Land Use Issues Research Articles

Predicting land use and land cover changes for sustainable land management using CA-Markov modelling and GIS techniques

This study addresses the significant issue of rapid land use and land cover (LULC) changes in Lahore District, which is critical for supporting ecological management and sustainable land-use planning. Understanding these changes is crucial for mitigating adverse environmental impacts and promoting sustainable development. The main goal is to evaluate historical LULC changes from 1994 to 2024 and forecast future trends for 2034 and 2044 utilizing the CA-Markov hybrid model combined with GIS methodologies. Landsat images from various sensors (TM, OLI) were employed for supervised classification, attaining high accuracy (> 90%). Historical LULC changes from 1994 to 2024 were analyzed, revealing significant transformations in Lahore. The build-up area expanded by 359.8 km², indicating rapid urbanization, while vegetation cover decreased by 198.7 km² and barren lands by 158.5 km². Water bodies remained relatively stable during this period. Future LULC trends were projected for 2034 and 2044 using the CA-Markov hybrid model (CA-MHM), which achieved a high prediction accuracy with a kappa coefficient of 0.92. The research indicated significant urban growth at the expense of vegetation and barren land. Future forecasts suggest ongoing urbanization, underscoring the necessity for sustainable land management techniques. This research is a significant framework for urban planners, providing insights that combine development with ecological conservation. The results highlight the necessity of incorporating predictive models into urban policy to promote sustainable development and environmental preservation in quickly changing areas such as Lahore.

Transnational Governance of Soybean Land Use in South America: A Polycentric Approach

Abstract The expansion of soybean cultivation in South America has created substantial economic prosperity but has also raised a series of unsustainable land-use issues. Considering the telecoupling system (a system of socio-ecological interactions between distant places) between South America and its soybean trade partners, transnational governance could play an important role in addressing these issues. To achieve effective governance of this specific telecoupling system, this study applies a polycentric approach to improve the existing transnational governance and identify more suitable governance arrangements. This study first explores the telecoupling system and the existing transnational governance system of soybean land use in South America. It then compares the existing governance system with the polycentric approach to examine the gaps between them. Based on these analyses, suggestions for improving the governance system are provided, including increasing the involvement of major governance centres, improving public-private partnerships, and establishing a knowledge-sharing platform.

Construction of Landscape Ecological Risk Collaborative Management Network in Mountainous Cities—A Case Study of Zhangjiakou

The prevention of ecological risks is a critical determinant influencing sustainable development. Driven by rapid socio-economic development, the ecosystems of mountainous cities within agro-pastoral transition zones are increasingly vulnerable to complex disturbances, constituting a significant threat to sustainable development and human well-being. To help achieve sustainable development, it is essential to conduct research on addressing and mitigating ecological risks from the perspective of collaborative management networks in mountainous cities. Taking Zhangjiakou as the study area, this paper employed the land use transfer matrix and standard deviation ellipse methods to analyze the dynamic land use changes. Additionally, using Fragstats 4,2 to calculate the landscape indices with land use data, this paper evaluated the landscape ecological risk (LER) from 2000 to 2020. Furthermore, the social network analysis (SNA) method was utilized to explore the spatial correlation characteristics of the LER. The findings indicate that: (1) Cultivated land and grassland were the predominant land use types in Zhangjiakou. During 2000–2020, Zhangjiakou experienced significant changes in land use, dominated by the transfer among cultivated land, forestland, and grassland. It indicated that the issue of unstable ecological land use continued to exist. Affected by human activities, construction land showed a consistent upward trend, primarily concentrated in the urban built-up areas and areas along the Jing-Zhang Railway. (2) The LER of Zhangjiakou was predominantly characterized by low risk, medium risk, and high risk levels. In the transitional areas and foothills, the LER was relatively higher. During 2000–2020, Zhangjiakou showed a declining trend of LER. This suggested that the ecological protection policies in Zhangjiakou were effective, leading to an improvement in the local ecological environment. (3) The LER in Zhangjiakou demonstrated a spatial clustering pattern that exhibited an upward trend, which was supported by both spatial autocorrelation and the SNA analysis. In the LER collaborative management network, Xuanhua, Qiaodong, Qiaoxi, Wanquan and Zhangbei consistently upheld pivotal roles. Based on the number of inward and outward connections, 16 counties in Zhangjiakou were classified into four categories and three zones accompanied by corresponding recommendations. The findings of this study can serve as a valuable reference for subsequent landscape pattern optimization and ecological restoration in Zhangjiakou.

