Urban Encroachment Research Articles

Monitoring and evaluating the attributes of retreated cultivated land under urban encroachment in South Giza Governorate, Egypt

Monitoring and evaluating the attributes of retreated cultivated land under urban encroachment in South Giza Governorate, Egypt

Factors influencing peri-urban growth: Empirical evidence from the Dhaka and Brisbane regions

Albeit, urban encroachment to peri-urban areas is a global phenomenon, dimensions of such peri-urban growth vary depending on the context. There little evidence exists in the literature on the main factors effecting such variation. This study aims to explore the main factors influencing peri-urban growth in developing and developed country contexts. The paper investigates the influencing factors from the following four distinctive lenses: (a) Physical growth; (b) Socioeconomic status; (c) Climate change impacts; and; (d) Policy and governance. The methodological steps of the investigation include demarcating peri-urban boundaries with night-time light data, and conducting change analysis with Landsat data. By taking the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan area (Bangladesh) and Brisbane and its adjoining local government areas (Australia) as comparative cases, this study explores physical growth patterns in a 30-year period (between 1989 and 2019), along with implications of government policies in regulating these changes. The findings disclose that unique socioeconomic settings of a country exert significant influence on urban growth policy formulation and enforcement. This, in turn, responds to peri-urban growth differently between developing and developed countries. The insights generated from this comparative study informs policymaking, planning and monitoring circles in developing and developed country contexts.

Multi-scenario simulation of urban growth boundaries with an ESP-FLUS model: A case study of the Min Delta region, China

• ESP-FLUS model is developed to predict the urban growth and delineate the urban growth boundaries with a comprehensive consideration of ecological protection. • Random forest coupled with Gini importance are applied to identify the driving forces of land use change. • Urban growth simulation and urban growth boundaries delineation are conducted under different scenarios. • Local master plans and national policies are considered in advancing the optimal urban growth scenario. Delineating urban growth boundaries (UGBs) has been proved as an effective approach to constrain urban encroachment and achieve sustainable urban development. However, so far, many studies have not fully taken account of the ecosystem integrity in simulating the urban growth as well as the corresponding UGBs delineation. To bridge this research gap, this paper proposes an ESP-FLUS model to predict the future land use pattern with a comprehensive consideration of ecological protection. In this paper, on the one hand, the ecological security pattern (ESP) is integrated from four ecological aspects (i.e., hydrology, geology, biodiversity, and recreation) and classified into three levels (i.e., basic ESP, intermediate ESP, and optimal ESP). On the other hand, drawing on historical records, random forest coupled with Gini importance are applied to identify the driving factors in shaping the land use variation. Taking the classified ESP as the spatial constraint allied with the identified driving factors into a FLUS model, this paper predicts the urban growth in 2035 in a multi-scenario manner. By analysing the multi-scenario simulation results at both region and district levels, the possible urban planning option under the requirements of local master plans is suggested for sustainable urban development. Against a backdrop of an increasingly severe environmental crisis, this paper develops a new research paradigm to incorporate ESP into UGBs delineation as a way to shed light for urban planners on reaching the balance between eco-environment protection and socio-economic development.

Functional habitat suitability and urban encroachment explain temporal and spatial variations in abundance of a declining farmland bird, the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax

Species response to land use can be examined under a functional perspective, where habitats are described according to species´ resource dependencies. Distribution or abundance models based on resource availability rather than land use types can be more informative about the ultimate processes behind observed population or distribution trends. Habitat use may depend on resources available, as well as disturbances that affect accessibility to such resources. Increasing human presence and urban encroachment may thus alter the relationships between habitat suitability and species abundance. Using 10 years of field data, we investigated whether variability in Little Bustard (<em>Tetrax tetrax</em>) abundance was explained by functional habitat suitability (assessed through resource-based models) and urban encroachment. We found that spatial and temporal variations in Little Bustard abundance were explained by functional habitat suitability and avoidance of urban areas, but that the significance of each variable varied with spatial scale. Little Bustard abundance at each observation point significantly increased with local nesting but not foraging habitat suitability, and decreased with increasing proportion of urban areas. At larger spatial scales, temporal changes in Little Bustard abundance were highly significantly related to changes in foraging habitat suitability. Moreover, the positive relationship between foraging habitat suitability and Little Bustard abundance weakened as the proportion of urban areas increased, and almost disappeared when the proportion of urban areas was more than 5%. Our results underline the benefits of using resource-based models to better understand processes that relate animal abundance and habitat suitability, while simultaneously considering avoided elements of the landscape.

