High Land Research Articles

Land use history and landscape forest cover determine tropical forest recovery

Abstract To conserve biodiversity and combat climate change it is vital to restore forest ecosystems. Natural forest regrowth is a nature‐based solution to restore forests, but it has rarely been evaluated how this is affected by the combination of previous land use intensity and surrounding forest cover, and how this varies between the two main tropical forest types; dry and wet forests. Thirty‐three plots were established on abandoned agricultural fields in a dry (13 plots) and wet (20 plots) tropical forest in Mexico and monitored 3 years for the following tree community attributes: structure, diversity, regeneration mode, potential symbioses with N fixing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. Previous land use intensity was described using interviews, and landscape forest cover and fragmentation within a 1000 m radius surrounding the plots were quantified using satellite images. Variable importance analyses indicated that land use intensity was more important than forest cover and fragmentation for the state of the tree community attributes after 3 years. This suggests that previous land use impacts the start of succession and leaves important legacies on the vegetation. Land use intensity, forest cover and fragmentation were equally important in determining the change in tree community attributes over time, indicating that both management practices and dispersal shape subsequently community assembly. A higher land use intensity decreases tree richness recovery, while size of the largest forest patch decreases tree density and connectivity of these patches increases tree density. The dry forest had a faster increase in tree density recovery compared to the wet forest through a high initial resprouting capacity and abiotically dispersed trees. Synthesis and applications: Both a higher land use intensity and fragmented forest landscape decreases the speed of forest recovery, indicating that human actions and landscape transformation shape the course of succession. Restoration in fragmented forest landscapes through natural regeneration is more suitable in areas with low previous land use intensity, higher forest connectivity and abiotically dispersed species. Effective restoration should therefore consider both land use history and landscape forest cover and be tailored to local socio‐ecological conditions.

A Multidisciplinary Approach for the Sustainable Technical Design of a Connected, Automated, Shared and Electric Vehicle Fleet for Inner Cities

The increasing volume of personal motorized vehicles (PMVs) in cities has become a serious issue leading to congestion, noise, air pollution and high land consumption. To ensure the sustainability of urban transportation, it is imperative to transition the current transportation paradigm toward a more sustainable state. Transitions within socio-technical systems often arise from niche innovation. Therefore, this paper pursues the technical optimization of such a niche innovation by applying a technical sustainability perspective on an innovative mobility and logistics concept within a case study. This case study is based on a centrally managed connected, automated, shared and electric (CASE) vehicle fleet which might replace PMV use in urban city centers of the future. The key technical system components of the envisioned mobility and logistics concept are analyzed and optimized with regard to economic, ecological and social sustainability dimensions to maximize the overall sustainability of the ecosystem. Specifically, this paper identifies key challenges and proposes possible solutions across the vehicle components as well as the orchestration of the vehicles’ operations within the envisioned mobility and logistics concept. Thereby, the case study gives an example of how different engineering disciplines can contribute to different sustainability dimensions, highlighting the interdependences. Finally, the discussion concludes that the early integration of sustainability considerations in the technical optimization efforts of innovative transportation systems can provide an important building block for the transition of the current transportation paradigm to a more sustainable state.

Bird Diversity on an Under-Constructed Educational Campus: A Case Study of Nalanda University, Rajgir, India

Bird species have been critically impacted by increasing anthropogenic activities such as infrastructural construction. Academic institutions with dedicated semi-natural landscapes may provide shelter to high bird diversity. However, assessing the bird diversity of an under-construction campus becomes critical for future comparison. This study was conducted at Nalanda University Campus, India, for five months, as the campus was at the fag-end of the construction phase with diverse land use changes. 91 bird species were found on campus primarily dominated by insectivores and omnivores. Occurrence, and migratory status of the species revealed that 47% were resident, primarily occupying aquatic habitats. Despite presence of Least Concern IUCN status bird species in the campus, substantial number of them had a declining abundance index at the national level. Sites with high land conversion showed a low number of bird species. The overall dominance and evenness highlighted a good bird diversity, contrary to altered sites where both these attributes were high. Data for the documented bird species on citizen science platforms highlighted limited information on species interactions. This study attempted to bring attention to the unchecked impact of construction activities on bird diversity and regular monitoring in the widely discussed emerging semi-natural shelters, i.e., academic campuses.

