active erosion since long back. In this study, the rate of channel migration has been assessed and variation of sinuosity index and radius of curvature have also been calculated. The study of the active channel width and channel position from 1975 to 2014 indicates that a large portion of land along both the banks of the Khowai River has already been eroded away. This work also documented land use changes in its surrounding flood plain area using supervised image classification. Overall accuracy of the land use classification ranges between 88% and 93%. The whole study is being done utilising the remote sensing imagery (2014), SOI topographical map (1975) and GIS technology. The land use classification shows that there is an increase in built up area and decrease in net sown area. The channel migration directly affects the land use and land use change has direct effect on the flood plain dwellers of the study area. All the assessments of this study highlight a significant message of immense vulnerability of Khowai River and also provide news about geomorphological instabilities of the study area.

The impacts of shrimp farming on land-use and carbon storage around Puttalam lagoon, Sri Lanka

The expansion of shrimp aquaculture in Sri Lanka over the past three decades has dramatically changed the coastal landscape, in particular by converting mangrove forests. The current study quantified these impacts in the Puttalam lagoon, an area of the country that has experienced some of the most destructive development. Land use change was analysed using a multi-temporal set of aerial and satellite images taken in 1992/1994 (aerial photographs), 2007 (SPOT 5) and 2012 (Pleiades). The area of shrimp farms increased by 2777% over this 19-year period, with salt pans expanding by 60%. Mangroves declined in area by 34% and coconut groves increased by 17%. Because of problems with disease many intensive shrimp farms are abandoned after a few years, leaving denuded and unproductive landscapes; here a large majority of farms (90% of the total area of shrimp aquaculture) were found to be abandoned. The loss of carbon sequestration and storage services caused by this unsustainable recent history of shrimp farming was calculated as one measure of environmental impact. The documented land use changes in Puttalam lagoon resulted in an estimated net carbon loss of 191 584 tC. This was mainly due to conversion of mangroves to shrimp farms, making up 75.5% of the total carbon loss. These results demonstrate the scale of environmental degradation caused by intensive shrimp farming in the study area, and highlight the need for an entirely new aquaculture model in Sri Lanka.

Exurban Farmers' Perceptions of Land Use Policy Effectiveness: Implications for the Next Generation of Policy Development

Many local governments have enacted land use policies to address farmland loss and farm viability by protecting large blocks of farmland from residential growth. While the rate of suburban sprawl has slowed since the burst of the housing bubble in 2008, these policies remain the dominant approach to agricultural land use policy. Given the importance of exurban agricultural production, the growing diversity of exurban farms, and the increasing interest in local food systems by the public, it is time to revisit land use policy. Little is known about how farmers perceive land use policy environments, and whether diverse types of farmers have distinctive views on policy effectiveness. Therefore in this study we document land use policy environments of eight U.S. exurban counties. With farmer survey results we examine factors associated with farmers' perceptions of policy effectiveness. We find that the overall policy environment and differences in farmer and farm characteristics explain less variation in views of effectiveness than do farmers' perceptions of local community support, pressure from global markets, intensity of nonfarm development, and overall optimism about the future of agriculture. Farmers who market directly to consumers are particularly pessimistic about land use policies, as these policies were likely not designed with small farms in mind. Results suggest that next-generation policy efforts to encourage the sustainability of exurban farming could be more effective by creating stronger ties between farm and nonfarm populations, adopting flexible policies that recognize the different ways in which farmers adapt to urbanization, and ensuring that the voices of diverse exurban farmers are included in a participatory policy-making process.

