Simulating and delineating future land change trajectories across Europe

Explorations of future land use change are important to understand potential conflicts between competing land uses, trade-offs associated with particular land change trajectories, and the effectiveness of policies to steer land systems into desirable states. Most model-based explorations and scenario studies focused on conversions in broad land use classes, but disregarded changes in land management or focused on individual sectors only. Using the European Union (EU) as a case study, we developed an approach to identifying typical combinations of land cover and management changes by combining the results of multimodel simulations in the agriculture and forest sectors for four scenarios from 2000 to 2040. We visualized land change trajectories by mapping regional hotspots of change. Land change trajectories differed in extent and spatial pattern across the EU and among scenarios, indicating trajectory-specific option spaces for alternative land system outcomes. In spite of the large variation in the area of change, similar hotspots of land change were observed among the scenarios. All scenarios indicate a stronger polarization of land use in Europe, with a loss of multifunctional landscapes. We analyzed locations subject to change by comparing location characteristics associated with certain land change trajectories. Results indicate differences in the location conditions of different land change trajectories, with diverging impacts on ecosystem service provisioning. Policy and planning for future land use needs to account for the spatial variation of land change trajectories to achieve both overarching and location-specific targets.

     

农村居民点整理对农户土地投入影响研究

近年来,农村居民点整理被作为城乡统筹发展的重要措施,在各地广泛开展。其在改善农民居住环境、为工业化和城镇化发展置换建设用地空间的同时,也对区域农地资源可持续利用产生了巨大冲击,其中,土地投入变化是农户响应这些冲击的重要表现。本研究沿着"农村居民点整理-区域土地利用条件变化-农户土地利用行为响应"的逻辑思路,形成了农村居民点整理对农户土地投入影响的分析框架,并在此基础上,从总体效应和不同政策影响两个层次,构建了农村居民点整理对农户土地投入影响的两个模型。依据江苏省调研数据,从资金和劳动力两个方面,实证分析农村居民点整理项目对农户土地投入的净效应,以及不同居民点整理政策对农户土地投入的影响方向和大小。结果表明,农村居民点整理促进了农户的土地资金投入,但对农户的土地劳动力投入具有负向影响。不同居民点整理政策对农户土地投入的影响具有显著差异,其中,置换住房的宅基地补偿政策和农地产权稳定政策对农户的土地资金投入具有较好的积极作用,而安置公寓房政策则更可能带来农户土地资金投入减少;农地产权稳定政策和安置公寓房政策显著负向影响农户土地劳动投入,但宅基地补偿政策对农户土地劳动投入影响不显著。本研究对这些结果进行了合理解释,同时也估算了户主年龄、户主受教育程度、农业收入比例、非农就业水平、农业补贴收入、耕作距离和土地经营面积等控制变量对农户土地投入的影响情况。最后从强化规划引导、内涵拓展、宅基地补偿策略优化、土地流转制度完善等方面,提出农村居民点整理政策调整和合理引导农户土地投入行为的对策建议。     

Uncertainty in the difference between maps of future land change scenarios

It is essential to measure whether maps of various scenarios of future land change are meaningfully different, because differences among such maps serve to inform land management. This paper compares the output maps of different scenarios of future land change in a manner that contrasts two different approaches to account for the uncertainty of the simulated projections. The simpler approach interprets the scenario storyline concerning the quantity of each land change transition as assumption, and then considers the range of possibilities concerning the value added by a simulation model that specifies the spatial allocation of land change. The more complex approach estimates the uncertainty of future land maps based on a validation measurement with historic data. The technique is illustrated by a case study that compares two scenarios of future land change in the Plum Island Ecosystems of northeastern Massachusetts, in the United States. Results show that if the model simulates only the spatial allocation of the land changes given the assumed quantity of each transition, then there is a clearly bounded range for the difference between the raw scenario maps; but if the uncertainties are estimated by validation, then the uncertainties can be so great that the output maps do not show meaningful differences. We discuss the implications of these results for a future research agenda of land change modeling. We conclude that a productive approach is to use the simpler method to distinguish clearly between variations in the scenario maps that are due to scenario assumptions versus variations due to the simulation model.     

