Land Management Policies Research Articles

Combined Impact of Climate Change and Land Qualities on Winter Wheat Yield in Central Fore-Caucasus: The Long-Term Retrospective Study

Progressing climate change has been increasingly threatening the agricultural sector by compromising the resilience of ecosystems and endangering food security worldwide. Altering patterns of major climatic parameters require the perspectives of agricultural production to be assessed in a holistic way to understand the interactions of climatic and non-climatic factors on crop yield. However, it is difficult to distinguish the direct influence of changing temperature and precipitation on the productivity of crops while simultaneously capturing other contributing factors, such as spatial allocation of agricultural lands, economic conditions of land use, and soil fertility. Wide temporal and spatial fluctuations of climatic impacts substantially complicate the task. In the case of the 170-year retrospective analysis of the winter wheat sector in the south of Russia, this study tackles the challenge by establishing the multiplicative function to estimate crop yields as a long-term result of a combined influence of agricultural output parameters, qualities of soils, and climate variables. It is found that within the climate–land–yield triangle, linkages tighten or weaken depending on the strength of noise effects of economic and social perturbations. Still, the overall pressure of climate change on the cultivation of winter wheat has been aggravating. The inter-territory relocation of areas under crops based on the matching of soil types, precipitation, air temperature, and erodibility of lands is suggested as a climate response option. The approach can be employed as a decision support tool when developing territory-specific land management policies to cope with adverse climate impacts on the winter wheat sector.

Exploring the agricultural landscape diversity-food security nexus: an analysis in two contrasted parklands of Central Senegal

CONTEXTFostering diversity within agricultural systems can substantially contribute to improved food security among smallholder farmers. Agroforestry parklands are diverse agricultural landscapes where trees can provide an array of ecosystem services. Previous studies analyzing the agricultural landscape diversity-food security nexus in agroforestry parklands have only considered tree cover. OBJECTIVEWe propose an original empirical approach that combines the analysis of spatial data on agricultural landscape diversity with agricultural field monitoring and household surveys. These three sources of data were used to scrutinize the direct and indirect contributions of agricultural landscape diversity to food availability and food access. METHODSMillet yield was used as a proxy for food availability, and household food access was approximated using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) indicator. Two contrasted agroforestry parklands of Central Senegal were chosen as case studies. Firstly, we used a Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) algorithm to disentangle the relative contribution of landscape diversity, biophysical and crop management variables in explaining millet yield variability. Secondly, we investigated the pathways linking agricultural landscape diversity to HFIAS using a Correlation Network Analysis (CNA). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe GBM model explained 77% and 84% of millet yield variability for the two parklands, respectively, with landscape diversity variables accounting for 53% and 47% of relative influence. Among the landscape diversity variables, tree species richness and tree density were the most important ones. Millet yield was positively associated with tree density in the Nioro site until a threshold of 5 trees/ha, and with tree species richness in the two sites. The CNA showed that greater tree cover and larger tree patches were moderately correlated with HFIAS. This suggests that tree species with large crown, as it the case for most fruit bearing tree species in the region, are the main species contributing directly to food access. Agricultural landscape diversity contributed mainly indirectly to household food access through an “agroecological pathway”, i.e. by the provision of ecosystem services regulating and supporting crop production. SIGNIFICANCEUsing an integrated landscape approach relying on up-to-date remote sensing data and recent advances in data analysis methods, our study shows that tree species diversity matters as much as the amount of tree cover for the production of food, and it can contribute to improve food security. We bring a more nuanced picture of the contribution of agricultural landscape diversity to food security suggesting that land management policies supporting food security should consider both tree density and tree species diversity to optimize the co-benefits of trees for the different food security dimensions.

