Land Planning Process Research Articles

Towards a standardized protocol to assess natural capital and ecosystem services in solar parks

AbstractNatural capital and ecosystem services have emerged as fundamental concepts of ecosystem management strategies in the past two decades, particularly within major international land assessment frameworks, including the UN's Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services' Global Assessment Report.Despite the recent development of several analytical methods and models to quantify changes in natural capital and ecosystem services resulting from land use change, incorporating them into the land planning process can be challenging from a practical point of view without guidance on standard methods.In an attempt to decarbonize energy supply systems to meet internationally agreed targets on climate change, solar energy production, in the form of ground‐mounted solar parks, is emerging as one of the dominant forms of temporary land use for renewable energies globally.We propose 19 directly measurable indicators associated with 16 ecosystem services within three major stocks of natural capital (biodiversity, soil and water) that are most likely to be impacted by the development of solar parks. Indicators are supported by well‐established methods that have been widely used in pure and applied land use research within terrestrial ecosystems. Moreover, they can be implemented flexibly according to interest or land management objectives.Whilst not intended as a precise recipe for how to assess the effects of solar park development on hosting ecosystems, the protocol will guide the solar energy industry and all actors involved, be they researchers, practitioners, ecological consultancies or statutory bodies, to implement a standardized approach to evaluate temporal and spatial changes in natural capital and ecosystem services resulting from solar park development and operation, with the ultimate aim of generating comparable and reproducible data on ecosystem impact assessment across the solar energy sector.

The power of consensus: Developing a community voice in land use planning and tourism development in biodiversity hotspots

In regions rich in natural resources, nature-based tourism is advancing rapidly. This form of development is identified as an important economic opportunity for local communities but can impact ecosystem services through rapid landscape transformation, threatening the livelihoods of the most impoverished sectors of a community. While it is accepted that communities should participate in the planning process, variation in community and household-level landscape dependencies and priorities can create a fractured viewpoint that is difficult to integrate into the land planning process. Power structures and special interests can subvert participatory processes and input at the community level. In the Chobe District, Northern Botswana, tourism, and other related developments had occurred at a rapid pace around the Chobe National Park creating access barriers, in some instances, to essential natural resource areas. We evaluate community landscape dependencies and participatory approaches to the development of inclusive land use maps. Spatial information on land use dependencies from household surveys were used to form the bases of reiterative village-level participatory mapping exercises (n = 179 households, six villages). The activities were conducted through traditional leadership structures. Landscape dependencies were widespread across study villages in both natural resource and agricultural sectors. Cluster and CART analysis of household data identified important variation in landscape dependencies between and within study villages. Fishing was the most important factor predicting gender of headship with male-headed households using this resource more frequently. Spatial data from these household consultations were used to create a draft map that was reiteratively refined through participatory map building exercises until final approval was provided by community members and their traditional leaders in a village. Scaled consultations and involvement of the traditional leadership limited the ability of power structures to control the process and/or subvert the interests of more vulnerable members of a community. Mapping outputs were later successfully used in land planning exercises and consultations. Development of inclusive community consensus on landscape dependencies should be undertaken before lucrative tourism ventures and land allocations are advanced in competition to the needs of more vulnerable and often voiceless sectors of a community.

Prespawning Movements and Spawning Distribution of Sockeye Salmon in an Urbanizing Alaskan Lake

Abstract The efficacy of fish habitat conservation in land planning processes in Alaska is often constrained by the extent of current knowledge of fish distributions and habitat use. In response to requests for information from land and salmon resource management stakeholders regarding Auke Lake sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) status and life history, we examined the prespawning movements and spawning distribution of adult sockeye salmon to provide ecological information needed for Auke Lake watershed management. We used radiotelemetry to track the movements of 80 fish in the Auke Lake watershed during 2012. The prespawning distribution of the fish was not random, indicating five spatially and temporally distinct high-use staging areas within the lake. The Auke Lake sockeye salmon population was dominated by stream-spawning fish (98.5%), with minimal lakeshore spawning (1.5%) observed in association with a small intermittent tributary of the lake. The prespawning distribution patterns identified in this study corroborate observations from Auke Lake 20 y ago, indicating consistent habitat use patterns by sockeye salmon in the lake. Telemetry data also indicate 12% of sockeye salmon expired in Auke Lake without spawning and that 14% of stream-spawning fish were preyed upon by black bear (Usrus americanus). The prespawning and spawning behavior by Auke Lake sockeye salmon suggest that discrete lake staging areas and stream spawning beds are important candidate habitats for protection during the land planning process for shoreline development surrounding the lake.

