Land Use Cover Change Processes Research Articles

Evaluation of Driving Forces of Land Use and Land Cover Change in New England Area by a Mixed Method

Understanding the driving forces of land use/cover change (LUCC) is a requisite to mitigate and manage effects and consequences of LUCC. This study aims to analyze drivers of LUCC in New England, USA. It combines meta-study, GIS, and machine learning to identify the important factors of LUCC in the area. Firstly, we conducted a meta-study of the research on LUCC in the New England area and specifically focused on the driving forces analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that the LUCC studies in the research area were highly related with many other research topics, and population and economic factors were the most mentioned drivers of the LUCC. The drivers of LUCC in this study area for the past several decades were relatively well analyzed. However, the study of the main driving forces of recent LUCC is lacking. Then, the determinants of LUCC for the recent years were quantitatively assessed using the random forests (RF) model along with geospatial data processing. Two planning regions in Connecticut and one planning region in Massachusetts were selected to serve as the case study areas. Investigated variables included environmental and biophysical variables, location measures of infrastructure and existing land use, political variables, and demographic and social variables. These drivers were examined for their relations with LUCC processes. Their importance as driving forces was ranked by the RF method. The results show both consistency and inconsistency between the meta-analysis and the RF method. We found that this mixed method can enhance our understanding of driving forces of LUCC and improve the selection quality of important drivers for modeling LUCC. With more solid information, better land management advices for sustainable development may also be provided.

A novel algorithm for calculating transition potential in cellular automata models of land-use/cover change

Despite recent advances in quantifying land-use/cover change (LUCC) transition potential, transition rules are often not transparent and uncertainty is rarely made explicit. Here, we introduce DoTRules—a dictionary of trusted rules—as a transparent alternative to calculate transition potential in cellular automata models. Rules relate LUCC variables to the observed historical changes. Shannon entropy is calculated to assess the uncertainty of each rule, and the most trusted rules are used to project future LUCC. DoTRules produces rule-level uncertainty estimates, which can be mapped. In a case study of the Ahvaz region of Iran, the overall accuracy of LUCC simulation calibrated using DoTRules was very similar to simulations calibrated with the state-of-the-art random forest, but DoTRules provides a more transparent approach where transition rule information and uncertainty can be readily accessed and interpreted. The results demonstrate that DoTRules has potential to derive new insights into LUCC processes.

Effects of land use/cover change on land surface energy partitioning and climate in Northeast China

The Simple Biosphere Model (SiB2) and the 2 × 2 km resolution National Land use/Land Cover database were used to investigate the effects of Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC) on land surface energy balance and climate in Jilin Province, northeast China, from 1990 to 2005. The spatial patterns of the components of surface energy balance (i.e., net radiation (R n), latent heat (LH), sensible heat (SH), and albedo (α)) and climate (i.e., canopy temperature (T c), diurnal temperature range (DTR)), as well as the roles of land cover type in variations of energy balance and climate, were investigated. The results showed that there were general similar trends in R n, LH, SH, and α in the LUCC process. The spatial patterns of T c and DTR also showed consistent relationships with LUCC processes. Leaf area index (LAI) and canopy conductance (g c) were found to be the key factors in controlling the spatial patterns of the components of surface energy balance and T c. Using linear correlation method, the gaps of the components of surface energy balance were well-explained by the differences of LAI and g c, and R n had a better correlation with T c and DTR, in the process of LUCC. The surface energy partitioning of R n into LH and SH could not only dampen or strengthen the temperature difference, but also change the relative size of albedo-based R n when the albedo gap was small, between land cover types.

