Land Use Capacity Research Articles

Theobroma cacao L., land use conflict on the Ecuadorian coast

Cocoa cultivation is one of the sectors that most contributes to Ecuador’s GDP. The aim of this study is to determine the Land-Use Conflict (UC) for cocoa in 71 cities on the coast of Ecuador. Photointerpretation has been applied to locate the crop and geospatial modeling has been used to analyze Land Use Capacity (LUC) criteria, agroecological requirements and LUC at 1:5,000. Of the total study surface area, 4.65% is occupied by cocoa crops and of this value 66.03% is in adequate use (AU) and 33.97% in LUC, and the category of UC over lightly used is the most frequent with 17.25% of the total surface in LUC. In the coastal region, the province of Guayas has the lowest LUC in contrast to Los Rios; the predominant LUC for the crop is Class III 34.32%. The findings show that the LUC of cocoa has a low concordance with the national Agroecological Zoning (AZ), since this model considers the crop in natural conditions, the main limiting factor is the vegetative wet period and does not take into account whether the crop is present in the territory. The use of national AZ information to establish crops could limit their production, since it has been demonstrated that there are cultivated areas that are not in conflict and that are exploited by farmers. This study is replicable to other crops and scalable to any area.

Restructuring agricultural land use in Ukraine. Directions for development

The intensity of agricultural land use in Ukraine was analyzed based on soil quality and the values of the land-use intensity (LUI) index and the land-use capacity (LUC) index. In the administrative districts of Cherkasy region, the LUI index ranged from 0.07 to 1.0, and the LUC index ranged from 0.01 ha per 1000 UAH of gross output to 0.19 ha per 1000 UAH, which points to considerable difference in land-use intensity and agricultural land-use capacity. New approaches should be sought to improve the management and use of agricultural land. Functional land use areas should be restructured, in particular, by implementing non-traditional methods of agricultural land use. The results of the study indicate that land-use functions should be modified over an area of 5,343,900 ha, where 2,049,900 ha should be converted to crop rotations for soil protection, 208,000 ha – to protective forest margins; and 2,878,000 ha – to non-traditional forms of agricultural land use. Motives: The purpose of the article was to propose a methodological approach for assessing the intensity of agricultural land use and to suggest directions for land-use restructuring to improve its ecological status. Aim: In the proposed methodical approach, the intensity of agricultural land use was assessed with the land-use intensity (LUI) index and the land-use capacity (LUC) index. To reduce plowing and increase land-use intensity, the functions of degraded arable land should be modified over an area of 5,343,900 ha, where 2,049,900 ha should be converted to crop rotations for soil protection, 208,000 ha – to protective forest margins; and 2,878,000 ha – to non-traditional forms of agricultural land use. Results: The article substantiates the need to modify the functions of arable land over an area of 5,343,900 ha, where 2,049,900 ha should be converted to crop rotations for soil protection, 208,000 ha – to protective forest margins; and 2,878,000 ha – to non-traditional forms of agricultural land use.

Soil resource, a pending regulatory debt in Chile

Soil is a non-renewable resource on a human scale and highly vulnerable to erosion due to anthropogenic management and the variable effects of climate. In Chile, the lack of a legislative concept for soil and changes in Land Use Capacity (LUCap) have constituted the main facilitating agents of soil erosion. Given the inadequacy of current land regulations, and to guide and contribute to the sustainability of the resource, this study presents a proposal for new land use legislation in Chile. We analyse the current national legislation on changes in the LUCap and compare the current land use in the Claro River sub-basin, Chile, with existing LUCap classes, identifying the legal criteria for establishing a national land use regulation, by comparing with international law from Costa Rica and Spain. We carried out a qualitative review analysis of 20 Chilean land use regulations and a quantitative, multi-temporal analysis of LUCap change in the Claro River sub-basin, using spatial analysis tools (ArcGIS 10.1 and/or QGIS 3.14) in Raster and Vector format. Legislations from Costa Rica and Spain were chosen due to similarities with Chilean environmental regulations. We observed that Chile must introduce a Framework Land Law with principles of protection and sustainability for regulating soil. Deforestation was the main land loss driver (60% of native forest loss) in the study area during the 16-year study period, as well as inadequate agricultural management practices. It is essential to unify legislation, following the example of comparative laws of Spain, with the vision of Costa Rica.

