Land Use Indicators Research Articles

Investigating ‘Land-Use Trajectories’ in Mediterranean Rural Areas with Official Statistics and a Multiway Factor Analysis

While displaying diversified economic values, agro-ecosystems remain a relevant component of rural landscapes in Southern Europe. Coupled with the expansion of ecologically fragile areas because of climate warming, intensification and simplification of rural landscapes—e.g., in lowland—represent frequent trajectories of rural land-use change (RLUC) in the Mediterranean region and demonstrated to harm ecosystem functionality and ecological quality, especially in a context of socioeconomic transformations of landscapes. Additionally, an incipient ‘extensivation’ of geographically remote and economically marginal agricultural systems was also observed, likely following depopulation and land abandonment. The present study elaborated in this direction, providing an integrated RLUC evaluation scheme based on a multivariate analysis of land-use indicators derived from official statistics. This approach was applied to a continuous, long-term RLUC monitoring of a rural landscape in an ecologically complex Mediterranean region (Latium, Central Italy) experiencing multiple trends (e.g., lowland urbanization, crop intensification in gently sloping areas, and land abandonment/depopulation in steep zones) with diversified environmental implications. Based on administrative inventories, such evaluation was carried out over fifty years (1970–2020) in the study area, considering trends over time in selected crop surfaces at the municipal scale as inputs of a multiway factor analysis (MFA). This analysis quantifies stability in the main rural land-use types and possible changes in the dominant farming systems. Simplified indicators of land configuration (namely a crop intensity index and a rural woodland index reflecting ‘intensification’ or ‘extensivation’ of local farming systems) made available at the same spatial and temporal scales completed the informative picture corroborating MFA results. Taken together, our findings delineate multiple changes in rural landscapes, discriminating land-use trajectories in coastal and inland districts. These development trajectories were basically dependent on processes of (i) land abandonment in relict and remote areas, (ii) crop intensification in dynamic rural districts, and (iii) fringe urbanization along the coastal strip.

Urban routines, spatial occupancy, and their effects on outdoor crime in Barcelona

Based on mobile phone data from the city of Barcelona, Spain, generalized linear models are used to analyse the relationship between urban mobilities and the spatial and temporal patterning of robbery and theft. The hypothesis was made that mobility fluxes may undermine social control mechanisms by altering the socio-demographic composition of urban populations, therefore increasing the risk of crime victimization. The analysis brought together indicators of land use and a measure of the ambient population disaggregated by different profiles of public space users (by sex, age, and place of residence). The results indicate that robbery and theft tend to cluster around locations that attract a higher proportion of non-residents (i.e. national and international visitors). Non-local visitors, who visit the city occasionally or once in a lifetime, lack a comprehensive knowledge of the environment which would help them to navigate safely through the urban space. Therefore, their presence not only unsettles the social routines of public spaces in Barcelona but also reflects negatively in terms of crime occurrence. This finding raises questions about how to accommodate growing mobilities in our cities without detriment to incumbent residents and their safety, which seems to be critical in post-COVID-19 urban planning.

Coupling and Coordination of Implicit Land Use and Ecological Security in Huaihe River Basin, China

The Huai River Basin is located in Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Hubei, and Henan provinces of China. We explored the spatiotemporal characteristics and their changes in the ecological security and the form index of implicit land use using an equivalent factor method and a coupling coordination model. The coupling coordination between land use and ecological security was explored by evaluating the transformation of implicit land use. It was important to optimize the spatial pattern of the Huai River Basin and develop the area as eco-friendly. The research results indicated that the form index of land use in the five provinces increased from 2000 to 2015 and the degree of implicit land use was high with spatiotemporal differentiation. The transformation of land use showed a cycle, and the transformation speed was fast but slowed. The level of coupling and coordinated development in the provinces varied greatly. The implicit land use and ecological security in each province were imbalanced which was improved.

Deforestation and Bovine Rabies Outbreaks in Costa Rica, 1985-2020.

In Latin America, rabies virus has persisted in a cycle between Desmodus rotundus vampire bats and cattle, potentially enhanced by deforestation. We modeled bovine rabies virus outbreaks in Costa Rica relative to land-use indicators and found spatial-temporal relationships among rabies virus outbreaks with deforestation as a predictor.