LAND-COVER MODELLING USING CORINE LAND COVER DATA AND MULTI-LAYER PERCEPTRON

Abstract Last decades of research have revealed the environmental impacts of Land-Use/Cover Change (LUCC) throughout the globe. Human activities’ impact is becoming more and more pronounced on the natural environment. The key activity in the LUCC projects has been to simulate the syntheses of knowledge of LUCC processes, and in particular to advance understanding of the causes of land-cover change. Still, there is a need of developing case studies regional models to understand LUCC change patterns. The aim of this work is to reveal and describe the main changes in LUCC patterns occurring in Poznań Lakeland Mesoregion according to CORINE Land Cover database. Change analysis was the basis for the identification of the main drivers in land cover changes in the study area. The dominant transitions that can be grouped and modelled separately were identified. Each submodel was combined with all submodels in the final change prediction process. Driver variables were used to model the historical change process. Transitions were modelled using multi-layer perceptron (MLP) method. Using the historical rates of change and the transition potential model scenario for year 2006 was predicted. Corine Land Cover 2006 database was used for model validation.

Land use-cover change processes in Urban fringe areas: Trabzon case study, Turkey

Urban settlements account for only two percent of the Earth’s land surface, however, over half of the world’s population resides in cities (United Nations, 2001). High population density in urban areas has resulted in a large-scale modification of the environment in urban fringe. Urbanization is a complex process of converting urban fringe and rural land to urban land uses and has caused various impacts on ecosystem structure, function and dynamics (Luck and Wu, 2002). On one hand, the high rate of urbanization causes high density in settlement limited areas of cities, on the other hand, it costs increases to society due to the resulting unplanned and uncontrolled urbanization and land use with the skirts, especially in urban fringe of natural habitat/ landscape pieces and the corrupted use of urban areas without taking into account natural law or the ecological balance (Aydemir et al., 1993). Suburban, urban fringe and rural development are a leading cause of biodiversity loss and natural resource degradation in Trabzon province. The detection and analysis of land use changes in the urban environment is an important issue in planning. Remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are considered as appropriate and efficient techniques for this type of studies. These techniques were used to investigate the effects of urbanization on ecosystem structure (landscape) and to quantify urban growth of Trabzon urban area. Changes of landscape pattern from 1987 to 2008 were analyzed by FRAGSTATS with four metrics, indicating that the diversity and landscape fragmentation are positively related to the degree of urbanization. The study showed that the percentage of urbanization in Trabzon Centrum increased from 4.72 in 1987 to 6.27 in 2008 based on supervised classification of images. Cumulative urbanization accounted for 1.55% of the whole area of Trabzon (254 ha) and 32.8% of the settlement area of the Trabzon from 1987 to 2008. This translates to an annual rate of urbanization of 1.35% between 1987 and 2008.This study demonstrated additional insights into landscape change by integrating the spatial and the temporal perspectives and targeting the forms of residential developments towards urban fringe. Keywords: GIS, land use/land cover change, remote sensing, urban fringe, fragmentation, urbanization.

An agent-based approach to model land-use change at a regional scale

Land-use/cover change (LUCC) is a complex process that includes actors and factors at different social and spatial levels. A common approach to analyse and simulate LUCC as the result of individual decisions is agent-based modelling (ABM). However, ABM is often applied to simulate processes at local scales, while its application in regional studies is limited. This paper describes first a conceptual framework for ABM to analyse and explore regional LUCC processes. Second, the conceptual framework is represented by combining different concepts including agent typologies, farm trajectories and probabilistic decision-making processes. Finally, the framework is illustrated through a case study in the Netherlands, where processes of farm cessation, farm expansion and farm diversification are shaping the structure of the landscape. The framework is a generic, straightforward approach to analyse and explore regional LUCC with an explicit link to empirical approaches for parameterization of ABM.