Linking vegetation patterns to environmental gradients and human impacts in a mediterranean-type island ecosystem

Vegetation patterns at the landscape scale are shaped by myriad processes and historical events, and understanding the relative importance of these processes aids in predicting current and future plant distributions. To quantify the influence of different environmental and anthropogenic patterns on observed vegetation patterns, we used simulta- neous autoregressive modeling to analyze data col- lected by the Carnegie Airborne Observatory over Santa Cruz Island (SCI; California, USA). SCI is a large continental island, and its limited suite of species and well documented land use history allowed us to consider many potential determinants of vegetation patterns, such as topography, substrate, and historical grazing intensity. As a metric of vegetation heteroge- neity, we used the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) stratified into three vegetation height classes using LiDAR (short, medium, and tall). In the SAR models topography and substrate type were important controls, together explaining 8-15 % of the total variation in NDVI, but historical grazing and spatial autocorrelation were also key components of the models, together explaining 17-21 % of the variation in NDVI. Optimal spatial autocorrelation distances in the short and medium height vegetation models (600-700 m) were similar to the home range sizes of two crucial seed dispersers on the island- the island fox (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae) and the island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis)—suggesting that these animals may be important drivers of the island's vegetation patterns. This study highlights the importance of dynamic processes like dispersal lim- itation and disturbance history in determining present- day vegetation patterns.

Komi reindeer herding: the effects of socialist and post-socialist change on mobility and land use

This paper contributes to the discussion concerning the way in which Soviet state policies have influenced the lives, social organization, economy and culture of a group of indigenous Komi reindeer herders of northern Russia: its main focus is to explain how these policies have changed the herders’ patterns of migration and land use. Extensive anthropological fieldwork—to determine current and past herding practices—was carried out and archives were thoroughly investigated to document land use changes in relation to state reindeer herding policies. It was found that compared with those of several decades ago, the migration routes are now much shorter, as the herders have abandoned large areas of winter pastures located in the southernmost part of their herding territory. This “abandonment” phenomenon is endemic amongst reindeer herders generally, throughout the Komi Republic. Whereas the reasons for the abandonment of winter pastures are diverse, they can be attributed mostly to the state sedentarization policy, which has modified the family structures of herders, and the continuing decreases in state subsidies that have changed the balance between state and private ownership of reindeer. Both these factors have greatly contributed to the herders’ dependence on visiting towns, where they now own flats, and on selling reindeer products, upon which they are increasingly reliant for financial security.

A watershed conservation success story in Nepal: Land use changes over 30 years

This article reports on changes in land use and in land degradation between the 1970s and 2006. In the middle hill region of west central Nepal in 1977, part of a watershed experienced erosion rates exceeding 30 Mt/ha/yr due to high rainfall intensities, unstable soils, steep slopes, deforestation and severe overgrazing. However, since the 1970s an innovative national government policy of handing over forest management to local people was put in place, resulting in conversion of nearly all the eroded grazing and shrub land to managed pasture and forest, a fivefold increase in grass and fodder and a near-doubling of forest productivity. While 43% of project costs were spent on user group formation and vegetative restoration, this provided most of the social, environmental and economic benefits, compared to structural measures.The objectives of the study are fourfold: 1) to document land use changes resulting in improved ecological health of the watershed and increased productivity of forests and grasslands...

Temporal and spatial trends in soil organic carbon stocks following maize cultivation in semi-arid Tanzania, East Africa

Conversion of native ecosystems to agro-ecosystems influences the amount, quality and turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC). As most agro-ecosystems are not in a steady state in terms of the content of SOC, the time scale and feedback mechanisms of changes in SOC are highly relevant for predicting future soil fertility and potential rates of soil carbon losses or sequestration. This paper focuses on changes in land use linked to measured changes in the distribution of total stocks of SOC and the δ13C signature in the upper 0.5 m of cultivated soils in the semi-arid parts of Tanzania. Based on documented land use changes since 1950s using remote sensing data, 12 sampling sites along two transects were selected to represent semi-natural/natural savannah and maize fields cultivated for up to five decades. Comparisons between sites representing a chronosequence of well-drained soils showed that soils cultivated the last 50 years have in average less than 50% SOC compared to soils which have never been cultivated. Variations between sites were significant and a reduction in SOC could not be established at sites near present or former villages which have received substantial manure despite a long cultivation history or along a chronosequence representing wetter and more fine-grained soils. Spatial variations in land use changes were parameterized based on remote sensing data and successfully validated against sampling sites. Site-specific rates of soil element loss following cultivation were extrapolated to the study area and uncertainties related to scaling up were discussed.

