Land Use Capability Research Articles

An evaluation of land-use capability using the LESA method coupled with geostatistics in a GIS environment

An evaluation of land-use capability using the LESA method coupled with geostatistics in a GIS environment

Changes in Land Use and Land Cover of Düzce Province (1990-2018)

In the present study, the land use and land cover (LU/LC) of Düzce province, belonging to the years 1990, 2000, and 2018, were examined in the Western Section of the Black Sea Region. According to the data that we have used from the CORINE database, 7 LU/LC classes were defined; artificial, agricultural, transitional vegetation, pasture, wetland, woodlands and other areas. In this context, the changes have been occurred in the area (km2 ) in LU/LC during the 28 years from 1990 to 2018 and discussed the reasons for these changes. Also, in the study, it was revealed on which lands the changes in LU/LC were concentrated using ArcGIS 10.4 and TerrSet programs. Attempts have been made to contribute to the sustainable and efficient use of the land by associating the changes in the LU/LC of Düzce province with soil-cover, land-use capability, climate, and population characteristics. It has been noticed that a significant part of the artificial areas, which are in continuous development, has expanded towards the agricultural lands. Also, it was determined that the area that LC/ LU expanded the most was agriculture, and the places where LC/LU decerased its area the most were forest areas. Therefore, we have revealed that the major reason for the negative change in the forest lands is the expansion of agricultural areas.

Progressing the consideration of indigenous biodiversity in farm planning processes in New Zealand

ABSTRACT Farm planning processes have long been based on land evaluation, and although this analysis conceptually includes other biotic and abiotic factors beyond just land, they have typically focused on soils and land-use capability. The need to broaden this scope to more explicitly include biodiversity, ecosystem service provision, and sustainability considerations has been internationally recognised. Indigenous terrestrial and aquatic features represent a considerable asset to the farm system yet, to date, farm planning processes in New Zealand have largely failed to account for this natural capital stock and its contribution to the current or future business. Substantial knowledge gaps and lack of empirical data across many biodiversity metrics, limited institutional capacity, and lack of investment and on-going costs, are all factors contributing to the lack of integration of biodiversity considerations in farm planning processes. The net effect is the on-going depletion and degradation of indigenous biodiversity on-farm. We do, however, have an existing mechanism, in the form of ‘whole farm plans’, that could be utilised to integrate biodiversity natural capital and its management into farm planning and we illustrate the feasibility of this approach using a case study from the Waikato Region.

Cumulative effects of fragmentation and development on highly productive land in New Zealand

ABSTRACT Land fragmentation is a growing issue in New Zealand, however, no consistent or regular national monitoring has been established. A methodology for assessing land fragmentation was applied nationally for the first time, revealing that the greatest proportion of fragmentation occurred on land used for diffuse rural residence (>0.40 to ≤2.0 ha) and small parcels (>2.0 to ≤8.0 ha) with a 128% and 73% increase, respectively, between 2002 and 2019. In New Zealand, the most highly productive land (Land Use Capability (LUC) class 1, 2 and 3) is most impacted by continued fragmentation with 38%, 28% and 17% of baseline area, respectively, occupied by medium sized parcels or smaller (≤40.0 ha) with a dwelling in 2019. Impacts were greatest for Auckland with 40%, 44% and 25% of the region’s LUC 1, 2 and 3 land, respectively, occupied by small sized parcels or smaller with a dwelling, increasing to 64%, 67% and 47%, respectively, when including parcels ≤ 40.0 ha. Protection of LUC class 1 and 2 land, particularly, requires national attention. This metric provides an opportunity to evaluate land fragmentation and development over time that could serve both the assessment of policy performance and environmental reporting at national and regional levels.

A Comparison of Approaches to Regional Land-Use Capability Analysis for Agricultural Land-Planning

Smallholder agriculture is a major source of income and food for developing nations. With more frequent drought and increasing scarcity of arable land, more accurate land-use planning tools are needed to allocate land resources to support regional agricultural activity. To address this need, we created Land Capability Classification (LCC) system maps using data from two digital soil maps, which were compared with measurements from 1305 field sites in the Dosso region of Niger. Based on these, we developed 250 m gridded maps of LCC values across the region. Across the region, land is severely limited for agricultural use because of low available water-holding capacity (AWC) that limits dry season agricultural potential, especially without irrigation, and requires more frequent irrigation where supplemental water is available. If the AWC limitation is removed in the LCC algorithm (i.e., simulating the use of sufficient irrigation or a much higher and more evenly distributed rainfall), the dominant limitations become less severe and more spatially varied. Finally, we used additional soil fertility data from the field samples to illustrate the value of collecting contemporary data for dynamic soil properties that are critical for crop production, including soil organic carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen.

