Multi-temporal land use and cover changing analysis: the environmental impact in Mediterranean area

ABSTRACT

Human activity shapes the levels of anthropogenic pressure that depend on the land management method adopted. This has a fundamental role in the transformation of traditional landscapes. This study focuses on a representative region of the Mediterranean area with the objective to analyse the landscape’s dynamics, to detect the spatial arrangement of class patches, to identify the main agroecosystem characters and to provide a framework to assess ecosystems services. In order to assess land use/land cover changes and landscape persistence, the period between 1960 and 2012 was analysed, taking into consideration the years 1960, 2000 and 2012 using comparable land use maps. Land use and land cover analysis show an urban area growth of 24% during 2000–2012 and of 523% over between 1960 and 2012. The very high levels of land abandonment up to the year 2000 (+7216%) have reversed their trend between 2000 and 2012 (?95%). The orchards showed a relevant increase, particularly after 2000, while the vineyards were linked to the highest value of surface erosion (?74%). The outcomes showed that urban settlements can damage the ecological network with negative effects on the landscape’s environmental sustainability in proximity of significant urban centres. Instead, the ecological network is well preserved and highly associated to the agricultural areas when there is the persistence of many land uses and low urban density, despite the presence of dynamic changes.     

Contrasting approved uses against actual uses at La Restinga Lagoon National Park, Margarita Island, Venezuela. A GPS and GIS method to improve management plans and rangers coverage

Protected areas are the core of efforts to conserve biological diversity and zoning uses, and they are used as a tool for their management. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) have been used to evaluate conflicts between approved uses and actual uses in La Restinga Lagoon National Park in Venezuela (LRLNP). The park (188.6 km²), covers various ecosystems such as coastal lagoons, marine waters and xerophytic vegetation, it is visited by up to 260,000 people visit per year. A GIS, using a base map compiled from 1:25,000 maps was developed. Natural cover was mapped from LANDSAT VII TM images, orthophotomaps and aerial photographs. Spatial use data was collected by field GPS location of any use inside the park during 2 years. Thematic vector maps for each land cover, zoning area, and observed use were created. Maps of zoning and uses were overlapped and new maps for each use-zoning crossing were created. The park contain nine different zoning areas wherein 28 different uses were identified, 18 of them were direct consumptive and non-consumptive uses, occurring on 54% of the park. Tourism transit areas were the most used zones. More than 5,000 people use the park during a high season day. Superimposition of zoning maps with actual use data produced 13 uses taking place in not allowed areas (46% of park area). Most common prohibited use was commercial net fishing, occurring in nearly 40% of the park area. Therefore, identifying human use conflicts and its geographical distribution is a key issue to improve Management Plans as well as identifying hot sites. The GPS-GIS methodology presented here allows Park Rangers to select those areas which could benefit from enhanced supervision with the limited budget available.     

The utility of earth observation technologies in understanding impacts of land reform in the eastern region of Zimbabwe

Land tenure and land policies influence the spatial variations of land use/cover (LULC) at any given time or place. Thus, it is important to evaluate the role of land tenure policies on land cover changes. In this study, we evaluate the utility of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images in understanding the impacts of the 2000 fast track land reform (FTLR) policy on LULC in the eastern region, Zimbabwe. Landsat images for the year 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2011 were classified using traditional image classification techniques (i.e. the maximum likelihood (ML) classifier) in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. Results indicate that forested areas drastically decreased by approx. 30% between the year 2000 and 2005 (during and after the FTLR), while croplands marginally increased by (approx. 30%) the results further showed that slight increase in bare lands (degraded lands) and disturbed lands. The observed LULC changes after FTLR were mostly induced by human activities resulting from changes in land tenure. Overall, the findings of this study underscores the importance of remotely sensed data in assessing the impact of FTLR on forest resources for purposes of informed and sustainable forest management.     