The influence of river regulation and land use on floodplain forest regeneration in the semi‐arid upper Colorado River Basin, USA

AbstractFlow regulation effects on floodplain forests in the semi‐arid western United States are moderately well understood, whereas effects associated with changes in floodplain land use are poorly documented. We mapped land cover patterns from recent aerial photos and applied a classification scheme to mainstem alluvial floodplains in 10 subjectively selected 4th order hydrologic units (subbasins) in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) in order to document land use patterns (floodplain development) and assess their effects on Fremont cottonwood forest (CF) regeneration. Three of the mainstem rivers were unregulated, five were moderately regulated and two were highly regulated. We classified polygons as Undeveloped (with two categories, including CF) and Developed (with five categories). We ground‐truthed 501 randomly selected polygons (4–28% of the floodplain area in each subbasin) to verify classification accuracy and to search for cottonwood regeneration, defined as stands established since regulation began or 1950, whichever is most recent. From 40% to 95% of the floodplain area remained undeveloped, but only 19–70% of the floodplain area was classified as forest. Regeneration occupied a mean of 5% (range 1–17%) of the floodplain. The likelihood of the presence of regeneration in a polygon was reduced 65% by development and independently in a complex manner by flow regulation. Our analyses indicate that floodplain forests may be in jeopardy on both regulated and unregulated rivers and that information on historical forest extent is needed to better understand their current status in the UCRB. Conservation efforts need to be coordinated at a regional level and address the potentially adverse affects of both flow regulation and floodplain development. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Land use change and erosional history in a lake catchment system on the Canadian prairies

The introduction of agriculture in the late 1800s and early 1900s brought about many changes in the natural prairie landscape of western Canada. The objective of this research project is to evaluate landscape response to land use change by relating observed changes in the sedimentary record of a lake drainage basin to documented land use change that has occurred since the onset of settlement. A 52 cm lake sediment core was sectioned into 1 cm layers. The sediment was separated into allogenic and authigenic fractions using a wet chemical extraction technique. Close interval 210Pb dating enabled the calculation of sediment and elemental influx rates. Prior to European settlement, erosion rates were low (< 0.1 Mg ha − 1 year − 1 ). In the 1910s, when the first settlers arrived in the area, erosion rates increased, and in the 1920s and 1930s, when the area of improved land rapidly increased and conditions were dry, erosion rates reached peaks of 1.5 and 2.2 Mg ha − 1 year − 1 . Erosion rates in the latter part of the 20th Century range from 0.6 to 0.7 Mg ha − 1 year − 1 . The composition of the allogenic fraction in the most recent, black sediment at the top of the core shows high concentrations of Ti and Zr, indicating a large contribution of topsoil to the allogenic fraction. In addition, elevated concentrations of Zn, Ni, Mo and U are likely explained by the application of phosphate fertilizers. Because of sediment deposition within the basin, e.g., on concave footslopes and on the valley floor, the erosion rates derived from the Thunstrom Lake core should be interpreted as net rates that likely mask values that are much higher locally within the basin. As a result, this study provides information on the erosional response of the prairie landscape to recent changes in land use at the scale of the Thunstrom Lake basin, but not necessarily on the sustainability of the soil as a resource, which would require information at the much smaller scale of the individual field.

