Loss Of Farmland Research Articles

Combining Approaches to Support High Nature Value Farmland in Southern Transylvania , Romania

Abstract The region of Tarnava Mare in Southern Transylvania contains extensive semi-natural open landscapes maintained by predominantly low-intensity farming, which is widespread in Romania and indeed many areas of Eastern Europe. Threats to these species-rich habitats from agricultural intensification and land abandonment have been increasing in recent years, to a large extent linked with Romania’s accession to the EU in 2007. At the same time, however, the opportunities for biodiversity conservation in the area have expanded. In 2008, the region became a Site of Community Importance (SCI) as part of the Natura 2000 network, and farmers have applied agri-environment schemes as part of the EU Common Agricultural Policy since 2006. Furthermore, the Tarnava Mare region has been the location of several EU and nationally funded projects combining research, practical and information measures. In this article, we review these various instruments from the practical perspective of an NGO that has been working since 2004 to support High Nature Value farmland and rural communities in this region. We focus on three major support measures - agri-environment schemes, Natura 2000, and publicly funded conservation projects - and consider their effects individually and collectively. We conclude that the presence of multiple instruments can have synergistic effects on the conservation of semi-natural open habitats such as HNV farmland, and that this overlap provides a certain amount of resilience: if one instrument fails, another may fill the gap. Cross-cutting projects combining research with activities to tackle the “problem” of the socio-economic undesirability of low-intensity farming as well as the “symptom” of the loss of HNV farmland are also particularly important in this context.

The dynamics of peri-urban agriculture during rapid urbanization of Jabodetabek Metropolitan Area

Rapid urbanization in Asia puts strong pressure on densely populated agricultural land in the peri-urban zone. It has created a specific feature, namely ‘Desakota’, as a mixed urban–rural zone which has been proposed to play an important role to support urban sustainability. However, preserving agriculture during urban expansion is hampered by the lack of understanding of its character and its economic, social, and ecological roles within the urban system. This research analyzed urbanization patterns in Jabodetabek Metropolitan Area (JMA) with Indonesia’s capital Jakarta at its core, and the dynamics of peri-urban agriculture in this context. Land use change analysis, descriptive and multivariate statistical approaches of social-economic panel data, and spatial mapping and clustering of agricultural types were applied. Results showed that rapid urbanization still continues at low development densities. It has led to the large-scale loss of farmland and increased land fragmentation. Interestingly, peri-urban agriculture still persisted and was even strengthened when JMA was hit by the economic crisis. While the area of agricultural land suffered heavy losses, the overall decline was less than expected due to conversion of woodlands into farmland. The number of farmers even increased but mostly because of a steep rise in landless farmers. Moreover, many peri-urban dwellers were still involved in on-farm and off-farm activities. We distinguished 10 agricultural types. Lowland horticulture and inland aquaculture were able to adapt and even benefit from urbanization due to proximity to the nearby urban market, whereas paddy fields, food crops and livestock were mostly displaced by urbanization and moved to the non-urbanized area. These results shed new light on the dynamics of peri-urban agriculture and indicate its persistent role in the peri-urban economy as well as supporting urban resilience during an economic crisis. Therefore, peri-urban agriculture should be regarded as a vital element of a megacity. Some strategies for its protection and development are suggested.

Scaling-up Strategy as an Appropriate Approach for Sustainable New Town Development? Lessons from Wujin, Changzhou, China

China has achieved rapid urbanization and unprecedented economic booming over the past three decades. Numerous cities and towns dreamed of cloning the miracles of Shenzhen and Pudong, Shanghai, in terms of their international development. However, inappropriate development strategies have meant that the majority of fast expanding urban suburbs or newly developed towns suffer a high ratio of vacant dwellings in real estate markets and a massive loss of farmland. The frequent exposure of these empty cities to mass media or the public has urged urban governments to impose fiscal austerity. These unexpected and negative consequences of urban development have explicit conflicts with sustainability. This paper aims to provide a political economy view of these unsustainable outcomes of new development. To achieve this, the processes and agendas of new city or town planning in Wujin District, Changzhou City, are analyzed and evaluated from the perspective of scale theory. Extensive interviews conducted with local politicians at different levels, planners, real estate agents and local residents facilitate the interpretation of these processes and agendas. It is argued that the legends of Shenzhen and Pudong, Shanghai originate from a modified neoliberal capitalism intervention at the right time and place, with which other peer cities are not comparable. It is concluded that the scaling-up strategy is not appropriate for the local new town development of Wujin, which has led to unsustainable outcomes—empty cities and towns—and created important lessons for the sustainable development of Chinese cities.

