Loss Of Ground Cover Research Articles

LEGAL INCONSISTENCY OF LAND PROCUREMENT FOR MINING IN FOREST AREA

Damage to natural resources in Indonesia is starting to have an impact on the community as a result of mining that does not heed environmental sustainability resulting in ecosystem damage such as water pollution, loss of ground cover and increased levels of hazardous substances. The type of research carried out is by using normative legal research which is limited to the study of the application of positive law under study. Procurement of land for the mining business sector involves many aspects of statutory regulations including the Forestry Law, Conservation Law, Environmental Law, Land Law, Investment Law and the Law governing Mining itself which consists of from the Minerba Law, the Oil and Gas Law and the Geothermal Law. the impact that arises as a result of legal inconsistencies in the mining sector, such as the presence of several mining companies mining in areas prohibited for mining.

Assessing resilience to underpin implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality: A case study in the rangelands of western New South Wales, Australia

Land degradation through loss of ground cover, wind erosion and woody scrub encroachment affects rangelands globally, threatening the resilience of communities and ecosystems. Climate change is anticipated to exacerbate land degradation in the rangelands, through increased incidence of drought. In the semi-arid rangelands of Australia, land managers have limited capacity to manage land degradation. Recent Australian climate policy initiatives could provide opportunities to improve land management, and increase resilience of rangeland pastoral systems. The Australian government’s Emissions Reduction Fund enables landholders to obtain carbon credits for sequestering carbon in vegetation and soil. In western New South Wales (NSW), landholders have received funding for avoiding clearing or allowing the regrowth of native vegetation. These carbon farming projects could provide financial resources for landholders to manage drivers of land degradation and thus contribute to achieving “land degradation neutrality” (LDN). However, the impacts of carbon farming, particularly at regional level, are highly uncertain.The conceptual framework for LDN proposes that planning for LDN should be underpinned by assessment of resilience of the current and alternative lands use, using tools such as the Resilience Adaptation Pathways and Transformation Approach (RAPTA). RAPTA is a framework developed to guide the application of resilience concepts in management of social-ecological systems. It encourages a systems approach to identify critical linkages in the system, that become the focus of assessment of the system’s resilience, and development of management plans to enhance resilience, and facilitate transformation where required.We present a case study of the application of RAPTA to support assessment of the resilience of current management and alternative land use strategies involving carbon farming. RAPTA facilitated a holistic assessment of social, biophysical and economic impacts of carbon farming in western NSW, that improved understanding of the opportunities, trade-offs, synergies and risks. RAPTA was found to be an effective tool to support LDN planning. Constraints to application of RAPTA include gaps in knowledge of thresholds, and resource requirements to enable effective stakeholder engagement, to inform integrated landscape management.

A case study of evaluation, demonstration and adoption of improved forages for a cut-and-carry system in Eritrea

Eritrea, a largely arid or semi-arid country in north-east Africa, lies on the western side of the Red Sea between about 12 and 18° N, and has an elevation ranging from -75 m to 3,018 m asl. Soils span from shallow, often infertile stony soils in steeper areas to fertile clays and clay loams on the flats. Soil pH ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline. About 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence mixed farming, with livestock being used for meat, milk, draft and fiber, as well as serving as a financial reserve. Average farm size in the most intensively populated area (central highlands) is about 0.2 ha, and about 2 ha in the less populated western lowlands. In extensive farming systems, the rangelands that account for more than 90% of livestock feed, have a carrying capacity ranging from about 20 ha/Tropical Livestock Unit (TLU  one bovine with a body weight of 250 kg) in the 100 mm rainfall zone to about 4 ha/TLU in the 600 mm rainfall zone (Kayouli et al. 2002). Crop residue is the second largest source of feed for livestock, with sorghum residue being the most important by a large margin. In the more intensive dairy systems, perennial forages such as Medicago sativa cvv. Hunter River (uplands) and Hairy Peruvian (lowlands) and Pennisetum purpureum are used by some farmers. Columbus grass (Sorghum x almum) has been introduced in limited areas in recent years. The combination of an extensive and diverse livestock population, and unreliable and strongly seasonal rainfall, has contributed to widespread overgrazing, which in turn has led to significant loss of ground cover and soil erosion. Much of the native grassland is now severely degraded, and more productive endemic species largely lost.