Free privatization of land and purchase of plots obtained under the right of permanent use, as methods of realization of land rights: problematic aspects

Realization of rights to land, which are guaranteed by national legislation, primarily by the Constitution of our country, is of great importance in the context of a legal democratic state. Restrictions or violations of guaranteed rights must be minimized and eliminated, which can be done by investigating problematic aspects and «weak spots» in the field of land relations, including the right to obtain ownership of land plots from state and communal lands on a free basis, and in relation to the right to buy out plots obtained on the right of permanent use. Thus, according to Article 13 of the Constitution of Ukraine [1], it is established that the state ensures the protection of the rights of all subjects of ownership and management, the social orientation of the economy. All subjects of property rights are equal before the law. Article 14 of the Constitution of Ukraine stipulates that the right to own land is guaranteed. This right is acquired and exercised by citizens, legal entities and the state exclusively in accordance with the law. The article is devoted to the study of actual and, at the same time, problematic aspects related to the realization of the specified rights to land. The analysis of the current legislation and international experience regarding the acquisition of rights to land plots was carried out, the current judicial practice was analyzed on the issues initiated in the research, and proposals were made to solve the existing problems. The influence of the martial law on the realization of the right to obtain ownership of plots within the framework of free privatization, on the realization of the preferential right to purchase land plots, and on general issues of land use by subjects of law in the field of agribusiness is considered. The main focus of the article is on the search for optimal solutions and ways to solve problems that arise in the context of acquiring land from state and communal arrays, the preferential right to purchase a plot of land, and the purchase of plots by subjects who at one time received plots with the right of permanent ownership. use. According to the content of the article, successively, according to the description of the issues, proposals are put forward regarding the improvement of national legislation, the development of special measures and mechanisms aimed at the protection of land ownership rights.

Вопросы использования и охраны земель в стратегическом планировании недропользования на федеральном уровне

The directions of strategic planning of subsoil use were studied in their intersection with the tasks of land use and protection. Strategic planning documents at the federal level establish the basic provisions for strategic planning in the area. Only a few of them raise issues of land use and protection in connection with the implementation of subsoil use. The author classified such acts. The subsoil users’ actions on land are considered in such acts exclusively from the perspective of protecting the environment and lands as its component. Measures that could help alleviate the problem of timely and unimpeded receipt of lands and land plots for the use of subsoil are not formulated in the selected acts. It is advisable to apply the provisions of strategic planning documents that are more general in content, in particular on the rational and integrated use of natural resources, when determining a position on this issue.

The issue of sustainable land use in Ukraine taking into account the consequences of the war

Aim of the studyThe purpose of the study is to consider the issue of sustainable land use in Ukraine, taking into account the consequences of the war. The legal definition of sustainable land use is currently not sufficiently justified and balanced. In Ukraine today, the paradigm of sustainable (balanced) land use is still being formed, and the Land Policy Strategy for the management of land resources and land use should be based on it.Material and methodsThe method of analysis is used to determine the possibilities of a more rapid development of the socially oriented market economy after the war. This can happen thanks to the deepening of the theoretical foundations of the rational use of land resources (the synthesis method), optimization of the economic, social and ecological components of land use (deduction method), which in turn will contribute to increasing the socio - economic efficiency of the use and reproduction of the productive potential of Ukraine's lands in the post-war period (system approach).Results and conclusionsIt was determined that sustainable (balanced) land use should be understood as a system of organizing the use and protection of land and other natural resources and biodiversity and corresponding land relations corresponding to the relations of social development, in which the optimal relationship between social, ecological and economic factors of land use development is achieved. The essence of the research component of the institutionalization of balanced land use is disclosed. A paradigm of views on sustainable land use is formulated, taking into account the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

Perspectives on progression of transboundary disease, one health and ecosystem health management in the Greater Mekong Subregion and beyond

