The recovery of the lower montane cloud forest in the Mucujún watershed, Mérida, Venezuela

High deforestation rates in tropical countries continue to reduce forest cover and thereby habitat quantity and quality. However, in some places the forest is recovering and expanding thus offsetting the biodiversity and ecosystem service losses. In order to characterize the forest recovery, land use and land cover (LUC) changes were analyzed using aerial photographs, taken between 1952 and 2009, of a peri-urban watershed in the Andes region of Venezuela. The qualities of the changes were assessed using landscape indices and hemeroby indicators. In that period, the forest cover increased about 18 %, mainly due to abandoned pastures on steep slopes. At the same time, the urban area expanded about 4 % on valley bottoms, while pastures and crop fields were reduced about 20 %. The results also showed that forest patches were aggregating, whereas pastures were fragmenting. A reduction in direct human impacts on forests growing on abandoned pastures resulted in a slight recovery of the lower montane cloud forest structure and plant composition. But non-native species were found in all LUC categories. During the study period, we documented not only forest recovery, but also urban area growth, intensified land use and invasions by non-native species all of which could partially counterbalance the positives of forest recovery.     

扬子江城市群土地利用时空变化及其对陆地生态系统碳储量的影响

扬子江城市群是江苏省城市化进程最快,土地利用变化最明显的区域。研究该地区地利用变化及其对陆地生态系统有机碳储量的影响,对江苏省低碳土地利用研究具有重要意义。该文利用五期30 m土地利用栅格数据、土壤样点数据、林地植被清查数据、农作物数据以及经验数据,分析了1995～2015年扬子江城市群土地利用时空变化、核算了其对有机碳储量的影响。主要结果如下:(1) 1995～2015年间,扬子江城市群约有15. 90%的土地发生了转移,其中,耕地作为主要的转出者,建设用地作为主要的转入者,耕地转移为建设用地的面积约为4 161. 78 km~2,占扬子江城市群耕地转出面积的85. 86%,是主要的土地转移类型;(2) 1995～2015年间,由于土地利用类型转移变化,扬子江城市群有机碳储量总量减少了472. 63×10~4t,其中土壤有机碳储量总量增加110. 28×10~4t,植被碳储量总量减少582. 91×10~4t;(3)建设用地占用耕地是区域有机碳储量减少的主要原因,导致有机碳储量减少406. 40×10~4t,占整个区域有机碳储量减少总量的85. 99%;(4)未来扬子江城市群可通过增加生态用地、控制建设用地、优化土地利用结构,提高区域碳储量,减少对陆地生态系统碳平衡的扰动。     

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.     

Biophysical suitability,economic pressure and land-cover change: a global probabilistic approach and insights for REDD+

There has been a concerted effort by the international scientific community to understand the multiple causes and patterns of land-cover change to support sustainable land management. Here, we examined biophysical suitability, and a novel integrated index of “Economic Pressure on Land” (EPL) to explain land cover in the year 2000, and estimated the likelihood of future land-cover change through 2050, including protected area effectiveness. Biophysical suitability and EPL explained almost half of the global pattern of land cover (R ² = 0.45), increasing to almost two-thirds in areas where a long-term equilibrium is likely to have been reached (e.g. R ² = 0.64 in Europe). We identify a high likelihood of future land-cover change in vast areas with relatively lower current and past deforestation (e.g. the Congo Basin). Further, we simulated emissions arising from a “business as usual” and two reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) scenarios by incorporating data on biomass carbon. As our model incorporates all biome types, it highlights a crucial aspect of the ongoing REDD + debate: if restricted to forests, “cross-biome leakage” would severely reduce REDD + effectiveness for climate change mitigation. If forests were protected from deforestation yet without measures to tackle the drivers of land-cover change, REDD + would only reduce 30 % of total emissions from land-cover change. Fifty-five percent of emissions reductions from forests would be compensated by increased emissions in other biomes. These results suggest that, although REDD + remains a very promising mitigation tool, implementation of complementary measures to reduce land demand is necessary to prevent this leakage.     