Control Techniques and Management Strategies for the Problematic Navua sedge (Cyperus aromaticus)

AbstractNavua sedge, a member of the Cyperaceae family, is an aggressive weed of pastures in Fiji, Sri Lanka, the Malay Peninsula, Vanuatu, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Tahiti and is now a weed of pastures and roadsides in north Queensland, Australia. Primarily restricted to areas with an annual rainfall exceeding 2,500 mm (98.4 in), Navua sedge is capable of forming dense stands, smothering many tropical pasture species. Seventeen herbicides were field tested at three sites in north Queensland, with glyphosate, halosulfuron, hexazinone, imazapic, imazapyr, or MSMA as the most effective for Navua sedge control. Environmental problems, such as persistence in soil, lack of selectivity, and movement off-site, may occur using some herbicides at the predicted 90% lethal concentration (LC90) control level rates. A seasonality trial using halosulfuron (97.5 g ai ha−1[1.4 oz ac−1]) gave better Navua sedge control (84%) by spraying in March to September than by spraying at other times (50%). In a frequency trial, sequential glyphosate applications (2,160 g ae ha−1) every 2 mo was more effective for continued Navua sedge control (67%) than a single application of glyphosate (36%), although loss of ground cover would occur. In a management trial, single applications of glyphosate (2,160 to 3,570 g ae ha−1) using either a rope wick, ground foliar spraying, or a rotary rope wick gave 59 to 73% control, whereas other treatments (rotary hoe, 3%; slashing, −13%; crushing, −30%) were less effective. In a second management trial, four monthly rotary wick applications were much more effective (98%) than four monthly crushing applications (42%). An effective management plan must include the application of regular herbicide treatments to eliminate Navua sedge seed being added to the soil seed bank. Treatments that result in seed burial, for example, discing, are likely to prolong seed persistence and should be avoided. The sprouting activity of vegetative propagules and root fragmentation also needs to be considered when selecting control options.

Distribution, habitat and conservation status ofLeggadina lakedownensis(Rodentia: Muridae) in Queensland

The Lakeland Downs Mouse Leggadina lakedownensis is one of two species of short-tailed mice endemic to Australia. In Queensland there have been only very few recent sightings, and the species was thought to be restricted to parts of northern Cape York Peninsula. Five new localities are reported, including range extensions to central Queensland. Habitat for the species varies from chenopod to spinifex grasslands, Melaleuca woodlands and open savanna Eucalyptus woodlands, ranging from tropical coastal esplanades to sub-tropical rangelands. Trap localities encompass altitude from sea level to over 1000 m, and annual rainfall from 600-1800 mm, but are unified by a dense ground cover and waterlogging red or white sandy clays. Some potential threats to these rodent's populations are postulated including loss of ground cover and clearing of habitat in coastal regions. Despite contentions of a plaguing species, this rodent was rarely encountered in areas extensive sampled within its range. Notwithstanding the spa...

Response of vertebrates to fenceline contrasts in grazing intensity in semi‐arid woodlands of eastern Australia

Abstract Changes in the abundance, species richness and assemblage composition of vertebrates due to grazing by domestic stock were investigated in the semi‐arid woodlands of eastern Australia. Analyses were based on the differences found at 10 fenceline contrast sites. Two species of amphibians, 22 species of reptiles and two species of small mammal were captured in pit traps during the surveys. Kangaroos (red and eastern grey), sheep, goats and 66 species of birds were recorded along line transects. Analyses revealed that abundance of diurnal reptiles and species richness of diurnal reptiles and birds were significantly lower on heavily grazed sites than they were on lightly grazed sites. At a local scale, the gecko, Gehyra variegata, was more abundant where grazing was heavier, while Diplodactylus conspicillatus, Diplodactylus steindachneri and Rhynchoedura ornata responded to variables indirectly related to grazing intensity (kangaroo density, sheep and goat dung mass and sheep density, respectively). Birds more commonly sighted on lightly grazed areas than heavily grazed areas were the apostlebird, brown treecreeper, crested bellbird, grey butcherbird, hooded robin, jacky winter, little woodswallow, Australian magpie‐lark, mulga parrot, splendid wren, white‐browed treecreeper and yellow‐rumped thornbill. Birds more commonly sighted on heavily grazed areas than on lightly grazed areas were the Australian raven and chestnut‐crowned babbler. Most variation in species composition between sites was due to spatial separation and no regional‐level indicator species of grazing were evident. A combination of direct grazing‐related changes (e.g. loss of ground cover) and indirect effects of the pastoral industry (e.g. introduction of artificial sources of water) lead to changes in fauna at different scales of analysis across regions.

Chino well fire: a hydrologic evaluation of rainfall and runoff from the Mud Canyon watershed

Forest fires often alter the balance between rainfall and resulting runoff of natural watersheds. This may result in flooding of the burned watershed at points down-stream. Such was the case for the Mud Canyon water-shed on New Mexico's Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in 1996. While the summer storms that followed the spring fire had a magnitude to be expected every five years, the resulting flood flows were more on the order of a one hundred-year event. This paper concludes that the loss of ground cover (particularly for relatively steep watersheds) should be seriously considered when evaluating the potential for flooding on a burned watershed. The methods used for hydrologic analysis of Mud Canyon, as outlined in this paper, are applicable for future analyses of burned watersheds to determine the extent to which loss of ground cover contributes to increased flood flows.