Land-Use Trajectories and ‘Syndromes' of Land Degradation in Northern Italy

The expression Land Degradation (LD) refers to a reduction in the productivity of land and in the provision of ecosystem services. By linking trajectories of Land Use and Land Cover (lulc) and LD processes, the paper evaluates degradation ‘syndromes’ in the past, and develops future scenarios for sustainable land management. Emilia Romagna is a region characterized by major economic transformations reflected in its landscape. By analysing lulc over 54 years, two trajectories were identified and linked to LD ‘syndromes’: (i) urban expansion and (ii) abandonment of farmland. The result is a loss of farmland which has impacted negatively on the primary sector. Il degrado delle terre implica riduzione della produttivita economica delle stesse nella capacita di fornire servizi eco-sistemici. Collegando traiettorie di uso/copertura del suolo e processi di degrado delle terre e possibile valutare ‘sindromi’ di degrado nel passato e prospettare scenari futuri, supportando la gestione sostenibile del territorio. L’Emilia Romagna e caratterizzata da trasformazioni economiche importanti che si riflettono in quelle del paesaggio. Analizzando uso/copertura del suolo per 54 anni due traiettorie sono state identificate e poste in relazione alle sindromi: (i) espansione urbana e (ii) ‘abbandono’. Il risultato e una perdita di terreni agricoli, con impatto negativo sull’intero settore primario.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF RAVINE DEGRADATION ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NSUKARA OFFOT IN UYO LGA, AKWA IBOM STATE

Ravine degradation is one of the major environmental threats throughout the world and affects multiple soils and land functions. There is ample physical evidence of severe gully erosion occurring in different parts of the world. Gullies are one of the few sources of morphological evidence in the landscape showing the intensity of soil erosion in the area, reflecting the impact of environmental change (especially due to interactions between geomorphological features, changes in land use, and extreme climatic events). The impacts of ravine erosion in Akwa Ibom State, Uyo in particular are enormous and are still creating a lot of menace ranging from loss of farmlands and properties, a threat to vegetation, effect on life among others. This paper discusses the use of space-based techniques to assess the impact of ravine erosion and its effects on socio-economic development of Nsukara Offot in Uyo L.G.A. In the study, the shapefile of Uyo was used to clip the study area from Landsat 8 (2018) in a GIS environment, the extracted images were processed using ArcGIS 10.4, Likelihood classification was carried out for 3 spectral bands corresponding to Band 5, Band 4 and Band 3 combination Near infrared, red, and green (NIR, R, G). Spot 5 Image was also used to identify the interesting features in the area that is valuable for this research work. The features digitized were Built-up areas, Ravine, and Roads. The ArcGIS software version 10.4 was used to buffer the distance from the ravine to the different structures, other facilities, and one of the major roads in the area. Results from the field observations and measurements showed that the width of the ravine is 8m, depth is 13m while the length is about 100m. The distance of the ravine from the nearest building which is Ray Field International Secondary School, Uyo is 10m away from the school gate and 5m from the road. This shows a rapid encroachment to the facility and poses a hazard to both human and infrastructure. The study shows that the ravine occurred as a result of inappropriate channeling of water runoff in unprotected land thereby washing away the soil along the drainage line. GIS is a valuable tool in monitoring morphology while the results of the study can be used for planning for further monitoring, gully erosion control, and management.

