Forest Land Research Articles

Ứng dụng GIS và tư liệu viễn thám đánh giá biến động lớp phủ rừng tại vùng đệm Vườn Quốc gia Cát Tiên thuộc địa phận huyện Tân Phú, tỉnh Đồng Nai.

The Cat Tien National Park in the South of Vietnam represents a protected ecological area, it is located in tropical rainforest zone. For assessment of forest cover change in three buffer zones of Cat Tien National Park, namely Nam Cat Tien, Nui Tuong and Phu An at Tan Phu district, satellite images (Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI) take in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 were used. Land use/land cover were classified by 5 categories using maximum likelihood classifier (MLC) method, result of constructing a key for image classification showed that images without reference data for classification have over 83.50% of map accuracies. After classification, differentiation of forest land use/landcover was analysied in each year. Deforestation and agricultural area reduction took place in 1990 - 2020 period. Besides, study has quantified changes in forest cover during periods: 1990 - 2000, 2000 - 2010 and 2010 - 2020. As a result, findings show that the extents of forest cover have decreased from 5522.22 ha to 2620.98 ha during the period of 1990 - 2020. Maps of forest status as well as changes in forests can be used for forest resource management activities under the Cat Tien National Park management.

A Two-Layer SD-ANN-CA Model Framework for Multi-Typed Land Use and Land Cover Change Prediction under Constraints: Case Study of Ya’an City Area, Western China

Land use and land cover change (LUCC) prediction of cities in Western China requires higher accuracy in quantitative demand and spatial layout because of complex challenges in balancing relationships between urban constructions and ecological developments. Considering city-level areas and various types of land use and land cover, existing LUCC models without constraint or with only loose demand constraints were impractical in providing evidence of high accuracy and high-resolution predictions in areas facing fierce land competition. In this study, we proposed a two-layer SD-ANN-CA model to simulate and explore the LUCC trend and layout predictions for 2018, 2028, and 2038 in Ya’an City, Western China. The two-layer structure with an upper layer of the SD model and a lower layer of the ANN-CA model, as well as the advantages of all three methods of system dynamics (SD), artificial neural network (ANN), and cellular automata (CA), have allowed us to consider the macro-level demand constraints, meso-level driving factors constraints, and the micro-level spatial constraints into a unified model framework. The simulation results of the year 2018 have shown significant improvement in the accuracy of the ANN-CA model constructed in our earlier work, especially in types of forest land (error-accuracy: 0.08%), grassland (error-accuracy: 0.23%), and construction land (error-accuracy: 0.18%). The layout predictions of all six types of land use in 2028 and 2038 are then carried out to provide visual evidence support, which may improve the efficiency of planning and policy-making processes. Our work may also provide insights into new ways to combine quantitative methods into spatial methods in constructing city-level or even regional-level LUCC models with high resolution.

The comprehensive effects of future multi‐scenario land use change and climate change on water conservation in Northwest China

AbstractWater conservation is an important ecosystem service, which is crucial to the fragile ecological environment and serious soil erosion in Northwest China. However, water conservation has been affected by climate change and human disturbance, and its future spatial and temporal changes are still unclear. This study employed the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade‐offs (InVEST) model to assess the water conservation capacity of Northwest China between 1990 and 2020. Subsequently, the Patch‐generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model and the NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX‐GDDP‐CMIP6) were integrated to examine changes in water conservation from 2030 to 2050. The water conservation quantity in Northwest China had a fluctuating growth tendency between 1990 and 2020, with an average of 816.61 × 108 m3. The water conservation capacity's regional distribution pattern shows a steady increase from northwest to southeast. Northwest China's forest land had the greatest water conservation capacity between 1990 and 2020, at 66 mm, while the water land had the lowest, at 1.46 mm. The water conservation capacity in the 2030–2050 future scenario is less than that in 2020 when the regional distribution pattern is comparable to 2020. Natural development scenario (ND) in 2030 has the lowest water conservation capacity (13.41 mm) under ssp1‐2.6 precipitation scenario, whereas in 2050, the highest water conservation capacity (17.47 mm) is found in same scenario. The ecological protection scenario (EP) has the greatest water retention capacity (18.15 mm in 2040) and the lowest (14.38 mm in 2050) in the ssp5‐8.5 scenario. Our research can help restore and rebuild Northwest China's natural ecosystem and offer a theoretical foundation for the protection of ecological environment and the rational utilization of water resources in the region.