Identifying and Measuring Biophilic Planning Indicators in Riverside Neighborhoods

Biophilic planning is one of the important trends in achieving sustainability and nature conservation, especially in areas that contain natural elements. Since in the case of climate change and urban encroachment on natural habitats, taking care of nature and investing its components properly is a necessity, not a choice. As well as the agreement among many researchers about the social, economic and environmental benefits provided by biophilic planning, which is based mainly on the idea of connecting people with nature. This study aims to provide a guide to planners, urban designers, and decision-makers, including how to deal with residential neighborhoods that contain natural elements such as rivers by depending on a specific methodology based on previous literature and deriving effective indicators in this type of neighborhood. The results of the theoretical framework showed that there are eleven effective indicators, some of which are measured by descriptive methods and some by quantitative methods. These indicators have been applied in one of the neighborhoods of the Iraqi Kufa City overlooking the Euphrates River. The results showed that the study area lacks standards and indicators of biophilic planning. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-01-03 Full Text: PDF

Urban Heat Island and Land Use/Cover Dynamics Evaluation in Enugu Urban, Nigeria

This study specifically estimated the effect of land use/cover change (LULC) processes on land surface temperature (LST) in Enugu urban and its suburbs. With Landsat images and supervised classification technique, four LULC classes comprising built-up areas, vegetation, rock outcrop, bare ground/farmland areas were delineated. The LST was extracted from the thermal bands of the images. The rate of change in land cover classes between 2009 and 2018 showed that from 2009 to 2013, built-up areas increased from 31.65% to about 47.5%, while vegetation cover decreased from 18.43% to 11.23%. Also, the periods witnessed about 8.69 km2 of vegetation being converted to other land surfaces. The trend in the LST in Enugu urban showed the highest mean temperatures of 34.5°C in 2018 and 32.26°C in 2015. However, in 2013 there was a slight decrease in mean LST to 31.65°C which further decreased to 31.26°C in 2009. This change in temperature suggests that urbanisation could have significant effect on the micro-climate of Enugu city. Result also revealed weak relationships between LULC classes and the LST throughout the years. The results of the surface heat intensity for the urban and rural areas showed general increase over the years and this suggests that rural areas are also experiencing high temperature which could be due to the loss of vegetation, increase in artificial surfaces and urban encroachment. Findings from this study could be useful for effective urban land-use planning, policy development and management in Nigeria, and elsewhere.

INVESTIGATING URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY AS MECHANISM TO PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Urban encroachment into the peri-urban areas has blurred the borders between urban and rural areas. Thus, the urban growth boundary (UGB) has been used to encourage the sustainable development of cities and improve long-term planning efficiency. Studying the understanding of the UGB concept in ensuring sustainable development in Malaysia would be beneficial. This study aimed to investigate the perception and understanding of the UGB concept and function to achieve sustainable urban development. An online survey was conducted involving 82 experts, which comprised planners from PLANMalaysia and academicians in the field of urban planning. Results indicated that the perception of the UGB score was significantly greater by 1.16 than the normal score of 3, which indicated that the experts agreed that UGB could improve the urban development. The findings also indicated that the existing planning policy and inclusion of UGB had protected agricultural and natural land; however, stricter and tighter borderless development should be conducted.

Assessing changes in flora distribution of Akoka forest ecosystem, 52 years after urban encroachment using field surveys and integrated remote sensing data.

