Land Use Management Research Articles

The Impact of Agricultural Land Reclamation and Conversion on Farmers' Livelihoods: A Case Study of the Thai Nguyen Stadium Project in Phuc Trieu Commune, Thai Nguyen City, Thai Nguyen Province

This study focuses on evaluating the impacts of agricultural land reclamation and conversion on the livelihoods of households affected by the Thai Nguyen Stadium Project in Phuc Trieu Commune, Thai Nguyen City. The research employed a combination of methods, including information collection through literature review and interviews with households whose agricultural land was reclaimed. Collected data were synthesized to analyze and evaluate the economic conditions of farming households post-reclamation. Statistical analysis and comparative methods were applied to examine changes in key indicators, such as employment and income, before and after the reclamation and conversion of agricultural land in the study area. The findings reveal that the project has had significant impacts on the lives of local residents. Specifically, the reclamation and conversion of agricultural land have altered the labor structure, employment opportunities, and income levels of the affected population. These results provide a basis for proposing necessary measures to enhance the effectiveness of land-use planning and management in the local context.

From Runway to Cityscape: Challenges of Airport-Driven Urban Growth

Incorporating airports into urban growth and economic development has greatly altered the geography and economics of cities. This study compares the conventional airports with the new model of the “Aerotropolis,” focusing on their dual functional nature as the points of entry and departure and growth drivers. It reviews the effects of airport growth on urban land use, the real estate market, and other economic sectors. The study uses examples from Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands and Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport in the United States. The analysis identifies the potential and challenges of the Aerotropolis approach as well as concerns on sustainability, equity, and the coherency of economic development with planning. It is recommended that to ensure effective economic development, there is a need to enhance governance, involve stakeholders and effectively manage land use to ensure that economic development is sustainable and beneficial to the environment and the people affected. This paper finds that airports can have a great impact on today’s urban and economic environments and highlights the need for a proactive and sustainable approach to the development of airport-related projects.

Decadal Change in Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Kharun Catchment

Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes exert profound influences on environmental and resource dynamics, particularly in developing regions experiencing rapid urbanization and agricultural expansion. This study investigates LULC changes over a 30-year period (1992–2022) in the Kharun catchment, part of the upper Mahanadi basin in Chhattisgarh, India. Encompassing 4,143.17 km² across six districts, the catchment plays a critical role in supporting agricultural and urban activities. Landsat imagery from 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022 was analyzed using supervised classification with Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to categorize six LULC types: water bodies, forests, urban areas, upland paddy fields, lowland paddy fields, and barren land. The results reveal dynamic and significant LULC changes. In 1992, water bodies (2.00%), forests (4.86%), and urban areas (1.92%) occupied smaller portions of the landscape, while barren land accounted for 28.64%. By 2002, water bodies slightly increased to 2.12%, forests decreased to 3.98%, urban areas expanded to 3.21%, and barren land reduced to 27.80%. Urban expansion became pronounced by 2012, with urban areas rising to 6.42%, while forests further declined to 3.11%, and barren land reduced to 26.30%. By 2022, water bodies expanded to 2.63%, forests declined significantly to 2.77%, and urban areas surged to 9.35%, indicative of extensive deforestation and urbanization. Barren land continued to decrease, covering 24.15%. These findings highlight the urgent need for integrated land-use management strategies that balance developmental needs with environmental conservation. Policy frameworks should prioritize reforestation initiatives, sustainable urban planning, and soil and water conservation practices to mitigate the adverse effects of deforestation and land degradation. Regular and systematic monitoring of LULC dynamics at the catchment scale is essential to support informed decision-making, ensuring ecological integrity and socio-economic sustainability in rapidly developing regions.

Collaborative management of hydrological ecosystem services: a multilevel social network analysis of a Mexican watershed.

