Increasing Land Use Research Articles

Loss of temporal structure of tropical soundscapes with intensifying land use in Borneo

Conservation and sustainable management efforts in tropical forests often lack reliable, effective, and easily-communicated ways to measure the biodiversity status of a protected or managed landscape. The sounds that many tropical species make can be recorded by pre-programmed devices and analysed to yield measures of biodiversity. Interpreting the resulting soundscapes has developed along two paths: analysing the whole soundscape using acoustic indices, used as a proxy of biodiversity, or focusing on individual species that can be either manually or automatically recognized from the soundscape. Here we develop an intermediate approach to divide the soundscape into frequency categories belonging to broad taxonomic groups of vocalizing animals. While the method was unable to distinguish between amphibian and mammal communities, it was successful in assigning parts of the soundscape as likely produced by birds and insects. Applying the approach in Borneo revealed that, with increasing land use intensity, i) the spectral saturation of the soundscape, a proxy of species richness, loses dawn and dusk peaks, ii) bird acoustic communities lose recurrent diurnal patterns, becoming less synchronized across sites, and that iii) insect Soundscape Saturation increases at night. If soundscapes are partitioned similarly in different regions, our method could be used to bridge soundscape-level and individual-species level analyses. Regaining dawn and dusk peaks, the synchrony of bird acoustic communities, and losing nocturnal dominance of insect could be used as a set of simple indicators of tropical forest retaining high levels of biodiversity.

Quantifying the Relationship between Land Use Intensity and Ecosystem Services' Value in the Hanjiang River Basin: A Case Study of the Hubei Section.

An increased land use intensity due to rapid urbanization and socio-economic development would alter the structure and function of regional ecosystems and cause prominent environmental problems. Revealing the impact of land use intensity on ecosystem services (ES) would provide guidance for more informed decision making to promote the sustainable development of human and natural systems. In this study, we selected the Hanjiang River Basin (HRB) in Hubei Province (China) as our study area, explored the correlation between land use intensity and ecosystem Services’ Value (ESV), and investigated impacts of natural and socio-economic factors on ESV variations based on the Geographical Detector Model (GDM) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR). The results show that (1) from 2000 to 2020, land use intensity in HRB generally showed an upward trend, with a high spatial agglomeration in the southeast and low in the northwest; (2) the total ESV increased from 295.56 billion CNY in 2000 to 296.93 billion CNY in 2010, and then decreased to 295.63 CNY in 2020, exhibiting an inverted U-shaped trend, with regulation services contributing the most to ESV; (3) land use intensity and ESV had a strong negative spatial correlation, with LH (low land use intensity vs. high ESV) aggregations mainly distributed in the northwest, whereas HL (high land use intensity vs. low ESV) aggregations were located in the southeast; (4) natural factors, including annual mean temperature, the percentage of forest land, and slope were positively associated with ESV, while socio-economic factors, including GDP and population density, were negatively associated with ESV. To achieve the coordinated development of the socio-economy and the environment, ES should be incorporated into spatial planning and socio-economic development policies.

Influences of Land Policy on Urban Ecological Corridors Governance: A Case Study from Shanghai.

The analysis of land use change (LUC) characteristics and the impact of policies related to urban ecological space is required to improve spatial planning and to support decision making regarding green infrastructure (GI) investment. This study employed Geo-informatic Tupu analysis and Fluctuation Potential Tupu analysis methods to analyze the characteristics of LUC in an urban ecological corridor (EC). To help understand the influence of land use policy on GI governance and support the optimization of spatial planning, we proposed a situation–structure–implementation–outcome (SSIO) policy cascade analysis framework. SSIO takes “place” as its starting point, then couples the local policy with the governance structure to promote the sustainability of urban commons governance. The results show that the land use type within an EC in the city is mainly cultivated land. However, between 2009 and 2019, cultivated land, construction land, and facility agricultural land all showed a decreasing trend, while forest land and garden land types underwent increasing trends. The LUC Tupu unit highlights the transition from cultivated land to forest land. Forest land has the greatest increase in area and accounts for 52.34% of the area of increasing land use. Cultivated land shows the greatest decrease in area and accounts for 70.30% of the area of decreasing trends. Based on the local policy situation of the metropolis, a land policy governance mechanism can be constructed by the establishment of a governance structure with local government as the core, using land consolidation as the platform, taking ecological spatial planning and inefficient construction land reduction as typical policy tools, and experimentally integrating the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). In general, these findings may be applicable to other rapidly urbanizing cities around the world that are developing complex land use policies for ecological space governance.