Septic Systems as a ‘Green’ Technology

ity. On-site treatment systems are now an integral part of our wastewater infrastructure and are collectively referred to as decentralized wastewater systems. Decentralized wastewater technology and management refers to wastewater treatment and dispersal systems from the individual on-site treatment system (septic systems) to small community collection and treatment systems (cluster systems) and includes the process involved in siting, installing, operating and maintaining the systems. These systems rely upon land application by surface or subsurface dispersal and proper treatment of the wastewater. They allow the treated wastewater to re-enter the hydrologic cycle close to where the potable water was removed. Often, as in the case of an individual system, this is less than a few hundred feet. They are considered to be non-point source discharges by federal and state standards. Often septic systems are portrayed in a negative light but they are now an integral part of our wastewater infrastructure. Photo by David Lindbo and courtesy of Soil Science @ NC State's Flickr photostream.

沈阳经济区土地利用变化及净初级生产力变化研究

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 沈阳经济区土地利用和净初级生产力变化 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201406061164 作者: 作者单位: 中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所,中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所,中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所,辽宁省环境科学研究院,中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所,中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所,中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金(41171155);辽宁省生态环境十年(2000-2010年)变化遥感调查与评估课题 Land use and net primary productivity changes in Shenyang Metropolitan Area Author: Affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Institute of Applied Ecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Institute of Applied Ecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Liaoning Academy of Environmental Sciences,Institute of Applied Ecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Institute of Applied Ecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Institute of Applied Ecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:分析了沈阳经济区2000到2010年土地利用变化情况。基于CASA(Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach)模型估算2000年、2005年、2010年沈阳经济区净初级生产力(NPP),从行政区划和地类角度分析其时空变化,统计了不同地类转换模式下NPP的损益值,从土地利用变化探讨分析了沈阳经济区土地利用变化带来的NPP变化情况。结果表明:(1)农田,林地和城镇用地为研究区最主要土地利用类型。土地利用最显著变化是城镇用地扩张迅速,农田面积大量减少。林地面积有所减少,草地、湿地、裸地面积变化较小;(2)沈阳经济区NPP呈明显退化趋势,并且时空变化显著,2000到2005年退化幅度大于2005到2010年。除了阜新市有增加,其他市的NPP均为减少;(3)沈阳经济区6种土地利用类型的平均NPP都在下降,降幅最大的是林地。NPP损益分析表明农田转城镇带来的年均NPP损失最大。 Abstract:In recent decades, urban areas in China have been rapidly increasing. This urban area expansion has caused land use changes, which have enormous inuences on regional ecosystems. The potential environmental problems caused by urban expansion have attracted extensive attention from researchers. Net primary productivity (NPP) is the amount of solar energy converted to chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. NPP loss may affect the composition of the atmosphere, fresh water availability, biodiversity, and the ecological adjusting mechanism of energy supply and distribution. Moreover, NPP is also an important ecosystem productivity indicator. Hence, studying the impact of land use changes, caused by urban expansion, on NPP is crucial to understanding ecosystem structure and function changes. In recent years, Shenyang Metropolitan Area has experienced rapid economic growth and industrial development under the guidance of the central government policy and local government strategy. As a result, urban area expansion of Shenyang Metropolitan Area has also accelerated, resulting in significant land use changes. The 10 years from 2000 to 2010 were representative of the process of Shenyang Metropolitan Area's urban expansion. This study analyzed land use changes with Shenyang Metropolitan Area from 2000 to 2010. Six categories of land use types were interpreted from Landsat TM/ETM remote sensing images: forestland, farmland, urban area, grassland, wetland, and bare land. NPP changes in the study area were estimated through the CASA model. The spatial and temporal dynamics of NPP were studied in regional and land use categorical scales. There is little prior research investigating this change trajectory of NPP under different land-use conversion types. The change of NPP caused by urban expansion of Shenyang Metropolitan Area was analyzed. The results showed: (1) Farmland, forestland, and urban areas were the main land use types within the study area. Rapid urban expansion and loss of farmland were the predominant land use changes. While the area of forestland decreased, grassland, wetland, and bare land area changed only slightly. The demand for land for urban construction was greater in 2005-2010 than the demand in 2000-2005; (2) The NPP of the study area decreased, and changed greatly both in spatial and temporal scales. The NPP decreased more rapidly in 2000-2005 than it did in 2005-2010. The NPP decreased in all of Shenyang Metropolitan Area, except for Fuxin City. The highest values of NPP reduction were in the eastern part of Shenyang Metropolitan Area and the lowest values were located in the northwest region of Shenyang Metropolitan Area; (3) The mean NPP in the six land use types declined. Forestland declined most rapidly and the conversion of farmland to urban area had the largest annual NPP loss. From 2000 to 2005, annual NPP loss from the conversion of farmland to urban area was 21886.68 tons/year. However, from 2005 to 2010, NPP declined to 7003.61 tons/year from the conversion of farmland to urban area. NPP loss was relatively high in the following conversion modes: forestland-farmland, forestland-urban area, and farmland-wetland. However, increases in NPP were observed in the conversions of wetland-grassland, wetland-bare land, and bare land-grassland. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Later prehistoric vegetation dynamics and Bronze Age agriculture at Hobbister, Orkney, Scotland