Collaborative management of hydrological ecosystem services (HES) is crucial for their conservation and involves diverse stakeholders at three levels: environmental and land-use management (ELM), harvesting and physical access (HPA), and appropriation and appreciation (AA). This study analyzes collaborative networks within and between these levels in the Copalita-Huatulco watershed, Mexico, using a monoplex and multiplex social network approach to understand stakeholder interactions. Results indicate that the ELM and AA networks are diverse and polycentric, with NGOs occupying an influential role. In contrast, the HPA network is centralized and dominated by government stakeholders. From a multiplex perspective, non-local stakeholders, such as government agencies, have greater coordination potential, while locals, such as NGOs and communities, are multiplex knowledge brokers. The establishment of governance schemes should prioritize the promotion of stakeholders' diversity among actors, polycentricity, and empowered decision-making. Additionally, fostering stronger relationships and interconnectedness among networks is crucial to facilitating collaboration and adaptability in the HES management. This study contributes to the understanding of collaborative management of HES and offers recommendations to improve their effectiveness, sustainability, and resilience.

Breaking Spatial Constraints: A Dimensional Perspective-Based Analysis of the Eco-Efficiency of Cultivated Land Use and Its Spatial Association Network

Global urbanization has caused enormous challenges that seriously threaten ecological security and the food system. Thus, there is a need for finding an optimal solution for the eco-efficiency of cultivated land use (ECLU) that can promote the development of new-type urbanization, while ensuring the sustainable utilization of limited cultivated-land resources. The quantitative system of multi-scale ECLU used in existing studies is inadequate; it is necessary to establish a measurement system from the perspective of geographical spatial relationship that uses evaluation as a key basis for management. In this study, we considered the Changchun Metropolitan Area and a representative urban–rural transition area as the target regions and customized new ECLU evaluation systems for different scales. The super slack-based measure and gravity and social network analyses methods were applied to evaluate the ECLU and explore the structural characteristics of its spatial association network. The average ECLU value for the Changchun Metropolitan Area was 0.974; the results indicated that most of the study area was eco-efficient. The value of ECLU for the urban–rural transition area varied from 0.022 to 1.323; thus, the highly efficient cultivated land was mainly distributed around the urban built-up area. The spatial association network of ECLU revealed that the overall spatial correlations were relatively weak, with a significant “bipolar” division of ECLU; furthermore, the network hierarchy and stability needed improvement. Moreover, we noted distant attraction capacity and siphoning effects outside regional boundaries. In the Changchun Metropolitan Area, it manifested as a monocentric radiation, with Changchun City as the center. In the urban–rural transition area, the cultivated land in proximity to the newly built urban area was more likely to experience spatial spillover. These findings have important implications for strengthening land-use management and advancing sustainable agricultural development for new-type urbanization. Our study can be used by policymakers and stakeholders to design sustainable urban cities, while improving land-use management and optimizing resource use.

Analysis and Future Projections of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Hindon River Basin, India Using the CA-Markov Model

Land use and land cover change is a significant issue in emerging countries. The enormous rate of population growth, industrialization, and urbanization is responsible for these developments. Monitoring and mapping of changes in land cover and land use is essential to the sustainable development and management of the area. The study attempts to track changes in LULC pattern for the years 2002, 2013, and 2023 in the Hindon River Basin, a major tributary of the Yamuna River, using remote sensing and geographic information system techniques. Images obtained from Landsat data were employed to extract historical land use and land cover maps. Additionally, the CA-Markov model was implemented to forecast future land use and land cover patterns. This study examines the historical and predicted LULC in the area. Field observations and site-specific interviews were used to confirm and determine the ground realities. High-resolution images were used to evaluate the accuracy of the classified map. According to the results, the agricultural land decreased from 60.98% in 2002 to 54.70% in 2050, while built-up areas increased from 12.95% to 21.25% during the same period. By 2050, vegetation is predicted to increase to 2.58%, whereas surface water, fallow land, barren areas, and dry water bodies are predicted to decrease to 0.58%, 18.87%, 1.20%, and 0.83%, respectively. The rapid pace of urbanization is facilitating economic growth within the country; however, this development is occurring at the expense of the natural landscape, which subsequently diminishes the overall quality of human life. In order to maintain sustainable development in the Hindon Basin, proper urban planning is essential. Important policy implications for the sustainable management of land use and conservation in the Hindon River basin are highlighted by the study’s research and findings.

