Spatial and temporal land use and carbon stock changes in Uganda: implications for a future REDD strategy

Using a map overlay procedure in a Geographical Information System environment, we quantify and map major land use and land cover (LULC) change patterns in Uganda period 1990–2005 and determine whether the transitions were random or systematic. The analysis reveals that the most dominant systematic land use change processes were deforestation (woodland to subsistence farmland—3.32%); forest degradation (woodland to bushland (4.01%) and grassland (4.08%) and bush/grassland conversion to cropland (5.5%) all resulting in a net reduction in forests (6.1%). Applying an inductive approach based on logistic regression and trend analyses of observed changes we analyzed key drivers of LULC change. Significant predictors of forest land use change included protection status, market access, poverty, slope, soil quality and presence/absence of a stream network. Market access, poverty and population all decreased the log odds of retaining forests. In addition, poverty also increased the likelihood of degradation. An increase in slope decreased the likelihood of deforestation. Using the stock change and gain/loss approaches we estimated the change in forest carbon stocks and emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Results indicate a negligible increase in forest carbon stocks (3,260 t C yr-1) in the period 1990–2005 when compared to the emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation (2.67 million t C yr-1). In light of the dominant forest land use change patterns, the drivers and change in carbon stocks, we discuss options which could be pursued to implement a future national REDD plus strategy which considers livelihood, biodiversity and climate change mitigation objectives.     

An environmental screening tool for assessment of land use plans covering large geographic areas

Screening methodologies for Strategic Environmental Assessment have been developed for the rapid evaluation of the environmental impact of land use change and infrastructure development plans. To be useful, screening methodologies must be fast, simple and unambiguous. Environmental screening should also be done as early as possible to facilitate integration of the screening into the plan itself. It is difficult in practice to conduct environmental screening for plans covering large geographic areas. Our objective was to develop an environmental screening tool for evaluating very large infrastructure plans. Our approach makes use of Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to develop map-based outputs that can be efficiently incorporated back into the planning processes. We analyzed a region of 500 000 km², using 15 cartographic layers as a basis for the screening assessment. The final screening tool was easy to use and produced plan evaluations that could easily be understood by all those involved in the planning processes.     

Economic development,land use and biodiversity change in the tropical mountains of Xishuangbanna,Yunnan, Southwest China

The Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, located in southwestern China is an area of great biological and cultural diversity. While the region has long been a dynamic one, the past 50 years have witnessed changes in the state of the biodiversity of Xishuangbanna at an unprecedented pace and scale. Due to a number of trends including demographic growth, as well as abrupt shifts in land use and economic policies, agricultural patterns have changed substantially. These shifts have resulted not only in a decline and fragmentation of forest areas, but also in changes in the practice of swidden-fallow agriculture. This paper employs a variety of published data, combined with original information derived from field research in Xishuangbanna villages, to draw attention to these trends and discuss their implications for biodiversity, including agricultural biodiversity.     

Ecotoxicological assessment of di use pollution using biomonitoring tool for sustainable land use in Thailand

As a developing country, Thailand has a significant issue with di use pollution of the soil ecosystem due to an indiscriminate use of agrichemicals and poorly regulated disposal of a wide variety of hazardous wastes. Practical risk assessment tools based on locallyoccurring species are needed to assess the e ects of di use pollutants on the soil ecosystem in Thailand because reliance on soil criteria developed for overseas conditions may provide inadequate protection. Native soil organisms in Thailand may be more or less sensitive to contaminants compared to overseas test species. This article described a biological indicator approach for ecological risk assessment of di use pollution in the soil ecosystem of Thailand from pesticide application with the aim of developing standardized protocols using native species and locally generated data to better evaluate the ecological risks of non-point source soil pollution. It was found that ecotoxicological assessment provided a better understanding of the ecological impacts that di use pollution induced on Thai environmental conditions. Thai soil biota species were more sensitive to soil contaminants than similar species overseas. Soil series also had an influence on the ecotoxicology of contaminants to soil biota. Collembolan, Cyphoderus sp., was demonstrated as a useful alternative test species to Folsomia candida (international test species) for terrestrial ecotoxicological testing of Thai soils. In addition, the soil biota activities such as soil respiration and earthworm avoidance including soil biodiversity and the litter bag decomposition technique are also good tools to assess the e ects of di use pollution by pesticides on the soil ecosystem of Thailand.     

土地利用规划的环境影响评价工作探析

我国土地的各种不同的利用及相关的规划对于不同环境要素以及这些要素所共同构成的生态系统而言都是影响深远的,环境方面的评价对于我们设计师们更好地对土地的规划进行指导、预防各种不良情况的发生也是十分重要的.本文就主要研究我国土地在利用规划方面各种不同的评价体系的理论基础,继而结合这些不同的理论基础来提出我国土地利用规划方面可能影响到这种评价的不同工作程序,这样做的主要目的是可以建立起相适应的指标体系,从而更好地为我国土地的利用与规划针对环境的影响方面提出相关的建议以及制定适合的应对措施.     