The Bronze Age in Britain was a time of major social and cultural changes, reflected in the division of the landscape into field systems and the establishment of new belief systems and ritual practices. Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain these changes, and assessment of many of them is dependent on the availability of detailed palaeoenvironmental data from the sites concerned. This paper explores the development of a later prehistoric landscape in Orkney, where a Bronze Age field system and an apparently ritually-deposited late Bronze Age axe head are located in an area of deep blanket peat from which high-resolution palaeoenvironmental sequences have been recovered. There is no indication that the field system was constructed to facilitate agricultural intensification, and it more likely reflects a cultural response to social fragmentation associated with a more dispersed settlement pattern. There is evidence for wetter conditions during the later Bronze Age, and the apparent votive deposit may reflect the efforts of the local population to maintain community integrity during a time of perceptible environmental change leading to loss of farmland. The study emphasises the advantages of close integration of palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data for interpretation of prehistoric human activity. The palaeoenvironmental data also provide further evidence for the complexity of prehistoric woodland communities in Orkney, hinting at greater diversity than is often assumed. Additionally, differing dates for woodland decline in the two sequences highlight the dangers of over-extrapolation from trends observed in a single pollen profile, even at a very local scale.

Energy and Rangelands: A Perspective

On the Ground Depletion of conventional oil and natural gas reserves coupled to rising world demand for fossil fuels will have major impacts on US rangelands and ranches over the next 30 years. Shale oil and gas are unconventional fossil fuels now being aggressively developed on US rangelands. Their development involves a larger physical footprint in terms of roads, drill pads, mining pits, and water disposal ponds than conventional oil and gas development, but their development techniques are improving in terms of extraction efficiency and reduction of adverse environmental impacts. Groundwater contamination is the biggest potential threat to ranchers from shale oil and gas development. US ranchers will likely experience continued rising prices for their livestock due to world farmland loss, increased human population, and rising affluency in Asian countries, but their production costs will also rise due to higher energy costs. Implementing management practices involving risk aversion and minimization of...

Construction land expansion and cultivated land protection in urbanizing China: Insights from national land surveys, 1996–2006