Perceptions of Local Inhabitants towards Land Management Systems Used in the Rainforest Area of Ecuador: An Evaluation Based on Visual Rating of the Main Land Use Types

Land management policy and practice affects a wide segment of stakeholders, including the general population of a given area. This study evaluates the perceptions of local inhabitants towards the land management systems used in the rainforest area of Ecuador—namely, unmanaged (natural) forest, managed forest, croplands, and pasturelands. Data collected as ratings on 12 pictures were used to check the aggregated perceptions by developing the relative frequencies of ratings, in order to see how the perception rating data were associated with the types of land management systems depicted by the pictures, and to see whether the four types of land management could be mathematically represented by a clustering solution. A distinctive result was that the natural forests were the most positively rated, while the managed forests were the least positively rated among the respondents. It seems, however, that human intervention was not the landscape-related factor affecting this perception, since croplands and pasturelands also received high ratings. The ratings generated a clear clustering solution only in the case of forest management, indicating three groups: natural forests, managed forests, and the rest of the land management systems. Based on the results of this study, a combination of the four land use systems would balance the expectations of different stakeholders from the area, while also being consistent to some extent with the current diversity in land management systems. However, a more developed system of information propagation would be beneficial to educate the local population with regards to the benefits and drawbacks of different types of land management systems and their distribution.

Impact of landscape pattern change on water-related ecosystem services: Comprehensive analysis based on heterogeneity perspective

The transformation of surface landscapes by human activities is the main driving factor that affects changes in ecosystem functions and ecological processes, significantly influencing the ability of regional water ecosystems to deliver products and services to human society. However, the relationship between landscape heterogeneity and multiple water ecosystem services and the mechanisms of dynamic change remain unclear, posing challenges for managing and enhancing ecosystem services through landscape management decisions. Taking the Zishui basin as an example, this study aimed to clarify the impact of landscape heterogeneity on water-related ecosystem services and relationships by analyzing the relative importance and comprehensive impacts of landscape structure composition and landscape spatial configuration changes on three ecosystem services (water production, soil conservation, and water purification). These services were quantified for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2018 using the InVEST model. Furthermore, quantitative indices were constructed to assess the impact of landscape heterogeneity on water ecosystem services. The results show that annual water yield and soil conservation increased at first and then decreased from 2000 to 2018, with 24.48% and 22.50% overall decreases, respectively. In contrast, the total export of N and P decreased at first and then increased, with 3.65% and 5.18% overall increases, respectively. The contribution indices of landscape pattern changes to water yield, soil conservation, nitrogen export, and phosphorus export were 0.04%–2.02%, 0.08 × 10−2%–0.32 × 10−2%, 13.57%–70.05%, and 11.01%–68.22%, respectively, showing interannual and spatial differences. The impact of landscape pattern change on water-related ecosystem services mainly reflects intensity change, which does not change the dominant relationships. Both landscape composition and configuration have impacts on water-related ecosystem services, but the effects of composition are larger than those of configuration. Among them, the proportions of cultivated land, woodland, and construction land, along with changes in Shannon’s diversity index (SHDI), patch density (PD), and edge density (ED) have obvious influences on water-related ecosystem services and show nonlinear relationships. In summary, the impacts of landscape heterogeneity indicators on water-related ecosystem services have obvious category differences, interannual changes, and spatial differences. This study provides new insight into the driving effects of landscape pattern change on the supply of water-related ecosystem services and will provide a reference for practical land management applications and policy formulation of water ecosystem services.

Can Current Earth Observation Technologies Provide Useful Information on Soil Organic Carbon Stocks for Environmental Land Management Policy?

Earth Observation (EO) techniques could offer a more cost-effective and rapid approach for reliable monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of soil organic carbon (SOC). Here, we analyse the available published literature to assess whether it may be possible to estimate SOC using data from sensors mounted on satellites and airborne systems. This is complemented with research using a series of semi-structured interviews with experts in soil health and policy areas to understand the level of accuracy that is acceptable for MRV approaches for SOC. We also perform a cost-accuracy analysis of the approaches, including the use of EO techniques, for SOC assessment in the context of the new UK Environmental Land Management scheme. We summarise the state-of-the-art EO techniques for SOC assessment and identify 3 themes and 25 key suggestions and concerns for the MRV of SOC from the expert interviews. Notably, over three-quarters of the respondents considered that a ‘validation accuracy’ of 90% or better would be required from EO-based techniques to be acceptable as an effective system for the monitoring and reporting of SOC stocks. The cost-accuracy analysis revealed that a combination of EO technology and in situ sampling has the potential to offer a reliable, cost-effective approach to estimating SOC at a local scale (4 ha), although several challenges remain. We conclude by proposing an MRV framework for SOC that collates and integrates seven criteria for multiple data sources at the appropriate scales.

