Past desertification processes of Minqin Oasis in arid China

Irrigated farming has affected most natural oases in western China since the Han Dynasty employed advanced agricultural techniques in dryland areas. To date, little is documented about the process through which these oases were modified by human systems. In this study, a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating analysis of historical documents, archaeological field surveys, satellite imagery, and GIS data was used to understand desertification processes in the Minqin Basin in Gansu Province, China, over the historical period. Results suggest that initial reclamation efforts around the Minqin Oasis were launched in the Han Dynasty (121 BC–220 AD) and culminated in the Wei and Jin Dynasty (220–420). During the following 800 years from the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–581) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), farmland disappeared and became desert when the region was taken over by nomadic people. The second period of intense development occurred in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and was followed by another more aggressive development in the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), which resulted in the largest reclaimed area in history. Oases were constantly reclaimed and subsequently abandoned and desertified over the whole historical period. The causes were complex, but the major cause was related to dynastic transition that often resulted in changes in national policies.     

Past desertification processes of Minqin Oasis in arid China

Irrigated farming has affected most natural oases in western China since the Han Dynasty employed advanced agricultural techniques in dryland areas. To date, little is documented about the process through which these oases were modified by human systems. In this study, a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating analysis of historical documents, archaeological field surveys, satellite imagery, and GIS data was used to understand desertification processes in the Minqin Basin in Gansu Province, China, over the historical period. Results suggest that initial reclamation efforts around the Minqin Oasis were launched in the Han Dynasty (220–121 BC) and culminated in the Wei and Jin Dynasty (220–420). During the following 800 years from the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–581) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), farmland disappeared and became desert when the region was taken over by nomadic people. The second period of intense development occurred in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and was followed by another more aggressive development in the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), which resulted in the largest reclaimed area in history. Oases were constantly reclaimed and subsequently abandoned and desertified over the whole historical period. The causes were complex, but the major cause was related to dynastic transition that often resulted in changes in national policies.     

Urban expansion of oasis cities between 1990 and 2007 in Xinjiang,China

An oasis is not only the most concentrated area of human activity in an arid area but also the largest area where artificial disturbances occur at a regional scale. The study of oasis urban expansion and related factors is important to understand the development of cities in arid areas, guide the evolution of rational urban expansion and promote sustainable development of oasis cities. Although there have been several studies on urban expansion in Xinjiang over past decades, a lack of quantitative data and methods impedes further research. In this paper, urban expansion of the studied area in 1990, 2000 and 2007 is evaluated using 39 Landsat satellite images, a geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). We also analyse the related factors of urban expansion using quantitative and qualitative methods. We found that economic development and the area of the urban administrative region greatly effect urban expansion. Too rapid growth and outward urbanized expansion paradigms should not be applied blindly in arid areas from the point of view of sustainability. Historic–geographic features of oases and urban planning influence oasis urban morphology. Compact urban morphology is relatively better for protecting precious water and arable resources, and reducing ecology damage to the surrounding oasis. The relationship between urban expansion and population growth was not coordinate before 2000, and effectively only improved after that date. City growth should be moderated, with lower elastic coefficients, slower expansion and higher elasticity coefficients. Oasis cities in Xinjiang are expanding under the combined effects of urbanization, economic development, transportation, environment, resources, policy and planning.     

Impact of population growth and land-use change on water resources and ecosystems of the arid Tarim River Basin in Western China

Time series data on population change, economic development, climate change, water volume and quality and oasis land-use change were collected to study the interactions between these factors in the arid Tarim River Basin, China. The study reveals that precipitation and stream flow in headwater streams increased, but stream flow in the main Tarim River had reduced significantly over the past three decades. This implies that human activity, rather than climate change, dominated the recent environmental changes in the river basin. As a result of population growth and cultivated land expansion in the upper and middle reaches of the river, severe problems of water shortage, water pollution, death of natural vegetation, soil salinization, desertification and sand-dust storms have occurred, particularly in downstream areas of the river basin. These problems have had serious negative effects on the health of local people and sustainable social economic development in the region. Some development strategies are proposed to deal with these problems.     