Variation in soil erosion rate under typical land uses and vertical zones in an agricultural catchment of the Daliangshan region, Southwest China

AbstractThe Daliangshan region (DLS) is characterized by significant vertical differentiation in human activity and land use owing to the high elevation gradient, which may affect the soil erosion pattern in the vertical direction. However, the spatial variability of soil erosion rates along a hillslope at the catchment scale remains poorly understood. In this study, we used the cesium‐137 tracer technique to estimate soil erosion rates under different land uses and vertical zones from a small agricultural catchment, the Luowugou catchment in the DLS. Ten plots comprising four typical vertical zones (valley, low mountain, middle mountain and sub‐alpine) and five land‐use types (sloping farmland, grassland, abandoned farmland, forest land and horizontal terrace) were selected. In addition, two parallel downslope transects were built in each plot, and soil samples were collected at 3–7 m intervals along these transects. The results indicated that the soil erosion rates on sloping farmland (4.82 kg·m−2·y−1) and grassland (4.09 kg·m−2·y−1) were significantly higher than those on abandoned farmland (0.91 kg·m−2·y−1) and forest land (0.80 kg·m−2·y−1). In contrast, the horizontal terrace showed net deposition, with a deposition rate of 0.62 kg·m−2·y−1. The erosion rates varied across different zones, with the low mountain zone having the highest erosion rate (5.65 kg·m−2·y−1), followed by the middle mountain (2.96 kg·m−2·y−1) and subalpine (1.46 kg·m−2·y−1) zones, and the valley zone having the lowest erosion rate (1.28 kg·m−2·y−1). Furthermore, there were significant correlations (P < 0.05) between the soil erosion rates from different vertical zones and the proportion of sloping farmland, implying that sloping farmland plays a dominant role in shaping soil erosion along a vertical gradient. These comparisons suggest that the highest soil erosion rate occurred in the low mountain zone, indicating that the steeply sloping farmlands, resulting from migration from high‐altitude areas, have intensified soil erosion in the vertical zone. These findings highlight the role of agricultural activities originating from sloping farmlands in influencing soil erosion across different vertical zones, which has important implications for mitigating soil erosion and optimizing agricultural layout in the region.

Simulation and multi-scenario prediction of land-use change in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin, China

Introduction: The Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin is an important water resource conservation and replenishment area for the entire Yellow River Basin. With urbanization and socio-economic development, it is urgent to study the characteristics of land-use change and its future simulation in order to realize the coordinated ecological and economic development.Methods: Based on the patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model, this paper investigated the main drivers of land-use type expansion with a comprehensive consideration of natural and socio-economic aspects; moreover, the study simulated land-use change in 2030 under the four scenarios of natural development, cultivated land protection, ecological priority, and economic construction.Results: The results showed the following: 1) the prediction of land-use types continued the historical evolution since 1980. Grassland, cultivated land, and forest land were still the dominant land types, accounting for more than 87% of the basin’s total area. Water bodies and wetlands remained relatively stable, and there was an obvious increase of approximately 20% in construction land. 2) Construction land and grassland were primarily driven by the social factor of the distance from the primary road and the distance from the secondary road, respectively. The cultivated land was greatly affected by the economic factor of population density. 3) The cultivated land protection scenario was the only one of the four scenarios that could make the cultivated land area increase positively, with an increase rate of 0.5%. This scenario also restricted effectively the conversion of cultivated land into construction land. The ecological priority scenario can expand grassland obviously with a proportion of 1.82% and slow down oasis desertion. The economic construction scenario can increase the construction land area the most by a rate of 25.5% to accelerate the economic development of specific regions in the study area.Discussion: Therefore, implementing policies on the basis of choosing suitable scenarios in different areas was significant for optimizing the land-use structure, promoting the efficient use of land resources and ecological environment in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin.