Dynamics of land use land cover and its impact on carbon stocks in Sub-Saharan Africa: an overview

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Land use land cover change (LULCC) is a global environmental trend that plays a key role in worldwide environmental change and sustainable development....     

Climate change, drought risk and land capability for agriculture: implications for land use in Scotland

Land capability classification systems define and communicate biophysical limitations on land use, including climate, soils and topography. They can therefore provide an accessible format for both scientists and decision-makers to share knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation. Underlying such classifications are complex interactions that require dynamic spatial analysis, particularly between soil and climate. These relationships are investigated using a case study on drought risk for agriculture in Scotland, which is currently considered less significant than wetness-related issues. The impact of drought risk is assessed using an established empirical system for land capability linking indicator crops with water availability. This procedure is facilitated by spatial interpolation of climate and soil profile data to provide soil moisture deficits and plant available water on a regular 1-km grid. To evaluate potential impacts of future climate change, land capability classes are estimated using both large-scale ensemble (multi-simulation) data from the HadRM3 regional climate model and local-scale weather generator data (UKCP09) derived from multiple climate models. Results for the case study suggest that drought risk is likely to have a much more significant influence on land use in the future. This could potentially act to restrict the range of crops grown and hence reduce land capability in some areas unless strategic-level adaptation measures are developed that also integrate land use systems and water resources with the wider environment.     

My land? Your land? Scotland?—understanding sectoral similarities and differences in Scottish land use visions

Understanding agreement and differences between land use visions forms a first step for assessing and comparing alternative pathways towards a sustainable future. This study presents an analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews with representatives of the principal land use sectors in Scotland. The aim was to understand what, in their ideal vision, they would want rural Scotland to look like in 2050. Inductive content analysis was used to identify similarities and differences amongst interviewees. There was general agreement on the following: the importance of the environment; the wish for more partnerships, dialogue and collaboration; the desire for society to be more engaged and aware about land use; and a strong need for short-, medium- and long-term policies helping to achieve these goals. The most notable differences relate to land ownership and governance. The outcomes form a basis for further facilitated discussions, emphasising common ground and exploring where, how and to what degree land use sectors can prepare and plan in the light of uncertainties posed by Brexit and climate change. The method was effective for understanding commonalities and differences between stakeholder groups and is transferable to other countries or regions.

     

基于CE的不同流向下农地城市流转负外部效应研究

发展与保护的权衡是土地资源配置中难以回避的棘手问题。农地城市流转在为城镇化的快速推进提供土地要素的同时,却也在社会、生态方面引起一系列外部性损失,已有研究认为该损失的大小与农地城市流转的用途和周围环境有关,但并未进一步定量揭示其关联程度。鉴于此,本文将农地城市流转的去向归纳为住宅及商服用地、工矿仓储及交通运输用地、公共管理与公共服务用地三类,以武汉市和鄂州市作为研究区域,运用选择实验法(CE)以及多元Logit模型(MNL)识别了受访者对于农地城市流转负外部效应治理方案的偏好,从而间接测度了不同流向下农地城市流转负外部效应的经济总量,以期为实施农地城市流转的用途和规模管制提供依据。结果表明:1不同流向下农地城市流转产生的交通状况恶化、噪音污染、公共设施不足等七种类别负外部效应在类型和强度上有所差异;2绝大多数居民对治理农地城市流转的负外部性具有支付意愿,且在参与程度和参与强度(支付额)方面因农地城市流转的不同流向而有所区别,并且居民的受教育程度和家庭收入水平对选择效用的影响具有显著性且呈正相关关系;3不同流向下农地城市流转所产生的负外部效应的经济总量不容忽视,三种流向的负外部效应从大到小依次为农地流转为工矿仓储及交通运输用地、公共管理与公共服务用地、住宅及商服用地。因此,作为农地城市流转的管制主体,各级政府应当采用经济性管制与社会性管制并举的多样化管制手段对农地城市流转的用途和规模予以调控和管制。     