Soil depth and tillage can characterize the soil microbial responses to drying-rewetting

The influence of climate on soil microorganisms governs the input and output fluxes of carbon (C) from soils. The study of the drastic responses to drying-rewetting offers an opportunity to assess an aspect of ‘soil health’ via evaluating the role of microbes in soil biochemistry and C cycling. Recent evidence has consistently shown that communities exposed to extreme moisture fluctuations recurrently can better cope with the stress generated by them and exhibit a ‘resilient’ microbial response after rewetting (fast recovery of microbial communities to the pre-disturbance growth levels), whereas otherwise they show a more ‘sensitive’ response (slow recovery). However, it is still not known if land-use management can alter these responses. In this study, we investigated this issue by performing a drying-rewetting experiment on soil samples from two land-uses (permanent pastures and tilled croplands) and two depths (0–5 cm and 20–30 cm), and measured bacterial growth, fungal growth, and respiration at high temporal resolution. We then derived a series of indicators of soil health based on the characteristics of these microbial responses to drying-rewetting. Results showed categorically different patterns in soils from pastures and croplands, confirming the capacity of land use to change soil functioning. Tillage practices cancelled the stratification in the top 30 cm of soil and increased the exposure and adaptation of soil microorganisms to conditions of water stress, which caused shifts in the microbial responses to drying-rewetting. The sensitive patterns in bacterial growth found in undisturbed pastures were replaced by resilient responses in both shallow and deep croplands. Fungi showed a tendency for faster recoveries in croplands but patterns were consistently resilient in all sites and depths, indicating that fungi were little affected by land-use-induced disturbances. Respiration exhibited resilient-like responses in shallow samples, but in depth, they were sensitive in pastures and resilient in croplands. We also observed an alternated sequence of bacterial and fungal growth over time that suggested competition and different strategies of reactivation after rewetting by the two types of microorganisms.

Ecosystem adaptation to climate change: the sensitivity of hydrological predictions to time-dynamic model parameters

Abstract. Future hydrological behavior in a changing world is typically predicted based on models that are calibrated on past observations, disregarding that hydrological systems and, therefore, model parameters may change as well. In reality, hydrological systems experience almost continuous change over a wide spectrum of temporal and spatial scales. In particular, there is growing evidence that vegetation adapts to changing climatic conditions by adjusting its root zone storage capacity, which is the key parameter of any terrestrial hydrological system. In addition, other species may become dominant, both under natural and anthropogenic influence. In this study, we test the sensitivity of hydrological model predictions to changes in vegetation parameters that reflect ecosystem adaptation to climate and potential land use changes. We propose a top-down approach, which directly uses projected climate data to estimate how vegetation adapts its root zone storage capacity at the catchment scale in response to changes in the magnitude and seasonality of hydro-climatic variables. Additionally, long-term water balance characteristics of different dominant ecosystems are used to predict the hydrological behavior of potential future land use change in a space-for-time exchange. We hypothesize that changes in the predicted hydrological response as a result of 2 K global warming are more pronounced when explicitly considering changes in the subsurface system properties induced by vegetation adaptation to changing environmental conditions. We test our hypothesis in the Meuse basin in four scenarios designed to predict the hydrological response to 2 K global warming in comparison to current-day conditions, using a process-based hydrological model with (a) a stationary system, i.e., no assumed changes in the root zone storage capacity of vegetation and historical land use, (b) an adapted root zone storage capacity in response to a changing climate but with historical land use and (c, d) an adapted root zone storage capacity considering two hypothetical changes in land use. We found that the larger root zone storage capacities (+34 %) in response to a more pronounced climatic seasonality with warmer summers under 2 K global warming result in strong seasonal changes in the hydrological response. More specifically, streamflow and groundwater storage are up to −15 % and −10 % lower in autumn, respectively, due to an up to +14 % higher summer evaporation in the non-stationary scenarios compared to the stationary benchmark scenario. By integrating a time-dynamic representation of changing vegetation properties in hydrological models, we make a potential step towards more reliable hydrological predictions under change.