Channel change and flooding, Skokomish River, Washington

Analysis of 45 years of cross-section data documents changes in channel width and bed elevation along the Skokomish River, Washington. The bed of the South Fork Skokomish incised over 1 m between 1940 and 1964, although both prior and subsequent to this period the mean bed elevation oscillated as much as 0.8 m with almost no cumulative change. In contrast, the mainstem Skokomish channel bed aggraded nearly 0.5 m between 1939 and 1944, oscillated at amplitudes up to 1 m with little net change from 1945 to 1964, and aggraded over 1.3 m between 1965 and 1997. In the late 1920s, prior to the onset of gaging station records, damming of the North Fork significantly reduced flow in the mainstem Skokomish. From the 1930s to the 1990s, peak discharge data for both the South Fork and the mainstem indicate no net increase in peak flows. Despite the reduced discharge from dam construction in the 1920s and no increase in peak flows during the following years, the frequency of overbank flooding in recent decades has increased on the floodplain of the mainstem. Systematic written descriptions and aerial photographs of the catchment from 1929 to 1992 document land use, including timber harvesting, road construction, and in-channel debris removal. The timing of changes in channel width and elevation imply that debris removal may have triggered periods of degradation and that near-channel and headwater land use potentially elevated the sediment supply to both reaches. Although direct land use causality is difficult to constrain, progressive reduction of channel conveyance in the mainstem as observed in USGS gage height trends does indicate that increased flooding on the mainstem Skokomish River resulted from aggradation, without an increase in peak discharges.

Impact of documented land use changes on the surface albedo and evapotranspiration in a plain watershed

Agricultural land use series are investigated in a plain catchment area of the Tisza River, almost identically represented by six administrative counties. Each county, commonly covering 34,000 km2, is characterised by high percentage (70–80 %) of managed vegetation. Effects of area coverage variations between the different plants are computed for the period 1951–1993 by applying results of a literature-based syntheses, specified for Hungary. The latter studies estimate surface-albedo values and proportion between real and potential evapotranspiration for the great majority of the plants grown in the region. Potential evapotranspiration and relative soil moisture content are estimated from the monthly meteorological series of temperature, precipitation and atmospheric water vapour pressure. Product of these plant-specific characteristics and the relative area coverage yield in monthly series of surface albedo and real evapotranspiration. Furthermore, these values are related to the energy balance of the surface-atmosphere system by using a radiative-convective model adjusted for the given location. Two questions are investigated:i) Are there monotonous trends in the given terms of the energy and water budget?ii) Are these changes comparable to the effects caused by other external forcings?Our computations give positive answer to both questions.

The role of remote sensing in the environmental monitoring of Antarctica1

The application of remote sensing technology to environmental monitoring in the Antarctic was evaluated during a brief pilot program conducted at McMurdo Station during January and February 1996. Data were acquired to document land use patterns and material‐handling practices for an area of approximately 5 km2. Maps of historical and recent land use patterns around McMurdo Station were derived from airborne and spaceborne remote sensing data. The research tests the suitability of high‐resolution data for accurately characterizing human‐induced and natural modifications to the land, the adjacent ice shelf, and the seasonally ice free water of McMurdo Sound.

Atolls as settlement landscapes: Ujae, Marshall Islands

Williamson and Sabath (1982) have demonstrated a significant relationship between modern population size and environment by examining atoll area and rainfall in the Marshall Islands. The present work seeks to extend that argument into prehistory by examining the relationship of ancient habitation sites and size of aroid pit argricultural systems to atoll land area and rainfall regime along the 1,500-3,500 mm precipitation gradient in the Marshall Islands. Four atolls were selected for study: Ebon at the wettest extent in the extreme south; Ujae and Maloelap near the center of the archipelago; and Utrok at the dry north. The first phase of this long-term archaeological program is reported. During the survey of Ujae Atoll (98°05'N, 165°40'E), three habitation sites, an aroid pit agricultural zone, one early historic burial, and seven fish traps, weirs, and enclosures were recorded. Along with excavations at two habitation sites (8m total area), 35 traditional artifacts were recovered (shell adzes, ornaments, and manufacturing tools). Seven radiocarbon age determinations document land use beginning as early as the third century A.D.A beachrock sample dated to 2450±70 BP relates to atoll development. Some 4,748 bones of fish, birds, turtles, Pacific rats, lizards, humands, and possible cetaceans, along with nearly 13 kg of shellfish, provide the basis for understanding prehistoric subsistence, human adaptations to the atoll setting, and land use patterns.