Quantification of land use/land cover changes in Pearl River Delta and its impact on regional climate in summer using numerical modeling

This study quantified land use/land cover (LULC) changes in Pearl River Delta (PRD) of South China and its impact on regional climate over the last two decades. The LULC change analyses were accomplished by applying a change detection method to a set of Landsat imagery and ancillary data acquired from 1970s to 2000. The results indicate that the urban expansion is the prevailing LULC change in the PRD. Impact of LULC change on regional climate was simulated by using a mesoscale climate model. Two different land cover datasets circa 1990 and 2000 were input to the model to investigate the impact of urbanization on regional weather and climate condition in summer 2005. The simulation results show that rapid urban expansion can substantially alter regional climate conditions in the PRD region including monthly mean temperature, precipitation, moisture, and surface heat fluxes.     

日本国土开发利用及对我国的启示

日本在战后经历了经济高速增长，工业化和城市化快速推进的发展历程，其间土地利用在结构、规模、价格、集约利用等方面发生了巨大变动。本文全面分析了二战之后，日本在经济高速增长、产业结构巨大变动、城市化迅速推进的发展过程中．农业用地、工业用地和城市用地在结构、规模、价格、集约利用程度等方面的特征；日本政府针对经济发展和土地利用的变动和影响。制订的一系列规划调整措施和政策法规体系。通过以上分析，探讨日本在有限的土地资源条件下实现经济高速增长的原因、途径和措施，以及对我国的启示。     

Modelling land use change across elevation gradients in district Swat, Pakistan

District Swat is part of the high mountain Hindu-Kush Himalayan region of Pakistan. Documentation and analysis of land use change in this region is challenging due to very disparate accounts of the state of forest resources and limited accessible data. Such analysis is, however, important due to concerns over the degradation of forest land leading to deterioration of the protection of water catchments and exposure of highly erodible soils. Furthermore, the area is identified as hotspot for biodiversity loss. The aim of this paper is to identify geophysical and geographical factors related to land use change and model how these relationships vary across the district. For three selected zones across the elevation gradient of the district, we analyse land use change by studying land use maps for the years 1968, 1990 and 2007. In the high-altitude zone, the forest area decreased by 30.5 %, a third of which was caused by agricultural expansion. In the mid-elevation zone, agriculture expanded by 70.3 % and forests decreased by 49.7 %. In the lower altitudes, agriculture expansion was 129.9 % consuming 31.7 % of the forest area over the forty-year time period. Annual deforestation rates observed were 0.80, 1.28 and 1.86 % in high, mid and low altitudes, respectively. In the high-altitude ecosystems, accessibility (distance to nearest road and city) had no significant role in agriculture expansion; rather land use change appears significantly related to geophysical factors such as slope, aspect and altitude. In the low-elevation zone, accessibility was the factor showing the closest association with agriculture expansion and abandonment. The analysis illustrates that land use change processes vary quite considerably between different altitudinal and vegetation cover zones of the same district and that environmental constraints and stage of economic development provide important contextual information.     