Dynamics of urban sprawl: Deciphering the role of land prices and transportation costs in government-led urbanization

While the relationship among land price, transportation cost, and urban sprawl under the condition of local governments monopolizing land supply has been rarely discussed in the literature, this paper addresses this gap by hypothesizing based on the monocentric city model. The hypothesis suggests that due to increasing land prices and decreasing transportation costs, urban fringes are more likely to be developed, leading residents to move away from the city center and altering the demographic pattern of urban sprawl. An empirical analysis is conducted using panel data from 104 cities in China, including remote sensing data of urban land construction areas. The results show that high land prices and low transportation costs drive urban sprawl, with varying impacts across cities. The coupling coordination analysis indicates increasing influence of urban sprawl on land prices and transportation costs. These findings suggest the government should address the effects of unplanned urban expansion on these factors. The findings suggest that the government should pay more attention to the effects of unplanned urban expansion on land prices and transportation costs. Understanding the role of local governments in urban planning is crucial for comprehending China's urbanization strategy and its implications on social exclusion, gentrification, high housing prices, and other urban issues.

Trend analysis of long-time series habitat quality in Beijing based on multiple models

This study selects Beijing from 1980 to 2020 as the research area, utilizing high temporal resolution land use data to analyze through the habitat quality module of the InVEST model. Unlike previous research, this study employs the Theil-Sen Median method and Mann-Kendall test to analyze the trend changes in habitat quality more accurately. This method has significant advantages in dealing with non-linear and non-normally distributed data over long time series, providing a more accurate and reliable analysis of habitat quality trends. Methodologically, the study first collects and organizes the land use type data of Beijing from 1980 to 2020, then uses the habitat quality module of the InVEST model to process and analyze the data of each year, assessing the impact of different land use types on habitat quality. Subsequently, the Theil-Sen Median method and Mann-Kendall test are used to analyze the time series trend of habitat quality, to identify and quantify the trend and significance of habitat quality changes. The results show that over the past 40 years, the area of construction land in Beijing has significantly expanded, leading to a compression of other types of land. The spatial distribution of habitat quality shows a clear difference between the two sides divided by a line connecting the northeast and southwest, with the west side being the area of good habitat quality and the east side being poorer. In the past 10 years, the overall habitat quality has improved, but most areas still show a decreasing trend, especially in the western and northern mountainous areas where habitat quality has significantly declined. Based on these findings, it is recommended that future urban planning and land management should pay more attention to the protection and improvement of habitat quality, especially the restoration work for areas with poor habitat quality.

The association of road, traffic, and environmental factors with wrong-way riding behavior on shared e-bikes

Wrong-way riding (WWR) behavior of electric bikes (e-bikes) is a hazardous practice that frequently threatens traffic safety. It is imperative to accurately detect instances of WWR and analyze the various factors contributing to this behavior to develop and implement effective management policies. The emergence of shared e-bikes and advancements in machine learning have opened up new avenues for accurately examining the determinants of WWR behavior. Therefore, this study utilizes a large-scale dataset of shared e-bike trajectory data to establish a framework for detecting WWR behavior. Subsequently, association rule mining investigates the correlation among road, traffic, environmental factors, and the likelihood of higher and lower WWR behavior. The results indicate that: (1) In the association rules for higher WWR frequency, the absence of central separation facilities and bike lane separation facilities on the tertiary road, as well as lower land use density and the lack of public transportation facilities, enhanced the likelihood of WWR occurrence; (2) In the association rules for lower WWR frequency, longer crossing facility distance, physical bike lane separation, along with higher land use mixing and the presence of public transportation facilities, reduce the probability of WWR occurrence; (3) Time conditions display spatial heterogeneity, and different land use and road condition modulate the impact of time factors on rider’ intention for WWR. Finally, based on the study findings, adequate policy recommendations are proposed for urban management agencies to reduce WWR behavior and enhance the safety of the e-bike traffic system.

