Influence Of Land Use Research Articles

Decoupling in governance: the land governance network in a region of the Colombian Andes

Land governance requires coherence not only in terms of policies but also between its governance functions to achieve the desired goals. In this study, we focus on the functions that direct influence land use (boundary setting and resource appropriation; project formulation and financing; and monitoring, evaluation, and learning), which are expected to form a feedback loop necessary for adaptive co-management. We evaluated the degree of coherence of these three functions (as an approach to efficient management) via geo-located multilayer social network analysis and using an area of the Rio Grande and Chico basin in the Colombian Andes as the case study. According to the results, there is a conflict between production and conservation goals, necessitating collaboration among actors and institutions from various levels. The social network analysis revealed that the three functions are not articulated; instead, there exist two feedback loops (one per goal) in the boundary setting and resource appropriation function, leading to such conflict. The imposition of a governance system on the community by a few actors is recognized as the root of this conflict; hence, the need to move toward a governance with the community by promoting active participation in the various functions and interactions within them. We recommend future studies to assess the impact of governance networks on land-use actions to identify the reasons for land-use change and propose new strategies.

Influence of land use on soil microbial communities of sub Himalayas of India: insights from phospholipid fatty acid profiles, ribosomal intergenic spacer profiles, soil enzymes, and carbon pools

Influence of land use on soil microbial communities of sub Himalayas of India: insights from phospholipid fatty acid profiles, ribosomal intergenic spacer profiles, soil enzymes, and carbon pools

Analysis of Land Use Change Characteristics and Its Driving Forces in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Yan River Basin

Land resources are closely intertwined with human survival, making it crucial to explore the spatiotemporal changes and driving forces of land use. In this study, the Yan River Basin in the Loess Plateau was selected as the study area. The Mann–Kendall trend test, Pettitt’s test, landscape pattern indices, and other methods were employed to explore characteristics and driving factors of land use change from 1990 to 2020. The results indicate that: (1) The areas of forest and impervious showed a significant increasing trend and suddenly changed in 2004. Change-point years for the area of cropland and grassland were 2005 and 1999, respectively. The main transition of land use types was from cropland to grassland and from grassland to forest. (2) Patches showed a trend towards regularization and simplification, indicating the strengthening of human activities’ impact on spatial patterns. (3) Both social and natural factors jointly influenced land use change in the Yan River Basin. The Grain for Green (GfG) project was the main driving factor in accelerating land use transformation. This study aims to provide a basis for the scientific management of land resources and serve as an example for related research on land use change in the Loess Plateau.

Planning to ‘Hear the Farmer’s Voice’: an Agent-Based Modelling Approach to Agricultural Land Use Planning

Agricultural land use is influenced not only by multiple aspects of biophysical and socio-economic processes, but also the cumulative impacts of individual farmer decisions. Farmers’ activities and decisions at farm scale shape land use and water utilisation at regional scale, yet land use planning processes do not take into account farmers’ knowledge and decision-making processes as they respond to, and in turn shape, change. Farmers’ voices are missing in the planning system. In this paper, we address the complexity of agricultural land use planning and examine the possibility of agricultural land use planning from the bottom-up via simulation to integrate environmental, economic and human factors that influence land use change. We present an innovative approach to model the interactions between government policy, market signals, and farmers’ land use decisions, and how the accumulated effects of these individual decisions change agricultural land use patterns at regional scale, using spatial and temporal agent-based modeling. A multi-stage mixed method spatial agent-based modeling (ABM) approach, aligned with the Geodesign framework, can incorporate local knowledge and decision-making into models of regional land use change. To illustrate the new approach, we examine the impact of milk market price on changes in land use in Tasmania, Australia. This approach brings together local knowledge with scientific, planning, and policy knowledge to generate dynamic scenarios for informed agricultural land-use planning decisions.