Spatiotemporal Effects and Optimization Strategies of Land-Use Carbon Emissions at the County Scale: A Case Study of Shaanxi Province, China

Land use, as one of the major sources of carbon emissions, has profound implications for global climate change. County-level land-use systems play a critical role in national carbon emission management and control. Consequently, it is essential to explore the spatiotemporal effects and optimization strategies of land-use carbon emissions at the county scale to promote the achievement of regional dual carbon targets. This study, focusing on Shaanxi Province, analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of land use from 2000 to 2020. By establishing a carbon emission evaluation model, the spatiotemporal effects of county-level carbon emissions were clarified. Utilizing Geodetector and K-means clustering methods, the driving mechanisms and clustering characteristics of county-level carbon emissions were elucidated, and optimization strategies for land use carbon emission were explored. The results showed that during 2000–2020, land use in Shaanxi Province underwent significant spatiotemporal changes, with constructed land increasing by 97.62%, while cultivated land and grassland were substantially reduced. The overall county-level carbon emissions exhibited a pattern of North > Central > South. The total carbon emissions within the province increased nearly fourfold over 20 years, reaching 1.00 × 108 tons. Constructed land was the primary source of emissions, while forest land contributed significantly to the carbon sink of the study area. Interactions among factors had significant impacts on the spatial differentiation of total county-level carbon emissions. For counties with different types of carbon emissions, differentiated optimization strategies were recommended. Low-carbon emission counties should intensify ecological protection and rational utilization, medium-carbon emission counties need to strike a balance between economic development and environmental protection, while high-carbon emission counties should prioritize profound emission reduction and structural transformation.

Temporal and Spatial Response of Ecological Environmental Quality to Land Use Transfer in Nanling Mountain Region, China Based on RSEI: A Case Study of Longnan City

Nanling Mountain region is a typical southern hilly region, which plays an important ecological and environmental protection role in China’s overall land protection pattern. Based on the remote sensing image data of Longnan City in Nanling Mountain region in 2013, 2018 and 2023, this paper interpreted the land use type and analyzed the land use transfer situation by using land use transfer flow, and a land use transfer matrix. At the same time, based on the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) model, the ecological environmental quality of Longnan City from 2013 to 2023 was retrieved. The temporal and spatial response model of the ecological environmental quality to land use transfer in Longnan City from 2013 to 2023 was discussed based on spatial autocorrelation and a geographical detector. The results show that from 2013 to 2023, the decrease of forest land (16.23 km2) and the increase of construction land (13.25 km2) were the main land use transfers in Longnan City. The ecological environment indexes of Longnan City in 2013, 2018 and 2023 were 0.789, 0.917 and 0.872, respectively, showing a trend of “first rising and then decreasing”. The ecological environmental quality in the north of Longnan City was significantly lower than that in the south, and the poor ecological quality area appeared in and around the northern main urban area, showing a trend of “inward contraction”. Forest land, garden land, grassland, cultivated land and water area have a positive impact on ecological environmental quality, while traffic land, construction land and other land have a negative impact on ecological environmental quality. The response of ecological environmental quality to different land use transfer modes is related to the change of the overall ecological environmental quality. The interaction between land use and land cover change (LUCC) and other factors had a great impact on the evolution of ecological environmental quality in Longnan City.