Influence of grazing and solar panel installation on tenebrionid beetles (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) of a central Asian steppe

Grazing may represent a major threat to biodiversity in arid grasslands. The increasing use of grasslands for solar parks may represent a new important threat. No study has investigated the effects of solar parks on soil insects. Tenebrionids are a major component of the arthropod fauna of grasslands of central Asia. These ecosystems are threatened by grazing and increasing land use for solar parks. Aim of this work was to investigate the effects of grazing and solar panels on tenebrionids in arid grasslands (desert steppe) in China by comparing their community structure in ungrazed, heavily grazed, and solar park sites. Beetles were sampled by pitfall traps, and sites were compared for abundance and diversity (Hill numbers). All sites were characterized by simple, strongly dominated tenebrionid communities. Species proportions varied among sites. Grazing negatively influenced overall abundance, but did not alter species proportions; by contrast, solar panels had no effect on the average abundance, but reduced the proportion of the most abundant species. Compared with the other two sites, the solar park was characterized by a higher plant biomass and lower temperatures. A major availability of resources and less harsh conditions in the solar park might have a role in reducing the dominance of the most abundant species, allowing other species to attain higher abundances. This led to a more balanced community structure, with higher values of diversity. Although neither grazing nor solar panel installation modified radically tenebrionid species-abundance distribution or diversity, grazing and solar panel installation had different effects in species abundances and their impact might amplify the effect of other disturbance factors such as the ongoing climate change.

Catálogo polínico de plantas usadas por tres abejorros del género Bombus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) en la Cordillera Oriental de los Andes colombianos

More than 20 species of bumblebees are reported in South America, nine of them in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. They are known to be important pollinators, but their distribution has been decreasing due to increasing land use change; this has caused an impoverishment of Andean ecosystems. Identifying and protecting the floral resources used by wild bees is key in the management of wild areas to mitigate the impact of human activities in highly intervened areas such as cities or crops. Pollen analysis is an important tool to preserve floral resources used by bees, but it depends on having pollen catalogs that allow adequate taxonomic identifications. The objective of this study was to develop a pollen catalog of plants used by three of the most common Andean bumblebees, Bombus rubicundus, B. hortulanus and B. pauloensis. Sampling was conducted in six localities of the Bogotá savanna, covering an altitudinal gradient between 2600 and 3500 m a. s. l. Floral samples from all localities were prepared by acetolysis, and then analyzed. A reference catalog was digitized from the pollen extracted from the body of workers of each bumblebee species. Pollen grains were described according to their size and morphology. The similarity of the resources used by the different bumblebee species was compared using Jaccard’s similarity and distance index. Pollen grains from 99 plants were isolated, identified and described, with Taraxacum officinale, Vallea stipularis, Senna multiglandulosa, Trifolium pratense and Trifolium repens being the pollen sources shared by all species. The most generalist species and the one that used the most exotic plants was B. pauloensis. An illustrated pollen catalog is provided with all the resources used by the bees.

Trend Analysis of Cattle Production in the United States, 1997 – 2019

Since the mid-1990s, cattle production in the United States has taken a downward trend. Although the U.S. is still the biggest producer of cattle in the world, the implications of such trend on domestic and global food security cannot be ignored. This study examines this trend of cattle production in detail within the period 1997-2019, with the sole purpose of determining the factors responsible for this trend and what should be done to reverse same. The study takes a look at various variables over the time-frame which could be said to represent the factors of production – land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship and establish the relationship between them. It also includes a novel variable to the mix – degree change in temperature during the year to accommodate for the effects of global warming as an environmental factor. A simple regression model is then estimated to capture the factors that might have contributed to the variation in total cattle produced in the U.S. Findings reveal that land use, employees in agriculture and credit advances to cattle farmers are all low in the U.S., contributing to the plummeting output of cattle production. The analysis does point out that making more land and employees available will increase the production of cattle in the United States. However, higher credit flows might not guarantee improved cattle production. The study, therefore, concludes that the U.S. authorities should consider increased land use and labor supply for agricultural purposes as the means of consolidating the gains of large-scale cattle production in the U.S. The study does not consider other variables which include a shift in consumer taste or the availability or lack of water due to drought on the farm. This is a limitation of the study and makes for areas of further research. These findings will be of immense benefit to policy makers, legislators, farmers and even land use planners to be able to put in action plans that will help enhance food security especially regarding beef production, thereby ensuring the United States' place as the premier cattle producer in the world.