Vegetated Buffer Zone Restoration Planning in Small Urban Watersheds

Vegetated buffer zones (VBZ) are accepted worldwide as a low impact method to avoid non-point source pollution and restore the balance of river ecosystems. Strongly influenced by industrialization and urbanization, urban river ecology is seriously damaged, and restoration is tricky. This study established a complete buffer zone construction framework suitable for the small urban watershed, and its feasibility is verified in a small watershed in Northern China. First, common plants in the study area were selected to test their ability to purify pollutants, and plant combinations were optimized. Secondly, according to the field investigation, the reference buffer zone was determined, and its sewage interception capacity was tested through a runoff simulation experiment. Then, based on GIS and Phillips time and hydraulic models, the normal buffer width of the study area was obtained; 60 m for mainstream and 40 m for tributaries. By optimizing the vegetation scheme and delimiting an efficient buffer zone, the land occupation can be reduced by 17%. Finally, combined with the characteristics of different river sections, an elaborate VBZ restoration scheme is designed from the aspects of vegetation, planning, and zoning. Generally, this research will provide government and land managers scientific and practical ideas and technologies to formulate a land management policy for urban river buffer zones in order to find a balance between aquatic ecological protection and urban land use planning and optimize the allocation of construction funds.

A Model for the Economic Evaluation of Cultural Ecosystem Services: The Recreational Hunting Function in the Agroforestry Territories of Tuscany (Italy)

Cultural ecosystem services (CESs) are non-material benefits generated by natural and human ecosystems that substantially contribute to human wellbeing. Estimating the monetary value of CESs is challenging because there is no real market for these services and therefore there is no actual market price. This study seeks to define an economic evaluation method for these services, with special reference to a recreational CES that has so far received little discussion: hunting. We conducted an online survey in the province of Siena (Tuscany, Italy). The Consumer Surplus estimate of hunters was made using the travel-cost method with a detailed analysis of the annual expenditure on hunting activities, and a negative binomial statistical regression. The results reflect the nature of hunting activity and show the dynamics that have occurred over recent decades. In fact, whereas hunting used to be strongly connected to the rural world as it was an income supplement for local communities, nowadays it has turned into an elitist and almost exclusively recreational activity. In any case, knowing the economic value of ecosystem services constitutes an essential background for planning effective land management and development policies in the short and long term.

Are soil sealing indicators sufficient to guide urban planning? Insights from an ecosystem services assessment in the Paris metropolitan area

Urban sprawl impacts are critical in the evaluation of planning decisions and often monitored by indicators of soil sealing. In France, these indicators are required by law to be reported in environmental assessments of planning documents. Although monitoring of soil sealing is important to limit environmental impacts, focusing on this sole dimension in urban planning can be reductive. In this paper, we explore to what extent ecosystem services (ES) indicators, measuring the benefits to humans provided by healthy ecosystems, are captured by soil sealing indicators by comparing their temporal and spatial evolutions. Through consulting with urban planning stakeholders, we model and map the spatial and temporal evolutions over a 35 year period of soil sealing and eight priority ES in the Paris metropolitan area (agricultural potential, groundwater recharge, global climate regulation, water quality regulation through nutrient retention, urban heat mitigation, flood mitigation, recreational potential and natural heritage). We highlight the spatial and temporal matches and mismatches between the two types of indicators (ES and soil sealing) and demonstrate that a large part of ES variations are not well captured by soil sealing indicators in time and space (spatial match with the eight ES is only found for 10% of the Paris metropolitan area). This calls for finer, ES-based, diagnosis in land use planning that could usefully illuminate the gains and losses related to land use and land management policies by taking into account the environmental and societal impacts of urban sprawl.