Research on Hyperspectral Surface Reflectance Dataset of Typical Ore Concentration Area in Hami Remote Sensing Test Field

Abstract. Surface reflectance data is the basic data source for the hyperspectral parametric remote sensing products and remote sensing quantitative application, which is widely used in various application fields such as natural resources and ecological environment monitoring. At present, multispectral data takes the leading role among the common land surface reflectance datasets and the reflectance data mainly involves the types of ground objects such as farmland, forest land, water body, soil, etc., while the datasets relatively less targets the types of rock and mineral surface objects, yet especially the reflectance datasets with the combination of time series and multi-scale satellite-earth are even more scarce. In order to better promote the application of hyperspectral surface reflectance and explore the advantages of joint application of satellite-earth multi-scale reflectance data, on the basis of field-measured rock and mineral target spectral, a comprehensive surface reflectance dataset was generated by using domestically produced hyperspectral satellite data as the data source in this study, mainly focusing on the typical ore concentration area in the Hami Remote Sensing test field in Xinjiang. The dataset includes multi-period hyperspectral satellite surface reflectance images, field measured rock and mineral spectral data, and multi-period sub-pixel spectral data collected based on ground spectral measured points, which can provide significant support for the research and development and accuracy verification as well as performance evaluation of algorithms such as surface reflectance inversion, mineral identification and ground object classification.

Description of new predatory behavior of Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum) on forest land snail with validation through citizen science data

Description of new predatory behavior of Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum) on forest land snail with validation through citizen science data

Assessment of Plant Diversity and Soil Quality Management in Forest Land of West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India

The field experiment was set in home-garden areas under forest land of eight small towns viz. Borampalem, Venkatapuram, Gundugolanukunta, Ramannapalem, Abdullapuram, Tirumaladevpeta, Venkatakrishnapuram, Appalarajugudem in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh during November to March in 2021–22 assess the Plant and Tree Diversity and Soil quality parameters. The plant/tree species Phoenix sylvestris, reported the highest frequency (245.00), dominance (3.27), and basal area (7542.96 cm2). Plumbago zeylanica had the highest relative density (6.96) and relative abundance (6.81) among all the shrub species. Plumbago zeylanica reported the highest Important value index (IVI) 17.10 while Herb species with highest density was found in Centella asiatica (0.95), frequency (35), and highest Important value index (IVI) 14.60. Soil quality parameters reflects that at the depth 0-15cm the average value of pH is found to be7.52, organic carbon is 0.56%, the amount of available nitrogen is 213.78 kg/ha, amount of available of phosphorus is 41.25 kg/ha and available potassium is 38.22 kg/ha. At the depth of 15-30 cm the Average value of pH is found to be 6.61, organic carbon is 0.39%, the amount of available nitrogen is 189.51 kg/ha, amount of available of phosphorus is 34.75 kg/ha and available potassium is 31.37 kg/h.

Challenges for sustainable development goal of land degradation neutrality in drylands: Evidence from the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China

The SDG 15.3.1 target of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) only has 15 years from conception (in 2015) to realization (in 2030). Therefore, investigating the effectiveness and challenges of LDN has become a priority, especially in drylands, where fragile ecosystems intersect with multiple disturbances. In this study, solutions are proposed and validated based on the challenges of LDN. We chose the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains as a case study and set baselines in 2005 and 2010. The region and degree of land change (including degraded, stable, and improved) were depicted at the pixel scale (100 × 100 m), and LDN realization was assessed at the regional scale (including administrative districts and 5000 × 5000 m grids). The results showed a significant disparity between the two baselines. The number of areas that realized the LDN target was rare, regardless of the scale of the administrative districts or grids. Chord plots, Spearman's correlation, and curve estimation were employed to reveal the relationship between LDN and seven natural or socioeconomic factors. We found that substantial degradation was closely related to the expansion of unused, urban, and mining land and reduction in water, glaciers, and forests. Further evidence suggests that agricultural development both positively and negatively affects LDN, whereas urbanization and mining activities are undesirable for LDN. Notably, the adverse effects of glacier melting require additional attention. Therefore, we consider the easy-to-achieve and hard-to-achieve baselines as the mandatory and desirable targets of LDN, respectively, and focus further efforts in three aspects: preventing agricultural exploitation from occupying ecological resources, defining reasonable zones for urbanization and mining, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate warming. Overall, this study is expected to be a beneficial addition to existing LDN theoretical systems and serve as a case validation of the challenges of LDN in drylands.