Controls on earthflow formation in the Teanaway River basin, central Washington State, USA

Abstract. Earthflows create landscape heterogeneity, increase local erosion rates, and heighten sediment loads in streams. These slow moving and fine-grained mass movements make up much of the Holocene erosion in the Teanaway River basin, central Cascade Range, Washington State, yet controls on earthflow activity and the resulting topographic impacts are unquantified. We mapped earthflows based on morphologic characteristics and relatively dated earthflow activity using a flow directional surface roughness metric called MADstd. The relative MADstd activity is supported by six radiocarbon ages, three lake sedimentation ages, and 16 cross-cutting relationships, indicating that MADstd is a useful tool to identify and relatively date earthflow activity, especially in heavily vegetated regions. Nearly all of the mapped earthflows are in the Teanaway and lower Roslyn formations, which comprise just 32.7 % of the study area. Earthflow aspect follows bedding planes in these units, demonstrating a strong lithologic control on earthflow location. Based on absolute ages and MADstd distributions, a quarter of the earthflows in the Teanaway Basin were active in the last few hundred years; the timing coincides with deforestation and increased land use in the Teanaway. Major tributaries initiate in earthflows and valley width is altered by earthflows that create wide valleys upstream and narrow constrictions within the earthflow zone. Although direct sediment delivery from earthflows brings fine sediment to the channel, stream power is sufficient to readily transport fines downstream. Based on our findings, over the Holocene – and particularly in the last few hundred years – lithologic-controlled earthflow erosion in the Teanaway basin has altered valley bottom connectivity and increased delivery of fine sediments to tributary channels.

Land use effects on water quality, habitat, and macroinvertebrate and diatom communities in African highland streams

Anthropogenic activities have increasingly subjected freshwater ecosystems globally to various pressures. Increasing land use activities have been highly linked to deteriorating freshwater ecosystems and dwindling biodiversity. For sound management and conservation policies to be implemented, relations between land use, environmental, and biotic components need to be widely documented. To evaluate the impacts of land use on biotic components, this study analyzed the diatom and macroinvertebrate community composition of the Eastern Highlands (Zimbabwe) streams to assess the main spatial diatom and macroinvertebrate community variances and how environmental variables and spatial factors influence community composition. Diatom and macroinvertebrate sampling was done in 16 streams in protected areas (national parks) and impacted sites (timber plantation and communal areas). Water (pH, phosphorus, and ammonium) and sediment (nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc) and habitat (substrate embeddedness, and habitat) variables differed significantly with land use. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the protected area had the best water quality, particularly marked by high pH levels and low phosphorus concentrations among environment types. Heavy metals were high in the communal areas, although mercury was higher in the national park. Significant differences were observed in diatom metrics, specifically dominance and evenness, with no significant differences observed in macroinvertebrate metrics across land uses. Diatoms differed in terms of composition in response to land use. Results provide an important scientific reference for land use optimization and guidance for the formulation of policies to protect freshwater resources in African Highland streams. Management and conservation initiatives in the Eastern Highlands are further recommended as this study detected high levels of mercury in the protected area, implying high levels of illegal mining.