Modelling the Functioning of Agricultural Landscapes in the Zhytomyr Region

Purpose: To establish and substantiate the aspects of modeling the functioning of agricultural landscapes in the Zhytomyr region; to analyse the processes of landscape modeling construction; to provide a historical and landscape interpretation of changes in the nature of the Zhytomyr region under the influence of agricultural land use. Design / Methodology / Approach: Landscape modelling, cartographic, calculation and design, analysis and evaluation of ecological and landscape land management for modelling the functioning of agricultural land use. Findings: The article examines and substantiates the process of modelling and functioning of agricultural landscapes of the Zhytomyr region. It was established that the ability of mankind to use and adapt the environment to create a comfortable life and favourable production conditions requires increased attention to regional issues of nature protection and society’s attitude to it, interaction of various types of human activity with the geographical environment. It has been proven that the most important task today is the regulation of society's relationship with nature, its rational use and protection, which is understood as the prevention of damage and adverse consequences of human intervention, as well as reasonable forecasting of possible environmental changes. As a result of the research, it was found that the agricultural landscape arises as a result of intensive agricultural production (vegetables, horticulture, livestock, poultry, etc.). The creation of such a landscape is accompanied not only by changing the territory with the removal of those objects that interfere with work, but also by the construction of embankments, ponds, irrigation canals, etc. The territorial arrangement of the agricultural landscape is important, especially for the optimization of economic activity. Its task is the rational distribution of territories of various functional purposes and uses. Originality / Value: As a result of the research, it was found that the agricultural landscape arises as a result of intensive agricultural production (vegetables, horticulture, livestock, poultry, etc.). The creation of such a landscape is accompanied not only by changing the territory with the removal of those objects that interfere with work, but also by the construction of embankments, ponds, irrigation canals, etc. The territorial arrangement of the agricultural landscape is important, especially for the optimization of economic activity. Its task is the rational distribution of territories of various functional purposes and uses. As a result, prerequisites are created for increasing the efficiency of land use, agrotechnical technologies, implementation of rational and ecologically clean farming systems, implementation of measures to increase fertility and soil protection. Intensive use of nature has led to deterioration of soil and surface water quality; accumulation of significant volumes of solid and liquid waste; air pollution from vehicles and industrial production; landscape changes and biodiversity. Practical Meaning: Modelling the functioning of agricultural landscapes in the Zhytomyr region is important for understanding the geographical patterns of the spatial organisation of nature and human activity. Further Research: The obtained results can be used in the further study of agricultural landscapes of the Zhytomyr region. Theoretical and practical material of scientific research can be used in the process of retraining and improving the qualifications of teachers of biology, ecology, geography.

Land cover change in marginalised landscapes of South Africa (1984–2014): Insights into the influence of socio-economic and political factors

Rural landscapes in South Africa experience high conversion rates due to intense land use; however, the changes are site specific and depend on the socio-economic and political history of the area. Land cover change (LCC) was assessed in response to socio-economic and political factors in uThukela Municipal District, KwaZulu-Natal, using Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2014, while making comparisons to other studies in South Africa. Socio-economic/political data were used to gain insights into the observed LCC patterns. Land cover was classified using a random forest classifier, and accuracies ranging from 87% to 92% were achieved. Systematic and intensity analysis methods were used to describe patterns, rates, and transitions of LCC in Imbabazane (ILM) and Okhahlamba (OLM) local municipalities. The results showed a reduced rate of change intensity from 3.4% to 0.9% in ILM and from 3.1% to 1.1% in OLM between 1984 and 2014. Grassland was persistent, covering over 70% in both local municipalities between 1984 and 2014. Although persistent, grassland experienced respective losses of 3.7% and 14.3% in both observation periods in ILM and of 10.2% and 13.3% in OLM. During the analysis period, settlements and cropland gained actively in both local municipalities. The changes represent a degree of population, local authority, and people’s perception as influencers of land use and LCC. It is therefore argued that socio-economic and political changes can potentially influence land use and LCC; however, natural ecosystems can persist under those conditions, and this requires more research efforts. Significance: This study contributes towards a growing knowledge and understanding of land cover change studies in marginalised landscapes in South Africa. The findings enforce the notion that natural vegetation systems can be altered by human-induced land use such as expansion of settlement and commercial agricultural. We show that in recent times there has been a decline in the overall rate of land cover conversion, and a high persistence of grassland amid global change, although the quality of the vegetation needs further research. We argue that the changes observed in marginalised landscapes are potentially driven by socio-economic and political dynamics.