Suitable site selection for pistachio (Pistacia vera) by using GIS and multi-criteria decision analyses (a case study in Turkey)

Efficient use of natural resources is only possible with rational management techniques. Land is one of the most important natural resources so it should be managed in accordance with its capabilities, properties and capacities for sustainable use. Land is, however, finite in extent. The combination of population growth and the growing need for land for non-agricultural purposes increases the pressure on competition for land. Therefore, land evaluation and land-use planning are becoming major issues for future use of it. The aim of this study is to determine suitable sites for pistachio (Pistacia vera) cultivation by using basic soil properties, climatic data, elevation conditions, geographical information system (GIS) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in the Gulf of Edremit region-NW Turkey. In this study, literature and expert opinions were used to determine the requirements for pistachio cultivation. In the study, land-use capability classes, soil depth, soil limiting factors (drainage and salinity), mean temperature and critical period mean minimum temperature data for April and May, elevation and aspect data were used. An analytical hierarchical process was used to assign weights to the land characteristics used in the study. All data were transferred to GIS for further analyses. With overlay analysis, suitable sites for pistachio cultivation were determined. Suitability classes were reclassified according to the FAO (A framework for land evaluation, vol 22. International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement, p 87, 1977) framework. As a result, it was determined that in the Gulf of Edremit region 27,898 ha area is highly suitable, 8409 ha land is moderately suitable, 12,172 ha land is marginally suitable and 247,623 ha is not suitable for pistachio cultivation. The proposed methodology enabled the selection of suitable sites for pistachio cultivation for the first time by using GIS and MCDA. Soil and land are the basic natural and almost non-renewable resources for agriculture and other uses. The management of natural resources is a prerequisite for economic development and protection of the environment. For conserving precious natural soil resources, countries must have set up national land policy. The physical plans and land suitability analyses such as proposed in this study can help the protection of the environment and to assist for future land-use policies.

Eighty years of urban development in New Zealand: impacts of economic and natural factors

We analyse impacts of economic and other factors on long-run urban growth in New Zealand. Growing cities must have preferred attributes (such as natural characteristics, social amenities and transport infrastructures) relative to other cities. We outline a theoretical model that includes distance-related effects on individual utility and thence population location. We test the model over 1926 to 2006 across 56 New Zealand towns using instruments dating from 1880 to deal with potential endogeneity. Three factors – land-use capability, sunshine hours and proximity to Auckland – are found to influence settlements’ long-run population growth. In addition, the proportion of population that is Māori is negatively correlated with population growth over the second half of the sample period. Supplementary evidence suggests that this variable relates to the importance of human capital for the growth of settlements over recent decades.

Applicability of the ‘Recommendations for Sustainable Land Use’ Method for Brazilian Tropical Soils

The current demand for the preservation of natural resources and biodiversity has led to the need to adjust agricultural activities according to land-use capability. One method, the ‘Recommendations for Sustainable Land Use’, aims to overcome the limitations of the diverse systems currently available for evaluating agricultural land capability. The aim of this work was to critically analyze the application of this method for tropical soils (Plinthosols and Planosols). The evaluation occurred in two phases: the first with application of the method, and the second analyzing whether the land-use recommendations were appropriate for the edaphic and landscape characteristics. We found that corrections to the methodology are needed to facilitate comprehension by the user. The suitability of classes of Plinthosols and Planosols should be adjusted with the incorporation of indicators associated with the presence of plinthite, and the improvement of indicators related to salinity and sodicity. With these adjustments, the ‘Recommendations for Sustainable Land Use’ method will be an important tool for the conservation of environmental resources such as soil and water.

Aplikasi Penginderan Jauh dan Sig Untuk Penetapan Tingkat Kemampuan Penggunaan Lahan (KPL) (Studi Kasus di DAS Nawagaon Maskara, Saharanpur-India)