The numerous benefits and the need to conserve urban forest is increasingly been acknowledged by scientists, land managers as well as decision makers. However, unlike the developed regions of the world, urban forest composition and structure in developing countries such as Nigeria remains the most threatened and least-studied. Using intensive field surveys and remote sensing data, this study investigated changes in species composition and structure of nine vegetation types in Akoka between 1962 and 2014. Field data on individual species was collected along a belt transect laid across the nine vegetation boundaries. Species composition, richness and diversity differed among the vegetation types as well as between 1962 and 2014. Species composition ranged from 3 to 19 across the vegetation types and was highest in fresh water swamp forest. While brackish marsh land had highest total number of individual, fresh water swamp forest located near the parks and garden had the least likely due to its nearness to ceaseless human disturbance. The species diversity was generally low across the vegetation types, and varied between 1.32 in brackish marsh land to 2.63 in mangrove swamp forest. The overall initial vegetation of Akoka had significantly fragmented and diminished between 1962 and 2014. Compared to 1962, the percentage vegetation cover by the major vegetation types had reduced, indicating that while anthropogenic disturbance persisted, little or no effort was put in place to improve their restoration. Overall, our findings pointed to the needs for sustainable management of urban forest with keen attention being paid to restoration.

Spatial Differentiation Characteristics and Driving Mechanism of Rural Settlements Transformation in the Metropolis: A Case Study of Pudong District, Shanghai

Under rapid urbanization, rural China has undergone a drastic transformation, especially in the metropolis. Revealing the evolution laws of rural settlements is critical for effectively providing references. Although many previous studies demonstrated the transformation laws of rural settlements from multiple scales, few focused on the spatial differentiation within the metropolis. This study constructed the spatial conversion intensity index, conversion structure significance index, and landscape metrics to investigate the spatial differentiation characteristics, classify the transformation patterns, and reveal driving mechanisms of rural settlements in the Pudong district at the township level. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in the size of settlements, and the values decreased from urban-rural fringe to exurban area. The conversion structure of settlements varied within urban-fringe, suburban, and exurban areas. The morphology of settlements became more regular and compact, but to a varying degree. Based on these findings, three transformation patterns were summarized: the rapid disappearance pattern, the physical decay pattern, and the orderly transformation pattern. Further analysis indicated that they were mainly caused by urban encroachment, limitation of geographic conditions, and planning policies separately. These conclusions reveal the spatial differentiation characteristics of rural settlements in the metropolis of developing countries and provide scientific guidance for sustainable rural development.

Relocation of habituated black bears in the Klamath Mountains of California: an adaptive management case study

Black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in California have increased in abundance and distribution despite rising trends in the urban encroachment of wildlands. As human-black bear conflicts increase, opportunities to study the relocation of black bears in an adaptive management setting are important for improving the management of this highprofile species. Habituated black bears, some tamed and made tractable through human-controlled food conditioning, were relocated to a remote region of the Klamath Mountains to analyze home range use, survival, return rates, and mortality. Relocated black bears with known outcomes demonstrated an 80% return rate, with 55% not surviving beyond five months. Female bears established home ranges significantly larger than males, and may suggest an enhanced maternal instinct in search of similar nutritional conditions prior to relocation. This study showed that the relocation of food-conditioned black bears resulted in high return rates, poor survival, and risk to public safety.

Plausible response of urban encroachment on ecological land to tourism growth and implications for sustainable management, a case study of Zhangjiajie, China

Rapid urban expansion in emerging tourism-oriented cities often leads to substantial encroachment on ecological lands and tremendous environmental pressure. Tourism growth and urban encroachment control are indispensable for sustainable development, but their interaction has rarely been reported. Here, 23-years' built-up areas time series with corresponding indicators of Proportion of Land used for Tourism (PLT) are integrated, to explore this interaction and construct Urban Encroachment Probability Curve (UEPC), and to reveals their causation and cycle by Granger analysis. The results show that the probability of encroachment in the next year increases rapidly with the increase of PLT at the urban boundary. When the PLT is between 30 and 35, the probability of encroachment reaches 80%. However, the right shift of UEPC from 1995 to 2018 shows that urban encroachment has become increasingly difficult. An urban encroachment cycle (spatial planning – urban encroachment - tourism growth - population increase - land demand increase - spatial planning) takes at least four years. The monitoring of PLT on the boundary and PLT outside the built-up area has a great role in predicting the place and size of future encroachment. This objective prediction is the reliable basis for sustainable development.