Review Analysis of Irrigation and Application of Remote Sensing in the Lower Mekong River Basin

Irrigated agriculture is indispensable to the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB), which ensures food security and provides livelihoods for tens of millions of people. Irrigation, agricultural production, hydropower and aquatic ecosystem health are intertwined in LMB, so it is necessary to adopt a holistic approach to analyze irrigation problems. Here, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of LMB irrigation. Bibliometric analysis is carried out to determine the characteristics and patterns of watershed irrigation literature, such as the importance of authors, affiliated institutions, and their distribution in China. Based on bibliometric analysis, research topics are determined for thematic review. Firstly, we investigated the factors that directly affect the demand and supply of irrigation water and associated crop yield impacts. Secondly, we analyzed the influence of water availability, land use and climate change on agricultural irrigation. Thirdly, we analyzed the adverse effects of improper irrigation management on the environment, such as flow pattern change, ecosystem deterioration and land subsidence caused by groundwater overexploitation. Fourthly, the time–space mismatch between water supply and demand has brought serious challenges to the comprehensive water resources management in cross-border river basins. In each specific application area, we sorted out the technologies in which remote sensing technology is used. We hope that this review will contribute to in-depth research and decision analysis of remote sensing technology in agricultural irrigation.

The Influence of Land Use and Land Cover on Surface Temperature in a Water Catchment Sub-Basin

Faced with the recent crises of water capture and distribution, managing water resources is a practice that has been gaining prominence in discussions and debates about environmental issues. Thus, this article aims to analyze, in a spatio-temporal way, the Changes in Land Use and Occupation (LULC) and Surface Temperature (LST) in the water catchment sub-basin of Ribeirão Santa Isabel, located in the municipality of Paracatu, Minas Gerais (MG), between the years 1990 and 2020. The choice of the area is justified by the conflicts of use that encompass the sub-basin and by the fact that this is the only source of capture in the municipality, which has already carried out the alteration of the water resource responsible for the capture of water due to the intensity of agricultural practices in the region in the previous area. Through geoprocessing and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques, images from the Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 satellites were used to perform the LST calculations. Regarding usage and occupancy data, the images provided by the Mapbiomas platform were used. It was verified, through the increase in the percentage of the water class and vegetation and the decrease in the agricultural class, that the practices implemented in the study area, in order to conserve the remnants of the biome and maintain a good water availability to the municipality, are having an effect. It was also possible to conclude that LST is affected by LULC, and that the greatest variations occur in non-vegetated areas.

Evaluation of Environmental and Economic Performance of Crop Production in Relation to Crop Rotation, Catch Crops, and Tillage

Crop production constitutes a significant portion of the EU’s agricultural output and influences land use decisions. Various elements within the crop production system can significantly impact its outcomes. This paper aims to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of crop rotation, catch crops, and different tillage practices in Latvia by analyzing data from case studies, field trials, and field monitoring to identify the potential for improvement towards a more sustainable utilization of agricultural land. Environmental performance was evaluated by focusing on nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), as it is likely to play a significant role in assessing the environmental suitability of crop production according to the Platform on Sustainable Finance. For economic performance, gross margins were calculated. Crop rotation in Latvia tends to be monotonous, with wheat and oilseed rape dominating over 60% of the cultivated area due to their profitability. The findings of this study indicate that achieving a minimum NUE of 70% is challenging. Crop rotations including oilseed rape, particularly the common wheat–oilseed rape rotation, have an average NUE below the threshold, while proper use of catch crops may increase NUE by 7–9%. The three-year field trials on commercial farms yielded divergent findings about the impact of various tillage practices on NUE and gross margin. However, the field trials conducted on the farm practicing reduced tillage for over ten years show higher NUE compared to ploughing. The advantage of reduced tillage was supported by the obtained results indicating lower costs of agrotechnical operations, including less diesel consumption.