Can Nationally Prescribed Institutional Arrangements Enable Community-Based Conservation? An Analysis of Conservancies and Community Forests in the Zambezi Region of Namibia

Community-based conservation is advocated as an idea that long-term conservation success requires engaging with, providing benefits for, and establishing institutions representing local communities. However, community-based conservation’s efficacy and impact in sustainable resource management varies depending on national natural resource policies and implications for local institutional arrangements. This paper analyses the significance of natural resource management policies and institutional design on the management of common pool resources (CPRs), by comparing Namibian conservancies and community forests. To meet this aim, we reviewed key national policies pertinent to natural resource governance and conducted 28 semi-structured interviews between 2012 and 2013. Key informants included conservancy and community forest staff and committee members, village headmen, NGO coordinators, regional foresters, wildlife officials (wardens), and senior government officials in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. We explored the following questions: how do national natural resource management policies affect the operations of local common pool resource institutions? and how do external factors affect local institutions and community participation in CPRs decision-making? Our results show that a diversity of national policies significantly influenced local institutional arrangements. Formation of conservancies and community forests by communities is not only directly linked with state policies designed to increase wildlife numbers and promote forest growth or improve condition, but also formulated primarily for benefits from and control over natural resources. The often-assumed direct relationship between national policies and local institutional arrangements does not always hold in practice, resulting in institutional mismatch. We aim to advance theoretical and applied discourse on common pool resource governance in social-ecological systems, with implications for sustainable land management policies in Namibia and other landscapes across sub-Saharan Africa.

Impacts of land management and climate change in a developing and socioenvironmental challenging transboundary region

Land-use/cover change is the major cause of terrestrial ecosystem degradation. However, its impacts will be exacerbated due to climate change and population growth, driving agricultural expansion because of higher demand of food and lower agricultural yields in some tropical areas. International strategies aimed to mitigate impacts of climate change and land use-cover change are challenging in developing regions. This study aims to evaluate alternatives to minimize the impacts of these threats under socioeconomic trajectories, in one of the biologically richest regions in Guatemala and Mexico. This study is located at the Usumacinta watershed, a transboundary region that shares a common history, with similar biophysical properties and economic constraints which have led to large land use/cover changes. To understand the impacts on deforestation and carbon emissions of different land-management practices, we developed three scenarios (1): business as usual (BAU), (2) a reducing emissions scenario aimed to reduce deforestation and degradation (REDD+), and (3) zero-deforestation from 2030 onwards based on the international commitments. Our results suggest that by 2050, natural land cover might reduce 22.3 and 12.2% of its extent under the BAU and REDD + scenarios, respectively in comparison with 2012. However, the zero-deforestation scenario shows that by 2050, it would be possible to avoid losing 22.4% of the forested watershed (1.7 million ha) and recover 5.9% (0.4 million hectares) of it. In terms of carbon sequestration, REDD + projects can reduce the carbon losses in natural vegetation, but a zero-deforestation policy can double the carbon sequestration produced by REDD + projects only. This study shows that to reduce the pressures on ecosystems, particularly in regions highly marginalized with significant migration, it is necessary to implement transboundary land-management policies that also integrate poverty alleviation strategies.

Gypsies of the Belarusian Provinces and Land Management Policy at the turn of the 1830s-1840s

At the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, the tsarist government in Russia faced the Gypsy question in the context of implementation of the society homogenization policy. There were campaigns initiated to fight with Gypsy vagrancyduring the 1770s-1810s, the primary target of which was to modernize the Gypsies of the Russian Empire and turn them into a constant component of rural or urban societies. However, despite the repressive tools included, these measures did not effect the desired result. The purpose of the present paper is to study the relationship between the Belarusian Gypsies and the authorities when it came to acquisition of land and set up of arable farms in the late 1830s-early 1840s as part of implementation of the subsequent campaign to turn the Gypsies of Russia into a settled population. The basis of the research were archival materials from the fund of the Second Department of the Ministry of State Property of the Russian State Historical Archive (St. Petersburg). Studying of various historical sources revealed the features of implementation of the decree of Nicholas I (1839) in the Belarusian provinces. Despite the willingness of the local gypsy camps to adopt the sedentary life, they faced various forms of latent chauvinism at the local level: officials sabotaged orders from St. Petersburg; peasants did not want to accept Gypsies into their societies. The article is intended for specialists in the history of the Roma and the national politics in the Russian Empire.