The land that was increasingly crowded resulting from the inhabitants’s speeding-up pressure, required the utilisation of the land to be as efficient and as effectively as possible. For this matter must be known by the LUC (Land Use Capability) class respectively the unit of the land management, so as to be known as early as possible the obstacle factor from the land and could be done by the utilisation of the land as optimally as possible. The implementation of the LUC determination must be carried out a stage for the sake of a stage by counting LUC respectively the main factor, so as to be received by LUC-Soil, LUC-Erosion, and LUC-Slope. The next one of the three of this LUC were just counted by the value of the maximum to appoint LUC Final. LUC-Slope by being based on the Wischmeier and Smith (1978), LUC-Erosion was counted by using the quantitative MMF erosion formula (Morgan, Morgan, and Finney), and LUC-Soil by gathering the physical data the field took the form of the texture data of the land, drainage, solum and the percentage of the rock in the surface. LUC-Erosion and LUC-Soil were received by 5 LUC classes (I, II, III, IV, IV, and VI), whereas LUC-Slope was received by 7 LUC classes all of them except the V. LUC I class until IV were recommended for the agricultural crop and LUC V until VIII for the forestry crop. From 11 of Sub Watershed LUC VIII was expanded 107.54 ha to Sub Watershed Sarbar Rao and narrowest to Sub Watershed Maskara Rao (0.12 ha). On the other hand for LUC II was expanded to Sub Watershed Nawagaon Rao (1136.8 ha) and narrowest (1.51 ha) to Sub Watershed Shakumbari Rao. The location of the research in Sub Watershed Nawagaon Rao Mascara the Saharanpur city, India, with the location goegrafis from 30 o 09’ 00" N - 30o 21’ 00" N and longitude 77 o 34’ 00" E - 77 o 51’ 00" E, widely the Watershed whole 205.94 km2 or 20594.49 ha. The analysis of the image satelit with IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) LISS IV in January 2005, the analysis of three dimensions with DEM SRTM, and the map of the topography of the sheet 53 F/11, 53 F/12, 53 F/15 and 53 F/16. The aim of the research of determining the LUC class by counting each one of LUC-Soil, LUC-Erosion, and LUC-Slope. The use of the land in the Nawagaon Maskara Rao Watershed in part: Wheat super (969,26), normal Wheat (2753.7 ha), the Orchard (2103.2 ha), the Forest was rather close (3930.5 ha), the Forest was open (3352.1 ha), Scrub (168.62 ha), Brush rocky (658.56 ha), and Open land (1814.8 ha). Was based on results of this research recomendation for LUC VIII was only for the protected forest that might not be touched or produced.

Issues in using Land Use Capability class to set nitrogen leaching limits in moisture-deficient areas—a South Island case study

ABSTRACTIn setting catchment nutrient limits aimed at meeting water quality objectives, some regional councils have adopted or are considering a natural capital approach to set farm-scale nutrient discharge allowances, whereby soils with a higher natural capital are given a higher discharge allowance. Land Use Capability (LUC) classes have been adopted as a proxy for natural capital. We examine the suitability of LUC for this purpose and identify issues that should be considered when using LUC in the context of a natural-capital-based approach to set nutrient limits, particularly in moisture-deficient areas where irrigation is becoming a major management tool, such as in Canterbury. The main issues are that LUC classes 1–4 are assessed on arable suitability not pastoral suitability, the high variability of pastoral productivity within an LUC class, and the limited correlation of LUC class with nitrogen losses. We propose some modifications to the LUC-based approach to address these issues.

Linking Land Use Capability classes and APSIM to estimate pasture growth for regional land use planning

Investigation of land-use and management changes at regional scales require the linkage of farm-system models with land-resource information, which for pastoral systems includes forage supply. The New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI) and associated Land Use Capability (LUC) database include estimates of the potential stock-carrying capacity across the country, which can be used to derive estimates of average annual pasture yields. Farm system models and decision support tools, however, require information on the seasonal patterns of pasture growth. To generate such pasture growth curves (PGCs), the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) was used, with generic soil profiles based on descriptions of LUC classes, to generate PGCs for three regions of New Zealand. Simulated annual pasture yields were similar to the estimates of annual potential pasture yield in the NZLRI spatial database, and they provided information on inter-annual variability. Simulated PGCs generally agreed well with measured long-term patterns of seasonal pasture growth. The approach can be used to obtain spatially discrete estimates of seasonal pasture growth patterns across New Zealand for use in farm system models and for assessing the impact of management practices and climate change on the regional sustainability.

Sustaining the productivity of New Zealand's hill country - A land manager's view

Key message summary • Farm plans have been an integral part of assisting landowners to manage eroding hill country in the Wellington region • Land Use Capability (LUC) mapping is a key tool in prioritising investment in erosion control and land development programmes • Improving pasture production and management on LUC Class 6 land provides a great opportunity in sustain the productivity of our hill country • Alternatives land uses such as forestry and manuka can provide increased returns from marginal pasture land.