Livestock production in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) reflects the inefficient smallholder ‘keeper’ system that has been slow to adapt to the rapidly expanding demand for animal protein-sourced foods in the region as urban economies have flourished and food preferences altered. The prolonged surge in demand, with only modest increases in local production, has increased the movement of animals and products into and from the GMS, accompanied by surging risks of transboundary animal disease (TAD) incursions, including the one health (OH) threats of zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance. As a consequence, the region has been subjected to epidemics of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), new strains of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus, with recent incursions of African swine fever (ASF), lumpy skin disease (LSD), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and risks of peste petits ruminants (OPR) occurring in Southeast Asia (SEA) and beyond. These incidents reflect inadequate biosecurity, a sustainability issue that was clearly of relevance in the covid-19 pandemic, reflecting ecosystem health (EH) deficits, including land-use issues and unregulated trading in wildlife-sourced and poorly processed foods through the predominant ‘wet markets’. These challenges are increasingly confounded by slow adaption to the impacts of the climate crisis, including flooding, drought, crop failures and hypothermia episodes. The increase in animal and product movements enhances disease transmission risk, yet coincides with emerging concerns of greenhouse-gas emissions (GHGe) from livestock production, especially from large ruminants, as the world attempts to find pathways in managing the climate crisis. Despite the prolonged collaborative efforts of the SEA China FMD program from 1997 to 2023, a recent review confirmed persistent deficits in biosecurity, vaccine resourcing, disease surveillance, engagement of farmers, and national emergency disease-response capacities. A major project is about to fund major improvements in livestock value chains in Cambodia, including more effective biosecurity, surveillance and emergency disease-response capacities for TADs, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and zoonoses. Similarly, a private-sector investment in Laos has developed a more climate-resilient livestock-feeding system that decreases GHGe impacts from ruminant production. These developments are likely to extend beyond both countries and be potentially transformational for the livelihoods of many of the poorest citizens in the region.

Studi kasus Dampak Pembangunan Infrastruktur terhadap Kehidupan Masyarakat Melalui Kacamata Sosiologi: Tanda Tanya Pembangunan Infrastruktur Jalur Kereta Api trans-Sulawesi

This study aims to explore the impact of the trans-Sulawesi railway infrastructure development intervention on people's lives. With a qualitative case study approach, this research will focus on three aspects: economic, social, and environmental, to understand the dynamics of change and community response. In the economic aspect, changes in livelihood, income, and employment opportunities will be examined. Socially, the influence of infrastructure on interaction, cohesion, culture, and local wisdom will be explored. The environment will highlight issues of spatial planning, land use, habitat destruction, and biodiversity threats. The findings are expected to provide a comprehensive understanding of community dynamics in responding to interventions, as well as input for policymakers to design interventions that are more responsive to community needs and aspirations.

Introducing ‘New Cosmopolitanisms’

In May 2023, the editorial board of Cosmopolitan Civil Societies hosted an online conference on ‘New Conceptualisations of Cosmopolitanism’. Discussions were rich and varied, across two days and several panels. The event was an experiment for the journal. This Special Issue is the result. There are ten papers in this Special Issue, falling into three broad fields of debate: four on themes of cosmopolitics, ethnonationalism and the national state; three on aspects of work, gender and cosmopolitan identification; and three on issues of climate action, land use and environmentalism. The editorial introduction seeks to summarise papers and draw out some common themes for wider debate.

Advancing and applying Blue Economy in the African Great Lakes

Abstract The three Great African Lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa) are important for the Blue Economy growth of their riparian nations, providing, fisheries and aquaculture products, drinking water, microclimatic buffering, relatively cheap transport means, tourism, biodiversity, employment, and sources of energy (hydropower and oil). Economic growth comes with a cost in the form of pollution (municipal waste, industrial waste, sedimentation, agricultural run-off, land-use issues, etc.). Investments are required to augment benefits from improved regional collaboration to manage fisheries and aquaculture, restocking of certain fish species, strengthen transport, further develop tourism, and conserve biodiversity. Investments are also required to reduce the negative effects of climate change, invasive species, eutrophication, overfishing, waste disposal, polluting materials, oil spills in case of exploitation, and other threats to the well-being of the riparian populations, the profitability of economic activities and ecology of the lakes and their basins. The present paper reviews the various activities to advance the concept of the Blue Economy and highlights the utility and importance of lake management. There are excellent Blue Economy growth options for the three African Great Lakes.

Agricultural land abandonment and its impact on soil erosion in the Madi Watershed, Gandaki Province, Nepal

Agricultural land abandonment is the crucial issue of land use /land cover change in many parts of the world and it is directly related to soil erosion in the mountain areas. Nepal has also faced heavy agricultural land abandonment from the mountain regions in the last two decades. This study is concerned with agricultural land abandonment and its impact on soil erosion in the Madi Watershed, Gandaki Province of Nepal. This study used high-resolution aerial photography and Google Earth images to map cultivated land and its abandonment in 1995 and 2020. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model has been used to estimate soil erosion. Studies revealed that more than 40% of the agricultural land was abandoned from 1995 to 2020 and there is higher spatial variability of abandonment intensity. High altitude and steeper slope areas have a higher intensity of abandonment than in lower altitude and lower slope gradients. There is a significant impact of abandonment of agricultural land on reducing soil erosion from 1995 to 2020. The average rate of soil erosion was quite high in 1995 but decreased to 51.5 percent in 2020. There are higher rates of reduction in soil erosion at higher altitudes and marginal lands like steeper slopes and the areas having lower solar radiation because of the higher proportion of agricultural land abandonment. Thus, it can be concluded that agricultural land abandonment during the last 25 years significantly impacts soil erosion control in the study area.