The remarkable construction land development in urbanizing China has been rarely investigated within the context of the multi-track urbanization process and its relationship with farmland protection has remained vague because of the lack of accurate and reliable data. To fill these gaps, this research analyzed systematic data from the 1996 land survey and the land use change surveys that were conducted annually in the subsequent decade. Driven mainly by the widespread establishment and continuous expansion of economic development zones (EDZs), construction land in China expanded by 2.04 million hectares in 2001–2006, which was approximately twice of that in the previous half-decade. Cities have not grown faster than towns until recently. In rapidly urbanizing China, rural construction land did not shrink but expanded rapidly, especially in the western provinces with a decreasing rural population. Spatially, the eastern coast has maintained its leading position in the construction land distribution and expansion in China; however, the inland regions have contributed an increasing share of national land development. Land survey data did not support the prevailing view that closely connected farmland loss with construction land growth, but showed that only less than 20% of the lost farmland was converted to construction sites. Moreover, this farmland was occupied mostly by EDZs, followed by transportation and rural settlements, whereas the most frequently criticized city and town expansion contributed the least. In this sense, the real challenge of urbanization to farmland protection lies not in the necessary growth of urban areas, but in the irrational expansion of rural settlements that carry increasingly fewer people. Chinese land polices that aim to control construction land growth and prevent cultivated land loss were proved to be a double failure. The control–protection relationship is not simply “control for protection,” as claimed in official discourse; rather, farmland protection is also a slogan and excuse used by the government to restrain the excessive land expropriation in the urban fringe to avoid or mitigate farmland degradation, urban land waste, and social unrest. After reexamining the Chinese urbanization model dominated by the massive floating population and strict and rigid control over urban expansion, we call for more efforts to develop a trans-regional linkage between urban and rural construction land management, which may be a reasonable and effective means for sustainable land development in China.

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.

Assessing environmental impacts of inland sand mining in parts of Ogun State, Nigeria

Sand is a valuable resource for construction and other purposes, however sand mining often result in serious environmental problems such as land degradation, loss of agricultural lands and biodiversity, as well increased poverty among people. This study assessed the environmental impacts of inland sand mining in six selected local government areas of Ogun state, Nigeria. Twenty-seven (27) inland sand mining sites were identified, fourteen (14) of which are currently active mining site s while thirteen (13) are abandoned. The geographic location and attributes sites were captured for a spatial analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS). The sites were mapped and classified based on the severity of the damage to the ecological system. The study revealed that three of the local governments areas i.e. Abeokuta South, Ifo, Obafemi/Owode and Ado-Odo/Ota have inland sand mining sites with severe degradation, while Sagamu and Ewekoro local governments areas have inland sand mining sites that can be regarded as moderately and less degraded respectively. The intensive urban and industrial developments around these areas contributed enormously to the increased demand of sand for building and construction. Natural resources particularly, land, water quality and quantity, air quality, are the most significant impacts. Other impacts include loss of farmland, depreciation of land value, and destruction of infrastructural facilities. The study concluded that sand mining should be subject to planning and other controls in order to curtail its negative impacts. Keywords: Urbanization, Ho using, GIS, Land degradation, Sand mining, Pollution

The Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana: Causers and Arbitrators of Conflicts in Industrial Jatropha Investments

Large-scale land acquisition in Africa has been the concern and the focus of growing global literature on land grabbing. The upswing in biofuel investments in Ghana led to large-scale land acquisitions by the private sector presided over by chiefs. This research investigates how chiefs, in playing their traditional roles in the acquisition of land and as arbitrators, were, in most instances, the cause and the solution to the ensuing conflicts in the various communities. Data was collected through interviews, use of questionnaires and focus group discussions. Some of the conflict issues include loss of farmlands or other communal lands, disagreements on the land acquisition processes, the quantum and mode of execution of compensation payments and the existence or contents of social responsibility agreements. Furthermore, the use of negotiation, mediation and courts by people in these communities relative to arbitration by chiefs is increasing. The Government of Ghana needs to strengthen the public sector land institutions and put in place stronger and binding mechanisms for resolving disputes arising from large-scale acquisitions of land to cushion the effect of the weakening confidence in the chieftaincy institution.