Spatial Assessment of Soil Erosion and Aridity in Somalia Using the CORINE Model

This study analyzed precipitation patterns, drought conditions, erosivity indices, and arid periods in Somalia using the CORINE model. Utilizing rainfall and temperature data from 50 meteorological stations collected between 2011 and 2019, the study calculated key indices: The Fournier Precipitation Index (35.70%), the Bagnouls-Gaussen Drought Index (61.36), and the erosivity index. The results revealed notable spatial variability in erosivity and aridity across Somalia. Northwestern regions, encompassing 204,978.65 km² (32.14% of the total area), exhibit low erosivity due to reduced rainfall intensity, while southern regions, spanning 252,341.11 km² (39.56%), face high erosivity driven by frequent and intense rainfall events. The study also identified significant arid conditions, with 61.36% of Somalia’s land classified as "dry" and 38.64% as "very dry," highlighting widespread water scarcity and vulnerability. These findings underscore Somalia's environmental challenges, including severe soil degradation, reduced agricultural productivity, and the exacerbation of droughts due to climate change. The integration of the Modified Fournier Index and the Bagnouls-Gaussen Index within the CORINE model provides a comprehensive assessment of the country's susceptibility to erosion and aridity. This research offers critical insights for prioritizing areas that require urgent soil conservation and improved land-use management. It also serves as a vital tool for policymakers and international organizations aiming to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, enhance agricultural sustainability, and promote ecological resilience in Somalia’s diverse landscapes.

A methodological framework integrating land use land cover and ecosystem services for optimal urban land management

Abstract Urban planning is a crucial element in the sustainable development of cities, with increasing recognition of the critical role of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are essential for urban well-being, and their effectiveness is closely linked to the spatial organization of land use. This study investigated the intricate relationship between land use and land cover (LULC) and ecosystem services (ES). To achieve optimal land use management, we propose a methodology that utilizes coupling coordination degree (CCD) and system dynamics (SD) modeling. This study acknowledges the impact of LULC on ecosystem services and suggests that controlling LULC can be an effective tool in managing and enhancing these services. The degree of coupling coordination serves as a valuable metric for examining the intricate nature of the interactions between LULC and ecosystem services. By quantifying the degree of coordination between these two systems, we get insights into the modeling of the dynamics of the LULC and ES systems. The control factors influencing these interactions can be identified using factors, interactions, risks, and ecological detectors in the geographic detector analysis process. System dynamic modeling enhances our ability to capture and understand the complex relationships within an urban ecosystem. By creating a dynamic model, we can better control and predict the factors that influence LULC and ecosystem services. This study contributes to the development of a methodological framework for urban planners, policymakers, and researchers to optimize land-use management and promote sustainable and resilient cities. The proposed methodology establishes a foundation for future research and applications in urban planning and ecosystem management.

Experimental Investigation on the Permeability and Fine Particle Migration of Debris-Flow Deposits with Discontinuous Gradation: Implications for the Sustainable Development of Debris-Flow Fans in Jiangjia Ravine, China

The particle size distribution (PSD) is a crucial parameter used to characterize the material composition of debris-flow deposits which determines their hydraulic permeability, affecting the mobility of debris flows and, hence, the sustainable development of debris-flow fans. Three types of graded bedding structures—normal, reverse, and mixed graded bedding structures—are characterized by discontinuous gradation within a specific deposit thickness. A series of permeability tests were conducted to study the effects of bed sediment composition, particularly coarse grain sizes and fine particle contents, on the permeability and migration of fine particles in discontinuous debris-flow deposits. An increase in fine particles within the discontinuously graded bed sediment led to a power-law decrease in the average permeability coefficient. With fine particle contents of 10% and 15% in the bed sediments, the final permeability coefficient consistently exceeded the initial value. However, this trend reversed when the fine particle contents were increased to 20%, 25%, and 30%. Lower fine particle contents indicated enhanced permeability efficiency due to more interconnected voids within the coarse particle skeleton. Conversely, an increase in fine particle content reduced the permeability efficiency, as fine particles tended to aggregate at the lower section of the seepage channel. An increase in coarse particle size decreased the formation of flow channels at the coarse–fine particle interface, causing fine particles to move slowly along adjacent or clustered slow flow channels formed by fine particles, resulting in decreased permeability efficiency. Three formulae are proposed to calculate the permeability coefficients of discontinuously graded bed sediments, which may aid in understanding the initiation mechanism of channel deposits. Based on experimental studies and field investigations, it is proposed that achieving sustainable development of debris-flow fans requires a practical approach that integrates three key components: spatial land-use planning, in situ monitoring of debris flows and the environment, and land-use adjustment and management. This comprehensive and integrated approach is essential for effectively managing and mitigating the risks associated with debris flows, ensuring sustainable development in vulnerable areas.

