Transformation Of Rural Landscape Research Articles

Exploring the effects of urban spatial structure on green space in Chinese cities proper

The process of urbanization has led to the agglomeration of population in cities and the transformation of rural landscapes into impermeable surfaces, leaving green spaces severely eroded. Agglomeration is the essence of cities, and optimizing the spatial structure can preserve green space in cities. In urban planning practice, the most common urban spatial structures are monocentric and polycentric. It remains unclear whether monocentric structure with high-density attributes or a polycentric structure with decentralization has better green space performance. This study examines the effects of monocentric and polycentric urban spatial structures, as measured with the dimensions of spatial centralization and concentration, on the size and accessibility of green space in Chinese cities proper at the prefecture level and above from 2000 to 2015. Using a panel dataset and instrumental variable techniques, we observed that, under equal conditions, urban green space can be improved when cities proper have a compact monocentric structure. However, the accessibility of green space is better when cities proper have polycentric structures. These findings are robust across various specifications and instruments. Optimizing the urban spatial structure can increase the size of and accessibility to green space in cities. This is important for urban air purification, microclimate regulation, and residents’ recreation and happiness. Our results provide guidance for policymakers seeking to optimize urban spatial structures and develop green cities.

People prefer arable fields and flower strips with continuous soil cover and diversified vegetation

Agriculture is a key driver of the dynamics and transformation of rural landscapes in Western Europe. However, little is known about the influence of cropping techniques on visual perceptions of the aesthetic and ecological value of agricultural fields. We used an online survey to investigate the preferences of French residents for fields of contrasting appearances due to different cropping systems. Participants were shown photographs taken at four periods of field management (i.e., fallow period, seedbed preparation, recommencement of plant growth after winter, and end of the cycle crop), either alone or in combination with temporal sequences typical of organic, conservation, and conventional cropping systems. The perception of flower strips across the seasons was also evaluated according to three levels of diversity and two management options (with and without summer mowing). Agricultural fields with high degrees of soil cover (e.g., presence of a cover crop, narrow inter-rows) and diversified vegetation (e.g., intercrop, weeds) were perceived as more aesthetic and favorable for biodiversity. The temporal sequences reflecting visual appearances of cropped fields under conservation agriculture were considered more aesthetically appealing and favorable to biodiversity than those for organic or conventional agriculture. Participants ranked wildflower strip sequences in descending order of plant species diversity. Within diversity levels, strips not mown in summer were preferred over those mown in summer for both aesthetic and biodiversity preservation value. These results could provide the basis of a design for payments for environmental services, including the socio-cultural services provided by agroecological cropping systems.

Transformation of rural landscapes in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta from 1990 to 2019: a spatio-temporal analysis

In this study, we aimed to explore the rural landscape transformation through the analysis of land use/land cover (LULC) spatio-temporal dynamics in the entire Vietnamese Mekong Delta over the three decades, using Landsat imageries and a supervised random forest classifier. Results indicated that in the 1990s, dominant LULC types were arable cropland, wetland, and permanent crops, which covered approximately half of the delta, 28% and 8%, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the wetland area decreased from 28% to 5% due to the expansion of aquaculture and the arable cropland. The aquaculture, however, expanded more rapidly than other land use conversions, namely, from 2% to 19%. Although mangrove forests slightly recovered by 58 km2 from 2005 to 2019, the overall trend (1990-2019) showed an intense loss of 740 km2 due to widespread conversions into aquaculture. The paper unravels the complex dynamics between land-cover change, socio-economic development and associated land-use policies, which have significant implications for the change in rural landscapes.

Wine tourism development in South Africa: a geographical analysis

ABSTRACTWine tourism, which is growing and developing on a global scale, is widely considered a driver of economic and social development in rural areas. Limited job opportunities and unemployment are prevalent in most rural areas, particularly in South Africa. In 2015, the South African wine industry generated close to 300,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. A geographical analysis of the development and current state of wine tourism in the region can assist in the country's efforts to develop a new strategy to enhance and preserve wine tourism in the future. Wine tourism development is analysed from a nodes, network and winescape perspective using the results from a national questionnaire survey. This mostly quantitative approach explains the wine tourism development over more than 40 years from a supply-side perspective including its wine tourism product portfolio and in terms of its physical footprint. Wine tourism development commenced from only three pioneer open cellar doors in 1971, to network formation of 21 wine routes and today boasting well-established wine tourism destinations. The Stellenbosch-Franschhoek-Paarl nexus emerges as South Africa's premier winescape, as being a well-established destination in its mature life cycle phase. Strong evidence of hierarchical differentiation between the wineries of the more established wine tourism regions has emerged. The impact of the wine tourism resorts on the smaller wineries has yet to be determined in the context of the resilience of the whole region. The development of wine tourism is also responsible for the transformation of rural landscapes and especially in the regions that have the most developed wine routes. These regions need higher-level protection (especially the cultural and natural resource bases) in the form of an ‘agricultural reserve’ or the declaration of a ‘national heritage site’.

Abandono agropastoril y recolonización vegetal : el papel de las especies leñosas como indicadoras del estadio de regeneración vegetal y de la edad de abandono (Haut Couserans-Pirineo Central francés)

An agricultura! and pastoral abandonment has become general in many mountaineous areas, as a consequence of the depopulation of the countryside. This abandonment has unchained processes ofvegetable recolonization that has caused the disabling of traditionally pastured areas and the transformation of rural landscape. This vegetable recolonization presents diverse varieties and «speeds». The author comes to an approximation to the chronology of country abandonment, by the analysis of the progression woody plants in three suntrap (Bethmale, Faup y Aulus) in Haut Couserans (Central Pyrenees, France). The results show how the evolution of processes of vegetal recolonization is subject to «inversions», «blockades» and «accelerations», related to the environmental characteristics and the plots history.

Transformation of rural landscapes in hiiumaa since 1956 and the consequences to open and half-open semi-natural habitats

Transformation of rural landscapes in hiiumaa since 1956 and the consequences to open and half-open semi-natural habitats

農村環境における水辺緑地計画のためのトンボ類の生息場所に関する研究

In earlier time, rural area used to be rich in flora and fauna. Nowadays, this bio-diversity aspect of environment has been greatly affected by the transformation of rural landscape due to the implementation of various land consolidation programs. The land consolidation programs are mainly aimed for the land and labor efficiency but lacking in considering the ecological aspect. This research is mainly focused on the rural environment. It is based on the fact that an appropriate ‘Biotope’ can be preserved if the linkage between the biota and landscape is grasped thoroughly. To study the relation of Dragonfly with the topography, plant and land-use system, a field survey was carried out for a period of five months (July-November, 1998) in the West Kinugawa river of Yagawa river basin in Tochigi Pref.From this study, it is understood that there is close relationship between the species and appearance of the Dragonfly with the space unit. The Dragonfly is also influenced from the stages of plant transition. From this it can be said that to preserve the habitat in the rural areas, it is necessary to adopt some methods to control the plant transformation.