基于InVEST模型的三峡库区(重庆段)生境质量时空演变分析

为识别生境质量优劣的具体区域,揭示土地利用变化下生境质量时空演变特征,对集大农村、大库区于一体的三峡库区(重庆段)开展生境质量研究.以2000、2010及2020年土地利用数据为基础,运用InVEST模型对三峡库区(重庆段)2000—2020年生境质量进行定量评价,并结合转移矩阵方法挖掘了生境质量退化的具体区域.结果表...     

Trends in the development of Estonian coastal land cover and landscapes caused by natural changes and human impact

The structure of coastal land cover in Estonia is intricate and exhibits considerable differences from site to site. The diverse geomorphology of the seashores is one of the key factors affecting the speed and magnitude of land cover changes. Likewise, the history of human inhabitance on the coast has also shaped the character of land cover. The Estonian coastal zone has experienced abrupt and radical changes in land ownership and its related land use during the last century. The main objectives of this paper are: 1) to give an overview of land use and the trends of development of land cover pattern along different parts of the Estonian coast; and 2) to analyze the relationships of natural and human processes and their cumulative impact on the evolution of coastal land cover pattern in Estonia. This study is based on results obtained during fieldwork in the study areas and on the analysis of large-scale (1:10,000) historical maps. In agriculturally dominant coastal areas, the traditional open landscape of fields and grassland at the beginning of the 20th century had been replaced by woodland and grasslands with shrubs by the start of the 21st century. Expansion of reed beds in areas of former seashore grasslands is another striking phenomenon. The structure of land cover on forested coasts has been fairly stable during the last 100 years. Areas of urban sprawl are characterised by dramatic changes in land cover structure. Rapidly increasing population and expanding settlements imposes on the ecological balance of the fragile dune forests in the coastal zone.     

Effects of surrounding land use and water depth on seagrass dynamics relative to a catastrophic algal bloom

Seagrasses are the foundation of many coastal ecosystems and are in global decline because of anthropogenic impacts. For the Indian River Lagoon (Florida, U.S.A.), we developed competing multistate statistical models to quantify how environmental factors (surrounding land use, water depth, and time [year]) influenced the variability of seagrass state dynamics from 2003 to 2014 while accounting for time‐specific detection probabilities that quantified our ability to determine seagrass state at particular locations and times. We classified seagrass states (presence or absence) at 764 points with geographic information system maps for years when seagrass maps were available and with aerial photographs when seagrass maps were not available. We used 4 categories (all conservation, mostly conservation, mostly urban, urban) to describe surrounding land use within sections of lagoonal waters, usually demarcated by land features that constricted these waters. The best models predicted that surrounding land use, depth, and year would affect transition and detection probabilities. Sections of the lagoon bordered by urban areas had the least stable seagrass beds and lowest detection probabilities, especially after a catastrophic seagrass die‐off linked to an algal bloom. Sections of the lagoon bordered by conservation lands had the most stable seagrass beds, which supports watershed conservation efforts. Our results show that a multistate approach can empirically estimate state‐transition probabilities as functions of environmental factors while accounting for state‐dependent differences in seagrass detection probabilities as part of the overall statistical inference procedure.     

三峡库区土地覆被动态变化遥感分析

利用 1 995年和 2 0 0 0年TM卫星影像资料 ,对三峡库区 5年内的土地覆被动态变化进行了分析。结果表明 ,该时期库区土地覆被的变化主要表现为林地向草地和耕地转化 ,以及耕地向建设用地转化 ;其次是林地向建设用地转化 ,有林地向灌丛转化 ,以及草地向林地转化。土地覆被的这种变化说明 ,三峡库区近几年来生态环境在总体上呈现继续恶化的趋势 ,仅局部地区有所好转。     

Satellite detection of bird communities in tropical countryside.