Uncovering Patterns: Data Mining the Deforestation Frontier in Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract. The Brazilian Cerrado, recognized as the world's most diverse tropical savanna, has undergone significant land clearance for agriculture, cattle ranching, and charcoal production, leading to considerable loss of its natural vegetation. This deforestation disrupts major aquifers, affecting ecosystems and human populations. The Cerrado Deforestation Monitoring Project (PRODES), active since 2017, systematically maps new deforestation using satellite imagery. This study used GeoDMA, a geospatial data mining tool for analyzing complex spatial databases such as those provided by the PRODES. The study area is the Alto Parnaíba region within the MATOPIBA agricultural frontier, characterized by high rates of crop expansion and burned areas. Using PRODES deforestation data from 2000 to 2023, the study categorizes deforestation patterns into geometric, multidirectional, and diffuse types, associated with large-scale agriculture, smallholder farming, and subsistence agriculture, respectively. The analysis reveals that approximately 50% of land use trajectories are small-scale subsistence agriculture, predominantly in northern Alto Parnaíba. Unchanged large-scale farms are concentrated in the southern part of the study area, linked to annual crops. The transition from small to large-scale farms is significant in the western region. Protected areas, especially strictly protected conservation units, show minimal changes in native vegetation. This study highlights the expansion of large-scale agriculture in MATOPIBA, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to manage land use changes and prevent further deforestation. Future research should extend this approach to other Cerrado ecoregions to improve the detection and analysis of deforestation processes.

How to measure the impact of landsenses ecology on sustainable development? A review of people-oriented emerging approaches

At present, the research of sustainable development is developing from a single local problem to a multi-scale, transdisciplinary and comprehensive study. The evaluation and monitoring of its progress need to adopt multi-disciplinary research methods and multi-dimensional, multi-scale identification mechanism. Landsenses ecology is an emerging scientific system that uses the basic principles of ecology to study the sustainable development of land-use planning, construction, and management from the aspects of natural elements, physical senses, psychological perceptions, social economy, process and risk. It provides an effective way for the multi-disciplinary integration research of the relationship between human and ecosystem, and provides an important method and theory for the sustainable transformation research of environmental system and social–economic system, and plays an important role in guiding and realizing the beneficial impact of human on natural ecosystem. This study describes 57 articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2016 and 2024, using qualitative content analysis, and discusses the impact of landsenses ecology on the way sustainable development is perceived and practiced. The results suggest that the role of landsenses ecology in the creation of sustainable vision resonance and behavior is crucial to the study of sustainable transformation and will help to explore effective strategies for using intrinsic sustainable transformation as a deep leverage point.

Assessment and multi-scenario simulation of ecosystem service values in Southwest China’s mountainous and hilly region