МЕХАНІЗМ ДЕРЖАВНОГО РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ПРОЦЕСІВ ЗЕМЛЕКОРИСТУВАННЯ

The article examines the peculiarities of the mechanism of state regulation of land use processes. Groups of social, ecological and economic aspects have been studied. It is emphasized that the regulation of economic processes of land use is impossible without reliable information about the qualitative characteristics of each specific plot, its economic and biological fertility, because ignoring or incorrect assessment of its potential can negate the results of planning, which is one of the main functions of management.
 By the economic aspects of land use, we primarily understand transferability as a property of a land plot, expressed in its ability to be freely alienated or transferred from one person to another in the order of universal legal succession or in another way; forms of ownership and management characterizing legal issues of land use, as well as organizational and technological conditions of agricultural production; the value of land resources as a measure of materialized labor necessary to support sustainable and effective development of agricultural production.
 Selected aspects of land use regulation formed the basis of the structural diagram of the mechanism of state regulation of land use processes presented by us and allow not only to clarify its content, but also directly determine its structure.
 It was determined that in the conditions of market relations, an important place in the system of state regulation of land use began to be assigned to the cadastral assessment of land plots. The content of the use of the land resource potential of the territorial formation is given.
 In the regulation structure, special attention should be paid to the issue of comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the use of land resources and the resulting need for further development of the methodological base for the assessment of land use.
 The key link in the process of state regulation should be the evaluation of the efficiency of land use, which is based on a system of quantitative parameters for the evaluation of the efficiency of the use of land resources.
 Land owners are mainly municipal authorities, enterprises (legal entities), citizens (individuals) or their associations (cooperatives, commercial firms, etc.).
 The denationalization of land ownership and the introduction of private land ownership on this basis, the privatization of land, the introduction of paid land use fundamentally changed the structure and content of land relations in the conditions of village land use, changed the structure, content and principles of planning land resource formations.
 The effective organization of state regulation of economic processes of land use has a significant impact on the process of creating the necessary organizational, territorial, legal and social conditions for full involvement in turnover, increasing the return of each hectare of land while preserving or reproducing soil fertility.

The impact of the hydrological condition of Kashkadarya oasis on the formation of agrolandscapes

The article discusses the hydrological condition of Kashkadarya province, rational use of land resources and factors contributing to the degradation of agroirrigation landscapes due to soil erosion. It also highlights the impact of surface and groundwater on the socio-economic development of the region, as well as geographical and environmental issues of land use in the process of intercropping.

Forest Climate Projects in Russia: Practical Issues of Land Use

Forest Climate Projects in Russia: Practical Issues of Land Use

Issues of agriculture according to the revision of K.K. Palen

The article discusses the issues of the state of agriculture in the Turkestan General Government identified during the audit of the Turkestan General Government by Senator K.K. Palen in 1908-1909. Issues of cotton growing and land use are considered. The article examines the causes of the brewing agrarian conflict on ethnic grounds. The article also draws attention to such important problems for the development of agriculture in the region as the use of technical means and the organization of breeding work in the region. Key words: agriculture, rural management, farming, raw materials, cotton, irrigated lands, grain crops, forests, rainfed lands.

Analysis and management of risks related to TDG in Morocco using the FMEAC approach

Road transport of dangerous goods is the most accidental mode of transport, which can have an impact on the environment, including air pollution, global climate issues of concern, noise pollution, water pollution, accidents, land use and habitat fragmentation. The objective of this study is to manage the risks associated with Moroccan road transport from an environmental point of view while taking into account the collaborative aspect at the level of a logistics chain. In this regard, the use of a problem-solving approach such as FMECA to identify anomalies and malfunctions that may lead to failure. It consists in analysing the failure modes, their effects and their criticality. This approach is based on four main criteria: severity, frequency, non-detection and criticality.

“Canalvoltaico” in Emilia-Romagna, Italy: Assessing Technical, Economic, and Environmental Feasibility of Suspended Photovoltaic Panels over Water Canals

Solar energy has become an increasingly important part of the global energy mix. In Italy, the photovoltaic power installed has grown by 40% since 2015, which raises the issue of land use and occupation. A viable alternative, already experienced in India, is placing solar panels on the top of water canals (Canal-Top—in Italian, “Canalvoltaico”). It is a relatively new and innovative approach to solar energy installation that offers several advantages including the potential to generate renewable energy without occupying additional land, reduce water evaporation from canals, and improve water quality by reducing algae growth. The article explores various Canal-Top solar projects over the world; then, a feasible application in the Italian region “Emilia-Romagna” is discussed, evaluating two potential construction designs. The primary aim is to establish a capital expenditure cost framework, offering reference values currently lacking in the extant literature and industry studies pertaining to Italy. Moreover, the study addresses additional key factors, including water savings, maintenance considerations, and safety implications.

