Land Management Policies Research Articles

Земельна децентралізація як основа фінансової спроможності та сталого розвитку сільських територіальних громад

Земельна децентралізація як основа фінансової спроможності та сталого розвитку сільських територіальних громад

Area-based conservation in the twenty-first century.

Humanity will soon define a new era for nature-one that seeks to transform decades of underwhelming responses to the global biodiversity crisis. Area-based conservation efforts, which include both protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, are likely to extend and diversify. However, persistent shortfalls in ecological representation and management effectiveness diminish the potential role of area-based conservation in stemming biodiversity loss. Here we show how the expansion of protected areas by national governments since 2010 has had limited success in increasing the coverage across different elements of biodiversity (ecoregions, 12,056threatened species, 'Key Biodiversity Areas' and wilderness areas) and ecosystem services (productive fisheries, and carbon services on land and sea). To be more successful after 2020, area-based conservation must contribute more effectively to meeting global biodiversity goals-ranging from preventing extinctions to retaining the most-intact ecosystems-and must better collaborate with the many Indigenous peoples, community groups and private initiatives that are central to the successful conservation of biodiversity. The long-term success of area-based conservation requires parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to secure adequate financing, plan for climate change and make biodiversity conservation a far stronger part of land, water and sea management policies.

Aboriginal heritage as ecological proxy in south-eastern Australia: a Barapa wetland village

ABSTRACT Aboriginal archaeology has a central role to play among the myriad government agencies and professional disciplines involved in land and water management of the Murray River Basin in south-eastern Australia. In this study, we examine managed water flows against the archaeological record which provides secure evidence of how people lived at the Murray River floodplain wetlands before European colonisation. Seasonal residential patterns and economic activities of large populations have been reconstructed using archaeological, environmental, and hydrological information. The result is a picture of people living in large groupings – villages and hamlets – around water bodies that we suggest are ecological ‘hot spots’ within the forest. In identifying the preferred locations of village sites, we present the case for modification of environmental water delivery from large area forest flooding to targeted smaller water bodies that form ecological hot spots throughout the river floodplain landscape. Traditional Aboriginal land use in the form of the distribution of Aboriginal sites can act as an environmental proxy to inform heritage, land and water management policy and practices that seek to restore the health of the Murray River.

Land Use/Land Cover Changes and Their Driving Factors in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau Based on Geographical Detectors and Google Earth Engine: A Case Study in Gannan Prefecture

As an important production base for livestock and a unique ecological zone in China, the northeast Tibetan Plateau has experienced dramatic land use/land cover (LULC) changes with increasing human activities and continuous climate change. However, extensive cloud cover limits the ability of optical remote sensing satellites to monitor accurately LULC changes in this area. To overcome this problem in LULC mapping in the Ganan Prefecture, 2000–2018, we used the dense time stacking of multi-temporal Landsat images and random forest algorithm based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The dynamic trends of LULC changes were analyzed, and geographical detectors quantitatively evaluated the key driving factors of these changes. The results showed that (1) the overall classification accuracy varied between 89.14% and 91.41%, and the kappa values were greater than 86.55%, indicating that the classification results were reliably accurate. (2) The major LULC types in the study area were grassland and forest, and their area accounted for 50% and 25%, respectively. During the study period, the grassland area decreased, while the area of forest land and construction land increased to varying degrees. The land-use intensity presents multi-level intensity, and it was higher in the northeast than that in the southwest. (3) Elevation and population density were the major driving factors of LULC changes, and economic development has also significantly affected LULC. These findings revealed the main factors driving LULC changes in Gannan Prefecture and provided a reference for assisting in the development of sustainable land management and ecological protection policy decisions.