Abstract The southwestern mountainous and hilly regions of China are vital ecological barriers upstream of the Yangtze River. Assessing and simulating changes in ecosystem service value (ESV) in this area is essential for ensuring sustainable ecological development. In this study, our purpose was to evaluate and simulate the spatial patterns as well as trends in the changes shown by the ESV in Yanting County, China, from 2020 to 2030 via a grid-scale using the equivalent factor method and the Markov–patch-generating land use simulation model. The results indicated that (1) from 2020 to 2030, forest, cultivated, and construction lands would be the main types of land use. (2) In 2030, the projected ESVs in Yanting County under the as-usual, low-carbon, and shared development scenarios were 5.31, 5.30, and 4.99 billion RMB, respectively. Compared to the 2020 ESV of Yanting County, the as-usual scenario and low-carbon scenario ESVs increased. The shared development scenario ESVs decreased. It reflects the contra-diction between urbanization, industrialization, agricultural production, and ecological protection in Yanting County. The spatial distribution of the ESVs of all three scenarios showed an agglomeration trend. (3) Given the background of national food security and carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, the setting of a low-carbon development scenario combined with a shared development scenario appears to be more suitable for the future development of Yanting County, which is conducive to the rational planning of land-use patterns and the sci-entific growth of ESV in Yanting County. This study underscores the critical importance of integrating ESVs in sustainable land-use planning and management, and provides a reference for the rational use of land resources, land spatial planning, and policy-making for ecological protection in Yanting County.

Functional traits mediate ant community assembly in a West African savannah-forest mosaic (Côte d'Ivoire)

African forest-savannah mosaics are complex landscapes holding mixtures of woody grasslands (savannah) and different forest systems (gallery forests and forest islands). In these landscapes, ants are highly diverse and perform essential ecosystem services, however, the assembly of ant communities in African forest-savannah mosaics is poorly understood. Here we showed the diversity and species overlap of ant communities in three habitats of the West African savannah and quantified the contribution of thermal tolerances and trophic ecology to community assembly. We investigated ant diversity in the West African Comoé National Park (Côte d'Ivoire) at 16 sites of three habitat types within a forest-savannah mosaic: continuous gallery forest, isolated forest islands and savannah. Across all sites, we collected a total of 91 species from 35 genera from three strata: trees, leaf litter, and soil. Additionally, we assessed differences in functional traits (trophic groups and thermal tolerance) between habitat types and strata. Though species richness was similar in all three habitats, there was a clear separation in species assemblages and functional traits between the two forest habitats and the savannah. Species assemblage shifts were primarily due to species turnover between savannah and forest habitats. In addition, the turnover in species assemblages from forests to savannah habitats was associated with a change in the thermal tolerance of species and in the proportion of trophobionts and predators. Forest and savannah habitats support distinct ant communities with different functional traits and contribute additively to the landscape-scale diversity of the West African ant fauna. Land-use and park management should focus on conserving both savannah and forest sites in tropical protected areas such as the Comoé National Park.

The Gains and Losses of Cultivated Land Requisition–Compensation Balance: Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Trade-Offs and Synergies in Ecosystem Services Using Hubei Province as a Case Study

The cultivated land requisition–compensation balance (CLRCB) policy is an important policy implemented by China to address the reduction in cultivated land and ensure food security. Although this policy has alleviated the loss of cultivated land quantity, it has had complex and diverse impacts on ecosystem services. Taking Hubei Province as the study area, this research explores the impact of the implementation of the CLRCB on ecosystem services and simulates the changes in ecosystem services in the study area in 2030 and the impact of CLRCB on the interactions among various services. The results show the following: (1) from 2000 to 2020, Hubei Province achieved a balance in the quantity of cultivated land through excessive compensation but failed to reach the goals of balancing cultivated land yield and productivity. (2) During the requisition–compensation process, habitat quality decreased by 501,862, and carbon storage lost 1.3 × 107 t, indicating negative ecological impacts; soil conservation services increased by 184.2 × 106 t, and water production increased by 21.29.3 × 108 m3. Within the cultivated land requisition–compensation area, habitat quality and carbon storage, as well as soil conservation and water production, exhibited synergistic relationships, while the remaining pairs of ecosystem services showed trade-off relationships. (3) The simulation of ecosystem services in 2030 indicates that soil conservation and water production are highest under the natural development scenario, while habitat quality and carbon storage are highest under the ecological protection scenario, both of which are superior to the urban development scenario. Under the natural development scenario, the trade-off and synergistic relationships among various ecosystem services in the cultivated land requisition–compensation area remain unchanged, while these relationships change significantly under the other two scenarios. This study emphasizes that future CLRCB should not only focus on maintaining the quantity of cultivated land but also consider the comprehensive benefits of ecosystem services, in order to achieve sustainable land-use management and ecological conservation.