Toward achieving a sustainable management: characterization of land use/land cover in Sokoto Rima floodplain,Nigeria

Land use change is the main driving force of global environmental change and is considered as very central to the ongoing debate on sustainable development. Even though large volume of literature materials is available of land use/land cover (LU/LC) change for many areas, very little is known of it in the floodplain of the Sokoto Rima River Basin of Nigeria despite the basin’s strategic importance. Thus, this study characterized the basin’s LU/LC and its change using computer-based digital classification of near-anniversary Landsat 5 TM imagery of November 23, 1998, and Landsat 8 OLI of December 2, 2013. The results of the digital classification were complimented with field-based observations on major observable characteristics of every LU/LC identified. Thirteen classes (forest area, dense grassland, grassy fallow, grazed open grassland, open cultivation, open grain fallow farmland, pepper cultivation, rice farmland, scrubland, sugarcane farmland, dry bare land, sand deposit and wetland/water) were characterized and the nature and extent of their changes assessed. 40 % of the basin’s uses is under cultivation, 22 % is under fallow, 27 % is either degraded or non-cultivable, while 11 % is forested. Change events include forest loss, increase in area cultivated, expansion of shrub/scrubland and pervasiveness of grazing. The changes were more pronounced in the upper than either the central and southern segments of the basin. In general LU/LC changes in the basin are reflection of increased human population pressure and effects of climate change. The LU/LC patterns and changes suggest underutilization and mismanagement of the floodplain which have impact on soil, hydrology and biodiversity with serious implication for livelihood and food security. The study recommends that interventions are needed to promote enhanced and sustainable management of land, water and vegetation resources in the basin, with particular emphasis on empowering the local land users to participate actively toward sustainable management of the floodplain.     

基于复式记账的土地资源资产核算与报表编制研究

借鉴会计学复式记账核算的优点,在国际资源核算体系的基础上,根据我国自然资源资产核算需求,提出土地资源资产核算的复式记账体系和报表编制框架。研究认为,基于复式记账的土地资源资产核算和报表编制要以“摸清家底、反映自然资源负债、提供土地资源审计和绩效考核信息”为目标,明确区、县级自然资源局为土地资源资产受托管理和进行土地资源资产核算与报表编制的核算单位。在界定土地资源资产、负债和权益相关概念的基础上,提出土地资源资产属性变化的核算内容和每次土地资源资产实物量变化必须遵循占补平衡的基本原则,进行过程核算。以YC县土地资源资产变化为例,对土地资源资产变化进行了基于复式记账的土地资源资产核算与报表编制实证研究,确定核算的事项类型和特征及其借贷核算流程,编制出土地资源资产负债表,并同时进行实物量核算和价值量核算的报表编制,结果表明:YC县土地资源资产实物量1485 km^2,2018年末价值量5639874.22万元、经济权益5271874.22万元、生态权益367991.6万元,土地资源负债8.40万元,通过土地资源资产用途调整,土地资源资产价值量增加21319.42万元,但在调整过程中,形成了土地资源负债0.07 km^2(8.4万元),在以后土地整治中需要增加园地。     

Determination of the optimal land use allocation pattern in Nowshahr County,Northern Iran

Regional models of land use change are evaluated as a way of identifying land use pattern based on recent quantitative and probabilistic approaches. Differentiation between models in this area is the result of the approach to the concept of land use and type of indicators used in the modeling process. Since the determination of the optima land use pattern, due to the different uses of land based on the availability of regional capabilities and spatial difference in land use, depends on an integrated model, there must be a model that can assess the existing conditions of the region and present reasonable models of land use according to regional capacities and potentials. In this research, we developed a model to present the Optimal Land Use Allocation Pattern (OLUAP) for maximizing the advantages of change and determining the methods of influencing land use change priorities. This model uses spatial models and analysis, moderates the cost-benefit function, and calculates the allocation priorities of various areas based on regional conditions. The model results show that a wide scope of Nowshahr area is allocated to natural and agricultural uses. At the same time, a limited area has been assigned to urban and industrial uses. In addition, it shows that northern strip of the region due to higher accessibility of services and infrastructures is more suited than other regions to urban and industrial areas, and these two uses have first and second priority, respectively. Besides, according to the man-made environment and the special environmental conditions, the model allocates the central lowlands and southern parts sporadically to agricultural and natural areas as first and second priorities. Since the model is spatial optimization, the suggestions of the model show the OLUAP. Therefore, one can see the optimal condition for each plot and compare it with the existing land use.     