Soil organic carbon as an indicator of land use impacts in life cycle assessment

PurposeAnthropogenic activities are a major driver of soil and land degradation. Due to the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties and the global nature of most value chains, the modelling of the impacts of land use on soil quality for application in life cycle assessment (LCA) requires a regionalised assessment with global coverage. This paper proposes an approach to quantify the impacts of land use on soil quality, using changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks as a proxy, following the latest recommendation of the Life Cycle Initiative.MethodsAn operational set of SOC-based characterisation factors for land occupation and land transformation were derived using spatial datasets (1 km resolution) and aggregated at the national and global levels. The developed characterisation factors were tested by means of a case study analysis, investigating the impact on soil quality caused by land use activities necessary to provide three alternative energy supply systems for passenger car transport (biomethane, ethanol, and solar electricity). Results obtained by applying characterisation factors at local, regional, and national levels were compared, to investigate the role of the level of regionalisation on the resulting impacts.Results and discussionGlobal maps of characterisation factors are presented for the 56 land use types commonly used in LCA databases, together with national and global values. Urban and industrial land uses present the highest impacts on SOC stocks, followed by severely degraded pastures and intensively managed arable lands. Instead, values obtained for extensive pastures, flooded crops, and urban green areas often report an increase in SOC stocks. Results show that the ranking of impacts of the three energy systems considered in the case study analysis is not affected by the level of regionalisation of the analysis. In the case of biomethane energy supply, impacts assessed using national characterisation factors are more than double those obtained with local characterisation factors, with less significant differences in the other two cases.ConclusionsThe integration of soil quality aspects in life cycle impact assessment methods is a crucial challenge due to the key role of soil conservation in ensuring food security and environmental protection. This approach allows the quantification of land use impacts on SOC stocks, taken as a proxy of soil quality. Further research needs to improve the assessment of land use impacts in LCA are identified, such as the ability to reflect the effects of agricultural and forestry management practices.

Neighborhood built environment, obesity, and diabetes: A Utah siblings study

BackgroundThis study utilizes innovative computer vision methods alongside Google Street View images to characterize neighborhood built environments across Utah. MethodsConvolutional Neural Networks were used to create indicators of street greenness, crosswalks, and building type on 1.4 million Google Street View images. The demographic and medical profiles of Utah residents came from the Utah Population Database (UPDB). We implemented hierarchical linear models with individuals nested within zip codes to estimate associations between neighborhood built environment features and individual-level obesity and diabetes, controlling for individual- and zip code-level characteristics (n = 1,899,175 adults living in Utah in 2015). Sibling random effects models were implemented to account for shared family attributes among siblings (n = 972,150) and twins (n = 14,122). ResultsConsistent with prior neighborhood research, the variance partition coefficients (VPC) of our unadjusted models nesting individuals within zip codes were relatively small (0.5%–5.3%), except for HbA1c (VPC = 23%), suggesting a small percentage of the outcome variance is at the zip code-level. However, proportional change in variance (PCV) attributable to zip codes after the inclusion of neighborhood built environment variables and covariates ranged between 11% and 67%, suggesting that these characteristics account for a substantial portion of the zip code-level effects. Non-single-family homes (indicator of mixed land use), sidewalks (indicator of walkability), and green streets (indicator of neighborhood aesthetics) were associated with reduced diabetes and obesity. Zip codes in the third tertile for non-single-family homes were associated with a 15% reduction (PR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.91) in obesity and a 20% reduction (PR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.91) in diabetes. This tertile was also associated with a BMI reduction of −0.68 kg/m2 (95% CI: −0.95, −0.40) ConclusionWe observe associations between neighborhood characteristics and chronic diseases, accounting for biological, social, and cultural factors shared among siblings in this large population-based study.

Contributive Effect of Land Management Indicators to Farmers Farmland Conservation in Oyo State, Nigeria