Methodical approaches of land registration formation of recreational land use of water protection zones and coastal protective strips

Today, in the conditions of transformational transformations, the recreational potential of reservoirs is used only partially, in connection with the priority of development of other branches of activity (health-improving). This is despite the fact that the value of water resources is involved in the processes of all areas of activity. That is why the issue of land management formation of recreational land use of water protection zones and coastal protection strips requires an integrated approach. Which is carried out through the assessment of recreational and tourist potential of territories and settlements to emphasize the characteristics and features that are important in the implementation of recreational activities and have a direct impact on the planning organization of land use. For the purpose of verifying the set of general intelligence, the author schematically presents the concept of "structural components that form the land use of cultural landscapes ". It has been established that in a city, the assessment of the attractiveness of land use of landscapes for recreational activities should determine the originality of recreational land use in accordance with regional and local specifics and landscape diversity. It has been seen that as a result of using various methodological approaches to assessing the recreational potential of land use of the water protection zone and the coastal protection strips, the following should be established: the recreational capacity of land use of the territory; permissible recreational load; recreational digression. In addition, according to the results of the assessment, it is proposed to divide the recreational land use of the territories of water protection zones and coastal protection strips by popularity rating, in particular, with high, medium and low potential values. As an example, the state of recreational potential in Kyiv was considered and it was established that the land management arrangement of the city needs an immediate solution for further development of recreational land use. Also, the author, due to the lack of established boundaries of water protection zones, presents a characteristic of acute social and environmental problems of land use of water bodies in Kyiv. It has been established that if there are restrictions on the use of land and other natural resources, but there is no information about them, then there is a possibility of the occurrence of various types of damage to the land use of water protection zones and coastal strips. That is why, it is proposed to allocate functional land use zones of the coastal protection strips by types of development, which will allow more efficient use of the existing potential of recreational land use of water protection zones and coastal protection strips within Kyiv and its greening and generally increase capitalization. Keywords: recreational land use, water protection zones, coastal protection strips, functional areas

Екологічна потужність системи землекористування як визначальний чинник її продуктивності

Abstract. The ability of the economic system to meet the growing needs of society without losing natural resources or significantly reducing their quality properties can be predicted by the factor of ecological capacity of agricultural land use, which harmonizes economic and environmental components of agricultural land use by harmonizing social welfare and resource potential. The implementation of this approach should lead to the reconciliation of differences in the growth rates of economic prosperity and environmental decline, which is the quintessence in the practice of sustainable agricultural land use, as an essential norm in long-term exploitation of natural resources by current and future generations. Therefore, taking into account the factor of ecological capacity of lands as a criterion of productivity of agricultural lands is not in doubt. Purpose. The goal of this research is substantiation of the essence of the factor of ecological capacity of lands, determination of its components and the need for its forecasting in order to preserve the productive properties of lands. Results. It is proved that unreasonable human actions year after year lead to the transformation of qualitative properties of productive soils. Direct depletion of lands occurs due to insufficient application of organic fertilizers, excessive plowing of landscapes, neglect of field crop rotations, and excessive removal of nutrients by commercial crops, reduction of organic residues entering the soil, and so on. In this situation, the system of agricultural land use needs to be restructured as soon as possible in order to increase human welfare as long as possible, and in the long run to significantly reduce the pressure on the environment. In this context, the available natural resources should be directed not only to the development of the current economy, but also to serve as a basis for a guaranteed extension of the life cycle of ecologically dependent human civilization. The introduction of the factor of ecological capacity of lands will allow warning landowners and landing users about the danger of crisis phenomena associated with the emergence of threatening facts or the emergence of dangerous conditions. Conclusions. After conducting research, we conclude that the factor of ecological capacity of lands is the ability of the system of agricultural land use, its constituent subsystems or individual elements to synthesize, identify, update, accumulate and multiply the value properties of land. This ensures the required level of productivity in the face of ever-increasing anthropogenic pressure from individual actors.