Understanding the impacts of ‘Grain for Green’ land management practice on land greening dynamics over the Loess Plateau of China

Land greening in China is regarded as contributing a great deal to greening of the Earth. The phenomenon is mainly attributed to climate change, arising atmospheric CO2 and ‘Grain for Green’ (GFG) land management policies. However, limited knowledge is known how much land greening is from contributions of the GFG practice. Therefore, the study took the typical region of the GFG practice, the Loess Plateau, as the study area, and used 1982–2015 satellite-observed GIMMS3g normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, ERA-Interim climatic variables (precipitation, temperature and solar radiation) and atmospheric CO2 concentration data with the help of a developed TPRC-based NDVI model to derive GFG-induced NDVI after 1999. Furthermore, this study tracked the spatial-temporal dynamics of GFG-induced NDVI and assessed contributions of the GFG practice to regional vegetation changes. Results showed that satellite-observed NDVI and TPRC-based NDVI both exhibited an increasing spatial pattern from the northwestern to southeastern Loess Plateau, but their greening trends were separately 0.0022 and 0.0009 per year in 1982–2015 (p < 0.05). Note that the satellite-observed greening trend was much steeper with a slope of 0.0056 per year after 2006 (p < 0.05). The subsequent analyses documented that GFG-induced land greening were largely responsible for the steep trend. In space, evident greening patterns began to be observed in the central Loess Plateau from 2006 to 2008, afterwards expanded towards eastern and southwestern Loess Plateau. In 2011–2015, the increase magnitude of GFG-induced land greening in the Loess Plateau averagely accounted for 8.5 % in comparison to estimated TPRC-based NDVI, but in six natural zones were various, ranging from 3.2%–15.7%. In some regions of central Loess Plateau, GFG-induced NDVI contributed even more than 20 % to vegetation increase. This study highlights that land use management contributes more to land greening dynamics over the Loess Plateau compared to climate change and arising atmospheric CO2 concentration. These findings likely provide some valuable information for curbing or enhancing specific-location vegetation changes in future regional land management and planning.

Impact of Land Act of 1995 on Customary, State and Church Lands

The article sets out to examine the concept of customary or traditional land within the context of Zambia’s dual land system that is categorized as: customary/traditional land. In turn, the traditional land is controlled, allocated, and regulated through the Chiefs. Then there is formal land that is owned and controlled by the State through the Commissioner of Lands who works in consultation with the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Ministry of Local Government and its District Councils. The article will thus examine the history of dual land system in Zambia; and will further evaluate the Land Act of 1995, whose purpose was to propose a wave of new land system reforms. The latter was intended to establish a more efficient system of land tenure conversion in Zambia. The article also examines the administration of conversion process of traditional/customary and State land. The article sets out on the premise that without effective tenure conversion policies in administering land, sustainable development in both traditional or customary and State areas will be hampered. To this effect, the issue of boundaries in customary or traditional communities will be discussed as a way of building territorial integrity and land management in customary land, through cadastral surveys that is apparent with the rise in population and demand for market-based activities in rural areas. The article will argue that without clearly defined systems of administration and demarcation of boundaries, between customary/traditional and State/formal lands in Zambia, this process will be prone to more land conflicts hindering socio-economic progress. Hence, the aim of the article is to investigate how the United Church of Zambia’s land has been administered and managed, considering the fact that most of its land is based both in customary/traditional areas that are controlled by the Chiefs and formal or State lands that are largely controlled by the government institutions. The methodology that will be used in or der to examine how the United Church of Zambia manages and administer its land will be qualitative methodology. The article will conclude that there is need for the United Church of Zambia to develop a land management policy that will assist the Church to manage and administer its lands that is both located in the traditional and government areas. Above all, the Church needs to ensure that leasehold conversion that is both customary and traditional authorities through the local Chiefs and the government through its Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, Commissioner of Lands, together with the Ministry of Local Government are legitimately acquired.

Understanding corruption through the analysis of court case content: research note