Farm soil carbon monitoring developments and land use change: unearthing relationships between paddock carbon stocks, monitoring technology and new market options in Western Australia

This research provides a synthesis of soil organic carbon (SOC) densities in a range of Australian soils and land use types to decrease uncertainties in agricultural soil carbon (C) sequestration investments. This work provides information on existing Australian C soil stocks, the relationships between SOC with various agricultural and forestry land use changes, and options available for agriculturalists to cultivate and safeguard their C stocks. This work also includes recent developments in C rights, soil C monitoring, and verification technologies and procedures now in use for C stock inventories. This review has a special focus on known changes in SOC stocks, technological and methodological developments in the agricultural region of southern Western Australia (WA).     

土地利用变化对土壤有机碳的影响研究进展

研究土地利用变化对土壤有机碳及其动态变化规律,有助于掌握全球气候变化与土地利用变化之间的关系。本文分别从土地利用及其管理方式变化的角度,综合阐述了土地利用变化对土壤有机碳的影响过程与机理。     

土地利用生态风险评价研究进展

土地利用生态风险评价是对生态系统在土地利用直接或间接作用下可能产生的不利影响的评价。在梳理已有研究工作的基础上,从评价模型、生态风险空间表达和不确定性分析三个方面,总结土地利用生态风险评价研究方法的进展,阐述土地利用生态风险管理在土地利用生态风险评价中的地位和作用。目前该领域存在的主要问题是:(1)评价指标和评价标准不统一;(2)评价过程和评价结果的不确定性较大;(3)生态风险管理环节研究薄弱。未来的发展趋势包括:(1)关注全球变化条件下的土地利用生态风险;(2)重视土地利用生态风险评价在国土空间规划与生态修复中的作用;(3)加强土地利用生态风险管理研究;(4)建立并完善土地利用生态风险评价的数据管理平台。     

中国土地可持续利用指标体系的理论与方法

制定土地资源可持续性指标体系是《21世纪议程》中对各国提出的科学技术优先研究领域 ,国土资源部已开始了该研究项目。论文就此对中国土地资源可持续利用指标体系的理论与方法从整体上进行了探讨。首先回顾了国内外土地可持续利用研究的进展 ,分析归纳了国外可持续发展指标体系研究状况及可借鉴之处 ;指出在土地可持续利用指标与评价的研究中 ,必须从3个方面开展深入探讨。第一是土地利用分区及制定区域性土地可持续利用指标体系 ;第二是研究制定主要土地利用系统可持续利用指标体系及其阈值 ;第三是研究制定典型区域(以县域为单位)土地可持续利用指标体系及其阈值。只有把3个方面的研究有机融合起来 ,互相反馈 ,互为依存 ,才能保证土地可持续利用指标体系的科学性、系统性和实用性。     

Ecotoxicological assessment of diffuse pollution using biomonitoring tool for sustainable land use in Thailand

As a developing country, Thailand has a significant issue with diffuse pollution of the soil ecosystem due to an indiscriminate use of agrichemicals and poorly regulated disposal of a wide variety of hazardous wastes. Practical risk assessment tools based on locally-occurring species are needed to assess the effects of diffuse pollutants on the soil ecosystem in Thailand because reliance on soil criteria developed for overseas conditions may provide inadequate protection. Native soil organisms in Thailand may be more or less sensitive to contaminants compared to overseas test species. This article described a biological indicator approach for ecological risk assessment of diffuse pollution in the soil ecosystem of Thailand from pesticide application with the aim of developing standardized protocols using native species and locally generated data to better evaluate the ecological risks of non-point source soil pollution. It was found that ecotoxicological assessment provided a better understanding of the ecological impacts that diffuse pollution induced on Thai environmental conditions. Thai soil biota species were more sensitive to soil contaminants than similar species overseas. Soil series also had an influence on the ecotoxicology of contaminants to soil biota. Collembolan, Cyphoderus sp., was demonstrated as a useful alternative test species to Folsomia Candida (international test species) for terrestrial ecotoxicological testing of Thai soils. In addition, the soil biota activities such as soil respiration and earthworm avoidance including soil biodiversity and the litter bag decomposition technique are also good tools to assess the effects of diffuse pollution by pesticides on the soil ecosystem of Thailand.     