Identifying land suitable for agricultural land reform using GIS-MCDA in South Africa

Land reform is identified as a key tool in fostering development in South Africa. Twenty years after the advent of democracy in South Africa, the land question remains a critical issue for policy makers. Several frameworks have been put in place by the government to identify land that is strategically located for land reform. However, many of these frameworks are not well aligned and not objective in defining strategically located land for land reform and often lead to unsustainable land use management practices. This has hampered the government’s land reform initiative in promoting agricultural land reform and food security. Accordingly, there is a need to develop a decision support tool that facilitates the identification of strategically located land for land reform. This study proposes the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to develop a strategically located land index (SLLI) to identify land suitable for agricultural land reform. Participatory workshops and the group analytical hierarchy process were utilised to identify and weigh criteria used in computing the SLLI. The results indicate that land that is suitable for agricultural land reform is scarce, and there are also competing needs on the highly suitable land for agriculture. The study demonstrates that GIS and MCDA are invaluable tools in facilitating evidence-based decision-making for land reform and sustainable land use management practices. The SLLI is not the panacea to land identification; there is also need to appreciate the contested nature of land in South Africa.     

Forest land conversion dynamics: a case of Pakistan

The present research focuses on estimating forest area change with respect to the ongoing forest land conversion. The study tests the hypothesis that forest land is being converted to the selected land use categories with high growth tendency and controlling deforestation rate to its half of the present level would significantly improve the land cover under forest. The rate of forest land conversion to other land use categories is analyzed and then compared with the total area expanded under three land use classes. We used Systems dynamic modeling approach to estimate forest area by simulating forest land conversion in Pakistan, projecting to 2030. The results show that rangeland, built-up area and cultivated land have increased over time; growth rate of built-up area (9%) is highest followed by rangeland area (1.7%) and cultivated area (0.3%), respectively; rangeland is the dominant category in terms of area expanded (0.74 m. ha). Sensitivity analysis showed that reducing deforestation rate to half of the past level of 1% could not significantly improve forest area; therefore, it is suggested that controlling deforestation alone is not an effective strategy unless drastic measures, e.g., demarcation of forest boundaries, land use control policy and afforestation campaign would be started in the country.     

Identifying the land use and land cover change drivers: methods and case studies of two forest reserves in Northern Benin

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is one of the problems that the world has been facing for the last few decades despite political attention....     

Examination of land use/land cover changes,urban growth dynamics,and environmental sustainability in Chittagong city,Bangladesh

As in many other developing countries, cities in Bangladesh have witnessed rapid urbanization, resulting in increasing amounts of land being taken over and therefore land cover changing at a faster rate. Until now, however, few efforts have been made to document the impact of land use and land cover changes on the climate, environment, and ecosystem of the country because of a lack of geospatial data and time-series information. By using open source Landsat data integrated with GIS technologies and other ancillary data, this study attempts to classify land use and create land cover maps, enabling post-classification change detection analysis. By this method, we document the spatial and temporal trajectory of urban expansion in Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh, over a 36-year period. The findings suggest that, over the study period, 56 % of the land cover has undergone change, mainly because of the expansion of built-up areas and other human activities. During the 36-year period, the built-up area around Chittagong city has expanded by 618 %, with an average annual rate of increase of 17.5 %. As a result of rapid urbanization, the vegetated hills near urban development areas face serious threats of further encroachment and degradation, given that 2178 ha of hills have already been intruded over the study period. Because urbanization processes in Bangladesh have traditionally been viewed as the result of population growth and economic development, very little work has been done to track the potential growth trajectory in a physical or spatial context. This study, therefore, will contribute to the current understanding of urban development in Bangladesh from a temporal and spatial point of view. Findings will be able to assist planners, stakeholders, and policy makers in appreciating the dynamism of urban growth and therefore will facilitate better planning for the future to minimize environmental impacts.     