Kajian Daya Dukung Lingkungan dalam Pemanfaatan Ruang di Kawasan Bandung Utara

Northern Bandung Area (KBU) plays a vital role and function to surrounding areas as a groundwater catchment area. The West Java Province Spatial Plan (RTRW) stipulates KBU as the Provincial Strategic Area (KSP) for environmental protection. The spatial control governance over the KBU is currently regulated by the Governor Regulation Number 2 Year 2016 about Guidelines for Controling the Northern Bandung Area as the the West Java Province Strategic Area. The KBU development ought to take environmental carrying capacity into account concerning the completion of environmentally based spatial use programs in the KBU. This study aimed to analyze the environmental carrying capacity of land use, and to formulate program recommendation of desired spatial use in KBU. Conservation index method was used to analyze environmental carrying capacity necessary to spatial use program recommendation. The results showed that the land use coverage in 2015 decreased actual conservation function, creating an increase of critical conservation areas by 68.37% and by 69.78% in 2018. In contrast, the conservation index on the land use plan in the RTRW showed a decrease in critical conservation area to 35.90% in 2029. However, such a declining figure has not been supported by environmental programs in the land use plan implementation required to increase the good conservation class by 42.27% while it recorded by 10.78% in 2018. It can be concluded that the IKA and IKC studies showed a distribution expansion of critical lands in KBU, and the IKR analysis proved that the land use plan in the RTRW would reduce critical conservation areas.

Increasing the Adaptation Pathways Capacity of Land Use Planning – Insights from New South Wales, Australia

ABSTRACT Australian local governments are expected to be the frontline of climate change adaptation implementation, but existing institutional arrangements are inadequate. Institutional changes that make adaptation pathways part of land use planning policy are needed and how this might happen is assessed using New South Wales (NSW), Australia, as a case study. The most effective implementation mechanism is identified as an independent adaptation statute integrated with land use planning. The institutional assessment approach employed is potentially useful for identifying adaptation policy implications in planning systems and is of relevance to ogoing research into local level adaptation.

Agricultural land use and management weaken the soil erosion induced by extreme rainstorms

Elucidation of the soil erosion processes induced by extreme rainstorms provides better understanding and responding of agricultural system to global climate change. However, less attention has been given to the field investigation of soil erosion in the actual event of heavy rainfall. The purpose of this study was to assess the response capacity of agricultural land use and management to the heavy rainfall on northern rocky mountain area of China. (1) Compared with abandoned land and forest-grass land, the agricultural land experienced strong erosion. The erosion modulus (Em) of terrace land dominated by embankment failure (9490 t km−2) was less than that of sloped cropland dominated by rill/gully erosion (11,252 t km−2). (2) Concentrated flow was the main factor causing soil erosion, and almost all erosion occurred in the flow path. (3) Appropriate agricultural land use and management, such as terraced land, drainage channels, bio-embankments and plant pit cofferdam, could weaken soil erosion during extreme rainstorms. However, plastic film mulching aggravated soil erosion by rapidly forming concentrated flow. (4) To reduce the soil erosion on agricultural land under heavy rain event, we suggest managers should protect the bare soil with vegetation, conduct drainage measures, build high standard terraces in appropriate locations, and strengthen farmer training on agronomic measures. Our results could be applied to the response strategies of agricultural systems to global climate change.

The influence of statutory land use planning on water sensitive urban design practices

ABSTRACT Regulation, including statutory land use planning law, is seen as an important way to encourage the adoption of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) practices. Despite this, there has been little empirical investigation of how statutory land use planning influences the uptake of WSUD practices, and how planning frameworks could be redesigned, to better support WSUD. The influence of statutory planning on WSUD practices was investigated in four case studies, two from Victoria and two from Western Australia. The case studies considered how statutory planning influenced four discrete components of WSUD practice. In the case studies, statutory planning did encourage the adoption of WSUD practices. The capacity of statutory land use planning to encourage WSUD practices was enhanced when statutory planning included specific quantitative targets and when it encouraged the adoption of these practices at the localised, street scale. The research also found that statutory land use planning interprets the WSUD concept, by encouraging specific practices. These practices, in turn, reinforce our assumptions about what WSUD might be.