快速城市化地区的土地利用时空动态变化研究 --以南京市为例

20年来,在中国城市化快速发展的过程中,一系列与城市化相关的环境问题随之产生。六朝古都——南京,作为我国经济最发达的长江流域四大中心城市之一,其快速的城市化过程也不可避免地带来了同样的环境问题。为了研究南京市的城市化和土地利用变化规律及其对水文过程的影响,利用1987、1998、2000年的三期遥感数据,通过分层分类的方法对各土地利用类型进行专题信息提取,结合GIS技术,获得研究区1987~1998,1998~2000年两个时段的土地利用变化转移矩阵。据此全面分析了南京市的土地利用时空变化特征。结果表明：南京市13年来,城乡居民及建设用地以大量蚕食耕地而显著增加,年均增幅达到1.92％;耕地和未利用地则明显减少,年均减幅分别为0.62％ 和1.21％;林地和水域有所增加,主要来自未利用地的转变,剩余12.35％的未利用地则转化为城乡居民及建设用地。引起这一土地利用变化的主要驱动力是人口的增长和经济的发展以及政策制度的激励和导向作用。     

National and regional determinants of tropical deforestation in Colombia

Global tropical deforestation continues to occur at high rates despite political attention. National-level forest baselines are being established all over the world to guide the implementation of several policy mechanisms. However, identifying the direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and understanding the complexity of their interlinkages are often difficult. We first analyzed deforestation between 1990 and 2005 at the national level and found an annual deforestation rate of 0.62 %. Next, we performed separate analyses for four natural regions in Colombia and found annual deforestation rates between 0.42 and 1.92 %. Using general linear models, we identified several direct causes and underlying factors influencing deforestation at the national level: rural population density, cattle, protected areas, and slope. Significant differences in deforestation rates and causes were found across regions. In the Caribbean region, drivers of loss are urban population, unsatisfied basic needs, slope, and precipitation and four land use variables (illicit crops, pastures, cattle, and fires). In the Orinoco region, crops are the main driver of forest loss, and in the Amazonian region, deforestation is primarily due to fires related to the colonization front. Policy mechanisms will have to take into account regional patterns to successfully balance development and forest preservation in Colombia.     

Combining remote sensing and household level data for regional scale analysis of land cover change in the Brazilian Amazon

Land cover change in the Brazilian Amazon depends on the spatial variability of political, socioeconomic and biophysical factors, as well as on the land use history and its actors. A regional scale analysis was made in Rondônia State to identify possible differences in land cover change connected to spatial policies of land occupation, size and year of establishment of properties, accessibility measures and soil fertility. The analysis was made based on remote sensing data and household level data gathered with a questionnaire. Both types of analyses indicate that the highest level of total deforestation is found inside agrarian projects, especially in those established more than 20 years ago. Even though deforestation rates are similar inside and outside official settlements, inside agrarian projects forest depletion can exceed 50% at the property level within 10–14 years after establishment. The data indicate that both small-scale and medium to large-scale farmers contribute to deforestation processes in Rondônia State encouraged by spatial policies of land occupation, which provide better accessibility to forest fringes where soil fertility and forest resources are important determinants of location choice.     

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.     

Characteristics of deforestation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) between the 1980s and 2000s

There has been a significant lack of land cover change studies in relation to deforestation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). The purpose of this study is to characterize deforestation in North Korea through land cover change trajectory and spatial analysis. We used three 30-m gridded land cover data sets for North Korea representing the conditions of the late 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, respectively, as well as a digital elevation model. We examined the land cover trajectories during the two decades, i.e., which land cover became which at the pixel level. In addition, we calculated topographic characteristics of deforested pixels. Major findings from the study are summarized as follows: (1) net forest loss in North Korea was negligible in the latter decade compared to the former (>5000 km²), whereas other land cover changes were still active; (2) as a result of deforestation, forest land cover became mostly agricultural, particularly in the latter decade (95 %); (3) expansion of agricultural land cover continued during the time, increasing by >42 %; and (4) elevation and slope of deforested areas decreased slightly in the latter decade. The key contribution of the study is that it has demonstrated which land cover became which at the 30-m pixel level, complementing existing studies that examined overall forest stock in North Korea.     

AN Amazon Perspective on the Forest-Climate Connection: Opportunity for Climate Mitigation, Conservation and Development?