Major problem facing tropical agriculture is the inherent low fertility status of most of the soils because of the predominant low-activity. The study explained the contributive effect of sustainable land management indicators to land use on farmers’ productivity in Oyo State Nigeria. A two-stage sampling technique was employed in selecting 330 farmers from the four agricultural zones in Oyo State. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain primary data. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and Fuzzy logic analysis (Fuzzy set theory). The result revealed that the result of Fuzzy Logic which was used to compute the composite indicators of unsustainable land use (IULU) showed that the total IULU of 0.26 obtained indicated that farmers’ land management practices in the study area are generally sustainable. Residue cover, land fallowing, compaction and rooting, salinity and crop rotations among others have the highest relative contributions of 3.2%, 3.2%, 3.2%, 3.2% and 3.2% respectively to land farmers land conservation, while other indicators contribute lower percentage to land conservation been unsustainable in the study with relative contributions of 2.1%, 2.3%, 2.3%, 2.0, 2.5% and 2.4% respectively also majority of the farmer (60%) are sustainable and contributed larger percentage (96.4%) to sustainability and had between 0.1-0.2 with minimum of 0.00004 and maximum of 0.95650 sustainable land index in the study. The study recommended among others that cultural practices for erosion prevention should be encouraged by planting of cover crops and planting of trees and other agronomic best practices which enhance soil conservation and improve more on their level of sustainable land use indicators. Keywords: Sustainable, Land, Conservation, Indicators, Aggregation, Fuzzy, Nigeria

Uncovering the association between traffic crashes and street-level built-environment features using street view images

Investigating the relationship between built environment factors and roadway safety is crucial for preventing road traffic accidents. Although studies have analyzed traffic-related built environment factors based on pre-determined zonal units, conclusive evidence regarding the relationship between streetscape features and traffic accidents at a fine-grained road segment level is still lacking. With the widespread availability of large-scale street view images, automatically analyzing urban built environments on a large scale is possible. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between streetscape features and traffic accidents at a fine-grained road segment level using street view images. Specifically, we employed semantic image segmentation to extract streetscape elements from urban street view images, and then created traffic crash-related variables, including the street-level built environment variables, traffic variables, land-use indices, and proximity characteristics, at the road-segment level. Finally, we adopted a classification-then-regression strategy to model the number of traffic crashes while considering the zero-inflated and spatial heterogeneity issues. Our findings suggest that streetscape features can effectively reflect built-environment characteristics at the road-segment level. Moreover, a comparison of our proposed modeling method with existing models demonstrates its superior performance. The results provide insight into the development of effective planning strategies to improve traffic safety.

Towards sustainability: The impact of the multidimensional morphological evolution of urban land on carbon emissions

The examination of explicit and implicit urban land forms and their impact on carbon emissions (CEs) can effectively balance economic development with environmental sustainability. Prior studies have only considered individual factors, such as the scale and structure of urban land use (ULU), without accounting for its multidimensional evolution. To address this limitation, we analyzed data from 44 cities around the Bohai Sea between 2000 and 2020, developing a land-use index system that includes urban land quality. Our results present a nuanced view of the urban land use patterns (ULUPs) in the Bohai Rim region over the 20-year period. We found that all indices of ULUPs demonstrated a trend of improvement. Specifically, the structural pattern index (TS) was typically high, with values ranging between 0.65 and 0.80. The quality pattern index (TQ) witnessed the most significant growth. In contrast, the scale pattern index (TA) and the layout pattern index (TP) registered a relatively lower and slower-paced growth. Simultaneously, we observed an intriguing pattern in the CEs in the Bohai Rim region - an initial surge was followed by a considerable slowdown, as the growth rate plummeted from 88% to a mere 3%. There were noticeable regional variances, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region registering a lesser increase compared to the Liaodong Peninsula. As our study progressed, we uncovered distinctive and evolving influences of the land use morphology factors on the Bohai Rim region's CEs. A progressively rising number of factors emerged as significantly influential, with their suppressive impact on CEs becoming increasingly potent. Notably, land allocated to public service facilities, green spaces, and squares was found to be associated with reduced CEs. Moreover, our study reveals a clear link between quality optimization of ULU and effective restraint on CEs, whereas larger scales of urban land result in increased CEs. Our findings also show that a continuous and stable optimization of the multidimensional pattern of urban land, accompanied by a relatively stable optimization path, can favorably suppress CEs. This confirms the critical role of strategic land use management in controlling CEs. Our paper provides policy guidance for creating low-carbon, sustainable cities through efficient leveraging of land resources.