PurposeThe two main objectives of this project were to advance knowledge about the way corruption and related offences are structured and operate in society and to draw inferences on the efficiency and efficacy of the judicial authorities in handling reported offences with the ultimate goal of improving and effecting control policies.Design/methodology/approachIn this research note the authors attempt to explore the relevance of judicial materials. The authors developed an analytical framework to extract information from court case decisions and analysed 838 court cases on corruption and related offences in Portuguese first instance courts for the period 2004–2008 to map the distribution of corruption and related offences, understand the anatomy of corruption as a criminal offence and learn from the judicial system's capacity to investigate, prosecute and trial reported occurrences.FindingsMost corruption cases took place in the major metropolitan areas, involved municipalities as passive agents and construction companies as active agents and had to do with urban sprawl and land management policies. Court data also allowed the authors to gauge the areas or sectors of activity more exposed to corruption risks. Generally speaking, these tend to be those areas or sectors characterized by high levels of informality and clientelism, high profitability ratios deriving from political decisions, unbalanced supply-demand of decisional goods and services, disorganised and fragmented regulation, low levels of transparency and insufficient or misguided supervision.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework for analysis is replicable in other contexts with minor adjustments. The major limitation is access to court decisions/narratives. This project was developed in partnership with the Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office. This has facilitated access to those materials. For those wishing to use the database, the major limitation is that it covers only the period 2004–2008.Practical implicationsThe court narratives confirm that in cases where the complaint is complemented by documentary, audio, video and photographic evidences collected by special investigative means the subsequent production of proof in court is more effective. The data also suggests that cases reported from inside the organisation where the offence takes place are likelier to reach the trial phase, thus reinforcing the need for diversifying and strengthening reporting mechanisms and procedures and the guarantees to those who are willing to collaborate with the auditing and investigative authorities.Social implicationsThe authors contend that court cases of corruption and related offences yield important and useful policy-oriented information that should not be overlooked by decision-makers when upgrading their efforts to fight corruption.Originality/valueThis research note introduces a novel dataset on corruption court cases in Portugal. The policy significance of this dataset is threefold: (1) it provides decision-makers a more detailed mapping of the volume and distribution of corruption and related offences across the country than that provided by standard judicial statistics; (2) it fosters knowledge on key sociological aspects of the corrupt fact, thus helping decision-makers to understand better the type of actors, objectives, contexts, resources and exchanges involved and (3) it helps to understand the dynamics of judicial proceedings and how certain procedural and institutional features impact on outcomes.

Long‐term trends in the distribution, abundance and impact of native “injurious” weeds

AbstractQuestionsHow can we quantify changes in the distribution and abundance of injurious weed species (Senecio jacobaea,Cirsium vulgare,Cirsium arvense,Rumex obtusifolius,Rumex crispus and Urtica dioica), over long time periods at wide geographical scales? What impact do these species have on plant communities? To what extent are changes driven by anthropogenically induced drivers such as disturbance, eutrophication and management?LocationGreat Britain.MethodsData from national surveys were used to assess changes in the frequency and abundance of selected weed species between 1978 and 2007. This involved novel method development to create indices of change, and to relate changes in distribution and abundance of these species to plant community diversity and inferred changes in resource availability, disturbance and management.ResultsThree of the six weed species became more widespread in GB over this period and all of them increased in abundance (in grasslands, arable habitats, roadsides and streamsides). Patterns were complex and varied by landscape context and habitat type. For most of the species, there were negative relationships between abundance, total plant species richness, grassland, wetland and woodland indicators. Each individual species responds to a different combination of anthropogenic drivers but disturbance, fertility and livestock management significantly influenced most species.ConclusionsThe increase in frequency and abundance of weeds over decades has implications for landscape‐scale plant diversity, fodder yield and livestock health. This includes reductions in plant species richness, loss of valuable habitat specialists and homogenisation of vegetation communities. Increasing land‐use intensity, excessive nutrient input, overgrazing, sward damage, poaching and bare ground in fields and undermanagement or too frequent cutting on linear features may have led to increases in weeds. These weeds do have conservation value so we are not advocating eradication, rather co‐existence, without dominance. Land management policy needs to adapt to benefit biodiversity and agricultural productivity.

Criteria for a systematic approach in the digitalization of horticulture of agricultural enterprise