LEGAL ASPECTS OF LAND FORMATION UNDER REAL ESTATE OBJECTS

A land plot is a part of the land that has clearly defined boundaries, a certain location, natural properties, physical parameters, it also describes the legal and economic status. The main properties of the land plot can be considered: boundaries, area, cadastral number and address, as well as legal properties, namely the rights and obligations of the land owner, restrictions and encumbrances, land easements. In addition to these characteristics, there are also so-called quality, they include: the cost of use or exchange. When a land plot is formed, it becomes an object of civil law, and it is for this purpose that it is formed. Nowadays, with the creation of the land market, it is necessary that every owner or user of land has the right to draw up documents that are necessary for the sale or lease of land, and this includes work on the formation of land, and it is work on drawing up a land management project in accordance with. Depending on the available materials from the previous works on this site, the composition and scope of work required for the formation of the site are determined. These characteristics are also related to the reform, or in other words, the reorganization of agricultural enterprises. Two other factors that affect the composition and scope of work are the number and location of real estate to be transferred. There are also many other factors of influence. The purpose of the article is to study the principles of development of land management projects, taking into account the scheme of application of tools for the organization and protection of land. The paper analyzes modern domestic and international approaches to the development of land management projects and the formation of land management documentation at different levels and for different applications. The technology and systematized stages of creating a land management project are determined. Factors influencing the location of the real estate object are analyzed. It is determined that all the presented factors must be taken into account at all stages of the construction, starting with its construction and ending with its operation. But taking into account each individual factor in the efficiency of use or profitability of the building, if it is commercial, is not enough to choose the right location of the property. The principles of formation of land management documentation for construction purposes are determined. The developed directions in research will give the chance to increase land use by application of modern technological schemes of development of land management projects taking into account current requirements of the legislation.

Protist Diversity and Metabolic Strategy in Freshwater Lakes Are Shaped by Trophic State and Watershed Land Use on a Continental Scale.

ABSTRACTProtists play key roles in aquatic food webs as primary producers, predators, nutrient recyclers, and symbionts. However, a comprehensive view of protist diversity in freshwaters has been challenged by the immense environmental heterogeneity among lakes worldwide. We assessed protist diversity in the surface waters of 366 freshwater lakes across a north temperate to subarctic range covering nearly 8.4 million km2 of Canada. Sampled lakes represented broad gradients in size, trophic state, and watershed land use. Hypereutrophic lakes contained the least diverse and most distinct protist communities relative to nutrient-poor lakes. Greater taxonomic variation among eutrophic lakes was mainly a product of heterotroph and mixotroph diversity, whereas phototroph assemblages were more similar under high-nutrient conditions. Overall, local physicochemical factors, particularly ion and nutrient concentrations, elicited the strongest responses in community structure, far outweighing the effects of geographic gradients. Despite their contrasting distribution patterns, obligate phototroph and heterotroph turnover was predicted by an overlapping set of environmental factors, while the metabolic plasticity of mixotrophs may have made them less predictable. Notably, protist diversity was associated with variation in watershed soil pH and agricultural crop coverage, pointing to human impact on the land-water interface that has not been previously identified in studies on smaller scales. Our study exposes the importance of both within-lake and external watershed characteristics in explaining protist diversity and biogeography, critical information for further developing an understanding of how freshwater lakes and their watersheds are impacted by anthropogenic stressors.IMPORTANCE Freshwater lakes are experiencing rapid changes under accelerated anthropogenic stress and a warming climate. Microorganisms underpin aquatic food webs, yet little is known about how freshwater microbial communities are responding to human impact. Here, we assessed the diversity of protists and their myriad ecological roles in lakes varying in size across watersheds experiencing a range of land use pressures by leveraging data from a continental-scale survey of Canadian lakes. We found evidence of human impact on protist assemblages through an association with lake trophic state and extending to agricultural activity and soil characteristics in the surrounding watershed. Furthermore, trophic state appeared to explain the distributions of phototrophic and heterotrophic protists in contrasting ways. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of lake ecosystems to increased land use and the importance of assessing terrestrial interfaces to elucidate freshwater ecosystem dynamics.

The Suburbanization and Revitalization of Industrial Land in Shanghai, China

Land use efficiency is one of the critical indicators of sustainable development. Increasing land use efficiency can help build a more compact urban form and reduce the urban footprint. Industrial development is often considered a major driving force of urban land use expansion and use change. Both industrial development and urban land use change are constrained and facilitated by urban planning and management, constantly shaping the spatial trajectory of urban transformation. Taking the suburbanization and revitalization of industrial land uses in Shanghai as a case study, this research uses thematical analysis and geospatial data change detection methods to investigate how the evolution of industrial spatial structure leads to urban land use growth, and how urban planning and governance reconfigure the industrial spatial structure of a city through revitalization. This study found that the unplanned suburbanization of industrial land use brought about significant residential and commercial land use expansion. The city was able to consolidate its industrial land uses by adopting the designated industrial blocks strategy to curb the sprawl of industrial land use and enhance land use efficiency. With the transformation of industry structure, the city achieved great success in transforming underutilized industrial land in the city’s central area and consolidating scattered industrial land into industrial blocks in the city’s suburban areas.