Is community-based forest management more effective than protected areas?: A comparison of land use/land cover change in two neighboring study areas of the Central Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The importance of the role of local community forestry institutions towards forest conservation is exemplified through a comparison of two adjacent areas within the Central Yucatan Peninsular Region (CYPR) in which Land-Use Cover Change (LUCC) analyses were conducted. We also used logistic regression analyses to examine key environmental, socioeconomic and institutional drivers associated with deforestation. One of the areas, La Montaña (LM) at Hopelchen, Campeche, is part of the northern section and buffer zone of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (CBR) as well as part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. LM is an agricultural forest frontier region economically dependent on productive activities. The other study, Zona Maya (ZM), found at the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto in Quintana is characterized by having developed community-based forestry enterprises with world wide recognition. In addition, the major tourism industry in nearby Cancun and Riviera Maya provide an important source of off-farm labor and temporary migration. Results show contrasting annual deforestation rates among the two study areas, being greater in the Campeche site (0.7% from 2000 to 2005) compared to Quintana Roo (−0.002% from 2000 to 2004). Logistic regression results show that the occurrence of land clearing at LM is significantly related to demographic variables as well as soil-environment types and conservation status did not reveal to relate to LUCC processes at all. At Quintana Roo, despite twice the population density, population variables at large did not strongly correlate to forest clearing. Rather forest conservation or maintenance was shown to be influenced by local community forestry institutions and a landscape zoning provided by larger management goals from the part of the communities. Greater availability of wage labor for the prominent tourism economy may also reflect a lesser dependence on agriculture and contribute to the much lower deforestation rate. Nonetheless, results show that community forest management can play an effective role in forest conservation. We argue for a regional land use management approach as a conservation strategy in which local inhabitants are considered key actors.

Land-Use Systems and Resilience of Tropical Rain Forests in the Tehuantepec Isthmus, Mexico

Land-cover types were analyzed for 1970, 1990 and 2000 as the bases for determining land-use systems and their influence on the resilience of tropical rain forests in the Tehuantepec Isthmus, Mexico. Deforestation (DR) and mean annual transformation rates were calculated from land-cover change data; thus, the classification of land-use change processes was determined according to their impact on resilience: a) Modification, including land-cover conservation and intensification, and b) Conversion, including disturbance and regeneration processes. Regeneration processes, from secondary vegetation under extensive use, cultivated vegetation under intensive use, and cultivated or induced vegetation under extensive use to mature or secondary vegetation, have high resilience capacity. In contrast, cattle-raising is characterized by rapid expansion, long-lasting change, and intense damages; thus, recent disturbance processes, which include the conversion to cattle-raising, provoke the downfall of the traditional agricultural system, and nullify the capacity of resilience of tropical rain forest. The land-use cover change processes reveal a) the existence of four land-use systems (forestry, extensive agriculture, extensive cattle-raising, and intensive uses) and b) a trend towards the replacement of agricultural and forestry systems by extensive cattle-raising, which was consolidated during 1990-2000 (DR of evergreen tropical rain forest = 4.6%). Only the forestry system, which is not subject to deforestation, but is affected by factors such as selective timber, extraction, firewood collection, grazing, or human-induced fire, is considered to have high resilience (2 years), compared to agriculture (2-10 years) or cattle-raising (nonresilient). It is concluded that the analysis of land-use systems is essential for understanding the implications of land-use cover dynamics on forest recovery and land degradation in tropical rain forests.

04/03168 Land use-cover change processes in highly biodiverse areas: the case of Oaxaca, Mexico: Velázquez, A. et al. Global Environmental Changes, 2003, 13, (3), 175–184

04/03168 Land use-cover change processes in highly biodiverse areas: the case of Oaxaca, Mexico: Velázquez, A. et al. Global Environmental Changes, 2003, 13, (3), 175–184

Land use-cover change processes in highly biodiverse areas: the case of Oaxaca, Mexico

Land use-cover changes (LUCC) such as deforestation, have resulted as global warming and a reduction of environmental services, with large negative consequences for mankind. Effects based on statistics alone have not been sufficient enough to detect, stop and eventually revert negative LUCC processes that are strongly related to biodiversity loss. It is, therefore, of prime concern to assess and depict cartographically, major LUCC processes simultaneously. Mexico harbors a large pool of biodiversity, mostly restricted to a few locations among which, The State of Oaxaca plays a major role. In this state, nevertheless, drastic negative LUCC processes are taking place. Land cover types, mapped in previous surveys, overlaid on recent Landsat imagery and 300 ground truth sites, were used to detect current LUCC. Rates of conversion of the most important LUCC processes were computed and mapped simultaneously. Oaxaca has lost over half a million hectares of forested areas during the last 20 years. The core results may contribute to the understanding of how LUCC and GIS methods can provide better and more targeted information that may help to improve conservation policies and land use planning strategies.