Integrated assessment of future CAP policies: land use changes,spatial patterns and targeting

The recent and upcoming reforms of the Common Agricultural Policies (CAPs) aim at strengthening the multifunctional role of agriculture, acknowledging the differences in economic, environmental and social potentials within European regions. This paper presents results from an integrated assessment of existing and future policies within the framework set up in the FP6 EU project MEA-Scope. Spatial explicit procedures allow for the MEA-Scope modelling tools to provide information related to regional, environmental and socio-economics settings. The impact of different policy scenarios on structural change, land abandonment and cropping pattern of typical farms has been assessed based on linked agent-based (ABM) and Linear Programming (LP) models at regional and farm scale for two study areas. For the German case study area Ostprignitz-Ruppin (OPR), the issue of policy targeting has been addressed by relating non-commodity outputs (NCOs) to soil quality and protection status. For the Italian case study area (Mugello), changes in landscape patterns in terms of increased fragmentation or homogeneity as affected by changes in agricultural intensity have been analysed using semivariance analysis. The spatial explicit approach highlighted the relevance of case study research in order to identifying response structures and explaining policy implementation patterns.     

An assessment of uncertainty in forest carbon budget projections

Estimates of uncertainty are presented for projections of forest carbon inventory and average annual net carbon flux on private timberland in the US using the model FORCARB. Uncertainty in carbon inventory was approximately ±9% (2000 million metric tons) of the estimated median in the year 2000, rising to 11% (2800 million metric tons) in projection year 2040, with this range covering 95% of the distribution. Relative uncertainties about net flux were higher and more variable than relative uncertainty estimates of carbon inventory. Results indicated that relatively high correlations among projected carbon budgets for the regional forest types led to greater total uncertainty than under assumptions of independence among types, indicating that an accurate portrayal of correlations is important. Uncertainty in soil carbon, closely followed by uncertainty in tree carbon, were most influential in estimating uncertainty in carbon inventory, but uncertainties in projections of volume growth and volume removals were most important in estimating uncertainty in carbon flux. This implies the most effective ways of reducing uncertainty in carbon flux are different from those required to reduce uncertainties in carbon inventory. Analyses as presented here are necessary prerequisites to identify and reduce uncertainty in a systematic and iterative way.     

土地利用规划环境影响评价若干问题探讨

土地利用规划环境影响评价的作用是为了实现土地的规划和环境相互适应、相互协调,为规划决策者提供一定的技术支撑。文章阐述了土地规划环境影响评价重要意义、内容及相关程序,同时也对此提出了针对性的建议,积极推进及完善土地利用规划环境影响评价在现阶段十分必要。     

Organic carbon stock in topsoil of Jiangsu Province, China, and the recent trend of carbon sequestration

Data collection of soil organic carbon(SOC) of 154 soil series of Jiangsu, China from the second provincial soil survey and of recent changes in SOC from a number of field pilot experiments across the province were collected. Statistical analysis of SOC contents and soil properties related to organic carbon storage were performed. The provincial total topsoil SOC stock was estimated to be O. 1 Pg with an extended pool of 0.4 Pg taking soil depth of 1 m, being relatively small compared to its total land area of lOl?00 km^2. One quarter of this topsoil stock was found in the soils of the Taihu Lake region that occupied 1/6 of the provincial arable area. Paddy soils accounted for over 50% of this stock in terms of SOC distribution among the soil types in the province. Experimental data from experimental farms widely distributed in the province showed that SOC storage increased consistently over the last 20 years despite a previously reported decreasing tendency during the period between 1950--1970. The evidence indicated that agricultural management practices such as irrigation, straw return and rotation of upland crops with rice or wheat crops contributed significantly to the increase in SOC storage. The annual carbon sequestration rate in the soils was in the range of 0.3-3.5 tC/(hm^2. a), depending on cropping systems and other agricultural practices. Thus, the agricultural production in the province, despite the high input, could serve as one of the practical methods to mitigate the increasing air CO2.     

Impacts of land use,restoration, and climate change on tropical peat carbon stocks in the twenty-first century: implications for climate mitigation

The climate mitigation potential of tropical peatlands has gained increased attention as Southeast Asian peatlands are being deforested, drained and burned at very high rates, causing globally significant carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions to the atmosphere. We used a process-based dynamic tropical peatland model to explore peat carbon (C) dynamics of several management scenarios within the context of simulated twenty-first century climate change. Simulations of all scenarios with land use, including restoration, indicated net C losses over the twenty-first century ranging from 10 to 100 % of pre-disturbance values. Fire can be the dominant C-loss pathway, particularly in the drier climate scenario we tested. Simulated 100 years of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) cultivation with an initial prescribed burn resulted in 2400–3000 Mg CO₂?ha^?1 total emissions. Simulated restoration following one 25-year oil palm rotation reduced total emissions to 440–1200 Mg CO₂?ha^?1, depending on climate. These results suggest that even under a very optimistic scenario of hydrological and forest restoration and the wettest climate regime, only about one third of the peat C lost to the atmosphere from 25 years of oil palm cultivation can be recovered in the following 75 years if the site is restored. Emissions from a simulated land degradation scenario were most sensitive to climate, with total emissions ranging from 230 to 10,600 Mg CO₂?ha^?1 over 100 years for the wettest and driest dry season scenarios, respectively. The large difference was driven by increased fire probability. Therefore, peat fire suppression is an effective management tool to maintain tropical peatland C stocks in the near term and should be a high priority for climate mitigation efforts. In total, we estimate emissions from current cleared peatlands and peatlands converted to oil palm in Southeast Asia to be 8.7 Gt CO₂ over 100 years with a moderate twenty-first century climate. These emissions could be minimized by effective fire suppression and hydrological restoration.     