Local mechanism of engagement in rural landscapes in the Nicaragua-Honduras sentinel landscape: examples of a local farmers' organisation and a multi-actor platform

Landscape approaches have been encouraged as a means of addressing the intricate challenges related to natural resource management and the well-being of land users/farmers. The study presents two mechanisms applied to territory development: first, a multi-stakeholder platform to improve governance in a natural reserve area (space/geographical dimension); second, how a local cooperative can become a learning network and address land-use and landscape management issues. The study evaluates the planning tool interventions of a local project, aiming to enhance landscape governance and value-chain collaboration in Nicaragua's biosphere reserve. We interviewed 403 residents and 29 cocoa cooperative members to evaluate their view of the tools/methodologies' effectiveness in natural resource management and cocoa farmers' resilience and well-being, respectively. Factorial analysis showed that the people of "Peñas Blanca" were aware of the multi-stakeholder platform managing the reserve. Generally, they had a positive opinion of the platform and its ability to balance economic and cultural values with conservation. The local cocoa cooperative has faced a financial and organisational crisis in recent years, with only a small number of members using the cooperative to sell their cocoa beans. This is due to decreased productivity and quality of the cocoa beans for some individual farmers, which impacts their ability to commercialise the beans with the cooperative. However, current access to social and cultural capital is supporting the resilience and adaptive capacity of the cocoa farmers in the territory. The studied cases provide evidence of the effectiveness of multi-sectoral and community-led organizations in integrating economic, ecological, and social objectives in a territory supporting landscape governance with sectoral approaches as valuable entry points.

Evaluating water balance components in a tropical ecological zone under land use changes

Water availability for domestic, institutional, and agricultural production is threatened by the continuous change in land use land cover (LULC). These changes in LULC features affect the dynamics of the hydrological processes such as surface runoff, infiltration, and evapotranspiration, resulting in variations in water availability especially, for human consumption and crop yield. Therefore, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model was deployed to simulate the Pra River Basin (PRB)’s water balance response to changing LULC from 1986 to 2020. Open and closed forests reduced from an area of 11,071 km2 to 5902 km2 and 5125 km2 to 4990 km2 while settlement and cropland increased from 1100 km2 to 2392 km2 and 5303 km2 to 9320 km2 representing an average annual expansion rate of +24.7 km2/yr and +118 km2/yr respectively over the three decades. The growth in settlement and cropland resulted in an upsurge of more than 33 % and 20 % in surface runoff and water yield respectively, but decreases of over 4 % and 17 % in evapotranspiration and baseflow respectively. These changes have resulted in a seasonal increase in surface runoff, baseflow, and evapotranspiration (ET) during the wet season but a decrease during the dry season. The PRB has experienced a dramatic decline in forest areas, chiefly in areas where settlement and farmlands have been expanded. The areas where surface runoff and water yield showed significant upsurge and reduction in ET are the northwestern and southern enclaves of the basin. These findings can aid in effectively planning and managing land use to control the gradually depleting water resources in the basin.

Geographical Entity Management Model Based on Multi-Classification

Scientific and logical classification is crucial for efficient information storage, management, and sharing. However, there are numerous existing classification systems for geographical entities, and the categories to which the same geographical entity belongs are often different in the business databases constructed according to different classification systems, which brings great obstacles to the management and sharing of geographical information. This study analyzes the complexities of multiple classifications of geographical entities and proposes a multi-classification model for geographical entities based on directed hypergraph theory. This model integrates and transforms different classification systems for the same geographical entity, creating a unified method for expressing multiple classifications. We also designed a data structure to support this unified expression. By implementing this model, the study enables the effective management of geographical entity data, facilitating improved sharing and the exchange of geographical information across different industries and applications. In practical, the multi-classification model proposed in this paper allows geographical entities from different classification systems to be stored and managed within a single geographical database. Data views are then used to provide tailored services to various industry sectors and business applications. This approach effectively reduces data duplication and enhances the efficiency of managing and sharing geographical information. Using land use classification as an example, this study constructs a unified expression of three different land use classification systems based on the multi-classification model. An experiment managing land use data for a specific city was conducted using this model in PostgreSQL. The results indicate that the proposed method not only reduces data redundancy but also improves the query efficiency by over 10% on average compared to the mainstream relational database management mode. This confirms the effectiveness and practical value of the proposed method.