The analysis of the relevance of the State land policy in the Russian Federation (RF) is given. The perspective of its implementation is shown taking into account the technological policy for land management of “work sites” on an ecological-landscape basis. A way is proposed to optimize the horticultural system in agricultural enterprises using knowledge engineering methods and sustainable development methodology. The purpose of the study is to identify the modern tasks of horticulture in agricultural enterprises, the formation of environmentally friendly industrial landscapes for them, ensuring the effective management of the production of fruit and berry products. In the work, methods of different scientific fields were used that substantiate the knowledge base “garden landscape” of an agricultural enterprise. These include geobotany, phytocenology, biogeocenology, ecology landscape, landscape ecology, environmental engineering and knowledge engineering. These areas are not yet used in the methodology of horticulture and seem to us extremely necessary in accordance with the requirements of modern legislative and regulatory acts of the Russian Federation imposed on the greening and digitalization of fruit and berry production and land use. They were chosen by us not so much for improving the “gardening system” as for engineering and management of environmentally friendly production. To create a knowledge base on the “garden landscape” of an agricultural enterprise, the importance of the ontology of primary bio-, phyto-, eco- and geosystems is substantiated, a system of “transitionstranslations” between them is proposed to prepare the digitalization of horticulture. The development of accounting methods for different types of landscape territorial structures for agro ecological assessment of lands on the catchments of the hydrographic network, agro ecological requirements of crops (varieties) to environmental factors, identification of garden able “primary agro ecologically homogeneous land plots” for the horticultural system, the need for their selection as work sites is recommended . It is proposed to carry out digitalization of horticulture on a new scientific platform, Nature-Industrial Systems (NIS), taking into account the knowledge of the garden landscape and the methodology of a systematic approach to solving the problems of sustainable development, perfection and optimization of the basic technology registers, certification of applied developments, energy control.

Ecology and sustainability of the Inner Mongolian Grassland: Looking back and moving forward

Understanding the ecology and sustainability of the Inner Mongolian Grassland is crucial for improving land management policies in the Mongolian Plateau and beyond. However, a systematic and comprehensive review of the relevant literature is still lacking. This review was intended to: (1) assess the current state of the ecological and sustainability research of the Inner Mongolian Grassland region, and (2) identify critical research topics and challenges for understanding pathways to sustainability of the region. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 2571 English articles indexed in the Web of Science during 1998–2019. Multiple methods, including descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, change point detection, theme mining, and association strength analysis, were combined to analyze the sampled literature. All reviewed studies can be grouped into four types: description of ecological and biogeochemical characteristics of degraded grasslands (type I), the impacts of climate change and human activities on aboveground (type II) and belowground grassland ecosystem functioning (type III), and the impacts of different management strategies on grassland ecosystem services and human well-being (type IV). The number of publications in all four themes has rapidly increased after 2007–2009. The four types of articles were related to each other in terms of the interannual publication consistency. Keyword co-occurrence network analysis showed that climate change and grazing were the major research topics, which are closely related to all other topics. Three perspectives have persisted in the ecology and sustainability research of the Inner Mongolian Grassland: Ecology in the Grassland, Ecology of the Grassland, and Sustainability of the Grassland. Based on the emerging landscape sustainability science framework, the transdisciplinary approach to landscape sustainability diagnostics and landscape planning and design should become a priority in advancing sustainability research of the region.

Environmental factors and human activity as drivers of tree cover and density on the Island of Socotra, Yemen

Socotra Island, in the western Indian Ocean, harbors high biodiversity and endemism and makes up the largest part of the Socotra archipelago UNESCO World Heritage site. Its climatic, pedological, and geomorphological characteristics, together with the long geological isolation and inaccessibility, led to the flourishing of unique tree diversity, with great cultural and ecological value. Lately, trees on Socotra are facing new threats linked to the abandonment of traditional management practices, climate change impacts, and growing human pressure. This study assesses the relative influence of environmental factors and human activity as drivers of tree cover and density, which can be used to support land management policies for the conservation of this key local resource. Tree cover and density were assessed on a total of 3600 plots of 0.5 ha each, laid on a regular grid covering the entire area of the island through Collect Earth, a free open source software tool that allows an augmented visual interpretation of high-resolution satellite images. A total of 770,000 trees, with an average of 2.14 trees/ha, were estimated on the island. The collected data was validated by ground surveys in 26 plots. The relative influence of selected predictors (seven environmental, two anthropic) on tree cover and density was analyzed through logistic and survival regression. Tree cover and density were found to be impacted positively by steeper slopes, higher rainfall, and marked precipitation seasonality and negatively by relatively warmer temperatures and a higher sand content in the soil. Distance of each plot from the nearest road and settlement was calculated and neither of these anthropic predictors emerged as significant, indicating that the limited number of trees present are not currently as affected by anthropic pressure, but, instead, their presence is mostly limited by the harsh climatic and pedological factors. However, as human population and development increase, periods of drought rise, and extreme and random climatic events intensify, these additional stresses on the environment could negatively impact the availability of natural resources in the terrestrial environment. Lastly, potential recommendations to the existing conservation policies and Socotra Conservation Zoning Plan are discussed based on the results.