Change detection on land use/land cover and land surface temperature using spatiotemporal data of Landsat: a case study of Gaza Strip

Human and natural activities are considered one of several factors that lead to global environmental changes. Urbanization and population growth are the most prevailing issues facing scientists around the world which further affect the environment and temperature. According to statistics, the population in Gaza Strip, a small and besieged area, will be over 2.4 million and the land demands will exceed the sustainable capacity of land use by 2023. In this study, geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) techniques were applied to estimate temporal change detection of land use/land cover (LULC) and land surface temperature (LST) for Gaza Strip between 2000 and 2017 and to indicate the relationship between land changes and demography changes and LST in the same period. In this study, two kinds of pixel-based classifiers, i.e., maximum likelihood (ML) and support vector machine (SVM), have been performed to extract LULC changes. While for LST, it was calculated by using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Surface Emissivity equations. The results show clear decrease between 2000 and 2017 in bare land (67.19%) compared to an increase in urban (13.12%) and crop and vegetation (4.95%). Furthermore, the increase in population is directly proportional to the increase in urban area through this period. In addition to that, LST in bare lands has the highest temperature in July and September (summer, autumn) and the lowest in January (winter) due to seasonal effects.

Identification and evaluation of land use vulnerability in a coal mining area under the coupled human-environment

Abstract Based on the coupled human–environment, and taking the Hegang coal mining area (Heilongjiang Province, China) as a research area, combined with RS and GIS technologies, from the perspectives of environmental exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, the analytic hierarchy process and expert consultation methods were used to establish the evaluation index system and weight. Then the mathematical model of vulnerability assessment was constructed, and the spatial analysis method was used to dynamically identify and evaluate the vulnerability of land use in the study areas in 1994, 2006, 2010, and 2014. The results show that: 1) the vulnerability of land use shows an increasing trend from 1994-2014, and most of the landscape types show a strong dominant vulnerability; 2) the adaptive capacity of land use gradually became unstable under the influence of human–land coupling, and the land-use environment showed the trend of transformation from potential vulnerability to extreme vulnerability under the dual action of sensitivity and exposure; 3) from the type of land use, the vulnerability of coal mine land and unutilized land was relatively prominent. The two landscape types were mostly distributed in severe or extremely vulnerable areas over the past 20 years, indicating a greater degree of interference. The results provide the decision-making basis for the scientific planning and management of the land, and provide guidance for ecological restoration and environmental protection.

Plants production of agroforestry system in Ciliwung riparian landscape, Bogor Municipality

Settlement occupation in Ciliwung riparian zone along Bogor Municipality has reduced vegetation formations of agroforestry, such as kebun campuran (mixed gardens), talun (forest gardens), and pekarangan (home gardens). These processes have reduced plants production, one of riparian landscape services. The purpose of this paper is to know the plant production capacity of agroforestry land use, as a basis for arranging the management of agroforestry landscape in Ciliwung riparian, Bogor Municipality. The study used 14 sample plots (4 taluns, 5 mixed gardens, 5 pekarangans) with purposive sampling method, to plants production analysis of agroforestry land use. Furthermore, the calculation of Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) is conducted to know land productivity. The agroforestry system in Ciliwung riparian, Bogor Municipality has highly potential plant production. The talun has arrange area of 38.77 ha and the average plant production 49.20 Mg/ha, total plant production potency of 1907.48 Mg. The mixed garden has arrange area of 9.44 ha and the average plant production 65.41 Mg/ha, total plant production potency of 617.47 Mg. Meanwhile, the pekarangan has arrange area of 17.53 ha and the average plant production 48.77 Mg/ha, total potential plant production is 854.94 Mg. The talun and mixed garden have high productivity with LER of 1.40 and 1.81, respectively. Where as, the pekarangan has low productivity with LER of 0.96. Agroforestry practices are able to provide better plants production, so that to ensure the stability and sustainability of landowners’ income.

Agricultural Land Carrying Capacity and Shift of Land Use in Upstream of Grompol Watershed, Central Java Province

This research was conducted in the upstream of Grompol watershed. This study aims to identify: 1) the changes of agricultural land carrying capacity, and 2) the shift of agricultural land use. Primary data of the research were obtained from field observation to know land use in Grompol watershed, while the secondary data were obtained from various stakeholders that were in accordance with the required data. The result of data analysis and data interpretation, it can be known that: 1) the agricultural land carrying capacity in Grompol watershed is in deficit state. In 2003, Karang is the only village that is surplus, while in 2007 and 2014 both Karang and Tohkuning experienced a deficit; 2) the shift of agricultural land use in the upstream of Grompol watershed sampled by Karang and Tohkuning village in 2000, 2007, and 2015 shows that the paddy fields and unirrigated field turned into settlements. During the last sixteen years, the agricultural land in the upstream of Grompol watershed has decreased about 15.68 ha.