Infrastructure's Long-Lived Impact on Urban Development: Theory and Empirics

We analyse impacts that infrastructure provision and other factors have on long run urban growth. Reflecting spatial equilibrium insights, growing cities have preferred attributes relative to other cities. These attributes may include natural characteristics, social amenities and transport infrastructure that have productive and/or amenity value. We outline a theoretical model that includes distance-related effects on individual utility and thence population location, and we test this model using historical data covering 1926 to 2006 across 56 New Zealand towns. Instruments dating back to 1880 are used to deal with potential endogeneity issues, and we use spatial-econometrics techniques to test for spatial spillovers between cities. Our analysis shows that four dominant factors have impacted positively on urban growth, especially since 1966: nearby land-use capability, human capital, sunshine hours and proximity to the country’s dominant city, Auckland.

Deriving pasture growth patterns for Land Use Capability Classes in different regions of New Zealand

Abstract Farm system models are increasingly being used to assess the implications of land use and practice changes on profitability and environmental impacts. Exploring implications beyond individual farms requires the linkage of such models to land resource information, which for pastoral systems includes forage supply. The New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (LRI) and associated Land Use Capability (LUC) database includes estimates of the potential stock carrying capacity across the country, which can be used to derive annual, but not seasonal, patterns of pasture growth. The Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) was used, with generic soil profiles based on descriptions of LUC classes, to generate pasture growth curves (PGCs) in three regions of the country. The simulated pasture yields were similar to the estimates in the LRI spatial database, and varied with LUC Class within and across regions. The simulated PGCs also agreed well with measured data. The approach can be used to obtain spatially discrete estimates of seasonal pasture growth patterns across New Zealand, enabling investigation of land use and management changes at regional scales. Key words: APSIM modelling, pasture growth curve (PGC), year to year variability, farm system analysis

Sensible Farming on Sensitive and Steep Land - A Catchment Management Approach in Tauranga Harbour

Sedimentation of Tauranga Harbour was identified as the top environment issue in a 2006 environmental report. Research has indicated that 63.7% of the sediment yield from the 98 641 hectares of contributing catchments of the southern harbour was from pasture that covers only 34.7% of the catchment area. Bay of Plenty Regional Council has developed and implemented a catchment management framework to work alongside farmers and the rural community to address the issue. The approach involved firstly gaining accurate data, including modelling sediment movement and accurately "ground-truthing" 2190 km of waterways in 28 subcatchments. It included data analysis for Land Use Capability (LUC), erosion risk, land cover, existing protection status of land, as well as developing an effective communications plan to engage landowners. A perception survey was also undertaken to determine what farmers understood of their environmental responsibility and what the drivers for change were. Council now has a much better understanding of land cover, current land use, the community concerns and their knowledge of issues in Tauranga Harbour. This has enabled a more focused catchment management approach and better use of funds to support riparian protection and land use change. Keywords: Catchment, sedimentation, riparian, erosion

Intensification of New Zealand beef farming systems

This study used whole-farm management, nutrient budgeting/greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and feed formulation computer tools to determine the production, environmental and financial implications of intensifying the beef production of typical New Zealand (NZ) sheep and beef farming systems. Two methods of intensification, feeding maize silage (MS) or applying nitrogen (N) fertiliser, were implemented on two farm types differing in the proportions of cultivatable land to hill land (25% vs. 75% hill). In addition, the consequences of intensification by incorporating a beef feedlot (FL) into each of the farm types were also examined. Feeding MS or applying N fertiliser substantially increased the amount of beef produced per ha. Intensifying production was also associated with increased total N leaching and GHG emissions although there were differences between the methods of intensification. Feeding MS resulted in lower environmental impacts than applying N even after taking into account the land to grow the maize for silage. Based on 2007/08 prices, typical NZ sheep and beef farms were making a financial loss and neither method of intensification increased profitability with the exception of small annual applications of N, especially to the 75% hill farm. These small annual additions of N fertiliser (<50 kg N/ha/yr applied in autumn and late winter) resulted in only small increases in annual N leaching (from 11 to 14 kg N/ha) and GHG emissions (from 3280 to 4000 kg CO 2 equivalents/ha). Limited N applications were particularly beneficial to 75% hill farms because small increases in winter carrying capacity resulted in relatively large increases in the utilisation of pasture growth during spring and summer than the 25% hill farms. Intensification by incorporating a beef feedlot reduced environmental emissions per kg of beef produced but considerably decreased profitability due to higher capital, depreciation and labour costs. The lower land-use capability farm type (75% hill) was able to intensify beef production to a proportionally greater extent than the higher land-use capability farm (25% hill) because of greater potential to increase pasture utilisation associated with a lower initial farming intensity and inherent constraints in the pattern of pasture supply.