Watershed land-use heterogeneity affecting spatial patterns of fish community structure in Han River basin, China

Freshwater ecosystems face serious degeneration risks from anthropogenic activities, among which land use heterogeneity transformation is one of the main threats on aquatic biodiversity. However, the mechanisms by which land use heterogeneity affects fish community structure in aquatic ecosystems are still difficult to determine. The results of this study showed that we detected a total of 164 fish species during two seasons, with 97 fish species belonging to 15 orders, 31 families and 74 genera in dry season and 138 fish species belonging to 14 orders, 40 families and 98 genera in wet season. The intergroup differences between the upstream, midstream and downstream of the basin in dry season were smaller than those in wet season, and the species richness in wet season were higher than this in dry season. The values of β-diversity between the upstream and midstream regions was greater than downstream in dry season. The value of β-diversity between upstream and downstream regions was larger than in the midstream in wet season. It concluded that the β-diversity values were generally smaller in wet season than in dry season. Land use types on both sides of the Han River basin are mostly cropland, forest land and man-made surfaces. The results of calculating LUI and fish life history characteristics showed a greater correlation between K and M values in the dry water period and a greater correlation between PD50 and longevity in the rich water period. Moreover, we calculated the correlation between the land use index (LUI) and β-diversity NMDS values, respectively, showed a significant positive correlationship (0.712 in dry season; 0.742 in wet season). This research (a) obtained the spatial and temporal distribution of α-diversity and β-diversity data of fish in the whole basin using eDNA technology; (b) analyzed the relationship of land use heterogeneity on fish life history characteristics; and (c) revealed the correlation between land use index and β-diversity communities. Overall, this study can provide data support and theoretical basis for integrated watershed ecosystem management, and provide suggestions for environmental protection and management around the watershed.

The structure of beta-diversity explains why the relevance of phytoindication increases under the influence of park reconstruction

Urbanization causes the highest local extinction rates and often leads to the loss of the vast majority of native species. Plant communities are sensitive to urban expansion and are therefore indicators of human land use. A city park, part of which has undergone reconstruction, was studied. The study found that the changes in ecological conditions caused by the reconstruction of a city park can be detected using phytoindication. The informativeness of phytoindication scales was shown to increase under conditions of anthropogenic load. The phytoindication scales are a reliable source of information for assessing the state of the vegetation cover of park plantations. The ecological regimes were assessed based on descriptions of the vegetation cover using Didukh's phytoindication scales. The phytoindication approach allows one to identify changes in ecological regimes that occur as a result of park reconstruction and to separate them from ecological regimes of natural origin. The study showed that the reconstruction of the park significantly affects the conditions of the park and the diversity of vegetation. The ratio of useful phytoindicative information compared to information noise in the structure of beta-diversity of the park's plantations increases significantly as a result of the park's reconstruction. The reconstruction of the park has led to changes in the spatial organization of the vegetation cover. The results obtained indicate a decrease in soil moisture as a result of the park's reconstruction. The park’s reconstruction leads to a significant change in the light regime of the park’s plantings, which leads to changes in the park’s vegetation and soils. Reducing the density of plantations as a result of their pruning during the reconstruction process also decreases the amount of fallen leaves that form leaf litter. A significant increase in the variability of the moisture regime under the influence of the park reconstruction was found. The phytoindication revealed a decrease in the acidity of the soil solution as a result of the reconstruction. The changes in soil acidity are accompanied by an increase in phytoindication estimates of carbonate content in the soil. The observed increase in carbonate content estimates may be an artifact when representatives of another ecological group also have related ecological properties that can be misinterpreted as indicators of certain regimes. The phytoindication also revealed trends in the variability of microclimatic conditions in the park as a result of reconstruction. The reconstruction of the park leads not only to a change in the modal levels of ecological regimes, but also to the formation of specific patterns of their spatial distribution. The heterogenization of the ecological space under the influence of reconstruction has been established. This heterogenization is evident in the fact that areas with homogeneous vegetation cover are decreasing. The accuracy of the description of the spatial process was found to have decreased after the park reconstruction procedures. Smooth spatial structures of the park’s vegetation cover without reconstruction are changing into rough spatial structures of the park after reconstruction. The park’s reconstruction obviously disrupts the course of long-term processes that structure the vegetation cover, which leads to temporal and spatial desynchronization of the dynamics of ecological processes. The spatial variation of variables that indicate soil processes can best be described. In contrast, the phytoindication scales that indicate climatic factors are much less spatially structured. The best variogram model to describe the spatial process is also changing under the influence of reconstruction. The significant consequences of the park reconstruction are time variability and spatial heterogeneity of ecological processes.