Genotype by Environment Interaction and Stability Analysis for Grain Yield in White Seeded Tef [<i>Eragrostis tef</i> (zucc.)Trotter] Genotypes in Western Oromia, Ethiopia

Tef [<i>Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter </i>L.] is a most important cereal crop in Ethiopia in terms of production, consumption and cash. The study was carried out to investigate grain yield stability and genotype by environment interaction for 18 genotypes conducted in the potential high land areas of Western Oromia, Ethiopia for two consecutive years (2020 to 2021) using Randomized Complete Block Experimental Design with three replications. The study of variance for grain yield using the AMMI model indicated highly significant variation for genotypes, environment, and genotype-environment interactions. Environment accounted for 18.7% of the variance in grain yield, 17.9% for genotypes, and 61.5% for genotypes. The first IPCA component accounted for 47.9% of the interaction effect and revealed the two models were fit. Genotypes G15, G10, G4, G1, and G3 had the lowest AMMI stability value (ASV), indicating stability; genotypes G16, G14, G9, G7, G2, and G5 had the highest ASV value, indicating instability. From over all analysis genotype G1 and G3, showed a high mean grain yield, lowest GSI, ASV and stable compared to other genotypes in the study. As a result, G1 and G3 were identified as the best genotypes for future breeding programs and potential release in Western Oromia, Ethiopia's highlands.

Farmers’ motivational factors for medicinal plant production in the southwestern region of Bangladesh

Medicinal plants (MPs) generate cash income and save millions of people in Bangladesh. The aim of this study is to identify farmers’ motivational factors to cultivate MPs. This study is based on primary data collected from 196 sample households from two MP-growing districts of Bangladesh. Three MPs, namely, Aloe vera, Bombax ceiba, and Withania somnifera, were considered for this study. Principal component analysis (PCA), the z test, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and factor analysis (FA) were used in this study. The results showed that household size and male-headed household status are driving socioeconomic factors. Ownership of water pumps, number of rooms in the house, access to contract marketing, and off-farm income are significant economic factors encouraging households to cultivate MPs. Farming experience, scientific knowledge, access to high land and access to loamy land are significant biophysical factors motivating farmers to cultivate MPs. More technical support and institutionalized contract marketing systems should be continued and established for the sustainability of MP cultivation.

Mean Summer Land Temperatures in the Southern California Coastal Zone: Connections With Ocean Processes

AbstractThe cooling effect of the ocean on the Southern California coastal zone is investigated using a high‐resolution (4‐km) gridded surface meteorological data set (gridMET) of daily maximum temperature (Tmax), with focus on summer mean conditions, taken as the July–August–September (JAS) average. An empirical orthogonal function analysis reveals a coastal mode of JAS temperature covariability, distinct from a more energetic inland mode, that captures Tmax averaged across the Southern California coastal plain. The coastal mode temperature correlates significantly with, and has similar amplitude to, regional sea surface temperature (SST). High (low) summer land and sea surface temperatures, as well as inversion layer temperature differences, are associated with decreases (increases) of northerly coastal wind speeds and coastal cloudiness. The number of extreme heat days on land increases as regional SST increases (4.3 days °C−1), with heat wave days 10 times more likely during peak warm versus cool coastal mode years. The coastal zone was notably warmer and heat wave days peaked during the well documented marine heat wave events of 2014/15 and 2018 off Southern California. The marine variability associated with the coastal mode also has strong expression off the Baja California peninsula, presumably due to strong covarying winds in that area. As in previous studies, higher ocean temperatures are attributed to weaker summer winds, with associated reductions in ocean surface heat loss, coastal upwelling, and cloudiness.