917Stakeholder analysis to develop a national outbreak response plan for Q fever in Australia

917Stakeholder analysis to develop a national outbreak response plan for Q fever in Australia

Are there differences in the forces driving the conversion of different non-urban lands into urban use? A case study of Beijing.

Examining the heterogeneous factors behind the conversion of various types of non-urban land into urban use is of great significance for controlling urban land expansion and formulating reasonable land use policies. Taking Beijing as an example, this study identified the spatial patterns of urban expansion in China's large cities and then explored the different driving factors behind its various sources. The results showed that, from 2001 to 2010, Beijing's urban land presented a compound expansion mode in which multiple spatial modes coexisted. Urban encroachment contributed differently to the loss of different non-urban lands. Cultivated land and ecological land were the main sources of newly developed urban land, of which the conversion was driven jointly by topography, location, transportation, socioeconomic development, and spatial planning. Moreover, the main factors behind the conversion of various land types varied: closing to existing built-up area and infrastructures increases the conversion probability of most land types; socioeconomic development has common but differentiated effects; governments at different levels have their influences on the conversion of different types of non-urban land. Based on the results, this study suggested the importance of considering varied approaches in managing non-urban lands to better controlling their conversion into urban use and the different roles that could be played by governments at various levels.

Remote Sensing Application for Exploring Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics in and Around Chatra Wetland, English Bazar, West Bengal

Wetlands are often called as biological “supermarket” and “kidneys of the landscape” due to their multiple functions, including water purification, water storage, processing of carbon and other nutrients, stabilization of shorelines and support of aquatic lives. Unfortunately, although being dynamic and productive ecosystem, these wetlands have been affected by human induced land use changes. India is losing wetlands at the rate of 2 to 3 per cent each year due to over-population, direct deforestation, urban encroachment, over fishing, irrigation and agriculture etc (Prasher, 2018). The present study tries to investigate the nature and degree of land use/land cover transformation, their causes and resultant effects on Chatra Wetland. To fulfil the purpose of the study, GIS and remote sensing techniques have been employed. Satellite imageries have been used from United States Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager for the year 2003 and 2018. Cloud free imageries of 2003 and 2018 have been downloaded from USGS (https://glovis.usgs.gov/) for the month of March and April respectively. Image processing, supervised classificationhas been done in ArcGis 10.5 and ERDAS IMAGINE 14. The study reveals that the settlement hasincreased by about 90.43 per cent in the last 15 years around the Chatra wetland within the bufferzone of 2 Sq km. Similarly agriculture, vegetation, water body, swamp and wasteland witnessed asignificant decrease by 5.94 per cent, 57.69 per cent, 26.64 per cent 4.52 per cent and 55.27 per centrespectively from 2003 to 2018.

Hotspots of land-use change in global biodiversity hotspots

Land-use conversion from natural areas to agriculture and human settlements is causing global biodiversity loss. We proposed a human land-use disturbance index (LDI) to assess habitat loss and fragmentation in global biodiversity hotspots from 1992 to 2015. Negative (LDI > 1) and positive (LDI < 1) impacts on habitat were observed in 30 and 6 biodiversity hotspots, respectively. The hotspots with a relatively small proportional area of nature-dominated land were more likely to face habitat loss. The area of nature-dominated land in the global biodiversity hotspots decreased by 287.37 × 103 km2, which was 1.56% of the level in 1992. Agricultural land occupation and urban encroachment contributed to approximately 90% and 10% of the habitat loss in global biodiversity hotspots, respectively. Habitat loss caused by agricultural land occupation was notable in the hotspots (Sundaland, Indo-Burma and Cerrado) within the developing nations, whereas urban expansion threats to biodiversity were more evident in the hotspots (North American Coastal Plain and Forests of East Australia) within the developed nations. Together with the human development index (HDI) results, we found that low land-use disturbance did not occur as expected in developed areas. The 6 biodiversity hotspots with positive effects were all located in the developing nations. The results indicated that human development did not necessarily result in negative effects on habitats; however, human development goals oriented by the HDI without environmental and ecological dimensions would not be beneficial to biodiversity conservation. These findings shed new light on the impacts of land-use change on global biodiversity hotspots and provide valuable information for global land-use monitoring and biodiversity risk assessments.