A review on historical trajectories and spatially explicit scenarios of land-use and land-cover changes in China

ABSTRACT

Land use in China has changed remarkably over the past centuries with manifold implications for sustainable development. Investigation and projection of the land-use and land-cover changes (LUCC) have therefore become critical to promote the understanding of the LUCC process and the interactions with human societies. Scientists had devoted great efforts to create, process, and interpret comprehensive historical land-use/cover datasets, and to simulate future land-use systems under different scenarios. We synthesize the literature on the historical trajectories of LUCC in China, and summarize existing efforts of scenario developments for the projection of spatially explicit LUCC. Our review therefore provides salient suggestions for future land-use change analysis.     

额济纳绿洲生态环境演变的研究

根据实地考察和资料分析,对内蒙古额济纳绿洲生态环境的演变进行了研究,并提出防止绿洲生态环境退化的措施     

Assessment of soil salinisation in the Ejina Oasis located in the lower reaches of Heihe River,Northwestern China

Recognition of the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of soil salinity has become an important basis for the formulation of strategies required in the utilisation and sustainable development of soil resources in arid and semi-arid area. In this paper, based on vegetation cover dataset during 1998–2015 in Ejina region combined with the collected soil salinity data, geostatistical methods were used to explore the temporal and spatial dynamic characteristics of soil salinity and its impact on vegetation in the study area. The results showed significant differences in soil salinisation characteristics with a large variability in the soil salinity among the different soil depths, with a variation coefficient ranging from about 0.97–1.47. Soils are represented by a continuous variation, both in space and time. Soil salinity showed an obvious spatial autocorrelation, with a plaque type distribution. The areas of the salinised soil found for the years 2003, 2011 and 2015 were approximately 18,565, 23,206 and 17,721?km², respectively. From the relationships deduced between the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil moisture and salt content in different soil depths, the present study ascertains that the soil moisture content is the most important limiting factor of vegetation growth in Ejina Oasis.     

Ecological effects associated with land-use change in China's southwest agricultural landscape

Research on land-use and land-cover change, with associated effects on the ecoenvironment, is a key to understanding global change. The concept of 'ecosystem services' is also a hot issue in ecology and ecological economics. In this study, ecosystem service values are used to assess the ecological values of corresponding land-use types, so as to evaluate the ecological effects of regional land-use change. China's southwest agricultural landscape has unique ecological functions; but it also belongs to an ecologically fragile zone. Consequently, land-use change and associated ecological effects must be monitored to assure sustainable development of this area. Based on TM images in 1988, 1994 and 1999, the landscape classification maps of Yongsheng County were assessed using supervised classification and interactive modification methods. The transition matrix of land-use types and three indices of spatial patterns, patch-level, class-level and landscape-level indices, were calculated using models and GIS to examine the spatial patterns and dynamics of land use in the study area. The results show the influences of human activities and natural environmental elements, and that unused land has decreased rapidly, together with a continuous increase in forest during the past 11 years. There are also frequent intermediate transitions between farmland and unused land. An index for landscape diversity shows a tendency to increase, indicating that the proportions of each landscape element tended to average. Also, the decrease in the fractal dimension of unused land reveals that the effects of human activity are increasing. Ecological value calculations show that land-use change in Yongsheng County from 1988–1999 has resulted in positive ecological effects, with distinct spatial differences.     