The future of biodiversity hinges partly on realizing the potentially high conservation value of human-dominated countryside. The characteristics of the countryside that promote biodiversity preservation remain poorly understood, however, particularly at the fine scales at which individual farmers tend to make land use decisions. To address this problem, we explored the use of a rapid remote sensing method for estimating bird community composition in tropical countryside, using a two-step process. First, we asked how fine-grained variation in land cover affected community composition. Second, we determined whether the observed changes in community composition correlated with three easily accessible remote sensing metrics (wetness, greenness, and brightness), derived from performing a tasseled-cap transformation on a Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus image. As a comparison, we also examined whether the most commonly used remote sensing indicator in ecology, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), correlated with community composition. We worked within an agricultural landscape in southern Costa Rica, where the land comprised a complex and highly heterogeneous mosaic of remnant native vegetation, pasture, coffee cultivation, and other crops. In this region, we selected 12 study sites (each < 60 ha) that encompassed the range of available land cover possibilities in the countryside. Within each site, we surveyed bird communities within all major land cover types, and we conducted detailed field mapping of land cover. We found that the number of forest-affiliated species increased with forest cover and decreased with residential area across sites. Conversely, the number of agriculture-affiliated species using forest increased with land area devoted to agricultural and residential uses. Interestingly, we found that the wetness and brightness metrics predicted the number of forest- and agriculture-affiliated species within a site as well as did detailed field-generated maps of land cover. In contrast, NDVI and the closely correlated greenness metric did not correlate with land cover or with bird communities. Our study shows the strong potential of the tasseled-cap transformation as a tool for assessing the conservation value of countryside for biodiversity.     

珠江三角洲地区高速公路沿线景观格局变化研究

根据1995年和2005年土地利用数据,借助地理信息系统软件和景观生态学方法研究珠江三角洲区域发展轴线——广深高速公路和广珠高速公路运营前后沿线区域的土地利用和景观格局变化,并进一步对比分析相同功能等级道路的生态效应差异。结果表明：（1）高速公路运营后,沿线区域建设用地增加迅速,耕地大量流失且迅速向建设用地转化;（2）公路的建设运营使得沿线区域人工干扰强度加大,景观斑块密度增加、面积减少、斑块形状趋向复杂,景观破碎化加剧;（3）道路途径区域的社会经济条件以及原有的景观格局特征是导致道路生态破碎效应差异的重要原因;（4）公路对自然景观的影响效应远大于其对人工景观的影响效应。     

Plasticity versus repeatability in seabird migratory behaviour

Pelagic seabird populations can use several discrete wintering areas, but it is unknown if individuals use the same wintering area year after year. This would have consequences for their population genetic structure and conservation. We here study the faithfulness of individuals to a moulting area within and among years in a small pelagic seabird, the Thin-billed prion, which moult their primary feathers during the early part of the non-breeding period. According to stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) of these feathers, 90% of Thin-billed prions moult in Antarctic and 10% in South American waters. Repeated samples from individuals in 2 or 3 years indicated that several birds changed between Antarctic and South American moulting areas or vice versa. However, individuals moulting in an area in one year were more likely to do so again. Four out of five adults maintained highly conserved δ¹³C over the extended moulting period. One bird, however, had systematic changes in δ¹³C indicating latitudinal movements between the two areas during moult. Thus, the present data show that this seabird species has a highly flexible migratory strategy, not only at the population level, but also at the individual level, enabling these seabirds to exploit a highly unpredictable environment.     

Global burned-land estimation in Latin America using MODIS composite data.