Noise in bars: analysis of an environmental problem in the city

The problem of noise in bars is critical and it has increased in residential areas where urban development plans often do not consider this kind of pollutant when granting the municipal license for these entertainment venues. Part of the problem is failure in applying specific land management policies to enable peaceful coexistence between entertainment premises and neighbors. This paper presents the results of a noise study in a bar and the neighboring area where dwellers complain about elevated noise that restrain their rest. Within premises equivalent continuous sound level (LAtt) ranged from 77.4-82.9 dB A in at least 50% of measuring time. Concerning the residential area, LAtt ranged from 52.0 -58.0 dB A and occasionally reached maximum levels of 68 -73 dB A. Recorded levels in the residential area do not comply with Mexican law of 50 dB A to guarantee a peaceful atmosphere for residents to rest and enjoy their homes.

Diversified responses to contemporary pressures on sloping agricultural land: Thai farmer’s perception of mountainous landscapes in northern Vietnam

Mountains cover approximately three quarters of the Vietnam, mainly in the north, west, and central parts of the country. Among the 38 ethnic minorities inhabiting the northern mountains of Vietnam, the Thai population is the second largest. Cultural landscapes and traditional agricultural uplands shaped by the Thai have a long history and represent a mosaic of paddy and vegetable fields along rivers and springs, forests and plantations of trees on slopes. This pattern is now changing significantly, which results in a diversification of the fields shaped by Thai farmers. This study deals with understanding the pressures driving the changes, the new state of the upland agriculture, and the way the Thai of the Son Thinh mountain (Yen Bai, Vietnam) respond to sustain their upland farming systems. Land quality indicators (LQIs) are identified using the pressure–state–response (PSR) framework. Sixty completed questionnaires with 65 closed questions each using a five-point Likert scale were collected in 2016. The results show that Thai farmers nowadays apply a wider-scale solutions to deal with the sustainability of agricultural upland on the slopes as compared to a limited number of traditional farming techniques that were used in the past. Climate change hazards (floods, droughts, landslides, extreme cold, and flash floods), the scarcity of irrigation water, and agricultural land put pressure on the slopes. The most noticeable socioeconomic impacts are migration, population growth, and unstable input and output prices. The most considerable changes in the state of the land quality are soil erosion, land degradation, and local cultivation practices. Modifying cultivation options, applying soil conservation practices, improving indigenous techniques, and implementing agricultural land use policies are the most significant responses to modify land use and its pressures. Responses of the Thai farmers on sustainable sloping land use are put in a structural model with a horizontal diversification strategy. Recommendations concern mainstreaming the local indigenous knowledge on agricultural land use, land management policies, and implementing the LQIs based on PSR framework for sustainable land use planning on the slopes in Vietnam.

Reforestation and soil recovery in a Mediterranean mountain environment: Insights into historical geomorphic and vegetation dynamics in the Sila Massif, Calabria, southern Italy