荒漠绿洲农田盐渍化过程中土壤环境的演变过程

土壤环境的盐渍化演变过程是盐渍化其它过程研究的基础。采用空间代替时间的方法,在干旱绿洲区选择大麦（Hordeum vulgare L.）作物地不同盐渍化阶段农田为研究对象,并以非盐渍化农田作为对照,探讨农田盐渍化过程中土壤理化特性的演变过程。结果表明,（1）随盐渍化程度的加剧,土壤颗粒组成发生变化,沙粒含量趋于增加,黏粒含量趋于减少,粉粒含量在重度和极重度盐渍化阶段完全消失。表土层土壤容重呈显著增加趋势（P〈0-05）,但土壤温度没有显著性变化（P〉0-05）。（2）土壤有机碳、全氮、全磷和速效氮含量呈波动式降低趋势,而速效磷含量呈波动式增加的趋势。与未盐渍化农田相比,轻度、中度、重度和极重度盐渍化农田土壤表层有机碳和全氮含量分别减少了14.03%、26.26%、42.01%、48.03%;19-08%、35.63%、46.84%、56.88%。（3）随盐渍化程度的加剧,盐分表聚现象明显,除 HCO3-外,Na＋、Cl-、K＋、Mg2＋、SO42-、全盐含量均显著增加（P〈0-05）,且随着深度的增加逐渐下降。与未盐渍化农田相比,轻度、中度、重度、极重度盐渍化农田土壤电导率、全盐,SO42-,Na＋含量分别增加了31.42%、74.42%、203.95%、693.58%,6.56%、96.38%、86.36%、414.86%,5.23%、114.58%、104.00%、430.32%,31.46%、145.22%、345.11%、1797.70%;HCO3-下降了-11-31%、2.02%、3.75%、10.94%。（4）土壤电导率、全盐、SO42-、Ca2＋、Cl-、Mg2＋、K＋、Na＋之间呈极显著正相关（P〈0.01）,但与土壤含水量没有显著正负相关性,与黏粉粒含量呈显著负相关（P〈0-05）;土壤有机碳、全氮、速效氮之间呈极显著正相关（P〈0.01）,但与土壤含水量没有显著正负相关性,与土壤电导率、全盐、SO42-、Ca2＋、Cl-、Mg2＋、K＋、Na＋之间呈极显著负相关（P〈0.01）。这说明,在农田盐渍化过程中,随盐渍?     

Economic-based projections of future land use in the conterminous United States under alternative policy scenarios

Land-use change significantly contributes to biodiversity loss, invasive species spread, changes in biogeochemical cycles, and the loss of ecosystem services. Planning for a sustainable future requires a thorough understanding of expected land use at the fine spatial scales relevant for modeling many ecological processes and at dimensions appropriate for regional or national-level policy making. Our goal was to construct and parameterize an econometric model of land-use change to project future land use to the year 2051 at a fine spatial scale across the conterminous United States under several alternative land-use policy scenarios. We parameterized the econometric model of land-use change with the National Resource Inventory (NRI) 1992 and 1997 land-use data for 844 000 sample points. Land-use transitions were estimated for five land-use classes (cropland, pasture, range, forest, and urban). We predicted land-use change under four scenarios: business-as-usual, afforestation, removal of agricultural subsidies, and increased urban rents. Our results for the business-as-usual scenario showed widespread changes in land use, affecting 36% of the land area of the conterminous United States, with large increases in urban land (79%) and forest (7%), and declines in cropland (-16%) and pasture (-13%). Areas with particularly high rates of land-use change included the larger Chicago area, parts of the Pacific Northwest, and the Central Valley of California. However, while land-use change was substantial, differences in results among the four scenarios were relatively minor. The only scenario that was markedly different was the afforestation scenario, which resulted in an increase of forest area that was twice as high as the business-as-usual scenario. Land-use policies can affect trends, but only so much. The basic economic and demographic factors shaping land-use changes in the United States are powerful, and even fairly dramatic policy changes, showed only moderate deviations from the business-as-usual scenario. Given the magnitude of predicted land-use change, any attempts to identify a sustainable future or to predict the effects of climate change will have to take likely land-use changes into account. Econometric models that can simulate land-use change for broad areas with fine resolution are necessary to predict trends in ecosystem service provision and biodiversity persistence.     

Agency and structure: a grounded theory approach to explain land-use change in the Mindo and western foothills of Pichincha,Ecuador

ABSTRACT

Although life and land decisions are individual, driven by perceptions of reality, they reflect broader social processes. This research aims to understand relevant land-use change processes and the context within which land-use change occurs in the study area. For this, we employ grounded theory techniques and procedures to analyze narratives and life history interviews. Based on these narratives, we re-construct past land-use changes. Additionally, we identify structural conditions that drive change, several dimensions of change, including cultural-cognitive dimensions, and future discourses. The identified structural conditions motivate changes in concepts, actions, and practices, in land-use, and institutions, eventually leading to generational changes. Further research is needed to examine how the so-called structural conditions producing change varies in different settings and contexts. These findings can provide insight into certain patterns and knowledge that may contribute to community planning, policy design, and the conception of sustainable solutions with more grounded knowledge.     