This paper presents results of the AQL2004 project, which has been develope within the GOFC-GOLD Latin American network of remote sensing and forest fires (RedLatif). The project intended to obtain monthly burned-land maps of the entire region, from Mexico to Patagonia, using MODIS (moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer) reflectance data. The project has been organized in three different phases: acquisition and preprocessing of satellite data; discrimination of burned pixels; and validation of results. In the first phase, input data consisting of 32-day composites of MODIS 500-m reflectance data generated by the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) of the University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.) were collected and processed. The discrimination of burned areas was addressed in two steps: searching for "burned core" pixels using postfire spectral indices and multitemporal change detection and mapping of burned scars using contextual techniques. The validation phase was based on visual analysis of Landsat and CBERS (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) images. Validation of the burned-land category showed an agreement ranging from 30% to 60%, depending on the ecosystem and vegetation species present. The total burned area for the entire year was estimated to be 153 215 km2. The most affected countries in relation to their territory were Cuba, Colombia, Bolivia, and Venezuela. Burned areas were found in most land covers; herbaceous vegetation (savannas and grasslands) presented the highest proportions of burned area, while perennial forest had the lowest proportions. The importance of croplands in the total burned area should be taken with reserve, since this cover presented the highest commission errors. The importance of generating systematic products of burned land areas for different ecological processes is emphasized.     

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.     

Ecological mechanisms linking protected areas to surrounding lands.

Land use is expanding and intensifying in the unprotected lands surrounding many of the world's protected areas. The influence of this land use change on ecological processes is poorly understood. The goal of this paper is to draw on ecological theory to provide a synthetic framework for understanding how land use change around protected areas may alter ecological processes and biodiversity within protected areas and to provide a basis for identifying scientifically based management alternatives. We first present a conceptual model of protected areas embedded within larger ecosystems that often include surrounding human land use. Drawing on case studies in this Invited Feature, we then explore a comprehensive set of ecological mechanisms by which land use on surrounding lands may influence ecological processes and biodiversity within reserves. These mechanisms involve changes in ecosystem size, with implications for minimum dynamic area, species-area effect, and trophic structure; altered flows of materials and disturbances into and out of reserves; effects on crucial habitats for seasonal and migration movements and population source/sink dynamics; and exposure to humans through hunting, poaching, exotics species, and disease. These ecological mechanisms provide a basis for assessing the vulnerability of protected areas to land use. They also suggest criteria for designing regional management to sustain protected areas in the context of surrounding human land use. These design criteria include maximizing the area of functional habitats, identifying and maintaining ecological process zones, maintaining key migration and source habitats, and managing human proximity and edge effects.     

农业土地利用变化及原因、效应分析

利用航空遥感影像结合野外调查方法 ,获取了研究区域 1 979年和 1 999年土地利用类型图 ,并分析了该时段土地利用变化情况。通过农户调查 ,探讨了土地利用变化的原因。分析表明 ,技术水平提高和投入增加是耕地产量提高的重要因素 ,提高土地经济收益是旱地土地利用结构变化的直接动力。     

Viable contribution of Tibetan sacred mountains in southwestern China to forest conservation

The Tibetan sacred mountains (TSMs) cover a large area and may represent a landscape‐scale conservation opportunity. We compared the conservation value of forests in these mountains with the conservation value of government‐established nature reserves and unmanaged open‐access areas in Danba County, southwestern China. We used Landsat satellite images to map forest cover and to estimate forest loss in 1974–1989, 1989–1999, and 1999–2013. The TSMs (n = 41) and nature reserves (n = 4) accounted for 21.6% and 29.7% of the county's land area, respectively. Remaining land was open‐access areas (i.e., areas without any restrictions on resource use) (56.2%) and farmlands (2.2%). Within the elevation range suitable for forests, forest cover did not differ significantly between nature reserves (58.8%) and open‐access areas (58.4%), but was significantly higher in TSMs (65.5%) after controlling for environmental factors such as aspect, slope, and elevation. The TSMs of great cultural importance had higher forest cover, but patrols by monastery staff were not necessarily associated with increased forest cover. The annual deforestation rate in nonsacred areas almost tripled in 1989–1999 (111.4 ha/year) relative to 1974–1989 (40.4 ha/year), whereas the rate in TSMs decreased in the later period (19.7 ha/year vs. 17.2 ha/year). The reduced forest loss in TSMs in 1989–1999 was possibly due to the renaissance of TSM worship and strengthened management by the local Buddhist community since late 1980s. The annual deforestation rate in Danba decreased dramatically to 4.4 ha/year in 1999–2013, which coincided with the implementation of a national ban on logging in 1998. As the only form of protected area across the Tibetan region during much of its history, TSMs have positively contributed to conserving forest at a landscape scale. Conservation of TSM forests largely relied on the strength of local religious institutions. Integrating community‐based conservation of TSMs within the government conservation network would benefit the conservation of the Tibetan region.     