Evaluation of land use change degree and ecological security in the Manas River Basin,Xinjiang, China

In this paper, we evaluate the extent of land use change and ecological security grades in the Manas River Basin, on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, from 1989–2002. Surveys were performed using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) means, and the relationship between land use change and ecological security was analyzed. The results are as follows: (i) the degree of land use change steadily increased in the Manas River Basin, and overall land use was in a state of development; (ii) From 1989–2002, the ecological security of the drainage basin generally improved somewhat, but deteriorated subsequently in some regions; (iii) the ecological security grade increased in regions with land use composite change extent values of 18–100, and ecological security grade improved from moderate warning in 1989 to early warning in 2002; and (iv) the cumulative areas of regions with relatively secure, and early-warning ecological security grade were ranked by land use degree in the order, V > IV > I > VI > III > II, showing that that regions with land use degree V (woodlands and grasslands) were important areas for ecological restoration and regeneration in this drainage basin, and that it was difficult to improve the ecological environment on sandy soils. We suggest that ecological security grades can be improved by increasing land use degree in regions where it is low.     

沙化区生态移民的沙化感知、社会影响和适应性策略

生态移民工程是中国政府为保护生态环境和缩减贫困人口实施的重要举措,让生态移民对气候变化产生的土地沙化有感知并尽快采取适应性策略,对防止生态移民成为“生态难民”有重要意义。本文基于社会影响理论和风险-处理能力-社会评价-适应(RCSA)的分析框架,使用在内蒙古自治区鄂尔多斯市和巴彦淖尔市调查的506户生态移民在土地沙化感知、社会影响与采取的适应性策略方面的调查数据,并使用Heckman两阶段模型和多分类Logit模型回归研究,发现:①沙化区生态移民对土地沙化的感知是移民对土地沙化采取适应性策略的先决条件,但并非感知到了土地沙化的生态移民就一定会采取适应性的防治措施。②沙化区的生态移民在新安置区受到的社会影响对移民是否有能力采取应对土地沙化的适应性策略有显著性的影响。③体现移民家庭风险处理能力的部分资产变量对移民的土地沙化感知以及采取的适应性策略有显著的正向影响。为更好地帮助生态移民减少气候变化、土地沙化带来的不利影响,沙化安置区基层政府除了让新搬迁来的生态移民积极增强资产能力外,还要帮助他们积极融入新的社区,拓宽宣传气候变化知识的渠道,增加宣传内容的多样性,引导生态移民了解应对土地沙化的技巧和方法,帮助移民减少土地沙化带来的经济损失。     

Rainfall trends,land use change and adaptation in the Chaco salteño region of Argentina

Regional change under agricultural expansion in the Chaco of Argentina is determined by interactions of rainfall change, infrastructure development, socio-economic actions and values, and the social perceptions of change. Our study focused on adaptation in the socio-environmental system which is the key to understanding opportunities, uncertainties and risk in the context of historical change. Change in land use from extensive grazing through mixed farming and on to industrial-scale soybean production was made possible by a trend of increasing rainfall that reduced the risk of crop failure from drought since the 1970s. Rainfall change coincided with a period in which the Chaco forest was suffering extensive degradation from long-term extractive use. The degradation aided agricultural expansion since the degraded state of the ecosystem justified public policies of deforestation. In parallel to these resource-based processes, public policy changed in the late 70s and 80s toward favoring privatization of state land and exclusion of small producers. This permitted the land concentration needed for industrial-scale production. Technological innovation in both water and land resource management reinforced the process of concentration because small producers rarely have the financial or educational capital to develop or implement emerging technologies. One of the results of the intensification and expansion of agriculture is that soil surface sealing, waterlogging and flood risk are now effective at a landscape scale. To address these risks, private enterprise and government efforts must now come together toward innovative policies in integrated landscape management.