Transformation of Agriculture in Damoh District of Madhya Pradesh

India has been considered as a land of villages and from very beginning agriculture has been main means of livelihood of the residents of the country specially people living in rural areas. Agriculture plays a vital role in the nation's economy. About two third of the working population earn their living through agriculture and agriculture sector contributes about 26 per cent in the gross domestic production of the country. The present study examines the transformation of the various dimension of the agriculture in the Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh based on secondary data. With the growing pressure of population, demand for land for non-agricultural activities, implementations of rural development programmes and activities, the land use pattern, cropping pattern, irrigational facilities, farming techniques and other allied activities in the study area has transformed during the period 1990 to 2020. Damoh district is located in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and is part of Sagar division. Total geographical area of the district is 7306 sq.km. out of which 323386 hectares land is available for cultivation with 293599 hectares of irrigated land. The proportion of forest and fallow land has decreased in last two decades while the proportion of net shown area, other uncultivated land, land not available for agriculture and double cropped area has increased during the period. The cropping pattern of the study region, also transformed. The use of modern agricultural implements, fertilizers and pesticides too has increased during 1990-2020.

Analysis of land use change and its impact on channel morphology of Ginzo River Basin, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The study examined land use change and its impact on channel morphology of Ginzo basin. Multi-decadal (1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020) Landsat imageries were rectified for radiometric and geometric errors, classified, and analyzed to assess land use change, river channel area, length, channel width, centerline migration area, and distance using the ArcGIS software. The results show an increase in the built-up area, bare land, and water bodies by 21.9%, 27.7%, and 1.1% respectively between 1980 and 2020. Farmland and forest, however, decreased by 11.1% and 38.2%. River channel area, length, and width increased and decreased over the study period. The center line migrated eastward in the upstream and midstream while shifting westward in the downstream sections. Variations in channel area were attributed to the forest and bare land, constituting 86% and 14%, respectively. Changes in channel length were influenced by farmland, bare land, built-up area, and water bodies contributing 32.8%, 30.8%, 8.6%, and 27.8%, respectively. Channel width adjustments were explained by farmland and the built-up area contributing 70.9% and 29.1%, respectively. Forest and farmland constitute 52.8% and 48.2% of variations in river migration area. Conclusively, Land use impact models aid in predicting channel adjustments, offering insights for river basin management.

Simulating the land use change effects on non-point source pollution in the Duliujian River Basin.

The uncertainty in the generation and formation of non-point source pollution makes it challenging to monitor and control this type of pollution. The SWAT model is frequently used to simulate non-point source pollution in watersheds and is mainly applied to natural watersheds that are less affected by human activities. This study focuses on the Duliujian River Basin (Xiqing section), which is characterized by a dense population and rapid urbanization. Based on the calibrated SWAT model, this study analyzed the effects of land use change on non-point source pollution both temporally and spatially. It was found that nitrogen and phosphorus non-point source pollution load losses were closely related to land use type, with agricultural land and high-density urban land (including rural settlements) being the main contributors to riverine nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. This indicates the necessity of analyzing the impact of land use changes on non-point source pollution loads by identifying critical source areas and altering the land use types that contribute heavily to pollution in these areas. The simulation results of land use type changes in these critical source areas showed that the reduction effect on non-point source pollution load is in the order of forest land > grassland > low-density residential area. To effectively curb surface source pollution in the study area, strategies such as modifying urban land use types, increasing vegetation cover and ground infiltration rate, and strictly controlling the discharge of domestic waste and sewage from urban areas can be implemented.