Stable isotopes reveal organic nitrogen pollution and cycling from point and non-point sources in a heavily cultivated (agricultural) Mediterranean river basin

The Pinios River Basin (PRB) is the most intensively cultivated area in Greece, which hosts numerous industries and other anthropogenic activities. The analysis of water samples collected monthly for ∼1 ½ years in eight monitoring sites in the PRB revealed nitrate pollution of organic origin extending from upstream to downstream and occurring throughout the year, masking the signal from the application of synthetic fertilizers. Nitrate concentrations reached up to 3.6 mg/l as NO3−-N, without exceeding the drinking water threshold of ∼11.0 mg/l (as NO3−-N). However, the water quality status was “poor” or “bad” in ∼50 % of the samples based on a local index, which considers the potential impact of nitrate on aquatic biological communities. The δ15Ν-ΝΟ3− and δ18O-NO3− values ranged from +4.4 ‰ to +20.3 ‰ and from −0.5 ‰ to +14.4 ‰, respectively. The application of a Bayesian model showed that the proportional contribution of organic pollution from industries, animal breeding facilities and manure fertilizers exceeded 70 % in most river sites with an overall uncertainty of ∼0.3 (UI90 index). The δ18O-NO3− and its relationship with δ18O-H2O revealed N-cycling and mixing processes, which were difficult to identify apart from the uptake of nutrients by phytoplankton during the growing season and metabolic activities. The strong correlation of δ15Ν-ΝΟ3− values with a Land Use Index (LUI) and a Point Source Index (PSI) highlighted not only the role of non-point nitrate sources but also of point sources of nitrate pollution on water quality degradation, which are usually overlooked. The nitrification of organic wastes is the dominant nitrate source in most rivers in Europe. The systematic monitoring of rivers for nitrate isotopes will help improve the understanding of N-cycling and the impact of these pollutants on ecosystems and better inform policies for protection measures so to achieve good ecological status.

Land use impact on mercury in sediments and macrophytes from a natural lake in the Brazilian savanna

Freshwater ecosystems are essential to human and wildlife survival. They harbor a wide biodiversity that contributes to ecosystem services. In the ecosystem of the Brazilian Savanna, anthropic activities related to environmental pollution that includes mercury (Hg) is of concern. We studied total mercury concentrations ([THg]) in bottom sediments and macrophytes to assess its short-term (2012 and 2019) impact on a natural lake. Temporal changes in [Hg] were assessed with the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and the sediment quality guidelines (SQG). The land use index (LUI) was used to assess differences in anthropogenic activities and the Normalized Difference Aquatic Vegetation Index (NDAVI) was used to assess macrophyte biomass density. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) was used to assess Hg accumulation in macrophytes relative to sediments. The LUI showed an increase in the intensity of agricultural activities in the vicinities of the lake. The NDAVI indicated an increase in the density of macrophytes in the evaluated period. The Igeo indicated that in all sampling sites, pollution levels in sediments increased in 2019 (Igeo > 0), with concentrations exceeding the SQG in 2019. In 2012, [THg] in sediments ranged from 20.7 to 74.6 ng g−1, and in 2019 they ranged from 129.1 to 318.2 ng g−1. In macrophytes, [THg] ranged from 14.0 to 42.1 ng g−1 in 2012, to 53.0 and 175.3 ng g−1 in 2019. [THg] in bottom sediments and macrophytes were significantly higher in the second collection period (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in BAF values between the periods and no significant bioaccumulation in macrophytes (BAF <1). Our results demonstrated that the macrophytes are not sensitive indicators of Hg pollution in lentic environments of the Brazilian Savanna; however, the increased land use intensity (agriculture, automotive traffic, and urban infrastructure) could increase Hg accumulation in sediments and macrophytes in a short time interval.

Corn in postcut crops

In agrotechnologies postcut crops of intermediate cultures are placed after harvesting annual grasses for green mass, and stubble crops after harvesting early grain crops. Annual herbs at the April sowing dates reach mowing maturity and are harvested for green mass in the third decade of June – the first decade of July. However, after harvesting the main crop of the crop rotation, there are still about 70–90 days left until the end of the growing season, which is quite enough to obtain a full-fledged harvest in the hay crops, and thereby increase the index of arable land use [1; 6]. In this regard in 2020–2022 in the foothill zone of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (the Baksansky district), the scientific research was carried out on the irrigated Ciscaucasian chernozems (according to B.A. Dospekhov “Methodology of field experience”) in order to study the elements of improving the technology of growing corn in hay crops, providing a reduction in energy costs and optimization of the main parameters of soil fertility. Recently, agricultural production has been operating in the conditions of a resource deficit and an increasingly complex structure of economic relations and an ever-increasing problem of soil and water conservation. The dominance of economic mechanisms fundamentally changes many generally accepted ideas and approaches in the field of agricultural land use. The overall objective is to maximize crop production per unit of input. As a result of the research, it has been found that the cultivation of corn for grain by cutting, after winter rapeseed by chisel processing to a depth of 28–30 cm and the application of fertilizers at a dose of N120P90, contributes to the stabilization of the agrophysical properties of the soil and the optimization of the energy balance