东北地区生态环境态势及其可持续发展对策

阐述了东北地区存在的主要生态环境问题,分析了未来发展趋势,并从可持续发展视角提出了相关对策。研究表明,东北地区可采森林资源枯竭,荒漠化严重,黑土质量退化,湿地萎缩,城市河段水质污染严重,大城市大气污染严重,部分地区酸雨问题突出,资源型城市矿山环境问题严重;而受全球环境变化影响、振兴东北政策驱动以及某些新的污染问题的凸显,未来东北地区生态环境仍存在恶化趋势。今后须结合东北地区实际,完善生态环境监测体系,加强科学系统研究;加大技术创新力度,大力发展循环经济;转变经济增长方式,推进产业结构优化升级;营造绿色文化,加强基础制度建设;实施重大工程措施,加大生态环境保护与恢复力度。从总体上促进生态环境可持续发展,保障老工业基地全面振兴。     

干旱区农业绿洲景观格局研究

将地理信息系统 (GIS)与景观格局分析软件FRAGSTATS相结合 ,选取了 9个斑块类型指标和 13个景观指标 ,从区域和绿洲 2个尺度分析了金塔县及其境内的金塔农业绿洲和鼎新农业绿洲的景观格局。结果显示 ,区域尺度的景观格局体现了绿洲与戈壁等基质类型景观的镶嵌特征 ;金塔农业绿洲体现出冲、洪积三角洲的特征 ,即耕地从扇顶呈放射状与盐碱地相间分布 ;鼎新农业绿洲显示了沿河绿洲的特点 ,即景观类型以河道为轴对称分布。指出划定绿洲界限和提高数据分辨率是揭示绿洲景观格局与过程相互作用机制的关键     

2000—2007年珠峰自然保护区植被时空变化与驱动因子

采用遥感与GIS相结合的方法研究了珠峰自然保护区2000—2007年之间的植被时空变化过程和驱动机制问题。通过一元线性回归斜率计算获取了基于EVI数据的珠峰自然保护区植被变化趋势,以及表现2000—2007年植被变化的矢量图层。利用GIS时间动画技术,建立了7个时间点内不同间隔的植被时空演化过程快照,并结合ArcEngine构建了植被变化监测的时序分析流程,提取和分析了植被变化过程的时空特征。依据年平均温和年降水量观测记录进行了植被变化的气候因子分析,依据道路、河流缓冲区的居民点密度与植被退化面积比例的相关性,分析了人类活动影响,并讨论了不同植被退化区域在多重因素作用下的变化驱动因子。拟合了主要社会经济发展指标与植被变化的相关性,从统计数据方面讨论了珠峰自然保护区社会经济发展对植被变化的影响作用。结果表明：珠峰自然保护区植被变化的总体趋势以稳定为主,但植被退化趋势超过了变好趋势。同时,核心区植被变好趋势明显,实验区植被退化趋势严重。保护区南坡植被受气候变化干扰小,保持了大部分变好趋势;北坡由于降水减少造成湿地植被退化,对草地的长势带来消极作用。人类活动与植被状态变化有密切关系,在沟谷地带的破坏作用明显。并且,植被退化趋势与农业耕地面积扩大以及放牧影响关联紧密,而牲畜饲养与林业发展都未对保护区植被变化造成明显影响。     