The carrying capacity for vegetation of forest land across China: Near real-time monitoring and short-term forecasting based on satellite observation

Ecological restoration projects implemented over the past 20 years have substantially increased forest coverage in China, but the high tree mortality of new afforestation forest remains a challenging but unsolved problem. It is still not clear how much vegetation can be sustained by the forest lands with given water, energy and soil conditions, i.e., the carrying capacity for vegetation (CCV) of forest lands, which is the prerequisite for planning and implementing forest restoration projects. Here, we used a simplified method to evaluate the CCV across forest lands nationwide. Specifically, based on leaf area index (LAI) dataset, we use boosted regression tree and multiple linear regression model to analyze the CCV during 2001–2020 and 2021–2030 and explore the contribution of environmental factors. We found that there are three typical regions with lower CCV which located in the Loess Plateau and the southern region of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, the Hengduan Mountain region, and the Tianshan Mountains. More importantly, the vegetation in the regions near the dry-wet climate transition zone excess local carrying capacity for vegetation over the past two decades and they are more susceptible to potential climatic stress. In comparison, in the Greater Khingan Mountains and Hengduan Mountains, there are high potentials to improve the forest growth. Temperature, precipitation and soil affects the CCV by shaping the vegetation in the optimal range. This indicates that more consideration should be given to restrictions of regional environmental constraints when planning afforestation and forest management. This study has important implications for guiding future forest scheme in China.

Analysis of the relationship between forest patch degradation, land uses, and terrain variables in a protected landscape in Ghana

Due to the implications of deforestation on global climate and environmental changes, concerns for forest patch degradation have grown in recent times. Recent studies have concentrated on assessing general land use and land cover dynamics, but in this study, we are interested in modeling the association between degraded patches of forest cover, land uses, and landscape's terrain characteristics. We use methods from landscape ecology, remote sensing, geo-information systems, and statistics to predict the association between degraded forest patches and related factors. Our findings show that forest patches within 1 km from agricultural land use are more likely to be degraded (AOR = 1.42, C.I. = 1.141-1.760, p = 0.002). Similarly, our results further reveal that forest patches within 1 km from human settlement footprints have a higher likelihood of being degraded (AOR = 1.38, C.I. = 1.083-1.768, p = 0.009). Our results demonstrate a need for the creation and enforcement of sound land use planning and management strategies that would adequately protect forest patches from the influence of agricultural land use and human settlement development.

Quantification of soil erosion and sediment yield using the RUSLE model in Boyo watershed, central Rift Valley Basin of Ethiopia

Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) are becoming recognized as critical to sustainability research, particularly in the context of changing landscapes. Soil erosion is one of the most important environmental challenges today, particularly in developing countries like Ethiopia. The objective of this study was evaluating the dynamics of soil loss, quantifying sediment yield, and detecting soil erosion hotspot fields in the Boyo watershed. To quantify the soil erosion risks, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was used combined with remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) technology, with land use/land cover, rainfall, soil, and management approaches as input variables. The sediment yield was estimated using the sediment delivery ratio (SDR) method. In contrast to a loss in forest land (1.7 %), water bodies (3.0 %), wetlands (1.5 %), and grassland (1.7 %), the analysis of LULC change (1991–2020) showed a yearly increase in the area of cultivated land (1.4 %), built-up land (0.8 %), and bare land (3.5 %). In 1991, 2000, and 2020, respectively, the watershed's mean annual soil loss increases by 15.5, 35.9, and 38.3 t/ha/y. Approximately 36 cm of the watershed's economically productive topsoil was lost throughout the study's twenty-nine-year period (1991–2020). According to the degree of erosion, 16 % of the watershed was deemed seriously damaged, while 70 % was deemed slightly degraded. Additionally, it is estimated for the year 2020 that 74,147.25 t/y of sediment (8.52 % of the total annual soil loss of 870,763.12 t) reach the Boyo watershed outlet. SW4 and SW5 were the two sub-watersheds with the highest erosion rates, requiring immediate conservation intervention to restore the ecology of the Boyo watershed.