Land classification based on high resolution remote sensing images

Land information is an important information related to the timely adjustment of land management policy, which can significantly improve the efficiency of land management. The traditional land information collection completely depends on field survey of grass-roots personnel, which is not only time-consuming and laborious but also can not guarantee the accuracy of information. With the rapid development of remote sensing technology, using remote sensing image to obtain land information is an important means to conduct land investigation and detect whether crop planting area is up to the standard. At present, the method of artificial neural network (ANN) learning classification has achieved great success in the land classification, but there is still room for improvement in the classification accuracy. In this paper, a new Algorithm is introduced-shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA), the important parameters of ANN are optimized. The traditional traversal method is improved to a combination of global optimization and local optimization, which can effectively reduce the search time, increase the generalization ability of the model and improve the classification accuracy. Through the experiment of remote sensing data of Fengqi town, Luochuan county, Yan’an city, Shaanxi province, it is shown that SFLA can effectively increase the accuracy of ANN in land information classification. It has achieved the paper research goal.

Multi-Step Calibration Approach for SWAT Model Using Soil Moisture and Crop Yields in a Small Agricultural Catchment

The quantitative prediction of hydrological components through hydrological models could serve as a basis for developing better land and water management policies. This study provides a comprehensive step by step modelling approach for a small agricultural watershed using the SWAT model. The watershed is situated in Petzenkirchen in the western part of Lower Austria and has total area of 66 hectares. At present, 87% of the catchment area is arable land, 5% is used as pasture, 6% is forested and 2% is paved. The calibration approach involves a sequential calibration of the model starting from surface runoff, and groundwater flow, followed by crop yields and then soil moisture, and finally total streamflow and sediment yields. Calibration and validation are carried out using the r-package SWATplusR. The impact of each calibration step on sediment yields and total streamflow is evaluated. The results of this approach are compared with those of the conventional model calibration approach, where all the parameters governing various hydrological processes are calibrated simultaneously. Results showed that the model was capable of successfully predicting surface runoff, groundwater flow, soil profile water content, total streamflow and sediment yields with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of greater than 0.75. Crop yields were also well simulated with a percent bias (PBIAS) ranging from −17% to 14%. Surface runoff calibration had the highest impact on streamflow output, improving NSE from 0.39 to 0.77. The step-wise calibration approach performed better for streamflow prediction than the simultaneous calibration approach. The results of this study show that the step-wise calibration approach is more accurate, and provides a better representation of different hydrological components and processes than the simultaneous calibration approach.

Earth Observation for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification within Environmental Land Management Policy

The main aim of the new agricultural scheme, Environmental Land Management, in England is to reward landowners based on their provision of ‘public goods’ while achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero emission by 2050. Earth Observation (EO) satellites appear to offer an unprecedented opportunity in the process of monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of this scheme. In this study, we worked with ecologists to determine the habitat–species relationships for five wildlife species in the Surrey Hills ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB), and this information was used to examine the extent to which EO satellite imagery, particularly very high resolution (VHR) imagery, could be used for habitat assessment, via visual interpretation and automated methods. We show that EO satellite products at 10 m resolution and other geospatial datasets enabled the identification and location of broadly suitable habitat for these species and the use of VHR imagery (at 1–4 m spatial resolution) allowed valuable insights for remote assessment of habitat qualities and quantity. Hence, at a fine scale, we obtained additional habitats such as scrub, hedges, field margins, woodland and tree characteristics, and agricultural practices that offer an effective source of information for sustainable land management. The opportunities and limitations of this study are discussed, and we conclude that there is considerable scope for it to offer valuable information for land management decision-making and as support and evidence for MRV for incentive schemes.

Impact of landscape dynamics and intensities on the ecological land of major cities in Ethiopia

BackgroundUnderstanding the dependence of ecological land and dynamics of the human-nature-coupled landscape is crucial for urban ecosystem resilience. In this study, we characterized and compared the Spatio-temporal responses of ecological land to urban landscape dynamics in Bahir Dar, Addis Ababa, Adama, and Hawassa cities in Ethiopia for the last three decades (1990–2020). Three sets of Landsat satellite images, field observations, and urban land indexes were used to produce landscape maps and geo-spatial data analysis.ResultsThe results showed that in all cities ecological land has had changed intensely during 1990–2020 regarding its quantity, and spatial pattern. Besides, the substantial expansion of built-up ecosystems was manifested at the cost of ecological land. The built-up ecosystem was augmented by 17,341.0 ha (32.16%), 2151.27 ha (19.64%), 2715.21 ha (12.21%), and 2599.65 ha (15.71%) for Addis Ababa, Adama, Bahir Dar, and Hawassa cities respectively from 1990 to 2020 periods. A total of 40.97% of the prolonged built-up area was obtained from urban agricultural land alone. Moreover, urban sprawl is likely to continue, which will be outweighed by the loss of the open space ecosystem. The finding also confirmed the value of land-use intensity (LUI) of Addis Ababa (3.31), Bahir Dar (3.56), Hawassa (4.82), Adama (5.04) was augmented parallel with accelerated growth in the built-up ecosystems. Besides, the Integrated land-use dynamics degree (ILUDD) analysis confirmed that the spatial pattern of ecological land loss significantly consistent with LUI in all cities.ConclusionLand-use intensity (LUI) dynamics pattern was followed by urban ecological land to the multi-complex human-dominance ecosystem with a substantial influence on urban greenery and ecosystem services provides. Thus, in all cities, the implementation of effective ecological land management and urban planning policies are required to ensure economic development and ecosystem resilience.