Assessment of the Factors that Influence Land Use Transition in Epetedo, Lafiaji/Ebute, and Sandgrouse Communities From 2002-2022

Assessment of the Factors that Influence Land Use Transition in Epetedo, Lafiaji/Ebute, and Sandgrouse Communities From 2002-2022

Coupled MOP and PLUS-SA Model Research on Land Use Scenario Simulations in Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area, Central China

Land use simulations are critical in predicting the impact of land use change (LUC) on the Earth. Various assumptions and policies influence land use structure and are a key factor in decisions made by policymakers. Meanwhile, the spatial autocorrelation effect between land use types has rarely been considered in existing land use spatial simulation models, and the simulation accuracy needs to be further improved. Thus, in this study, the driving mechanisms of LUC are analyzed. The quantity demand and spatial distribution of land use are predicted under natural development (ND), economic development (ED), ecological protection (EP), and sustainability development (SD) scenarios in Zhengzhou based on the coupled Multi-Objective Programming (MOP) model and the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation model (PLUS) considering Spatial Autocorrelation (PLUS-SA). We conclude the following. (1) The land use type in Zhengzhou was mainly cultivated land, and 83.85% of the land for urban expansion was cultivated land from 2000 to 2020. The reduction in forest from 2010 to 2020 was less than that from 2000 to 2010 due to the implementation of the policy in which farmland is transformed back into forests. (2) The accuracy of PLUS-SA was better than that of the traditional PLUS and Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) models, and its Kappa coefficient, overall accuracy, and FOM were 0.91, 0.95, and 0.29, respectively. (3) Natural factors (temperature, precipitation, and DEM) contributed significantly to the expansion of cultivated land, and the increase in forest, grass, and construction land was greatly affected by socioeconomic factors (population, GDP, and proximity to town). (4) The land use structure will be more in line with the current requirements for sustainable urban development in the SD scenario, and the economic and ecological benefits will increase by 0.75 × 104 billion CNY and 1.71 billion CNY, respectively, in 2035 compared with those in 2020. The PLUS-SA model we proposed had higher simulation accuracy in Zhengzhou Compared with the traditional PLUS and FLUS models, and our research framework can provide a basis for decision-makers to formulate sustainable land use development policies to achieve high-quality and sustainable urban development.

Influence of antecedent soil moisture content and land use on the surface runoff response to heavy rainfall simulation experiments investigated in Alpine catchments

In small Alpine catchments, floods are mostly triggered by surface runoff generation during convective heavy precipitation events. Their magnitude also depends on the antecedent soil moisture content, which was shown in several previous studies. This study aims at understanding (a) which sites change their surface runoff response to rainfall events with high precipitation intensity under very moist pre-conditions to what extent and (b) on which site characteristics this depends on. Therefore, we conducted repeated rainfall simulation experiments (40–80 m2, 1 h, 100 mm h−1) at 20 sites in five Eastern Alpine areas and analyzed their results on the basis of soil-physical parameters derived from collected soil samples.The hay meadow sites reacted with a strong increase in surface runoff to reduced saturation deficits, the pasture sites showed a smaller but visible response. The forest sites had the highest water retention capacities. The change in the surface runoff response is a function of the saturation deficit at the beginning of the initial experiment (r = −0.58). The soil physical parameters, especially the fine pore fraction (r = 0.56), correlate with the difference of the total surface runoff coefficient between the initial and the repeated experiment. The fine pore fraction also shows a high correlation (r = −0.78) with the saturation deficit at the beginning of the initial experiment, although pores of this fraction were saturated during all experiments. (Non-quantifiable) Land use effects, which in turn influence the soil physical parameters, play an important role in explaining how the surface runoff response in the repeated rainfall simulation experiment differs from the initial experiment. The information on land use and soil characteristics allowed the sites to be categorized into four types in terms of surface runoff disposition and the increase in total surface runoff coefficient in the second rainfall simulation experiment.