Grassland Loss in Tanzania: Causes, Consequences and Control

Grasslands are an important component of rangelands. The work presented in this paper is based on spatial statistical analysis of grassland change between 1995 and 2010 using land use and land cover maps covering the whole of mainland Tanzania and GIS. Further arguments for discussion in the paper are sourced from literature review. Results show that grasslands are lost at an alarming rate of almost 1 million hectares annually. Between 1995 and 2010 Tanzania lost more than 14 million hectares of grassland. Main direct causes of grassland loss are conversion to cultivation and to forest cover, almost at an equal rate of more than 6 million hectares over the 15 year period (about 400,000 ha annually). Bush encroachment is also an important direct driver of grassland loss. Indirect causes of grassland loss include population growth, economic growth, challenges in grassland governance and management and globalization. Consequences of grassland loss include reduced areas for grazing, increased soil erosion, floods, increased land use conflicts and their repercussions including loss of property and life. Control measures include those addressing the direct and indirect drivers of change. However, most of the control measures are ineffective and hence the observed trend of grassland loss. The paper concludes by suggesting some topics for further research into ways to improve the effectiveness of the control measures against grassland loss in terms of potential and possibility of more agricultural intensification, improvements of markets and profits to cultivators, nature of grassland loss to forest cover, ways to apply existing extensive research on bush encroachment and, the role of formal and informal institutions that control grassland loss.

Distinguishing the impacts of land use change in intensity and type on ecosystem services trade-offs

Changes in land use intensity and types can affect the structure and function of ecosystems, and thus ecosystem services (ESs) as well as their interactions. However, the impacts of changes in land use intensity on ESs remain poorly understood. Through four different land use scenarios, we distinguished the independent contribution of changes in agricultural land use intensity and types to grain production (GP), water purification (WP), and their trade-offs in the Dongting Lake Basin. The results showed that from 1990 to 2015, GP increased across 58.07% of the total area, but WP decreased across 64.81% of the study area. The two ESs simultaneously increased or decreased across 41.93% of the total area. Watersheds covering 48.72% of the study area where GP increased and WP decreased were mainly distributed in areas with increased land use intensity. The other regions where GP decreased and WP increased were mainly distributed in areas with decreased land use intensity. The scenario analysis of GP, WP, and their trade-offs showed that the areas where agricultural land use intensity was the dominant factor were as large as 1.95 times, 2.38 times, and 2.43 times those dominated by land use type respectively, under the same climate conditions. This study highlighted the importance of changes in agricultural land use intensity on ES, which provided further supporting to ES-based land use management.

An Anthropocene chronosequence study on upland soils in the northeastern USA

Intensive land use from agricultural activities fundamentally affects the physical structure and nutrient cycling of soils and can lead to increased erosion of sediment that gets stored downslope in legacy deposits. The northeastern USA provides the opportunity to study anthropogenic-induced changes to soils, with a well-documented ~300-year history of land modification. In this study, we investigate impacts on upland soils in northeast Connecticut at two sites used extensively in the 17–20th centuries that are now abandoned and forested along with two modern agriculture sites. We use stone walls present in LiDAR and aerial imagery from 1934 to 2019 to develop an Anthropocene chronosequence with four land use classes (T0, T1, T2, and T3) that vary in terms of duration of land use and time since abandonment. The two abandoned sites differ primarily in terms of average hillslope gradients, and we use transects at the steeper site to investigate the effect of catena position on sediment mobilization and downslope changes. Soil profiles within each class were described and sampled for standard soil analyses and trace metals using pXRF to address the processes of erosion and mixing in the soils. At both sites, A horizon thicknesses increase and B horizon thicknesses decrease with increasing land use duration. The consistent depth to the C horizon across all classes, lack of soil truncations and accumulation of sediment at the base of slopes, and inventories and patterns of Pb in soil profiles all suggest land use impacts led to soil mixing and redistribution along hillslope catenas, but no substantial erosion and soil loss. Therefore, depositional areas such as wetlands, floodplains and millponds in low relief deglaciated landscapes may not contain large quantities of legacy sediment. Furthermore, widely available LiDAR and aerial imagery datasets have the potential to scale up the chronosequence approach and soil impacts described here.