Regional Aspects of Land Management Policy and Self-governance Opportunities

One of the most important foundations of sustainable economic development is a prudent land management policy, which in turn is complex and addresses the nature of socio-demographic problems. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the importance of self-sufficient agricultural development and food security has become one of the modern challenges, with land as the spatial basis of the economy. The new legislative norms and rules enacted in the country from 2020 require active actions by both the central government and local self-governments. UN studies and recommendations emphasize the importance of complex, multisectoral cooperation and separate the responsibilities of all three levels (center, region, self-government), where elements of duplication must be eliminated and actions taken in full coordination. The axis of the main strategic vision is the central government, its cooperation and activation of the regional factor in terms of assigning coordinating, concentrating functions is extremely interesting, which is unconditionally expressed in terms of efficiency and flexibility of the case. Action in time and space is much more effective than the process of self-regulation. In determining the main directions of the land policy, it is important to outline hierarchically and functionally correctly the responsibilities and obligations of the law enforcers. Morover, the paper outlines the principles of cooperation and coordination, but at the same time emphasizes the importance of fulfilling the exclusive, statutory functions of self-government in terms of targeted and effective use of agricultural land in the country. Determining the market value of land, introducing differentiated taxes and creating a qualitative classification in modern conditions is one of the important challenges. To address these issues, an action software model is presented on the example of Bolnisi Municipality, based on sustainable development, economic Principles of optimization and rationalism, therefore accurately and objectively reflects the real situation. It is noteworthy that the mechanisms for determining the market value of land are created by a system and not an expert opinion brought to the air, the incorrect examples of which have accumulated quite a lot in the country. The approaches and action model proposed in the paper require the introduction of scientific thought and modern innovative systems in terms of quality assessment on the one hand, and on the other hand in terms of objective differentiated tax, because the precise definition of the real picture is the basis for a well-organized systemic-structural reform, which the field unconditionally needs even today. Keywords: Land management policy, market price, local government, agriculture, land balance, soil, optimization.

The Role and Opportunities of the Regional Economy in the Agrarian Sector In Ensuring the Production of Competitive Products

The paper discusses the importance of using the opportunities of the regional economy in the production of competitive agricultural products at the modern stage. The 8-year cycle of declared priority and state protectionism has not substantially changed the situation, the field still needs to bereformed, most of the systemic-structural and organizational-technical issues are unresolved. The importance of the synergistic effect of centrifugal policies is completely ignored. Georgia’s commitments under the Deep and Comprehensive Agreement with the European Union in terms of strengthening, decentralization and deconcentration of self-government, are not actually fulfilled; Therefore, in the current situation, the opportunities of the regional economy are untapped in the country. Accordingly, nowadays the opportunities of the regional economy are unused in the country, initiatives and proposals from the places are not considered at all. The principle of action adopted in the EU countries, which actively use the specific model in governance, is completely ignored. Moreover, all types of stimulus and protectionist policies are implemented only from the center and lack of the full-fledged on-site resource research, understanding the information-analytical reality, the visions of identifying risks and benefits, as well as the initial competitiveness. Solving the issues of territorial arrangement of Georgia, the active use of the opportunities of the regional economy and proper spatial development of the territories give us additional opportunities to solve the existing problems in the field and to ensure the activation of mechanisms for creating the competitive products. The agenda raises the need to address a number of fundamental problems that can be broken down into stages and implemented in the form of targeted action-program modeling. In order to make full use of the regional factor, it is necessary to be directly involved in policy management issues and to offer a microzonal adjusted incentive system, synergistic effect of centrifugal and centrifugal policies, generalization of all local specific problems, situational and contextual analysis, resource research. The role of an active land management policy issues, the establishment of the principles of competitive culture zones and the definition of sectoral-territorial specifics are an incomplete list of topics. Moreover, in order to achieve competitiveness, it is important to highlight the starting advantage, which in this context must beexercised under multilateral responsibility, where both levels of the state hierarchical system will have their own rights and responsibilities. And the structural unit (cooperative, cluster) is fully responsible for ensuring the project-defined outcome. By implementing the regional economic principles, it is possible to consider the economic-commercial, on the one hand, within the framework of the targeted program, and on the other hand, the socio-demographic aspects that underlie the state policy on the development of the sector and the region. In the current situation, the importance of the convergent nature of development and inclusive involvement, which should be the result of a reasonable policy of the state, and it has no alternative in the current situation. Keywords: regional economy, competitive products, involvement of self-governing bodies, decentralization, socio-economic situation, System-structural reform, analytical studies, targeted programs.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Land-Use Changes in Lithuania