Scenario of land use and land cover change in the Gaza Strip using remote sensing and GIS models

Land use and land cover change is a major global environmental change issue, and projecting changes are essential for the assessment of the environment. The Gaza Strip will have grown over 2.4 million inhabitants by 2023, and the land demands will exceed the sustainable capacity of land use by far. Land use planning is one of the most difficult issues in the Gaza Strip given that this area is too small. Continuous urban and industrial growth will place additional stress on land cover, unless appropriate integrated planning and management actions are instituted immediately. Planners need further statistics and estimation tools to achieve their vision for the future based on sound information. Therefore, this study combines the use of satellite remote sensing with geographic information systems (GISs). The spatial database is developed by using five Landsat images gathered in 1972, 1982, 1990, 2002 and 2013. Three GIS models are selected for simulation by the year 2023: Geomod, CA_Markov and Land Change Modeler using Idrisi Selva. The projected urban area will have undergone an increase of 212.3 km2 by the year 2023 in the used models, and the percentage of urban area will account for 58.83 % of the Gaza strip by 2023.

Evaluación de la ocupación del suelo con un sistema experto de evaluación de tierras y un SIG en la Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves «Encinares de los ríos Alberche y Cofio», Madrid

We used an expert system for land evaluation, integrated into a Geographic Information System to assess the overall capacity of land use and to compare it with the current land uses in a protected area. The mid valley of the Alberche river, located in the southwest region of Madrid (central Spain), has been declared a Special Protection Area and is part of the Natura 2000 network. Conflict zones have been identified among the development and the conservation of the nature. The results will help to drive the public policies regarding conservation of the zone natural resources and to plan the future land use in the context of sustainable development.

Are indigenous forest reserves sustainable? An analysis of present and future land-use trends in Bosawas, Nicaragua

SUMMARY In recent years, indigenous tenure over forest lands has emerged as a means to conserve forests while recognizing indigenous rights. There is concern, however, that indigenous reserves may not be an appropriate policy tool for sustained forest conservation. Our research examined how recognition of indigenous common-property rights has controlled agricultural expansion and conserved forests in Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, Nicaragua. We used satellite imagery with empirical data gathered in the field on land-use institutions, population pressures, and land-use practices to compare whether indigenous communities under territorial management or public management are better able to (1) control the ‘fast threat’ of frontier expansion and (2) address the long-term ecological threats posed by indigenous land-use practices and institutional changes in the region. Our findings are that indigenous residents who share common-property rights over their territories are better able to control agricultural expansion than are indigenous residents living on public lands. With respect to the long-term threats to the region, a series of simulations of possible land-use pressures demonstrate that the enforcement of territorial boundaries and further development of indigenous forest management rules will prove crucial in determining land-use capacity and deforestation over the next 50 years.

Bowen Basin Aboriginal cultural heritage project: A strategic regional approach for research and management

There is a growing concern at the capacity of both Impact Assessment (IA) and land use planning processes to identify significant environmental values (both cultural and natural) and proffer means by which impacts on these from large scale development can be mitigated. Central to this is the recognition that the IA process is largely a reactive one, responding to each development in isolation. Thus, there is limited ability to assess the incremental and synergetic effects of developments on a region's cultural heritage. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Bowen Basin Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Project. We outline some of the outcomes from Stage 1, and describe the objectives of Stage 2 that will fiuther develop this approach and particularly look to integrate Aboriginal cultural heritage with regional land management processes.

Risk maps: theoretical concepts and techniques

The work deals with the creation of an experimental model of integrated planning based on the principles of sustainable development. The analysis and planning of the built environment focus on the improvement, reclaiming and requalifying of the urban environment and the protection of the landscape. The methodology combines the assessment of the natural risk of a territory with the process of mapping the area via a structured inheritance semantic system (SI Nets) which aims to determine, in detail, the capacity of land use. The application of the GIS system has been confirmed at the different levels of territorial planning.