Application of analytical hierarchy process and geographic information systems in land-use suitability evaluation: a case study of Dümrek village (Çanakkale,Turkey)

This study used both analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information systems (GIS) to make a land-use suitability analysis for the village of Dümrek, NW Turkey. Primarily, alternative land uses for agriculture, meadow–pasture and forest were determined along with criteria for these alternatives and a hierarchical structure was produced and used to determine the weights of the criteria. Spatial data were identified by means of GIS and calculations were made using the suitability values specified and weights obtained from AHP. Suitability maps were then produced for the above land use alternatives. Subsequently, a synthesized suitability map was formed from these maps. According to the weights specified by AHP, the order of land use preferences among the alternatives for rural development of Dümrek was agriculture, forest and meadow. The synthesized suitability map showed that the areas allocated for forest and agriculture were close to the present ratios of use; however, meadow land, which does not exist at present, should be allocated as a land use to constitute 12.5% of the study area. Achieving sustainability in land use is possible by planners and administrators considering results obtained from land suitability mapping studies at the stage of allocating land uses. The method applied in this research is considered useful when taking policy decisions covering the evaluation of rural land use, particularly for subunits of the state administration.     

1996—2006年武汉市土地利用/覆被变化研究

以武汉市为研究区,利用1996和2006年Landsat5的TM影像解译结果,基于GIS空间分析与数理统计方法定量研究了1996—2006年11年间的武汉市土地利用/覆被变化。研究结果表明：（1）1996—2006年期间,武汉市土地利用覆被总体特征表现出耕地、草地和未利用地减少,林地、水域和建设用地面积增加的态势;（2）这11年间耕地转化为林地、建设用地和水域这3种变化类型分布最为广泛,转换率最大;（3）11年来武汉市土地利用综合动态度变化幅度较大,并呈缓慢上升趋势。土地利用年变化速度达到1.25%;（4）1996—2006年武汉市土地利用程度逐年提高,土地利用程度变化量和变化率均大于0,说明武汉市处于土地利用发展时期,土地利用集约度会进一步提高。     

Land-use planning for sustainable resource development in Kumaon Lesser Himalaya—a study of the Gomti watershed

SUMMARY

The Lesser Himalaya, as the most densely populated part of the tectonically active and ecologically sensitive Himalayan mountain ranges, deserves specific attention to the conservation of the environment and the sustainable development of natural resources. Rapid growth of the human population during recent years, and the absence of any viable means of livelihood other than uneconomic crop farming have led to the uncontrolled exploitation of land areas and the consequent degradation and depletion of critical biophysical resources in the region. The need for sustainable development in Himalaya, therefore, makes it imperative to adopt a comprehensive land-use policy based on land capacity analysis that is scientific and practical. The main objective of this paper is to evolve an optimal land-use framework for the Gomti Watershed, situated in Kumaon, Lesser Himalaya. A detailed study of the traditional land use, regional agricultural system and the areas prone to environmental hazards was made throughout the watershed, through the preparation of large scale topographical forest and land record maps, field surveys and mapping. The average slope was considered as the principal parameter of land capacity, the potential for landslides and the intensity of erosion. Recognising the drastic changes that have taken place in the traditional land use, the watershed area has been proposed to be defined as protected forests (33.41%), community forests (32.86%), cultivation (23.33%) and horticulture (8.30%).     