The spatially explicit assessment of land use and land-use change patterns can identify critical areas and provide insights to improve land management policies and associated decisions. This study mapped the land uses and land-use changes in Lithuanian municipalities since 1971. Additionally, an analysis was conducted of three shorter periods, corresponding to major national land-use policy epochs. Data on land uses, available from the Lithuanian National Forest Inventory (NFI) and collected on an annual basis with the primary objective of conducting greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and reporting for the land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sectors, were explored. The overall trend in Lithuania during the last five decades has been an increase in the area of forest and built-up land and decrease in the area of producing land, meadow/pasture, wetlands, and other land uses. Nevertheless, the development trends for the proportions of producing land and meadow/pasture changed trajectories several times, and the breakpoints were linked with important dates in Lithuanian history and associated with the reorganization of land management and land-use relations. Global Moran’s I statistic and Anselin Local Moran’s I were used to check for global and local patterns in the distribution of land use in Lithuanian municipalities. The proportions of producing land and pasture/meadow remained spatially autocorrelated during the whole period analysed. Local spatial clusters and outliers were identified for all land-use types used in GHG inventories in the LULUCF sector at all the time points analysed. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to explain the land-use change trends during several historical periods due to differing land management policies, utilizing data from freely available databases as the regressors. The percentage of variance explained by the models ranged from 37 to 65, depending on the land-use type and the period in question.

Land-use modifications and ecological implications over the past 160 years in the central Apennine mountains

ABSTRACT Today’s Mediterranean landscapes result from the interaction between ecosystems and anthropogenic activities. This study aims to assess how the land-use changes between the mid-nineteenth and end of the twentieth century influenced the temporal continuity of the ecosystems in central Apennines (central Italy). Information was acquired from Gregorian cadastral maps, orthophotos and aerial photos (1850, 1954, 1980 and 2010), digitised and georeferenced using QGIS 3.10.1 software. Marked changes in land-use types were found. From 1850 to 1954, grasslands were widely transformed into arable lands, but in the next 60 years they changed again into new grasslands and forests. Forests underwent a slow but continuous expansion from 1850 to 2010. Only a small percentage of the forest and grassland patches (14 and 16%, respectively) have seen ecological continuity. These considerations call attention to temporal continuity of ecosystems, together with the historical dynamism of landscapes, in defining land management and nature conservation policies.

CADASTRAL VALUATION EXPERTISE IMPACT AND QUALITY CONTROL ON THE RUSSIA SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Currently, the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography (MIIGAiK) Economics Department is conducting research in the framework of studying the relationships, the degree and nature and strength of influence and impact in the Russia economic and social development planes and the complex of property relations (including state cadastral valuation, regulatory regulation of valuation activities and land management policy). The study is conducted in stages and consistently on the open sources basis. The purpose of this stage is to study the impact of the examination and quality control of the state cadastral assessment (SCA) on the Russia socio-economic development over the past two decades. The tasks are to collect statistical data on SCA for the last two years, to analyze the effectiveness of SCA quality control, to develop recommendations and suggestions for improving the SCA results.