The Non-Linear Influence of Built Environment on the School Commuting Metro Ridership: The Case in Wuhan, China

Although many studies have investigated the non-linear relationship between the built environment and rail patronage, it remains unclear whether this influence is equally applicable to primary and secondary school students due to their physiological characteristics and cognitive limitations. This study applies the GBDT model to Wuhan student metro swipe data in order to investigate the relative importance and non-linear association of the built environment on the school-commuting metro ridership. The results show that the variable with the greatest predictive power is the number of living service facilities followed by the number of intersections, and the degree of land-use mixture. All of the built environment variables had non-linear associations with the school-commuting ridership, and the greatest attraction to the school-commuting metro ridership occurred when the number of living service facilities was 500, the number of intersections was 36, and the degree of land-use mixture was 0.8. These findings can help planners to prioritize land-use optimization and the effective range of land-use indicators when developing child-friendly rail transport policies.

Development of indicators for assessment of green infrastructure for a territorial network of ecological stability

Landscape structure and biotic indicators have a significant role in assessing the green infrastructure of a landscape and design of a territorial ecological network. In this contribution, a methodological approach has been developed for assessing and defining indicators of current land use and biota that can be used for designing a territorial network of ecological stability. We used the assessment of ecological stability of the elements of the current landscape structure, an index of the ecological stability of a representative geo-ecosystem, the cumulative effect of high ecological stability landscape elements, and the Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI) to measure the degree of entropy, or landscape diversity. The assessment of biota was based on qualitative habitat field data and an evaluation of their overall nature conservation importance based on the type of land cover and habitats, the importance of habitats, their current conservation status, how many rare habitats are in a region, and how many vulnerable species are present in habitats. The assessment was applied on a local level, using the example of the Dolný Lopašov study area. The spatial distribution of green infrastructure is not balanced within the study area. The most significant elements of the ecological network consist of natural and semi-natural habitats that have a favourable conservation status. The Malé Karpaty Mountains, situated in the northern region, are forest-covered and have the highest ecological stability. Intensively cultivated fields are dominant in the central and southern parts of the study areas and are characterised by a low proportion of green infrastructure and low ecological stability. The results of the modelling of the cumulative impact of landscape elements on ecological stability by distance show that the cumulative impact of woodland elements positively affects the ecological stability of the area, especially in the area of intensively cultivated fields, an element with a low degree of ecological stability. Using selected indicators of current landscape structure and biota helps to assess the overall ecological stability of the area, identify the most stable areas, as well as areas with the lowest ecological stability, where it is necessary to complete and design new elements of green infrastructure to increase the function of the ecological network.

Understanding perspectives of current palynology: using science with practical discourse

Background: Palynological studies have contributed with topics closely linked to sustainability. However, there are still few scientific reviews that have discussed the relevance of practical applications in current palynology and its perspectives as a theoretical framework for the study of integrated landscape management. This review shows palynological contributions within agricultural model diversities in both natural and novel ecosystems. Questions: What are the current perspectives and concerns of the mature phase in palynology? What are the approaches of pollen analysis on landscape management and biodiversity conservation?Studied species: Pollen analysis and palynomorphs.Study site and dates: Global literature from current palynology.Methods: Global scientific literature using keywords, theoretical frameworks, and original articles.Results: We identified palynological perspectives for the study of sustainability based on global scientific literature: 1) ecological-evolutionary and 2) interdisciplinary research. In addition, we discussed some synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services that were recognized through current palynology in different farming landscapes: biodiversity-based farming systems and chemical input-based farming systems. While pollen morphology and descriptive palynology can provide the basis for crop improvement, biological invasions, and the effect of deforestation on native species, more analytical approaches such as land-use indicators are necessary for sustainable management. In addition, we have included some biocultural aspects to conservation, due to a lack of practical discourse in current palynology. Conclusions: Innovative influences from current palynology are powerful approaches to integrated landscape management.