Assessing Land Use Efficiencies and Land Quality Impacts of Renewable Transportation Energy Systems for Passenger Cars Using the LANCA® Method

Targets to reduce global warming impacts of the transportation sector may lead to increased land use and negative land quality changes. The aim of this paper is to implement the Land Use Indicator Calculation in Life Cycle Assessment (LANCA®) model to assess land quality impacts and land use efficiencies (concerning occupation and transformation) of different example renewable transport energy systems for passenger cars. In addition, the land use impacts are normalized according to the Soil Quality Index building on LANCA® and included in the environmental footprint. The assessment is based on information from GaBi life cycle assessment software databases and on literature. Functional unit of the model is to provide annual drive of 18,600 km for a passenger car in the EU. The analysis includes examples of biomass, electricity, electricity to fuels and fossil-based energy systems. Our findings confirm previous research that biomass-based transport energy systems have risks to lead to significantly higher land occupation and transformation impacts than do fossil oil or electricity-based ones. According to the LANCA® model, methane from Finnish wood and German corn has the highest impacts on filtration and the physicochemical filtration reduction potential. Sugarcane ethanol and palm oil diesel systems, on the other hand, lead to the highest erosion potential. Electricity-based transportation energy systems appear to be superior to biomass-based ones from the perspectives of land occupation, land transformation, and soil quality impacts for the selected examples. Land quality impacts should be taken into account when developing and expanding renewable transportation energy systems. The paper shows that the LANCA® method is applicable for the assessment of transport systems in order to provide extended information on environmental sustainability, which should be included more often in future analysis. However, it can be challenging to interpret underlaying assumptions, especially when aggregated information is used from databases.

Freight Transport Cost and Urban Sprawl across EU Regions

This paper investigates the impact that urban sprawl and land use patterns have on freight transport costs at the regional level in Europe. A unique dataset is employed, which distinguishes various aspects of freight transport costs across EU regions. The measurement of sprawl metrics is based on the European soil sealing (artificial land cover) data concerning the land uptake for buildings and related infrastructure, as well as land use data originating from the Land Use/Cover Area frame Survey of Eurostat. The econometric analysis indicates that both the increased scale and compact development of land for urban settlement and specific (industrial, services/residential) activities can significantly reduce average road freight transport costs. The increased land use mixture and the share of industrial activity also have a negative impact on road freight transport costs. The results highlight the importance of integrated spatial/land use planning policies to manage freight transport costs and improve the sustainable urban development of EU regions.

The influence of the built environment on pedestrians’ perceptions of attractiveness, safety and security

Perceptions of the walking environment can encourage or discourage walking for transport. However, the influence of the built environment (BE) on pedestrians’ perceptions of the walking environment has not been fully understood. To address this gap, the present research investigates how BE characteristics of a suburban walking environment are associated with the perceptions of attractiveness (i.e., pleasantness, friendliness), safety, and security. Using a cross-sectional design, 995 participants reported their perceptions about the attractiveness, safety, and security of different suburban BE scenarios in Brisbane (Australia). Univariate and bivariate random effect ordered probit models were estimated to identify the associations between BE characteristics and perceived attractiveness, safety, and security whilst controlling for psychosocial factors. Results indicated that perceived attractiveness (i.e., pleasantness and friendliness) was higher for recreational areas than residential land use. Women perceived the walking environment as more pleasant with trees. The perception of safety was higher for recreational and vacant land compared to residential areas. Young pedestrians perceived that the likelihood of being assaulted/robbed/harassed at night was lower if they walked through an area with commercial and mixed land use. Women pedestrians perceived that the corresponding risk at night was higher in recreational areas. Overall, the findings suggest that urban design strategies such as increasing land use diversity and providing adequate trees enhance perceived environmental attractiveness, safety, and security, ultimately resulting in more walking for transport.