Amazonia contains more carbon (C) than a decade of global, human-induced CO₂ emissions (60–80 billion tons). This C is gradually being released to the atmosphere through deforestation. Projected increases in Amazon deforestation associated with investments in road paving and other types of infra-structure may increase these C emissions. An increase of 25–40% in Amazon deforestation due to projected road paving could counterbalance nearly half of the reductions in C emissions that would be achieved if the Kyoto Protocol were implemented. Forecasted emission increases could be curtailed if development strategies aimed at controlling frontier expansion and creating economic alternatives were implemented. Given ancillary benefits and relative low costs, reducing deforestation in Amazonia and other tropical areas could be an attractive option for climate mitigation. Projects that help contain deforestation and reduce frontier expansion can play an important role in climate change mitigation but currently are not allowed as an abatement strategy under the climate regime. Creating incentives for forest conservation and decreased deforestation can be a unique opportunity for both forest conservation and climate mitigation.     

基于CLUE-S模型的重庆市渝北区土地利用变化动态模拟

以重庆市渝北区为研究区域,运用CLUE-S模型,结合Logistic回归分析,分别以2007年和2009年为基期,对渝北区2013年土地利用情况进行模拟研究,在此基础上构建了渝北区2013~2020年3种不同情景的土地利用变化模式,模拟了3种情景模式下渝北区在2020年的土地利用空间分布格局。结果表明:(1)两期模拟的正确率分别达到了92.26%和94%,Kappa系数值分别为90.32%和92.5%,均取得了较好的模拟效果,说明CLUE-S模型适用于渝北区的土地利用空间格局变化的模拟研究,具有较好的模拟区域土地利用时空变化的能力;(2)地形、国道、省道、高速公路等主要道路、河流、城镇和村庄是影响渝北区土地利用空间格局变化的重要驱动因素;(3)在3种情景模式中,主要的用地格局变化均发生在两江新区,区内建设用地总体呈现向东北部扩张的趋势,表明区域经济社会发展政策对用地类型的变化具有较大的影响;(4)从促进城乡统筹和谐发展、土地节约集约利用、生态环境显著改善和保护耕地的区域发展目标而言,情景模式2为较为合理的发展模式。研究结果可为决策部门在土地可持续利用和土地管理方面提供参考依据。     

Sprawl matters: the evolution of fringe land,natural amenities and disposable income in a Mediterranean urban area

We investigate the relationship between land-use changes (1987–2007) and the spatial distribution of the average declared income of resident population in a southern European metropolitan region (Athens, Greece) as a contribution to the analysis of suburbanization processes in the Mediterranean region. To demonstrate that urban expansion is accompanied with multiple modifications in the use of the surrounding non-urban land, we developed a computational approach based on spatial indexes of landscape configuration and proximity as a result of changes in the local socio-spatial structure. Diversity in the use of land surrounding built-up parcels in the Athens’ metropolitan region increased significantly between 1987 and 2007, reflecting a progressive fragmentation of the exurban landscape. The percentage of forests and (high-quality) natural land surrounding built-up parcels increased from 8.1 to 9.4 % between 1987 and 2007. The reverse pattern was observed for (low-quality) sparsely vegetated areas, declining from 65 to 47 %. Large built-up parcels were surrounded by a higher percentage of natural land than small parcels. The largest increase over time in forest and natural land surrounding built-up parcels was observed in municipalities with high per capita declared income, and the reverse pattern was observed for sparse vegetation. Our results demonstrate that scattered urban expansion determines a polarization in suburban areas with high-quality and low-quality natural amenities. Sprawl increases economic inequality and socio-spatial disparities contributing to a spatially unbalanced distribution of natural amenities with higher consumption of high-quality land.     