Urbanization and the loss of prime farmland: a case study in the Calgary–Edmonton corridor of Alberta

Rapid urban expansion is a major contributor to environmental change in many parts of the world. This study investigated land cover changes that occurred between 1988 and 2010 in the Calgary–Edmonton corridor in Alberta, a region that has undergone considerable recent urban expansion. We used satellite imagery to develop land cover maps for four different snapshots in time between 1988 and 2010 and used these maps to investigate two principal questions related to urban expansion: (1) How did urban expansion affect other land cover types? and (2) How did urban expansion affect the availability of high-quality agricultural land in the region? Our results show that 60 % of new urban and peri-urban growth between 1988 and 2010 occurred on agricultural land. Nevertheless, total agricultural land increased in the region because of the greater clearing of natural vegetation for agriculture away from the urban core. Urban expansion predominantly occurred on soils that were highly suitable for farming, while new agricultural expansion occurred on soils of poorer quality. As a result, the average soil quality of land used for agriculture has declined in the Calgary–Edmonton corridor, confirming other studies of the food security implications of urbanization.

Urban Sprawl and Ecosystem Services: A Half Century Perspective in the Montreal Area (Quebec, Canada)

Urban sprawl is central to the issues surrounding sustainable urban development. It generally leads to multiple impacts on land-use change, including loss of sensitive natural areas, farmland and fragmentation of ecosystems, which negatively impact the production of a wide range of ecosystem services (ES). In this study, we evaluate the value of ES provided by forests, croplands, grasslands and wetlands. Four spatial analyses of the Montreal Metropolitan Region (Quebec, Canada) are used over a period of 45 years at 15 year intervals (1966, 1981, 1994 and 2010). We demonstrate that despite a variety of management strategies, urban sprawl continues to have negative impacts on ES economic value over time.

Farmland loss and livelihood outcomes: a microeconometric analysis of household surveys in Vietnam

Although there has been much discussion in the literature about the impacts of farmland loss (due to urbanization) on household livelihoods, no econometric evidence of these effects has been provided thus far. This paper, hence, is the first to quantify the effects of farmland loss on household livelihood outcomes in peri-urban areas of Hanoi, Vietnam. Our study found no econometric evidence for negative effects of farmland loss on either income or expenditure per adult equivalent. In addition, the results show that farmland loss has an indirect positive impact on household welfare, via its positive impact on the choice of nonfarm-based livelihoods.

Solastalgia: Living With the Environmental Damage Caused By Natural Disasters

Forced separation from one's home may trigger emotional distress. People who remain in their homes may experience emotional distress due to living in a severely damaged environment. These people experience a type of 'homesickness' similar to nostalgia because the land around them no longer resembles the home they knew and loved. What they lack is solace or comfort from their home; they long for the home environment to be the way it was before. "Solastalgia" is a term created to describe feelings which arise in people when an environment changes so much that it negatively affects an individual's quality of life. Such changed environments may include drought-stricken areas and open-cut mines. The aim of this article is to describe how solastalgia, originally conceptualized as the result of man-made environmental change, can be similarly applied to the survivors of natural disasters. Using volcanic eruptions as a case example, the authors argue that people who experience a natural disaster are likely to suffer from solastalgia for a number of reasons, which may include the loss of housing, livestock and farmland, and the ongoing danger of living in a disaster-prone area. These losses and fears challenge people's established sense of place and identity and can lead to feelings of helplessness and depression.

Economic development and farmland protection: An assessment of rewarded land conversion quotas trading in Zhejiang, China

Facing a substantial loss of farmland in the reform era, the Chinese central government established a highly centralized land management system in 1998 to guarantee its capacity to meet the domestic food needs. In order to maintain high-speed economic growth, local governments in China made great efforts to circumvent the stringent constraint on land use by launching various innovative land management schemes, among which Zhejiang's rewarded land conversion quotas (RLCQ) trading scheme, a program similar to the transfer of development rights (TDR) in Western countries, has attracted a lot of policy and scholarly attention. In this research, we first provide an overview of China's farmland protection policy and the RLCQ trading scheme in Zhejiang Province. Then, using the system GMM estimator for economic growth models and a panel dataset of 69 local jurisdictions in Zhejiang Province covering the period of 1989–2008, we assess the impacts of RLCQ trading on local economic growth. The empirical results corroborate our hypotheses that participation in land quota trading in general led to faster local economic growth, and that the trading had a stronger and more lasting impact on the economic growth of the quota buyers than on that of the sellers. The analysis suggests that in order to balance the competing goals of economic development and farmland protection, market-based land management tools have a good potential for further development in China and other countries confronting similar challenges.