We investigated the genesis and local response of soils in mountain sites of the Sila Massif (Calabria, southern Italy), reforested ca. 60 years ago, and their relationships with geomorphic dynamics and forest stand structure. A multidisciplinary approach is proposed, focused on an often neglected soil profile scale and horizon-wise sampling strategy, and including pedological field observations, physical, chemical, mineralogical analyses, isotope geochemistry including fallout radionuclides (137Cs and 210Pbex), geomorphology, historical documentation of anthropogenic land cover changes, forestry and dendrometric measurements. Reforestation was carried out following extreme land degradation, which took place after forest clearance and field cultivation. Different tree species and soil preparation techniques were used according to site conditions. We focused on the main properties of selected soil profiles and the distribution of some radionuclides, in order to understand the effects of forest stands on hampering soil erosion and promoting novel soil formation, and to evaluate the potential hazard of natural gamma radiation. A comparison with soil profiles developed under naturally regenerated forest and field crops was achieved. The soil profiles in reforested sites showed a poor degree of development and a complex history of reworking processes alternated with soil-formation processes, in line with modern to historical radiocarbon dates increasing downprofile, the presence of buried horizons and 137Cs in the topsoils. Inventory changes obtained for 210Pbex and 137Cs highlight a process of soil stabilization occurred after reforestation, with more efficient effects under Calabrian pine than oak forest, whereas major geomorphic dynamics (erosion and accumulation) were triggered by forest coppicing, thinning and agricultural practices. Our data remark a positive response of the soil ecosystem to reforestation against erosion, trapping mobile material, stabilizing buried soils, promoting humus accumulation leading to new shallow topsoils, and the protective role of forests against anthropogenic and climatic-induced threats. Average values of the annual outdoor effective dose equivalents of gamma-emitting radionuclides calculated for all the soil horizons showed lower values than the population-weighted world’s average, with the exception of the soil profiles under forest stands developed on granite, exceeding this threshold. A deeper comprehension of soil genesis, geomorphic processes, land use and vegetation dynamics in vulnerable ecosystems such as mountain environments represents a fundamental basis for sustainable land management policies.

Development of investment zones in the renewal model for a former industrial city: Case-Study of Chattanooga

The article describes the advanced experience of the USA which have been developing investment zones in modernizing the economy and the planning structure of cities using the example of Chattanooga (Tennessee). The initial state of the economic and social decline of Chattanooga in the early 1980s is described. The results of the analysis of social groups that initiated the process of modernization of the urban economy in the first half of the 1980s are presented. The importance and role of urban planning and new land management policies implemented in Chattanooga are identified. The initial and strategic aspects of the economic growth which have become drivers of the urban development are identified. The role and importance of tourism, new tourist attractions and a new network of natural parks, which became the basis for the tourist flow at the national level, are described. The types of new investment zones are determined and their connection with the development of the planning framework of the city is described.

New spatial analyses of Australian wildfires highlight the need for new fire, resource, and conservation policies

Extensive and recurrent severe wildfires present complex challenges for policy makers. This is highlighted by extensive wildfires around the globe, ranging from western North America and Europe to the Amazon and Arctic, and, most recently, the 2019-2020 fires in eastern Australia. In many jurisdictions, discussions after significant losses of life, property, and vegetation are sometimes conducted in the absence of nuanced debates about key aspects of climate, land, and resource management policy. Improved insights that have significant implications for policies and management can be derived from spatial and temporal analyses of fires. Here, we demonstrate the importance of such analyses using a case study of large-scale, recurrent severe wildfires over the past two decades in the Australian state of Victoria. We overlaid the location of current and past fires with ecosystem types, land use, and conservation values. Our analyses revealed 1) the large spatial extent of current fires, 2) the extensive and frequent reburning of recently and previously fire-damaged areas, 3) the magnitude of resource loss for industries such as timber and pulplog production, and 4) major impacts on high conservation value areas and biodiversity. These analyses contain evidence to support policy reforms that alter the mode of forest management, target the protection of key natural assets including unburnt areas, manage repeatedly damaged and potentially collapsed ecosystems, and expand the conservation estate. Our mapping approach should have applicability to other environments subject to large-scale fires, although the particular details of policy reforms would be jurisdiction, ecosystem, and context specific.

Late-spring frost risk between 1959 and 2017 decreased in North America but increased in Europe and Asia.

Late-spring frosts (LSFs) affect the performance of plants and animals across the world's temperate and boreal zones, but despite their ecological and economic impact on agriculture and forestry, the geographic distribution and evolutionary impact of these frost events are poorly understood. Here, we analyze LSFs between 1959 and 2017 and the resistance strategies of Northern Hemisphere woody species to infer trees' adaptations for minimizing frost damage to their leaves and to forecast forest vulnerability under the ongoing changes in frost frequencies. Trait values on leaf-out and leaf-freezing resistance come from up to 1,500 temperate and boreal woody species cultivated in common gardens. We find that areas in which LSFs are common, such as eastern North America, harbor tree species with cautious (late-leafing) leaf-out strategies. Areas in which LSFs used to be unlikely, such as broad-leaved forests and shrublands in Europe and Asia, instead harbor opportunistic tree species (quickly reacting to warming air temperatures). LSFs in the latter regions are currently increasing, and given species' innate resistance strategies, we estimate that ∼35% of the European and ∼26% of the Asian temperate forest area, but only ∼10% of the North American, will experience increasing late-frost damage in the future. Our findings reveal region-specific changes in the spring-frost risk that can inform decision-making in land management, forestry, agriculture, and insurance policy.