荆江分洪区土地利用时空动态变化研究

通过1986、1996 和 2002 年3期 Landsat TM＼ETM 遥感图像,分析得到荆江分洪区 1986～1996年 和 1996～2002 年土地利用变化情况及土地利用转移矩阵。17年来,荆江分洪区土地利用结构和强度发生了重大的变化。主要表现为：城乡居民及建设用地通过吞食大量耕地、林地而得到迅速增加,年均增幅达到9.66％;林地大规模减少,主要向农业用地和建设用地转变;由于研究区域水旱轮作,水田、旱地年际变化很大,主要根据市场行情决定作物种植。水域和滩涂也逐年减少,年均减幅分别为1.85％和3.34％。土地利用变化的主要驱动因素是人口的增长和经济的发展以及政策制度的激励和导向作用。根据荆江分洪区在整个长江防洪工程中的总体地位,根据分洪区应有别于非分洪区的政策和法规,采取国家扶持和引导,制定合理的规划和经济发展政策,调整区内土地利用结构和控制人口增长,实现分洪和经济可持续发展。     

Indicators of deforestation in the Southern Brazilian Pre-Amazon

In recent years, Amazonian deforestation has become a question of global concern. Deforestation in Amazon is a complex phenomenon in nature and has been related to traditional agriculture expansion. In this work, land use, socioeconomic and conservation indicators, combined with statistical analysis, were used to understand forces associated with patterns of deforestation. This approach was applied in Southern Brazilian Pre-Amazon in Mato Grosso State, which represents an extensive rain forest-savanna ecotone, located in the south border of Amazon biome. Based on data from the last two agricultural censuses (1995/1996–2006), we compared agricultural expansion in this area and Mato Grosso state. Results have shown that 85 % of state deforestation was concentrated in Southern Pre-Amazon and was closely related to increase in number of cattle and pasture area. PCA results pointed that population (92 %), number of cattle (86.5 %), pastures (84.2 %) and tractors (78.4 %) were variables with highest positive correlation to deforestation. It showed that GDP contributes to an individual axis and has a low correlation to deforestation (37.8 %). Conservation units and indigenous reserves also contribute to a single axis and were negatively correlated to temporary crops area. Results revealed a significant reduction in production and commercialization of extractive products in the region, revealing that the main, almost only conservation policy in Mato Grosso remains the creation of Special Areas. We suggest that further studies are necessary to screen development alternatives to simple cutting trees down. It is important to diversify strategies for deforestation control, and development aspects must be more seriously considered to reach a sustainable deforestation control policy.     

太湖流域土地利用变化及其空间分异特征研究

基于遥感和GIS技术,分析了太湖流域1985～2000年土地利用变化及其空间分异特征。研究表明,15年间太湖流域耕地、未利用地呈减少趋势,建设用地、林地、草地、水域呈增加趋势,其中耕地面积的减少和建设用地的增加十分显著;主要转移方向包括耕地向建设用地转移、林地向草地转移、未利用地向林地转移、水田向水域转移等;各类土地利用变化在空间上呈现明显的区域分异,耕地与建设用地的强烈变化尤为明显地表现在城市与交通线的周围;人口的急剧增长、工业化与城市化的迅速发展,以及农业结构的调整是近15年太湖流域土地利用变化的主要影响因子。     

Agricultural adjustment,population dynamics and forests redistribution in a subtropical watershed of NW Argentina

Patterns of land-use and land-cover change are usually grouped into one of two categories defined by the dominant trend: (1) deforestation resulting from expanding agriculture and (2) forest expansion, usually related to the abandonment of marginal lands. At regional scale, however, both processes can occur simultaneously even in the absence of net change. Given the focus on net change, such redistribution of agricultural and natural and seminatural lands has been generally overlooked. The interaction between agriculture modernization, human demography and complex topographic gradients of northwestern Argentina has resulted in processes of both forest recovery and deforestation, thus providing the opportunity to analyze patterns and driving forces of land-cover redistribution. We analyzed 20 years (1986–2006) of land-cover change in a subtropical watershed in relation to topographic and demographic variables. Although net forest change represented <1 %, forests redistribution affected 7 % of forest lands. There was a consistent geographic segregation of deforestation and forest recovery, with forests expanding over steep highlands and agriculture expanding over lowland irrigated areas. Population trends were not associated to forest expansion in lowlands but they explained 32 % of forest recovery in highlands. Highland forest expansion and lowland deforestation, respectively, imply conservation opportunities for humid montane forests and the environmental services they provide (e.g., watershed conservation) and threats for the conservation of dry forests and its biodiversity. Our study exemplifies the importance of land-use redistribution (rather than net change) with relevant environmental consequences at regional scale.     