Temporal and spatial patterns and driving factors of cultivated land change in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau北大核心CSCD

随着经济快速发展、城镇化进程加快以及人口基数不断增加,在城市用地不断向外扩张以及生态退耕措施的影响下,耕地面积呈逐年减小的趋势.这一现象加剧了农业发展与其他要素间的矛盾,对区域粮食安全也产生重要影响,因此,探讨耕地面积时空变化及其驱动机制对保障区域粮食安全具有现实意义.分析青藏高原地区1980年、1990年、2000年、2010年、2018年的耕地面积数据,结合户籍人口、地区生产总值(GDP)、粮食单产等统计年鉴资料解析影响其变化的主要驱动因子.结果表明:(1)青藏高原近40年耕地面积变化总体经历缓慢增加、显著增加和缓慢递减3个阶段,整个变化过程中耕地主要流失方向为林地和草地,分别占总流失面积的50.99%和32.02%,主要原因为退耕还林还草等政策的实施,其次为建设用地和水域增加.(2)耕地转为非耕地的地区主要集中在四川西部、云南西北部、青海东部,而耕地转入地区主要集中在青藏高原中部.以地市州来看,拉萨、海东、海西、阿坝、林芝等地区耕地面积变化特征以缓慢递增为主;西宁、黄南、甘孜、甘南等地区的耕地面积则呈缓慢递减的变化趋势.(3)主成分分析和结构方程模型结果显示影响耕地面积减少的主要驱动因素包括经济社会发展和粮食生产.其中经济和社会因素对耕地面积变化产生的影响为负值,社会因素产生的负影响最大,为-0.224,人口基数增长、建设用地扩张、土地利用转型要求以及二、三产业红利的吸引都会导致耕地面积减小.本研究揭示了青藏高原地区近40年耕地变化情况及流失方向,耕地面积波动主要受到经济社会因素以及政策因素的影响;上述结果可为今后国家粮食安全及当地生态环境可持续发展提供理论参考.(图7表8参45)     

Pastoralism,nature conservation and ecological sustainability in Western Australia's southern shrubland rangelands

Two major issues are discussed in this paper. The first is the commitment of Federal and State Governments to the maintenance of biodiversity and nature conservation through their endorsement of conservation strategies. Based on a rangeland biophysical resource inventory survey (Pringle et al., 1994) it is contended that existing nature conservation reserves are not representative of the biological diversity in the region. In 1990, less than 1% of the survey area was under nature reservation. Whilst 13 of 17 land types are present in reserves, most of the reserves consist of land types least suitable for pastoralism (but not necessarily lacking conservation value). The land types most subject to preferential grazing and most threatened from a nature conservation perspective are poorly (three types) or not (four types) represented, and certainly not replicated, in nature reserves of the survey area, which exceeds 100 000 km2. Of the 23 priority plant species for nature conservation occurring in the survey area, 21 are not known to occur in nature reserves. Nature conservation in the area needs to improve because of the unrepresentativeness of the existing nature reserves and the absence of numerous priority plant species for nature conservation from these areas. We should recognize that reservation is but one nature conservation strategy. Viewed as a land tenure issue, this paper presents a case for a more representative nature reserve system, and substantial changes in outlook towards off-reserve nature conservation. First, an integrated appraisal of findings from rangeland and biological surveys is required. Together they provide a strong foundation for nature conservation planning, from which a more representative nature reserve system can be planned. Given that off-reserve nature conservation values are still likely to be substantial, partly as a result of compromise with existing land uses, new approaches to land management, sensitive to these values, may be required.The second major issue concerns the success of maintaining regional biological diversity in the arid shrubland rangelands of Western Australia, which will be strongly influenced by the use of the semi-natural matrix of lands under pastoral management. In six suggested opportunities, this paper addresses how this use may be achieved. Central to the ideas is a regional approach in which all stakeholders can contribute to, and have ownership of, regional environmental management plans. This paper emphasizes the role that conservative pastoral management might be able to play and some approaches to encourage more widespread participation of pastoralists in nature conservation management.