Modelling the distribution of bat activity areas for conservation in a Mediterranean mountain range

AbstractThere is a lack of studies designed to detect the most important areas for bat conservation. In this context, areas of high bat activity have been rarely considered in the delimitation of protected areas for bats, which are generally focused on the protection of roosting sites. This has been due to the difficulties of sampling the distribution of these nocturnal animals when moving at night. This methodological constraint has been overcome by the development of bioacoustic sampling, which allows mapping the occurrence of active bats over large areas. In this study, we use bat detectors to sample the distribution of bat activity in central Spain. This region is under the environmental effects of a mountain range (Guadarrama Mountains) and the urban encroachment of the city of Madrid. The occurrences provided by the detectors were used to produce species distribution models of which the resulting layers were arranged to detect the most suitable areas for bat richness and rarity indices. We performed a gap analysis to explore whether the areas most commonly used by active bats are covered by the current network of protected areas. The results showed that the best areas of high bat activity are located at the piedmont of the mountains and that most of these areas overlap with the existing network of protected areas. The best areas for bats excluded the most urbanized areas and within a similar urban gradient, protected areas tended to be located within the best sites for conservation. These results suggest that bats currently benefit from a network of protected areas initially aimed to protect birds and habitats (Natura 2000). In addition, monitoring areas of high bat activity could complement roosting site protection in the conservation of bat assemblages.

Rehabilitation and Revitalization of Slum Area: A Case Study of Tower Market Hyderabad

Slum improvement is viewed as an efficient way to combat urban poverty. Through the survey at Tower market Hyderabad,it is determined that the site which is chosen to be reported is severely damaged due to urban encroachment. This factor is influencing the legal area by illegal means, and the need to rehabilitate. Lack of monitoring and gradually increasing population plus migration and other growth rate factors are encouraging the urban encroachment which has become the reason for conversion of this site into a declared blight area. This reported work is the first research being done on this site highlighting the major issue of the area. The work is itself exposed to the betterment of the site by dragging the eyes of related departments and government sectors towards such major issues. Problems regarding encroachment, revitalization of houses, transportation and congestion issues, environmental approaches, etc. are being covered in this report mainly.

Extended seed rain period of Adenostoma fasciculatum impacts diverse seed predators.

AimsThe principal chaparral species in California, Adenostoma fasciculatum, an evergreen, sclerophyllous shrub, is broadly distributed and provides habitat and food resources for a large and diverse animal community. The effects of climate change, including elevated temperatures, fire frequency and severity, along with increased urban encroachment, have placed pressure on chaparral habitats in California. Our goal is to investigate aspects of reproductive ecology as a measure of the potential resiliency of A. fasciculatum. We focus on seed rain (all seed falling into the seed traps regardless of origin) and seed banks in the context of plant-animal interactions and regeneration.MethodsStand recovery following disturbance is achieved through both resprouting and germination from established persistent soil seed banks. In this study we focus on seed ecology using a series of experiments to document the length and quantity of seed rain, seed predation, parsing the importance of the community of granivores, and evaluating the connection between stand age and germination rate from soil seed banks.Important findingsOur research documented an 8-month seed rain duration with over 1 million seeds per m2, multiple seed predators including passerines (songbirds) and rodents, and points to the possibility of native ants playing a role in the seed dispersal process. This is important given the recent advancement of the invasive Argentine ant (Linepthema humile) into Californian chaparral. This research demonstrates a clear relationship between A. fasciculatum and both resident and migratory granivores in the chaparral. We documented that a 39-year-old stand had higher germination rates than those which were 16, 20, 41 and 71 years old and how seed banks play a major role in assuring resiliency following fire. These findings are important for wildland managers to assure the continued resiliency of A. fasciculatum.