Farmland loss, nonfarm diversification and inequality among households in Hanoi's peri-urban areas, Vietnam

Using a novel dataset from a 2010 household survey involving 477 households, this study provides the first econometric evidence for the impacts of farmland loss (due to urbanisation) on nonfarm diversification among households in Hanoi's peri-urban areas in Vietnam. The results from fractional logit and fractional multinomial logit models indicate that farmland loss has a negative effect on the share of farm income but a positive effect on the share of various nonfarm incomes, notably informal wage income. We also investigate the relationship between various income sources and income inequality using a Gini decomposition analysis. While income from informal wage work and farm work are inequality-decreasing, other income sources are inequality-increasing. Thus, this suggests that farmland loss has indirect mixed effects on income inequality.

长三角地区土地利用时空变化对生态系统服务价值的影响

As the most developed area in China,the Yangtze River Delta had undergone rapid urbanization since the reform and opening up in 1978. The ecosystem services and functions were both affected significantly by human activities which can be represented by land use change. Landsat5 TM imageries in 2009 and 2010 covering the Yangtze River Delta were selected and classified for land use with overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient were 87. 5% and 0. 82 respectively,and seven land use types,specifically,woodland,grassland,farmland,wetland,water body,construction land and unused land were considered. The land use maps in 1980 and 2005 were from Chinese Data Sharing Infrastructure of Earth System Science. The two sources of land use maps were geo-referenced. The temporal and spatial dynamics of land use in the Yangtze River Delta from 1980 to 2010 were analyzed supported by ArcGIS software. Then a simple ecosystem service value estimation method initiatively proposed by Costanza and localized by Xie was adopted to calculate the ecosystem servicevalue. The response of land use change on ecosystem service value was further analyzed. The results showed that:( 1) the area of construction land increased by 446. 10% from 1980 to 2010. Followed the greatest change amplitude of all the land use types,unused land,cropland,grassland,woodland and water changed 285. 9%,-31. 5%,-76. 2%,-5. 4%,42.9% in the same order.( 2) The total ecosystem services value of the Yangtze River Delta decreased from 4. 21billion in1980 to 4. 02 billion Chinese Yuan( CNY) in 2010,reduced by 4. 40%. The change trend of ecosystem service value of woodland and grassland were nearly the same and presented increasing from 1980 to 2005 and decreasing from 2005 to2010. Ecosystem service value of farmland and wetland were both on the trend of decreasing while water body and unused land increased from 1980 to 2010. In addition to the ecosystem service value of water supply,recreation and culture function and waste treatment increased while the other ecosystem functions declined from 1980 to 2010.( 3) Extremely low area of ecosystem service value( ESV) mainly located in the urban region and it increased dramatically following by urban expansion along the Yangtze River and Hangzhou Bay from 1980 to 2010 was and spatially consistent with distribution of arable land. The low area of ESV in the Southern Zhejiang increased while in the north of the Yangtze River Delta decreased gradually in the last 30 years. The medium area of ESV had the same spatial distribution as woodland and mainly located in the mountainous area of Zhejiang Province. The low area of ESV greatly reduced,particularly in the Southern Zhejiang.The spatial distribution of high and extremely high area of ESV was consistent with that of the water body.( 4) The ecosystem service value of Changzhou,Huzhou,Jiaxing,Nanjing,Taizhou increased by 2. 54%,6. 06%,6. 14%,11.87% and 7. 96% while the other cities decreased during 1980—2010. Urbanization,industrial restructuring were major factors to influence land use change,which caused the construction land expansion and the loss of farmland,woodland and grassland. ESV declined during 1980—2005 mainly resulting from farmland and wetland reduction,while ESV declined during 2005—2010 and was caused by reduction of grassland,wetlands,farmland and woodland. Water conservation,waste treatment,soil formation and protection and biodiversity conservation were the major ecosystem service functions in the Yangtze River Delta.