Assessment of Land Ecological Security from 2000 to 2020 in the Chengdu Plain Region of China

The purpose of land ecological security (LES) assessment is to evaluate the influence of land use and human activities on the land ecosystem. Its ultimate objective is to offer decision-making assistance and direction for safeguarding and rejuvenating the well-being and effectiveness of the land ecosystem. However, it is important to note that there are still significant uncertainties associated with current land ecological safety assessments. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation model that combines the strengths of subjective and objective weighting methods. The model is built upon an index system developed using the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework. To verify the level of LES, theThe results of classifying the total ecosystem service valueTotal Ecosystem Service Value are utilized to verify the level of LES. Furthermore, spatial distribution patterns of regional land ecological safety levels are analyzed using statistical techniques, such as Moran’s I, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Kruskal–Wallis H-test. The findings indicate that: (1) theThe evaluation model developed in this paper achieves a validation accuracy of 75.55%, indicating that it provides a more accurate reflection of the level of land ecological safety in the region; (2) The ecological security index is generally safe, with a mean value in the moderate safety range. It experienced a turning point in 2010, showing initial deterioration followed by improvement, mainly due to the transition between unsafe and relatively safe zones. (3) The level of economic development, topography, and urban-–rural structure are significant factors influencing the spatial concentration of LES in the region, ultimately shaping the spatial pattern of LES in the Chengdu Plain region.

Spatial assessment on influence of land use and population density in the achievement score of sustainable development target 11.1

AbstractThe United Nations (U.N.) has declared the present decade a “decade of action” to accelerate the phase of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) endorsed in 2015. These 17 goals are intended to protect the earth's environment, eradicate poverty and inequality, and guarantee that everyone lives in peace, harmony, and prosperity. Target 11.1 for safe and affordable housing from SDG 11: Sustainable cities and community is a crucial target for most developing nations. This target addresses the slums and informal settlements, which indicate inequalities in the urbanized city. The proportion of the population living in slum dwellings and informal settlements was the indicator to measure the achievement level of the target. The study area to assess the target is Tirunelveli City municipal corporation from southern India. The field survey was conducted in all 55 wards to locate and count the population of slums and informal settlements and to map the spatial variation of target scores among the wards. The spatial assessment was performed by comparing the attributes of population density and land use classes (water, built area, and bare land) with the achievement score of target 11.1 for each ward. With an overall score of 90.08, this city has no significant relation with population density (R2 = 0.07) and relevant land use classes (R2 = 0.05) at the ward level. The spatial tool, weighted mean centre, has concluded that slum settlements appeared randomly and dispersed throughout Tirunelveli without any pattern.

Quantifying the Influences of Land Use and Rainfall Dynamics on Probable Flood Hazard Zoning

Flooding is Pakistan's most common natural hazard, and it is exacerbated by increased rainfall and urbanization. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan flood-prone zones were determined by superimposing six flood parameters in an ArcGIS environment: elevation, slope, rainfall accumulation, land cover, soil geometry, and gap/buffer from water channel. Cellular automata based on artificial neural network (CA-ANN) along QGIS plugin module of Land Use Change Simulations (MOLUSCE) was used for predicting year 2050 land use, with a kappa value of 0.83. The results indicated that of the 75775 km2 land area covered by this research region, 3.37% (2553.62 km2) falls in extremely high risk, 18.44% (13972.91 km2) falls in high risk, 11.26% (8532.27 km2) falls in moderate risk, 0.51% (386.45 km2) falls in low risk, and just 66.42% (50329.76 km2) falls in very low risk areas. In KPK, like in any other place, a multi-criteria flood risk-vulnerability assessment is consequently necessary for preparation and post-hazard planning. Without a doubt, the outcomes reported here are crucial for flood risk assessments and hazard management decision-making.
 Key words: natural disasters; floods; remote sensing; geographic information system, multi-criteria evaluation; weighted overlay. 