干旱区生态安全问题及其评价原理——以新疆为例

普遍的生态敏感性和整体的生态退化趋势,使干旱区成为社会适应和经济适度极端脆弱区,其生态安全问题的典型性和突出性,为完善区域生态安全评价理论体系提供了理想靶区。根据生态安全评价的一般原理和目标,通过剖析新疆绿洲区生态安全问题的驱动、压力和响应机理,主要利用地带性共扼和非地带性耦合分析方法,从哲学观和生态系统、景观生态、土地类型及其稳定性格局层面,初步构建了干旱区生态安全评价的基本原理,得出确保有效的生态需水和生态水位,协调水生态及水安全功能,是干旱区生态安全评价的基础;基于生态承载和再生恢复禀赋的合理、适度利用优势资源,是绿洲开发的生态安全保障;维护天然绿洲和荒漠的“生态标本”价值,引导土地利用的生态化转向,是绿洲生态安全评价的客观依据;通过系统的生态规划和景观设计,保持异质景观的竞争性统一和生态圈层结构的动态稳定性,是干旱区生态安全评价的核心内容。     

水资源短缺条件下绿洲的建设和发展——以卡拉—铁干里克垦区为例

在水资源短缺条件下,垦区农业发展采取了多种经营,发展以棉花、水果和养鹿为主的高效特色农业,同时加强工程建设,进行水资源开源节流,强化管理和对绿洲的保护,这些已成为维持绿洲稳定和促进绿洲农业经济发展的关键措施。     

Land-cover change within and around protected areas in a biodiversity hotspot

The landscape surrounding protected areas influences their ability to maintain ecosystem functions and achieve conservation goals. As anthropogenic intensification continues, it is important to monitor land-use and land-cover change in and around protected areas. We measure land-cover change surrounding protected areas in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Biodiversity hotspot from the 1980s to present. Using Landsat imagery, we classified land cover within and around each protected area. Agricultural land uses were increasing and often directly border protected area boundaries. Human settlements increased around every protected area, potentially increasing human activity along the edges of protected areas and threatening their ecological integrity. Urban expansion around protected areas varied but increased as much as 10%. Woody vegetation cover varied both within and around protected areas with possible evidence of deforestation and shrub encroachment throughout the hotspot. We recommend monitoring land cover across southeastern Africa to better understand regional trends in land-use impacts to protected areas.     

Pollution prevention for sustainable development: the land-use question

The central argument of the paper is that effective pollution prevention can be achieved only by integrated land-use planning which offers the broad framework for co-ordinating technological and non-technological means to achieve sustainable development. The paper first reviews the role of land-use in preventing or contributing to pollution over time, focusing especially on contemporary efforts to promote environmental protection through land-use planning and management. The relationship between land-use, pollution and sustainable development is analysed by examining the most important types of land-use-related problems, discussing their causes and identifying a number of land-use-related constraints to sustainable development. Finally, a land-use planning and policy framework approach to pollution prevention for sustainable development is outlined which emphasizes the need for integrated analysis of pollution problems and adoption of comprehensive approaches to their solution. Scientific, spatial, temporal and policy issues are addressed in the context of the proposed approach.     

Developing indicators for assessing land-use sustainability in a tropical agro-ecosystem: The case of Sakaekrang watershed,Thailand

While the concept of sustainable land management is now widely accepted, there remains considerable scope for developing location-specific land-use indicators for sustainability evaluation. A study was conducted to investigate the indicators of land-use sustainability in the context of tropical agro-ecosystems using the case of Sakaekrang watershed, Thailand. The biophysical data were generated from Geographic Information Systems (GIs) and the socioeconomic data were collected through a field survey. In the light of sustainable land management objectives, a total of 32 criteria were considered in the analysis to determine land-use sustainability and identify indicators that best explain the sustainability level. About one quarter of the agricultural area in the watershed meets the sustainability threshold, indicating a substantial unstable area in the watershed. Among 11 indicators that showed a significant relationship with the computed land-use sustainability, land quality, source of farm income, and evapo transpiration were the most important.     

城市规划与城市可持续发展

城市可持续发展是人类全面实施可持续发展战略的一个重要方面,它有其特定的内涵。城市规划是实施城市可持续发展战略的有效工具,在城市规划中引入可持续发展理论是引导城市可持续发展的重要一环。以可持续发展为原则的城市规划应突出其未来导向性、环境导向性、社会导向性的特点,文章就其含义及实现途径进行了分析和探讨。