Assessment of the current status of soil quality and types of land degradation in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam

This study focused on providing practical information to assess the current status of soil quality and land degradation in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam to provide more evidence on land degradation status and factors affecting land degradation in this area. The soil samples were collected and analyzed in 2020 and compared to the available data of soil analysis data collected at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quang Ninh Province in 2010. The percentage of degraded land ranges from 51.70 to 90.36%. Forest land is the type with the highest percentage of degraded land with 90.36% of total forestry land area; Unused hilly land ranks second with degraded land at 87.15%; the percentage of degraded land in agriculture production land stays at 80.59%. The types of land degradation such as Condensation, Acidification, and Salinization only take place on a small area of land in the province. The cause of land degradation in Quang Ninh comes from both natural and anthropogenic causes. The main reasons can be mentioned as the terrain has a steep slope; the climate is hot and rainy; the climate change situation is complicated; and inappropriate agricultural practices. To solve the above situation, it is necessary to have solutions and integrated strategies for the rational exploitation and use of land resources. Especially environmentally friendly agricultural farming methods that are highly adaptive to climate change such as organic agriculture, circular agriculture, and sustainable agriculture.

Improving evapotranspiration estimation models through quantitative watershed parameter analysis and remote sensing applications

AbstractNumerous models had been developed to predict the annual evapotranspiration (ET) in vegetated lands across various spatial scales. Fu's (Scientia Atmospherica Sinica, 5, 23–31) and Zhang's (Water Resources Research, 37, 701–708) ET simulation models have emerged as highly effective and have been widely used. However, both formulas have the non‐quantitative parameters (m in Fu's model and w in Zhang's model). Based on the collected 1789 samples from global long‐term hydrological studies, this study discovered significant relations between m (or w) and vegetation coverage or greenness in collected catchments. Then, we used these relations to qualify the parameters in both Zhang's and Fu's models. Results show that the ET estimation accuracies of Fu's (or Zhang's) model are significantly improved by about 13.49 mm (or 6.74 mm) for grassland and cropland, 38.52 mm (or 29.84 mm) for forest and shrub land (coverage<40%), 19.74 mm (or 16.17 mm) for mixed land (coverage<40%), respectively. However, Zhang's model shows higher errors compared with Fu's model, especially in regions with high m (or w) values, such as those with dense vegetations or P/E0 (annual precipitation to annual potential ET) smaller than 1.0. Additionally, this study also reveals that for regions with vegetation cover less than 40%, the annual ET is not only determined by vegetation types, but also relates to the sizes of vegetation‐covered areas. Conversely, for regions with vegetation cover more than 40%, the annual ET is mainly determined by the vegetation density rather than vegetation types or vegetation coverage. Thus, linking m (or w) parameters with vegetation greenness allows leveraging remote sensing for forest management in data‐scarce areas, safeguarding regional water resources. This study pioneers integrating vegetation‐related indices with basin parameters, advocating for their crucial role in more effective hydrological modelling.

FOREST AND ITS RESOURCES IN PRE-COLONIAL MIZORAM

Northeastern Indias Mizoram state is landlocked and surrounded by Bangladesh on the west and Myanmar on the east and south. It shares boundaries with Manipur and Assam to the north, and with Tripura to some extent to the west. The hill forests are an essential resource that indigenous groups rely on for their way of life. Because of the biomass these trees produced and the occasional removal of those woods for farming, Mizorams livelihoods were formerly totally depended on those forests. More precisely, jhuming was the only source of income for the pre-colonial Lushai civilization, with some hunting and gathering providing additional support. Thus, forest land is a pivot around which the peoples lives revolve their hunting, festivals, farming, and migration patterns all center on the area they own. People in traditional societies rely heavily on wild plants for sustenance, medicine, and leisure. That was especially true during the pre-colonial era, when the majority of items used were made of vegetative materials that could be found in the nearby forest. The sociocultural resource domain appeared to be limitless to the early inhabitants. There was not much competition for space because of the incredibly low population density.