Impact of land use on water quality in buffer zones at different scales in the Poyang Lake, middle reaches of the Yangtze River basin

The water quality of Poyang Lake (PYL) is significantly influenced by land use which is a crucial factor that can exhibit complex changes in the environment and can serve as an indicator of the intensity of human activity. Therefore, this study analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of nutrients and investigated the effects of land-use factors on water quality in the PYL during 2016–2019. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Although there was some variation in the accuracy of the water quality inversion models (random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and multiple statistical regression models), they were homogeneous. In particular, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration from band (B) 2 and B2–B10 regression model was more consistent with each other. In contrast, the overall concentration levels from the combined B9/(B2–B4) triple-band regression model were relatively low, with approximately 0.03 mg/L in most areas of PYL. (2) The optimal inversion method varied for different water quality parameters. For instance, RF obtained better inversion of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN), with the fitting coefficient (r2) of 0.78 and 0.81, respectively; SVM had higher accuracy in the inversion of permanganate index (CODMn), with r2 of approximately 0.61; the accuracy of multi-band combined regression model in the inversion of each water quality parameter was at a higher level. (3) The influence of land use on water quality at different scales of buffer zone was different. In general, the correlation between water quality parameters and land use was higher at large spatial scales (1000–5000 m) than at small spatial scales (100 m, 500 m). A common feature of all hydrological stations was the significant negative correlation between crops, buildings, and water quality at all buffer scales. This study is of great practical significance for promoting water environment management and water quality health in the PYL.

Fish Communities of Tropical Headwater Streams Under Multiple Land-use Influence

The intensive development of agricultural activities can be a major threat to the extinction of fish fauna in the tropical headwater streams of Borneo Island. Insufficient information on the influence of multiple land-use on fish communities can lead to failure in preserving ecological buffer zones along stream channels and the loss of aquatic biodiversity. We investigated fish communities of tropical headwater streams in Bau District of Sarawak State that flow through different types of land-uses. It is hypothesised that multiple land-use influent fish diversity and abundance. Fish were sampled at three headwater streams, Sg Bu’un, Sg Dian and Sg Sibomou of Sarawak Kanan River that have multiple land use in the catchment areas. The assessment of land use activities and fish sampling were done once in dry and rainy months. The assessment of land use showed that the distribution of agricultural activities is not consistent across the water catchments of the three headwater streams, which among others could be depending on soil fertility and the interests of the farmers. Oil palm plantation was the major agricultural activity in the catchment of headwater streams. The aboveground biomass varied with the type of land use, size of coverage, and age of the forest or plantation. The fish fauna of the three headwater streams was represented by 25 species in ten families and six orders, which was dominated by the family Cyprinidae. The cyprinids made up 17% of the total individuals with three dominant species are Barbodes sealei, Rasbora cryptica and Oxygaster anomalura. The diversity index of Shannon was significantly different among the three headwater streams. The headwater streams with high coverage of oil palm plantations showed significantly low species richness and high number of individuals. Fish richness and abundance in dry season were significantly lower than rainy season. The less sensitive species such as Systomus rubripinnis, Barbodes sealei, Rasbora cryptica,and Parachela oxygastroides were dominant in three headwater streams in both wet and dry months. The findings of this study may suggest that the width of buffer zone along stream channel could be estimated by integrating size of the major land use in the catchment, precipitation, and management practices of each type of land-use.