The Characterization of a Lignin-Derived Organic Matter Fraction in Soils Developed Under Different Vegetation Types

1. Soil profiles developed under beech woodland, spruce woodland, pasture and arable cropping were analysed for total organic C and lignin derivatives extracted by CuO oxidation. This reaction primarily releases lignin-derived phenylpropanoid moieties from soil organic matter(SOM). The amount and composition of the moieties obtained provided a signature that was related to the origin of organic matter from particular soil horizons. 2. There were clear differences between the lignin-derived phenylpropanoid signatures from similar depth horizons of soils developed under beech, spruce and pasture. This was characterized by: equal amounts of syringyl and vanillyl residues; a low syringyl:vanillyl ratio; and high concentration of ferulic acid, respectively, in the surface soil layers. The arable soil profile showed little differentiation in phenylpropanoid signature with depth (0-18 cm), presumably because of annual tillage. 3. Further investigation into the degradation rates of individual phenylpropanoid moieties in soils and their adsorption onto soil fractions is required. A more extensive survey, characterizing the 'lignin'-derived fraction in soils with a well documented land use history is also needed to establish a time scale for the translocation and degradation of the phenylpropanoid signatures of soils. Once calibrated, however, temporal changes in the composition of the lignin-phenylpropanoid SOM fraction will be potentially useful in monitoring the effects of vegetation and land management change on soil C cycling.

Coastal Forest Tree Populations in a Changing Environment, Southeastern Long Island, New York

The temporal and spatial dynamics of tree populations in coastal forests of southeastern Long Island, New York, were reconstructed from analyses of (1) historical accounts, maps, and aerial photos, (2) field evidence of forest history (3) age and height class distributions along the moisture gradient, and (4) fossil—pollen content of bordering salt—marsh deposits. Tide—gauge records of sea level provided independent evidence for long—term change in the physical environment (rise in sea level) that caused populations to migrate up the continental shelf. Field evidence for fire and historically documented land—use change demonstrated the important role of disturbance in the dynamics of tree populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in forest, were determined by information on disturbance frequency, dispersal, generation times, and rates of change in the physical environment. Mature cohorts occupied lower elevations than did their progeny because during the period from germination to seed production, suitable soil—moisture conditions shifted upslope in response to sea—level rise. Establishment of new regeneration depended on disturbances that opened the forest canopy and/or prepared seed beds. Frequent fire, land clearance and abandonment, and tree blowdowns insured opportunities for seedling establishment at higher elevations as conditions became unsuitable for regeneration on low—elevation sites. The resultant pattern of range shifts was stepwise, with waves of regeneration following disturbances and subsequent reduced seedling establishment as soil moisture continued to increase. The vegetation dynamics could be explained solely on the basis of life histories of plant species and environmental change; "emergent properties" and "successional stages" in a deterministic sense were not apparent. An understanding of successional change required information on both the spatial and temporal dimensions of vegetation pattern because composition change over time resulted from range shifts in response to environmental transition.

Pollen indicators of land-use change in southern Connecticut

Changes in fossil pollen assemblages from a 2-m core from Linsley Pond, North Branford, Connecticut, are compared with historically documented land use changes in the lake watershed. Dating with 210Pb and 14C reveals two sedimentation rate changes in the core which are associated with the arrival of European farmers; the building of cabins and suburban housing subdivisions on the lake shore. At European settlement in 1700 ad Ambrosia and Rumex pollen first appear, Gramineae-type pollen increases, and Tsuga decreases. Just before the beginning of agricultural disturbance Fagus pollen declines. The chestnut blight of 1913 causes a reduction of Castanea pollen and a subsequent vegetational succession through Betula to Quercus. The sedimentation rate determined by the chestnut blight horizon is consistent with the rate deduced from 210Pb analysis.