Joint analysis of land, carbon and nitrogen reveals diverging trends in the sustainability of organic crops in Spain

The world's top ten Organic Farming (OF) countries by converted area include several Mediterranean countries, including Spain. Despite this, little is known about the consequences of OF on crop production and environmental sustainability in this country. In this article, we conduct an agronomic analysis of Spanish considerable conversion rate to OF, which tends to concentrate in certain provinces and crops. Indeed, in the case of various crops and in several provinces, the organic share of total agricultural land exceeds 20–30 %. This concentration makes it possible to compare information obtained from farmers through interviews and provincial statistical information. The study data consisted of information collected from interviews of a representative sample of organic farmers conducted in 2004 and 2020 as well as official statistical information. The results showed that no yield gap between OF and conventional farming was found for vegetables and fruit trees, while it showed an increasing trend in arable crops. Presumably, the reason is that fruit trees and vegetables generate and incorporate high levels of carbon (C) flows into the soil and have a low land cost per unit of incorporated nitrogen (N) (or can be paid for), allowing to meet crop needs and to increase soil organic matter (SOM). Conversely, in the case of rainfed arable crops, the soil C and N inputs are deficient due to the low crop residues and the high land cost of N. Consequently, SOM destruction and N deficit progressively broaden the yield gap, undermining the agroecosystem sustainability. To reverse the situation, among other measures, it is necessary to implement agricultural policies designed to make rotations with high legume ratios viable and to plant varieties presenting higher production of residues and roots, such as traditional varieties.

Exploring the non-linear impacts of urban features on land surface temperature using explainable artificial intelligence

High land surface temperatures (LST) have emerged as crucial threats to urban ecosystems and sustainable urban development. To better understand and mitigate their impacts, it is essential to analyze the contributing urban features. Against this background, we developed a random forest model enhanced by Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to analyze the impact features of LST in Beijing, China. By applying the XAI method, our results suggest that the major impact features of LST in Beijing are elevation (44.19%), compactness of impervious surface (17.27%), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (11.12%), proportion of impervious surface area (8.04%), and tree height (3.83%). Compactness of impervious surface exhibited an overall cooling effect, which became weaker at high values. LST increased with building height, and the trend became weaker as building height reached 5 m. The most important features impacting LST in the inner city are the proportion and height of buildings, whereas in the outer city these features are tree height and the compactness of impervious surfaces. The study applies XAI to explain the non-linear interactions between LST and urban features, offering innovative insights to policy-makers to develop sustainable urban planning strategies. Our findings suggest that increasing green spaces and water bodies as well as controlling building density and height can effectively mitigate heat in dense urban areas and enhance cooling effects.

The Right to Manage Emergent Land on the Riverbank

Management rights over emergent land on the banks of the Batanghari River Watershed in Penyengat Rendah District, Jambi City have been practiced by the local community for generations without formal ownership as of this study. This article examines the legality of land tenure under Indonesian law and the rights to manage land emerging along the Batanghari riverbanks, aiming to advise the local government on the crucial need for legal recognition of these rights. Utilizing an empirical research method involving direct community engagement, the study finds that community management of this land is driven by longstanding residency and utilization, the scarcity of available land for agriculture in Jambi City supporting the local economy, high land prices, and historical reliance on riverbank land use. Despite continuous management, these activities lack permanent legal status as outlined in Article 16, Paragraph (1) of the Basic Agrarian Law.

A multi-scale analysis of the relationship between land surface temperature and PM2.5 in different land use types

The high land surface temperature (LST) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pose significant threats to urban ecological environment. LST and PM2.5 are closely related, and land use/cover change (LUCC) has a significant influence on them. However, there is a lack of multi-scale analysis of their relationship under the background of LUCC. Therefore, this study designed a multi-scale analysis framework, adopted the Pearson correlation analysis, bivariate Moran's I and coupling coordination degree (D) to examine the relationship between LST and PM2.5 in different land use types based on remote sensing data, and analyzed the influencing factors by Geodetector. The results showed that LST and PM2.5 have a positive correlation, and their correlation would decrease with the research scale expansion, with the absolute values of Moran's I ranging from 0.229 to 0.577, 0.415–0.754 and 0.551–0.852 at national, urban agglomeration and city scales, respectively. LST, PM2.5 and their correlation were lower in forest and water at the three scales, while they were the highest in construction land, and the difference in D values was about 0.3. Furthermore, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and construction land area played the most important role in spatial patterns of this relationship, followed by population and GDP. At last, the cost analysis of environmental pollution reduction was performed, and this study could provide support for proper public health policy-making and environmental protection in different regions.