Spatial downscaling of global soil texture classes into 30 m images at the province scale

Soil categorical data is an important aspect in soil science because it effectively facilitates communication between policymakers and stakeholders. Furthermore, soil categorical data exceeds single-property data in terms of depth of information and is an essential component of various scientific disciplines such as hydrological, ecological and pollution frameworks. However, datasets containing such information are usually too coarse for local needs and regional policies. In this study, an algorithm was introduced, known as rafikisol, to spatially downscale (to a finer detail/resolution) soil texture classes from 1 km SoilGrids images into 30 m images in three environmentally diverse provinces (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape) in South Africa. Rafikisol surpassed the performance of another high-resolution soil dataset (Innovative Solutions for Decision Agriculture) by 9% and 27% in Gauteng and the Western Cape, respectively (accuracy ∼75% and ∼72%). Conversely, iSDAsoil outperformed rafikisol by 34% in KwaZulu-Natal (11% accuracy). The spatial soil texture class distribution predicted by rafikisol was considerably different and heavier (clayey) in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal but had a similar spatial distribution with lighter (sandy) soil texture in the Western Cape compared to iSDAsoil. With improvements such as the introduction of new sampling techniques, algorithm optimization and the use of expert knowledge, this method has the potential to increase the accuracy of additional modeling frameworks that require high-resolution soil information, especially in data-scarce or resource-constrained regions. This has implications for proper land-use management, affecting aspects ranging from food security and urban expansion to biodiversity.

Correction: Yan, S.; Growe, A. Regional Planning, Land-Use Management, and Governance in German Metropolitan Regions—The Case of Rhine–Neckar Metropolitan Region. Land 2022, 11, 2088

In the original publication [...]

Impact of Irrigation on Soil Water Balance and Salinity at the Boundaries of Cropland, Wasteland and Fishponds under a Cropland–Wasteland–Fishpond System

In order to explore the effect of fishponds on soil water, salt transport and salinization in cropland wasteland, a study on soil water balance and salt distribution pattern in a cropland–wasteland–fishpond system was carried out in 2022–2023 in a typical study area selected from the Yichang Irrigation Area of the Hetao Irrigation District. A water balance model was established for the cropland–wasteland–fishpond system to analyze the effects of irrigation on soil salinity at the boundaries of the cropland, wasteland, and fishpond. The results showed that the lateral recharge from the cropland to the wasteland during spring irrigation in 2022 was 24 mm, the lateral recharge generated by fishponds to wasteland was 18 mm, and the lateral recharge from fishponds to fishpond boundaries was 34 mm. In the fertility period of 2023, the lateral recharge from cropland to wasteland was 15 mm, the lateral recharge from fishponds to wasteland was 9 mm, and the lateral recharge from fishponds to fishpond boundaries was 21 mm. Due to the low salinity content of fishpond water, it diluted the groundwater of the wasteland, and the soil salinity at the boundary between the wasteland and the fishpond was monitored. The data show that the soil salinity at the boundary of the fishpond was smaller than that of the wasteland, which indicates that the migration of fishpond water to the wasteland will not lead to an increase in the soil salinity of the wasteland, but rather to a decrease in the soil salinity of the wasteland. Fishpond regulation has a significant impact on soil and groundwater, and when the topographic conditions of the Hetao irrigation area allow, the model of cropland–wasteland–fishpond can be appropriately adopted to solve land degradation and increase the economic income of farmers; the results of the study provide a contribution for the improvement of the management of land use and soil salinization in the Hetao irrigation area.