Carbon forestry economic mitigation potential in India,by land classification

Carbon forestry mitigation potential estimates at the global-level are limited by the absence or simplicity of national-level estimates, and similarly national-level estimates are limited by absence of regional-level estimates. The present study aims to estimate the mitigation potential for a large diverse country such as India, based on the GTAP global land classification system of agro-ecological zones (AEZs), as well the Indian AEZ system. The study also estimates the implications of carbon price incentive (US$50 and $100) on mitigation potential in the short-, medium- and long-term, since afforestation and reforestation (A & R) is constrained by lack of investment and financial incentives. The mitigation potential for short and long rotation plantations and natural regeneration was estimated using the GCOMAP global forest model for two land area scenarios. One scenario included only wastelands (29 Mha), and the second enhanced area scenario, included wastelands plus long fallow and marginal croplands (54 Mha). Under the $100 carbon price case, significant additional area (3.6 Mha under the wasteland scenario and 6.4 Mha under the enhanced area scenario) and carbon mitigation is gained in the short-term (2025) compared to the baseline when using the GTAP land classification system. The area brought under A & R increases by 85–100% for the $100 carbon price compared to $50 carbon price in the short-term, indicating the effectiveness of higher carbon price incentives, especially in the short-term. A comparison of estimates of mitigation potential using GTAP and Indian AEZ land classification systems showed that in the short-term, 35% additional C-stock gain is achieved in the $100 carbon price case in the enhanced area scenario of the Indian AEZ system. This difference highlights the role of the land classification system adopted in estimation of aggregate mitigation potential estimates, particularly in the short-term. Uncertainty involved in the estimates of national-level mitigation potential needs to be reduced, by generating reliable estimates of carbon stock gain and losses, and cost and benefit data, for land use sector mitigation options at a scale disaggregated enough to be relevant for national mitigation planning.     

基于土地利用与景观格局的生态保护红线生态系统健康评价方法——以南京市为例

生态保护红线是生态功能极其重要或生态环境极为敏感/脆弱的区域,是生态保护的核心区域。以南京市生态保护红线为研究对象,基于2000年、2005年、2010年和2015年四期土地利用/覆被和遥感影像等数据资料,对生态保护红线的生态系统健康进行了评价。结果显示：（1）2015年南京市生态保护红线内不同类型土地利用面积由大到小依次为：林地、耕地、水域、人工表面、湿地和草地,其中林地面积最大并逐年增长,耕地面积逐年减少;（2）2000—2015年南京市生态保护红线生态系统健康指数平均值为53.83,生态保护红线的生态系统健康指数处于亚健康水平,并呈现缓慢增长的趋势;（3）陆域生态系统,特别是森林植被覆盖度较大的区域,生态系统健康指数较高,相反,水域生态系统的生态系统健康指数相对较低。     

黄土高原不同土地利用类型有机碳和黑碳的储量及意义

以黄土高原为研究对象,研究三种不同利用方式的表层土壤样品(0—20 cm),分析其有机碳(soil organic carbon,简称SOC)和黑碳(black carbon,简称BC)的含量、分布特征及其储量变化及意义。研究表明,黄土高原不同利用方式土壤有机碳和黑碳含量的平均值分别为:玉米地8.01 g?kg~(-1)和1.01 g?kg~(-1),林地6.80 g?kg~(-1)和0.59 g?kg~(-1),未利用地5.01 g?kg~(-1)和0.43 g?kg~(-1),有机碳和黑碳的含量均为玉米地最高,未利用地最低;耕地和自然土壤表土有机碳储量分别为0.796 Pg和0.710 Pg,表土黑碳储量分别为0.0858 Pg和0.0730 Pg,耕地相对于自然土壤有机碳和黑碳的储量分别增大12.1%和17.5%;说明黄土高原耕地是一个碳汇,起着固定碳的作用;采用推荐的管理实践活动和合理的土地利用方式,能够增加土壤碳储量,提高土壤质量和农作物产量,抵消部分二氧化碳的排放。