武汉市耕地景观游憩功能与可达性的空间匹配格局

揭示耕地景观游憩功能的供给能力与其可达性的空间匹配格局,可以为耕地景观游憩功能的合理布局、开发与利用提供依据。以武汉市为例,采用指标评价法和专家打分法,结合GIS空间分析,建立了耕地景观游憩功能的空间格局研究框架,对耕地景观游憩功能的供应潜力、可达性、及两者空间匹配等方面开展了研究。结果表明:(1)武汉市耕地景观游憩功能供应潜力的空间分布呈现从中心城区边缘向外逐渐降低的格局;(2)武汉市耕地景观游憩功能可达性呈现"中西部高,边缘低"的分布格局;(3)根据耕地景观游憩功能的供应潜力与可达性的空间匹配关系,将武汉市耕地景观游憩服务分为四类:高供应-高可达,高供应-低可达,低供应-高可达,低供应-低可达;这四类面积分别占研究区域的26.17%、25.24%、17.33%、31.26%。对耕地景观游憩功能的合理开发与利用、促进耕地利用的多功能化具有重要的现实意义。     

湖北省近期土地利用变化的遥感分析

土地利用，覆盖变化研究是全球变化研究的前沿和热点之一。采用遥感、GIS一体化技术．利用1989～1990年和1999～2000年获取的陆地资源卫星图像，建立了湖北省近10年来两个不同时期的同比例尺土地利用动态变化数据库，并对变化的时空特征进行了分析。结果表明，耕地减少了0．68％，林地减少了0．18％，各类建设用地总计增加了。7．92％．水域面积增加的幅度为3．01％。土地利用与土地覆盖变化的转型主要发生于上述4类之中．尤其是耕地与水域相互之间的转变比较频繁。动态度计算表明，土地利用变化最快的区域均处于大中城市及其周边地区；江汉平原、鄂东的大部分地区及鄂西的宜昌．土地利用变化较快；鄂西山区绝大部分、大别山区部分县及鄂东南幕阜山区的通山县，土地利用变化不大。     

Land use and cover dynamics in Africa since the nineteenth century: warped terrestrial photographs of North Ethiopia

Quantitative research on land use and land cover (LUC) in Africa usually addresses the second half of the twentieth century, by using remote sensing data. Terrestrial photographs, which are available since 1868 in Ethiopia, are seldom used in a quantitative way. This paper presents a methodology that allows to produce land use and land cover (LUC) maps on the basis of old terrestrial photographs. Therefore, land use and land cover was investigated on historical and present-day photographs, and these interpretations were warped to the horizontal plane of the map. The resulting maps allow to gain better insights into LUC changes over a period of 140 years. The results show that woody vegetation increased strongly, together with an increase in built-up area. This occurred especially at the expense of bushland. The study validates pervious findings and shows that improved land management strategies in one of the world’s most degraded areas can lead to environmental rehabilitation.     

浙江省土地利用格局时空变化及生态风险评价

基于1990~2015年浙江省6期的土地利用数据,分析土地利用的时空变化,构建生态风险指数,对不同时期的浙江省土地利用生态风险进行了评价。结果表明：（1）浙江省土地利用变化表现为耕地大量减少而建设用地剧增;土地利用转移方向主要为耕地、林地、水域向建设用地转移;其中以2000~20005年和2010~2015年土地利用动态度最高;（2）浙江省生态环境质量下降。中生态风险区是区域的主导类型,较高、高生态风险区向外扩张,高值区主要分布在杭州湾附近,沿海区域,杭州西南部、衢州和金华三市接壤区域。低等级生态风险区分布在相邻高等级生态风险区的周围,大致成圈层状向外扩散;（3）土地利用生态风险等级转换差异较大。生态风险转移主要是由低向高等级转换,且其生态风险等级年均转换速率呈上升趋势,生态风险转换主要发生在城市、沿海区域如杭州湾附近、温州、台州沿海等经济发展活跃的地区;（4）浙江省各地级市生态风险值时空分异较大。各市生态风险值主要呈上升趋势,宁波市生态风险变化最大,衢州市变化最小。空间分布上,杭州市生态风险值最高,远大于其他地级市,舟山市生态风险值最低。