Conversion of High Speed Landing Craft Boat for Passenger into High Speed Landing Craft Boat for Ambulance

Conversion of High Speed Landing Craft Boat for Passenger into High Speed Landing Craft Boat for Ambulance

Urban Stormwater Phosphorus Export Control: Comparing Traditional and Low-impact Development Best Management Practices.

Data from the International Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) Database were used to compare the phosphorus (P) control performance of six categories of stormwater BMPs representing traditional systems (stormwater pond, wetland basin, and detention basin) and low-impact development (LID) systems (bioretention cell, grass swale, and grass strip). Machine learning (ML) models were trained to predict the reduction or enrichment factors of surface runoff concentrations and loadings of total P (TP) and soluble reactive P (SRP) for the different categories of BMP systems. Relative to traditional BMPs, LIDs generally enriched TP and SRP concentrations in stormwater surface outflow and yielded poorer P runoff load control. The SRP concentration reduction and enrichment factors of LIDs also tended to be more sensitive to variations in climate and watershed characteristics. That is, LIDs were more likely to enrich surface runoff SRP concentrations in drier climates, when inflow SRP concentrations were low, and for watersheds exhibiting high impervious land cover. Overall, our results imply that stormwater BMPs do not universally attenuate urban P export and that preferentially implementing LIDs over traditional BMPs may increase TP and SRP export to receiving freshwater bodies, hence magnifying eutrophication risks.

European vineyards and their cultural landscapes exposed to record drought and heat

CONTEXTEuropean vineyards, producing over 50% of the world's wine and hosting significant cultural landscapes, face threats from climate change and related severe weather events. The summer of 2022, especially July, posed significant challenges due to extreme drought and high temperatures. However, this period also provided an opportunity to study how such events might involve viticulture in Europe and to explore mitigation solutions. OBJECTIVEThe objectives are (1) to characterize the severity of the extreme event of July 2022 in European wine regions regarding primary climatic parameters, (2) map vineyards at risk due to agricultural drought and high land surface temperature, and (3) discuss the role of various water-related interventions for mitigating similar events. METHODSAfter identifying the locations of European vineyards using the Corine Land Cover 2018 (CLC2018), open-access satellite data were employed to: (1) assess anomalies in Maximum Air Temperature (NATm), Land Surface Temperature (LST), Precipitation (P), and Soil Moisture (SM) in July 2022 compared to long-term averages; (2) identify regions at higher risk that experienced extreme agricultural drought (Vegetation Health Index, VHI = Extreme) and LST > 35 °C. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSIn July 2022, European vineyards experienced an average increase of 11% in NATm, a 9% rise in LST, and a reduction of 47% in P and 30% in SM compared to historical averages. 18% of European vineyards were at risk of drought and excessive heat, particularly in Portugal (31%), France (27%), and Italy (21%), including 10 viticultural cultural landscapes. Findings highlight the urgent need for long-term sustainable water management practices over emergency interventions. This research supports informed decision-making, emphasizing that climate resilience is necessary for preserving the cultural heritage of European wine-growing areas. SIGNIFICANCEThis research provides an overview of the dynamics of extreme events on viticulture at a continental scale, promoting climate-aware viticultural systems and offering insight scalable to global viticulture under changing climatic conditions.