The Nexus of Climate Change and Land-use in Kenya

Land as a resource remains a useful in alleviating human risks through provision of food, water, energy and environmental goods/services. There appears to be intertwined relationship between land and climate change, where climate change is perceived as a threat to land, while land and land use remains a major factor in climate change. There are however, few studies that have explored these intricate interrelationships between climate change and land as a nexus approach especially at the local levels. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to bring to light the interconnectedness between land and climate change and land, as well as assesses land impacts on climate change, in Kenya, and further suggests strategies needed to address these issues from a multidimensional perspective in the policy-making process. Scoping review was used to gather data from academic journal articles, book chapters, global databases, national database and conference papers. The objective of scoping reviews is to provide a broad overview of the literature on a specific topic and identify patterns, trends, knowledge clusters, and gaps. The study also obtained secondary data from various sources in the study. The study established that land-use influence climate change through agricultural expansion, urbanization, activities in catchment areas, large scale settlements, deforestation, manufacturing and industrial activities. Climate change then impact the land through reduction in agricultural activities and production, negatives on the forest ecosystems, reducing water resources, as well as detriment to quality of human, animal and plants life. The study concludes that land use change is a major driver of climate change and climate change drives land use activities in a nexus. To further this research, the study recommends ways of exploring land-sensitive approaches to climate change and land use management in a nexus a approach. The nexus approach that allows for the inter-linkages, trade-offs, and synergies existing between climate and land resources need to be developed.

Multi-scale telecoupling effects of land use change on ecosystem services in urban agglomerations --A case study in the middle reaches of Yangtze River urban agglomerations

A systematic understanding of the influences of land use change/land cover change (LUCC) on ecosystem services (ES) is significant for maintaining sustainable development of ecosystems. Previous studies on the effects of LUCC on ES have been discussed at multiple dimensions and scales, but there is still a lack of systematic studies on the influences of LUCC and its telecoupling effects on ES at different spatial scales and in different levels of urban agglomerations from a systemic perspective. Therefore, this paper endeavours to fill in the blanks. On the basis of quantifying the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of LUCC and ES in the middle reaches of Yangtze River urban agglomerations (MRYRUA) and its three major metropolitan areas (C-Z-T metropolitan; Wu-Han Metropolian; Poyang Lake Metropolian), a spatial self-lagging of X model (SLX) based on the gravitational spatial weight matrix is constructed to explore this problem. The results show that the overall land use intensity of the MRYRUA has increased by 0.07% from 1990 to 2020, with the largest increase in the C-Z-T metropolitan area. Carbon fixation, soil conservation, habitat quality and water purification service show different degrees of fluctuation within the three metropolitan areas, with the greatest fluctuation in C-Z-T metropolitan area. At different spatial scales, LUCC and its telecoupling effect have a significantly negative effect on ES, and with the expansion of the scale, the negative effect will be strengthened gradually, while the influences of LUCC and its telecoupling effects on ES differ significantly in different levels of urban agglomerations. This paper can provide a reference for the implementation of differentiated land use and ecological protection policies for different levels of urban agglomerations.

Improvement in the quality of living environment with mixed land use of rural settlements: A case study of 18 villages in Hebei, China

The concept of mixed land use encompasses both land-use diversity and land-use compatibility. However, the negative effects of unreasonable land mixing on the living environment must be considered. In an empirical study of 18 villages in Hebei Province, China, an analytical framework was constructed to investigate the influence of mixed land use in rural settlements on the quality of living environment. The results are as follows: (1) The index of living environment for villages with high and low levels of mixed land use was 0.0194 and 0.0143 in 2010, and 0.0433 and 0.0337 in 2020, respectively. The growth index of living environment for villages with high and low growth rates of mixed land use was 217.16% and 112.07% from 2010 to 2020. (2) Spearman correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the levels (growth rates) of mixed land use and living environment. Additionally, Mann-Whitney U analysis showed that mixed land use can improve the quality of living environment. (3) The land-use diversity had a significant influence on the economy, infrastructure, and governance indicators of living environment. Land-use compatibility had a significant influence on the service indicator. This study indicates that improving the internal structure of rural settlements to optimize its mixed land use is an effective way to promote the comprehensive improvement of living environment.