Environmental and human health trade-offs in potential Chinese dietary shifts

•Balanced diets prevent more than one million premature deaths annually in China •More fruit and vegetables benefit health but increase environmental burdens •Dietary choices affect PM2.5 air quality via NH3 emissions from food production •More soy protein reduces environmental impacts but has moderate health benefits Dietary shifts from staples toward meats, fruits, and vegetables increase environmental impacts. Excessive red meat intake and micro-nutrient deficiencies also raise health concerns. Previous research examined environmental and health consequences of alternative diets but overlooked impacts on air pollution and land use change. Here we examine implications of four potential Chinese dietary shifts on ammonia and particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon storage loss associated with land-use change, water use, and human health. We show that a diet that replaces red meat with soy benefits the environment and avoids 57,000 PM2.5-related premature deaths annually. Dietary health benefits, however, appear larger with adoption of the Chinese Dietary Guideline (CDG) and EAT-Lancet diets, which prevent over one million premature deaths annually. However, both diets increase water use and GHGs. CDG also increases land use change, but EAT-Lancet reduces it by cutting dairy and red meat. Complex benefits and trade-offs of dietary shifts emphasize the need for further improvements in agricultural management to enable larger health-environment co-benefits. Dietary shifts from staples toward meats, fruits, and vegetables increase environmental impacts. Excessive red meat intake and micro-nutrient deficiencies also raise health concerns. Previous research examined environmental and health consequences of alternative diets but overlooked impacts on air pollution and land use change. Here we examine implications of four potential Chinese dietary shifts on ammonia and particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon storage loss associated with land-use change, water use, and human health. We show that a diet that replaces red meat with soy benefits the environment and avoids 57,000 PM2.5-related premature deaths annually. Dietary health benefits, however, appear larger with adoption of the Chinese Dietary Guideline (CDG) and EAT-Lancet diets, which prevent over one million premature deaths annually. However, both diets increase water use and GHGs. CDG also increases land use change, but EAT-Lancet reduces it by cutting dairy and red meat. Complex benefits and trade-offs of dietary shifts emphasize the need for further improvements in agricultural management to enable larger health-environment co-benefits.

Improving Mudstone Materials in Badland in Southwestern Taiwan by Increasing Density and Low-Cement Amount

The southwestern foothills in Taiwan contain abundant mudstone, which softens or slakes easily when contacting water. Thereafter, this condition causes high rates of erosion during heavy rain, eventually leading to the formation of badlands. To increase land use value in Taiwan, this study aimed to offer a new solution with the use of compaction techniques and also adding a small amount of cement as soil amendment. We examined the feasibility of this concept by performing a series of tests, including the basic physical property test, compaction test, unconfined compression test, static triaxial CU and UU tests, consolidation test, California bearing ratio (CBR) test, and triaxial permeability test. The specimens were created based on the controlled moisture at the wet side along the compaction curve. Three clods, three preparation methods, and two types of cement content were used for specimen preparation. The test results revealed that clod will affect the results of unconfined compression strength and soil permeability. For mudstone with added cement, its unconfined compression strength increased 7- to 10-fold and its shear strength increased 2- to 3-fold. The results of consolidation and the CBR test showed that improvement is possible by using low amounts of cement. Overall, the present method not only adheres to low-carbon and environmental protection requirements, but also verifies the feasibility of using compacted mudstone as an engineering material.

Catchment-Scale Participatory Mapping Identifies Stakeholder Perceptions of Land and Water Management Conflicts

Competing socioecological demands and pressures on land and water resources have the potential to increase land use conflict. Understanding ecosystem service provisioning and trade-offs, competing land uses, and conflict between stakeholder groups in catchments is therefore critical to inform catchment management and the sustainable use of natural resources. We developed a novel stakeholder engagement methodology that incorporates participatory conflict mapping in three catchments with a short questionnaire to identify the perceptions of 43 participants from four key land and water management stakeholder groups: environmental regulators, water industry practitioners, the farm advisor community, and academics. The participatory mapping exercise produced heat maps of perceived conflict and land use competition, providing spatial detail of the complex combination of land use issues faced by catchment managers. Distinct, localised hotspots were identified in areas under pressure from flooding, abstraction, and urbanisation; as well as more dispersed issues of relevance at the landscape scale, such as from farming, forestry, energy production, and tourism. Subsequent regression modelling linked perceived conflict to land cover maps and identified coastal, urban, and grassland areas as the most likely land cover types associated with conflict in the study catchments. Our approach to participatory conflict mapping provides a novel platform for catchment management and can facilitate increased cooperation among different catchment stakeholders. In turn, land and water management conflicts can be recognised and their underlying drivers and likely solutions identified in an effort to better manage competing demands on catchment resources.