Towards a Comprehensive Framework for Regional Transportation Land Demand Forecasting: Empirical Study from Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

China is currently experiencing rapid expansion in its transportation land. To promote sustainable land use, accurately estimating transportation land demand is crucial. This study aims to develop a comprehensive framework for urban transportation land forecasting within the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), providing support for optimizing regional land allocation. Employing methods such as meta-analysis, statistical analysis, and BP neural network analysis, this study forecasts the transportation land demand of 127 cities in the YREB. The study findings indicate that cities with high transportation land demand are mainly distributed in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Moreover, the growth rate of transportation land in the upper reaches significantly outstrips that in the middle and lower reaches, suggesting a focus shift in transportation infrastructure construction toward the upper regions. Additionally, some cities within the YREB face a mismatch between the supply and demand of transportation land, necessitating proactive adjustments to their land supply plans to achieve a balance between supply and demand. The main contribution of this study is the development of a comprehensive and adaptable framework that guides the development of future strategies for optimal land allocation by forecasting transportation land demand at a regional level.

Assessing the potential of compound extreme storm surge and precipitation along China's coastline

The occurrence of extreme storm surges and precipitation simultaneously or successively can lead to compound flooding. The interaction between extreme storm surges and precipitation holds significant implications for understanding the potential contributing to compound flood risk in coastal areas. This study examines the likelihood of joint occurrence for compound extreme storm surges and precipitation along the China's coastline using observations and model data sets based on tail dependence. We assess the complete characteristics of the tail dependence from observations at the spatio-temporal scale. Subsequently, we perform a principal component analysis to classify the compound flood into 6 synoptic patterns based on the mean sea level pressure data in two typical points (Xiamen and Shijiusuo). We analyze the structure dependence of both observed and simulated surge data and compare the dependence between the historical and the future tail dependence. The result shows that the Yellow Sea and East China Sea exhibit higher dependence compared to the Bohai Sea and South China Sea. The southeastern sea of China has more significant seasonal variation in dependence relative to the northern sea of China. The result indicates that the dominant weather type in Xiamen is associated with low sea pressure and high land pressure, while the type in Shijiusuo is located at the southern edge of a low-pressure center. Projected probabilities of future compound events (2015–2050) have shown substantial increases of 23.9%, 25.38%, 58.21%, and 119.47% over the current period (1979–2014), according to climate models CMCC-CM2-VHR4, GFDL-CMC192-SST, ECEarth3P-HR, and HadGEM3-GC31-HM, respectively. These findings emphasize the correlation between extreme precipitation and storm surges, contributing to a deeper understanding of the compound flood and promoting disaster prevention and control.

Cradle of Comfort to Improve Quality of Life in the Face of Climate Change in the Bolivian high land

Cradle of Comfort to Improve Quality of Life in the Face of Climate Change in the Bolivian high land

Projecting hydrological response to climate change and urbanization using WEAP model: A case study for the main watersheds of Bicol River Basin, Philippines

Study regionBicol River Basin, Philippines Study focusThe study investigated the impact of climate change and urbanization on water resources in the Philippines. It used Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) software and climate forecasts from eight Global Circulation Models (GCMs) to assess the nation's water balance, focusing on two sensitive watersheds: Libmanan-Pulantuna (LPW) and Quinali (QW). The study projects water availability in these areas by creating climate-urbanization scenarios. Furthermore, our endeavor aims to provide insight into the complexities of hydrological processes within traditionally under-observed regions, serving as a blueprint for future environmental planning and sustainable water management in the Philippines and beyond. New hydrological insightsThe study's simulated streamflow matches observed data (R2: 0.70–0.85, NSE: 0.57–0.67) and indicates warming trends and variable precipitation in both watersheds. Rising water demand in domestic and industrial sectors contrasts with a decline in agriculture due to land conversion. QW faces increased water demands from urbanization, while LPW has lower unmet water demand. Low Land Decline scenarios indicate consistent water scarcity in agriculture, while High Land Decline scenarios predict a decrease by 2100. Urbanization significantly impacts future water stress more than climate change, with reduced agricultural land generally associated with lower water stress. Conversely, climate change exacerbates unmet demand issues in domestic and industrial development cases. Due to diminishing agricultural land, both watersheds are expected to transition from water-deficient to water-surplus regions by the end of the century. However, immediate action is crucial to address current water demands, particularly in the severely water-deficient Quinali Watershed.