Impacts of intensification of pastoral agriculture on soils: Current and emerging challenges and implications for future land uses

It is widely believed that New Zealand is blessed with large areas of versatile and élite soils, but the reality is that more than 65% of New Zealand's soils have some physical limitation to their use for pastoral agriculture. Failure to build this constraint into farm-system designs compromises the current production base, ongoing production gains and, increasingly, the wider environment in which we live. Pastoral agriculture is placing mounting pressure on soil pore structure and function, a key attribute that governs a wide range of soil services and ecosystem functions. Combatting accelerated soil erosion in hill land, soil compaction on flat and rolling landscapes, emissions from land to air and water and increasing competition from other land uses are issues that will shape the future of the pastoral industry. Pastoral agriculture will continue to be the dominant land use in hill land. The same cannot be said of lowland, where animals might be seen less as they spend more time on feed pads or indoors, or not seen at all as the animals have been replaced by fodder and grain crops. In keeping with the concept of matching land use to inherent land-use capability, production technologies which are employed to lift production must be matched by technologies to mitigate the additional emissions to air and water. As we seek to produce beyond current ceilings, consideration needs to be given to the suitability of some soils for intensification.

CAP_USO: Um sistema especialista para determinação da capacidade de uso da terra

The objective of this paper was to develop an expert system (CAP_USO) to determine the land use capability in order to aid and speed up the decision-making process in land use planning. The system was developed by using CLIPS (C Language Integrated Production System), an expert system designed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). The slope and twelve other factors that limit the land use were considered in order to determine the land capability. The validation of the system showed that the CAP_USO was rigorous to determine the land capability because it considers the slope and takes into account other factors that present major restrictions to the land use. The technique for expert systems showed to be efficient to determine land capability, which facilitates the manipulation and the processing of the necessary information.

Regional landscape change as a consequence of plantation forestry expansion: an example in the Nelson region, New Zealand

Forestry is expanding in New Zealand and increasingly contributing to the economy. The expansion has also altered the landscape and will continue to do so. In addition, the implementation of the district plan under the Resource Management Act (RMA) 1991 also directly influences the expansion of forestry and the future land-use. Using Nelson region as a case study, the difference in land-use distribution patterns between the mid-1970s and 1990s, and the land-use changes over the 20 years were interpreted. The factors influencing the changes were also examined. Because landscape is mainly changed by human activity, land-use change was considered from an economic perspective. Thus, the productivity, the land-use capability (LUC), and the distance from the city center were considered as well as the physical attributes of the land. The objective was to establish a data set from which future land-use could be predicted. Forest expansion over the period was mainly from shrub or pasture, and horticulture expansion from pasture. Both changes probably were related to the higher returns from forestry and horticulture than from sheep grazing or dairy farming. Based on discriminant analysis, the distance from the city was always the main factor determining the land-use change, which reflects costs and ease of transportation. Conversion to plantation over the 20-year period was closer to the city than conversion to pasture. Since more intensive and higher demand land-use tends to be closer to the city, this means that forestry had priority over pasture during this period. If this tendency continues, it will probably change the regions land-use distribution pattern in the future. The large conversion of shrub to other land-uses over the period is of concern because of risk of reduction in biodiversity and loss of habitat for threatened species. Based on discriminant analysis, the data set in this study was useful for predicting the future land-use.

Water erosion assessment and control in Northern Iraq

The semiarid region of northern Iraq consists of about 12 millions ha of forest, grazing and farmland areas. Water erosion is a serious problem on forest and grazing lands due mainly to land mismanagement. On cropland, conventional farming practices and intensive cropping increased water erosion on marginal land. To assess the damage caused by water erosion in the region, the Universal Soil Loss Equation was used to predict the potential annual soil loss. Present erosion and erosion forms were determined by site visits, remote sensing and from soil survey reports. These information were then compiled in a soil degradation map for the region. The map consists of nine units. Each map unit characterizes potential and present water erosion, erosion forms and a land-use capability index. Overall, about 23% of total land area has slight water erosion. About 22% of total land area which is mostly mountainous land located to the north and northeast of the region has severe water erosion. The rest of the region has a slight to moderate water erosion. An exception are the areas of Sinjar mountain, Adhaim valley and the Hemrin and Makhool mountains where severe rill and gully erosion were identified; these areas form about 8% of total land area in the region. Further land deterioration in the region is expected unless the proper soil conservation measures are implemented.