LANDSLIDE HAZARD MAPPING USING THE SCORE AND WEIGHT METHOD IN BANJARNEGARA

Banjarnegara has a category of high or very vulnerable landslide susceptibility, according to data from the National Disaster Management Agency from 2006 to 2021, there has always been at least 1 landslide disaster in Banjarnegara. As a step in disaster reduction in Banjarnegara, a landslide hazard analysis was carried out. The methodology used is scoring and weighting using 4 indicators of rainfall, geology, land use, and slope. Landslide susceptibility is measured by calculating the total score which is then categorized based on the total score. The landslide susceptibility category is divided into 4 categories, namely Very Low, Low, Medium, and High. Areas with high vulnerability category have a proportion of 0.06% with an area of 682,073 m2, Medium has a proportion of 55.51% with an area of 625,539,155 m2, and Low has a proportion of 44.43% with an area of 500,730,369 m2. The results of the landslide hazard map can then be used as a reference for the Regional Disaster Management Agency to reduce the risk of landslide vulnerability.

Riverine nitrate source and transformation as affected by land use and land cover

A mixed land use/land cover (LULC) catchment increases the complexity of sources and transformations of nitrate in rivers. Spatial paucity of sampling particularly low-resolution sampling in tributaries can result in a bias for identifying nitrate sources and transformations. In this study, high spatial resolution sampling campaigns covering mainstream and tributaries in combination with hydro-chemical parameters and dual isotopes of nitrate were performed to reveal spatio-temporal variations of nitrate sources and transformations in a river draining a mixed LULC catchment. This study suggested that point sources dominated the nitrate in the summer and winter, while non-point sources dominated the nitrate in the spring and autumn. A positive correlation was observed between proportions from sewage and land use index (LUI). However, negative correlations between soil nitrogen/nitrogen fertilizer and LUI were observed. With an increase of urban areas, the increased contribution from domestic sewage resulted in an increase of NO3− concentrations in rivers. Both urban and agricultural inputs should be considered in nitrate pollution management in a mixed LULC catchment. We concluded that the seasonal variations of nitrate sources were mainly affected by flow velocity conditions and agricultural activities, while spatial variations were mainly affected by LULC. In addition, we found a novel underestimation of dominated sources from Bayesian model because of mixing effect of isotope values from the tributaries to mainstream, however, high spatial resolution sampling can make up for this shortcoming. δ15N and δ18O values of nitrate indicated that nitrate originated from nitrification in soils. The nitrate concentrations and correlation between δ15N and 1/[NO3−] suggested little contribution of nitrate removal by denitrification. Thus, the nitrate reduction in the Yuehe River basin needs to be strengthened. The study provides new implications for estimation of nitrate sources and transformations and basis for nitrate reduction in the river with mixed LULC catchment.

Investigating metropolitan change through mathematical morphology and a dynamic factor analysis of structural and functional land-use indicators

We presented an operational rationale grounded on complex system thinking to quantify structural and functional landscape transformations along three stages representative of post-war metropolitan development in Rome, Italy (urbanisation with population/settlement densification, 1949–1974; suburbanisation with medium-density settlement expansion, 1974–1999; counter-urbanisation with settlement sprawl, 1999–2016). A mathematical morphology approach assessing the geometric form of land patches and a multi-way factor analysis (MFA) of landscape metrics were used to investigate the joint evolution of urban form and land-use functions over time. The empirical results of the MFA delineated the multivariate relationship between nine land-use classes (with distinctive socioeconomic functions) and seven morphological types (reflecting different landscape structures) according to four observation times (1949, 1974, 1999, 2016). Taken as an intrinsic attribute of complex landscape systems experiencing intense transformations, an estimation of the ‘rapidity-of-change’ in the form-functions relationship at a given development stage was derived from MFA outcomes separately for urbanisation, suburbanisation, and counter-urbanisation. A simplified form-functions relationship, reflecting the spatial polarisation in compact settlements and rural (low-density) landscapes, was observed with compact urbanisation. By stimulating urban sprawl into fringe farmland, suburbanisation resulted in patchy and heterogeneous rural landscapes. Counter-urbanization was associated with the fragmentation of built-up settlements leading to a chaotic mosaic of land structures that mixes urban and rural traits. Rapidity-of-change in form-function relationships was greater during suburbanisation than urbanisation and counter-urbanisation. It reflects the intrinsic pressure of economic growth in contemporary cities.