On the Hunting of, and Threats Facing, the Cape Hare (Lepus capensis Linnaeus, 1758) in the Gaza Strip, Palestine

The Cape Hare (Lepus capensis Linnaeus, 1758) is the only lagomorph in Palestine (27,000 km2). Although it was common in the Gaza Strip 4-5 decades ago, its present occurrence is restricted by several overlapping factors. The current study aims to spotlight the hunting of, and the threats facing, Cape Hares in the Gaza Strip (365 km2). This descriptive study, which lasted 5 years (2016 – 2020), was based on frequent field visits and observations in addition to meetings and discussions with wildlife hunters and farmers. We found that the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip were the main hunting places for Cape Hares. The methods involved in hare hunting included shooting, foothold traps, live traps known locally as "maltash", net walls, pit traps and coursing which involves the use of greyhounds. Wildlife hunters described the hunting of Cape Hares as a complicated task due to its low occurrence, extreme caution, difficulty of tracking it, presence near the Israeli security fence, which poses a danger to hunters, in addition to the great experience and high concentration that such hunting requires. Cape Hares face several threats, some of which are Israeli, and some specific to Gazans and the environment of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli threats include the Israeli security fence which prevents the natural flow of wildlife between the Gaza Strip and the rest of the Palestinian territories, Israeli wars and invasions, and the Israeli spraying of herbicides at the eastern border areas of the Gaza Strip for claimed security reasons which eradicates the plant cover supporting hares and other fauna with shelter and food. The Gazan threats include urban encroachment at the expense of natural habitats, excessive use of chemical pesticides, overhunting of Cape Hares, noticeable increase of opportunistic carnivores feeding on Cape Hares, and weakness of environmental awareness campaigns and laws that protect wildlife. Finally, the study recommends the use of all possible means to sustainably protect and conserve wildlife including Cape Hares in the Gaza Strip.

What is the impact of urban development and thermokarsting on arctic tundra pond zooplankton communities?

Human development and warming in the Arctic are increasingly putting new pressures on the abundant freshwater ecosystems in the region. In particular, recent and rapid expansion of thermokarst ponds in permafrost regions has been associated with these stresses. Our goal was to examine the relative impacts of pond enrichment by urban encroachment and thermokarsting, compared to relatively unimpacted regions, on the environmental conditions and zooplankton communities of tundra ponds near Utqiaġvik, AK, USA. Both urban ponds and thermokarst ponds were found to have substantially different environmental conditions, as well as distinctive zooplankton communities relative to reference sites. Thermokarst ponds presented an environment rich in DOC and nutrients (N, P, and Si) and phytoplankton biomass. Enrichment by nutrients and DOC in thermokarst ponds led to significantly greater zooplankton abundance composed largely of Daphnia middendorffiana (66 individuals L−1) and cyclopoid copepods (65 individuals L−1). Urban ponds had moderate nutrient levels, with elevated benthic algal biomass. These ponds had intermediate numbers of D. middendorffianna (14 individuals L−1), as well as significantly higher numbers of diaptomid copepods (8 individuals L−1) and chydorids (11 individuals L−1), as compared to one or both reference regions. The two reference regions [Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and International Biological Program (IBP)] had consistently lower nutrient concentrations, algal levels, and zooplankton abundances (less than 3 individuals L−1). Finally, harpacticoid copepods and Bosmina longirostris were new records for the zooplankton in the region. Further collections are required to determine the drivers for these new observations. These results identify the large potential relative contributions of urban inputs and thermokarsting to enrichment of Arctic aquatic ecosystems and point to thermokarsting, which will likely increase with warming, as a major contributor to change in these systems.