Esperienze di fuoco prescritto in Italia: un approccio integrato per la prevenzione degli incendi boschivi

Prescribed burning is used in many geographical areas for multiple and integrated objectives (wildfire prevention, habitat conservation, grazing management). In Europe the collaboration between researchers and fire professionals has brought to implement this technique over increasing areas (~104 ha year-1), effectively and efficiently. In Italy prescribed burning has not been much studied and it is rarely applied. A new interest is recently rising. Some Regions particularly threatened by wildfires have updated their legislation and set up procedures to authorize prescribed fire experiments and interventions. From 2004 to 2011 several scientific, operative and training experiences have been carried out at a regional level (Basilicata, Campania, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Piemonte, Sardegna, Toscana). The present paper aims to: (i) document and compare these regional programs; (ii) discuss their frameworks and limitations; (iii) provide information about objectives, prescriptions, methods and results. The study has involved Universities, Forest Corps, Civil Protection, Municipalities, Parks and professionals from Italy and other Countries. Interventions have regarded integrated objectives (fire hazard reduction; habitat conservation; forest and grazing management), and involved several vegetation types (broadleaved and conifer forests; Mediterranean and Continental shrublands; grasslands). Studies on fire behaviour and ecology have helped to set prescriptions for specific objectives and environments. Results have been transferred to professionals through training sessions. Several common elements are outlined: integrated objectives, multidisciplinary character, training and research products. Ecological questions, certification to the use of fire, communication to local communities and the proposal of new studies, are some of the issues outlined in the discussion. The present study is the first review at national level and we hope it will help to deepen the meaning and limitations of a technique which is an effective tool to prevent wildfires when integrated in the forest and land planning process.

Geotechnical input to land use planning in Hong Kong

Abstract The importance of efficient landuse and town planning in Hong Kong has been accentuated in recent years because of the shortage of readily developable natural terrain and the high price of the man-made land which is consequently required to be formed under the adverse conditions of hilly topography, difficult geology and severe rainfall. The allocation of land, for all requirements in the community, is undertaken in Hong Kong by means of a land planning procedure by which boundaries for different classes of landuse are defined and delineated on statutory Outline Zoning Plans while more detailed development proposals and site layouts are shown on Departmental Plans. The paper describes the different types of land planning documents dealt with by the Geotechnical Control Office and discusses the objectives and techniques of geotechnical assessment of these plans. The main geological and geotechnical hazards and constraints faced during land development are also discussed and reference is made to case histories of geotechnical input to specific projects to illustrate the role of engineering geology in the land planning process.

Applied carrying capacity concept for integrating stormwater management and land use planning, a case study: The Kuantu plain of Taipei, Taiwan

The carrying capacity of land resources in terms of hydrologic consequences of land development is the basis of a proposed method for integrating the land planning process with stormwater management. Concepts of natural drainage such as soil moisture storage capacity for rainwater infiltration, and vegetated depressed surface for collecting storm runoff are used as criteria of performance control for ensuring balance between land development and hydrologic processes. A stormwater management model is developed which includes a land program, hydrologic process, and stormwater management techniques to simulate the hydrologic effects of various land development programs, and to estimate their land use performance standards. The model uses the Soil Cover Complex Method developed by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service to compute the hydrologic effects. The land use performance standards incorporated in this research include: pervious areas required, swale area required, and average depth of retention pond. The land characteristics of Kuantu Plain, Taipei, Taiwan are used as a case study to estimate land use performance standards of natural drainage. The model outputs provide useful guidance to help land use planners utilize land resources more efficiently.