The Approaches from Rural Construction Land Consolidation to Sustainable Rural Land Resource Development

As an important property, rural construction land is related to the fundamental interests of farmers. Since rural construction land has not been efficiently used which affected the sustainable development of rural land resources, this study constructs a theoretical model of farmers’ rural construction land consolidation intention, and designs a questionnaire based on the model. Based on the data analysis, this study provides empirical test and puts forward suggestions for improving present rural construction land management policy system.

Revisiting the Determinants of Pro-Environmental Behaviour to Inform Land Management Policy: A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Model Application

Environmental policies in the realm of land management are increasingly focussing on inducing behavioural change to improve environmental management outcomes. This is based, implicitly or explicitly, on theories that suggest that pro-environmental behaviour can be understood, predicted and altered based on certain factors (referred to as determinants of pro-environmental behaviour). However, studies examining the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour have found mixed evidence. It is therefore important that we revisit these theories to assess if the evidence supports their postulations so that a more robust knowledge base can be established to inform land management policies. In this study, we do this using meta-analytic structural equation modelling (MASEM) to explore whether the evidence on determinants of pro-environmental behaviour supports the postulations of some predominantly applied theories of behaviour and/or behaviour change. The study analyses research in four environmental policy areas to identify implications for land management. Evidence from these related environmental areas is expected to provide insights relevant to the land management literature and to allow us to identify the extent to which lessons on pro-environmental behaviour from these other areas can be transferred to the land management context. Our findings suggest a strong evidence base for the Theories of Planned Behaviour and Reasoned Action, Attitude-Behaviour-Context Model, and the Persuasion Theory, but a weak evidence base for the Value-Belief-Norm Theory and the Norm Activation Model. We also found that type of environmental policy area moderates the relationship between different variables. This has key policy implications since, while lessons can be learnt from other environmental policy areas, land management policies aimed at influencing behaviours will need to be tailored to the specific context rather than simply ‘imported’ from other fields. Such context-specific policies may encourage pro-environmental behaviours, and potentially contribute towards improving environmental management outcomes.

Can process-based modelling and economic valuation of ecosystem services inform land management policy at a catchment scale?

Land produces a range of benefits, from ecosystem services, but markets only incentivise the production of a small proportion of them. The Ecosystem Approach develops plans for moving towards a more optimal mix. This requires stakeholders to understand the value of ecosystem services and how these values change with land-use and management. We investigate whether process-based modelling and economic valuation can help stakeholders to do this. We do this by applying these tools to a plan to improve ecosystem services delivery in a catchment. To be used in decision-support, analytical approaches need to be relatively inexpensive and rapid, and our analysis was deliberately constrained in this way. Two 25-year future scenarios were developed and compared against a baseline scenario. The first Designated Site scenario was based on enhancing the condition of nationally important nature conservation sites. The second, Ecosystem Services scenario, represented implementing the ecosystem services delivery plan. We modelled the change between the scenarios with an internationally recognised process based ecosystem services toolkit (the Land Use Capability Indicator, LUCI tool) and used the model outputs to inform economic valuation methods. Our selection of which ecosystem services to model and value were initially identified through a participatory approach. However those we could quantify was limited by evidence and data availability. We assessed changes in water quality (phosphorus load), sediment generation, carbon storage and flood regulation. We were able to put economic values on only carbon sequestration and flood regulation. Both the modelling results and the experience of applying the linked modelling-valuation approach are examined in the discussion to consider the limitations to the current usefulness of linking process based modelling to economic valuation for informing land management policy. We explore the origin and nature of these limitations and the key bottlenecks that need to be overcome, applicable to its use in other sites, regions and countries. This includes the availability of suitable coefficients and/or underlying data/evidence to parameterise the model, and the compatibility of model outputs with available economic valuation evidence (for value transfer).