Conceptual foundations for improving ecological and economic mechanisms for development of rural territorial communities

This article is devoted to the conceptual framework for improving environmental and economic mechanisms for development of rural territorial communities, the development of which is an urgent task in the context of constant changes in society and economy. The problem of the interrelation between economic development and environmental protection, as well as the issues of agricultural development and land use are considered. Rural territorial communities are key elements of the agricultural sector and country’s economy as a whole. Their development and effective management of resources require the application of conceptual foundations for the improvement of ecological and economic mechanisms. The article discusses the main approaches to the formation of environmental and economic mechanisms, including the conservation of natural resources, reduction of environmental impact and stimulation of the development of innovative technologies in land use. In particular, the role of innovations in preserving natural resources and reducing environmental impact is discussed, as well as the importance of creating incentives for the development of such technologies in rural communities. The article suggests ways to improve the efficiency of rural management and the development of local self-government. It emphasizes the need to increase the role of civil society in the decision-making process on rural development. In addition, the article addresses the issue of decentralization of rural management and the development of mechanisms that ensure balanced development of the territory and preserve natural resources. The paper identifies the need to develop an effective economic mechanism to support the development of rural communities. This involves the implementation of regulatory policies that stimulate the development of the agricultural sector and support rural communities. It is also important to provide adequate infrastructure for the development of agriculture and local businesses, including transportation, electricity, and Internet connections.

The Agrarian Question in the Views of N. Kh. Bunge (to the 200th Anniversary of his Birthday)

Introduction. 2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of N. Kh. Bunge, an outstanding Russian scientist, economist, public figure and statesman. His views, especially on the agrarian question, are still poorly understood. The aim of the study is to analyze and evaluate the views of N. Kh. Bunge on the agrarian issue and to reveal their humanistic nature. Materials and Methods. The study used methods of analysis, synthesis, generalizations and axiology, as well as historical-retrospective, historical-genetic and hermeneutical, program-targeted and structural-functional methods for studying problematic issues in the history of economic science. The study is based on primary sources: the writings of N. Kh. Bunge himself and the works of his contemporaries. Results. Among the most significant ideas in the field of posing and solving the agrarian issue of N. Kh. Bunge, his approaches to the issues of land ownership and land use, migration (settlement) processes, the development of peasant self-government, the development of rental, tax and financial-credit relations are identified and disclosed. The multidimensional and at the same time contradictory nature of the views of N. Kh. Bunge in matters of domestic economic policy were revealed. The conclusion is made about the humanistic orientation of the scientific heritage of the scientist and the need for its further more detailed study in the context of a new social reality. Discussion and Conclusion. Specific approaches of Russian historiography to the study of the works of N. Kh. Bunge in the pre-revolutionary period (A. N. Zak, I. I. Levin, A. A. Mikulin, M. N. Sobolev, M. I. Tugan-Baranovsky and others) and the growing interest in his political and economic views in the 21st century. An assessment is given to the debatable thesis about the characterization of the views of N. Kh. Bunge as being “between historicism and liberalism” (J. Zweinert).

Efficient and Sustainable Land Use in Logistics Through Cooperation: A Literature Review and Empirical Research

In recent years, the issue of land consumption or land use has become increasingly important in many areas of our society. Logistics processes in particular take up a lot of space and have a significant impact on the environment. The question is how this use of land can be optimised. Based on a systematic literature review and interviews with experts in the period between May 2021 and July 2021, this paper presents indicators that constitute or influence space-efficient logistics in the context of cooperation. The results show that in addition to the established cooperation characteristics, there are other indicators that are directly related to land use. In the logistics sector, there is strong competitive pressure and, as a result, little trust between companies. It has been shown that with the help of a neutral moderator, the gap between trusting, land-efficient cooperation and one’s own entrepreneurial interests can be narrowed, and cooperation can be profitable for all participants. In addition, digitisation actually does not seem to be sufficient to meet the information needs of a cooperation. The exchange of information not only serves to automate processes, but also makes cooperation more transparent. It shows that legal and municipal requirements need to be developed. It also becomes clear that the indicators have a mutual influence on each other and cannot be considered in isolation when it comes to the actual implementation of a cooperation. By increasing the efficiency of cooperative processes and value creation, it offers the opportunity to make land use more sustainable.