Bird‐community responses to habitat creation in a long‐term,large‐scale natural experiment

Ecosystem function and resilience are compromised when habitats become fragmented due to land‐use change. This has led to national and international conservation strategies aimed at restoring habitat extent and improving functional connectivity (i.e., maintaining dispersal processes). However, biodiversity responses to landscape‐scale habitat creation and the relative importance of spatial and temporal scales are poorly understood, and there is disagreement over which conservation strategies should be prioritized. We used 160 years of historic post‐agricultural woodland creation as a natural experiment to evaluate biodiversity responses to habitat creation in a landscape context. Birds were surveyed in 101 secondary, broadleaf woodlands aged 10–160 years with ≥80% canopy cover and in landscapes with 0‐17% broadleaf woodland cover within 3000 m. We used piecewise structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect relationships between bird abundance and diversity, ecological continuity, patch characteristics, and landscape structure and quantified the relative conservation value of local and landscape scales for bird communities. Ecological continuity indirectly affected overall bird abundance and species richness through its effects on stand structure, but had a weaker influence (effect size near 0) on the abundance and diversity of species most closely associated with woodland habitats. This was probably because woodlands were rapidly colonized by woodland generalists in ≤10 years (minimum patch age) but were on average too young (median 50 years) to be colonized by woodland specialists. Local patch characteristics were relatively more important than landscape characteristics for bird communities. Based on our results, biodiversity responses to habitat creation depended on local‐ and landscape‐scale factors that interacted across time and space. We suggest that there is a need for further studies that focus on habitat creation in a landscape context and that knowledge gained from studies of habitat fragmentation and loss should be used to inform habitat creation with caution because the outcomes are not necessarily reciprocal.     

Understanding the effects of different social data on selecting priority conservation areas

Conservation success is contingent on assessing social and environmental factors so that cost‐effective implementation of strategies and actions can be placed in a broad social–ecological context. Until now, the focus has been on how to include spatially explicit social data in conservation planning, whereas the value of different kinds of social data has received limited attention. In a regional systematic conservation planning case study in Australia, we examined the spatial concurrence of a range of spatially explicit social values and land‐use preferences collected using a public participation geographic information system and biological data. We used Zonation to integrate the social data with the biological data in a series of spatial‐prioritization scenarios to determine the effect of the different types of social data on spatial prioritization compared with biological data alone. The type of social data (i.e., conservation opportunities or constraints) significantly affected spatial prioritization outcomes. The integration of social values and land‐use preferences under different scenarios was highly variable and generated spatial prioritizations 1.2–51% different from those based on biological data alone. The inclusion of conservation‐compatible values and preferences added relatively few new areas to conservation priorities, whereas including noncompatible economic values and development preferences as costs significantly changed conservation priority areas (48.2% and 47.4%, respectively). Based on our results, a multifaceted conservation prioritization approach that combines spatially explicit social data with biological data can help conservation planners identify the type of social data to collect for more effective and feasible conservation actions.     

Assessing the shelf life of cost‐efficient conservation plans for species at risk across gradients of agricultural land use

High costs of land in agricultural regions warrant spatial prioritization approaches to conservation that explicitly consider land prices to produce protected‐area networks that accomplish targets efficiently. However, land‐use changes in such regions and delays between plan design and implementation may render optimized plans obsolete before implementation occurs. To measure the shelf life of cost‐efficient conservation plans, we simulated a land‐acquisition and restoration initiative aimed at conserving species at risk in Canada's farmlands. We accounted for observed changes in land‐acquisition costs and in agricultural intensity based on censuses of agriculture taken from 1986 to 2011. For each year of data, we mapped costs and areas of conservation priority designated using Marxan. We compared plans to test for changes through time in the arrangement of high‐priority sites and in the total cost of each plan. For acquisition costs, we measured the savings from accounting for prices during site selection. Land‐acquisition costs and land‐use intensity generally rose over time independent of inflation (24–78%), although rates of change were heterogeneous through space and decreased in some areas. Accounting for spatial variation in land price lowered the cost of conservation plans by 1.73–13.9%, decreased the range of costs by 19–82%, and created unique solutions from which to choose. Despite the rise in plan costs over time, the high conservation priority of particular areas remained consistent. Delaying conservation in these critical areas may compromise what optimized conservation plans can achieve. In the case of Canadian farmland, rapid conservation action is cost‐effective, even with moderate levels of uncertainty in how to implement restoration goals.     

The value of flexibility in conservation financing

Land‐acquisition strategies employed by conservation organizations vary in their flexibility. Conservation‐planning theory largely fails to reflect this by presenting models that are either extremely inflexible—parcel acquisitions are irreversible and budgets are fixed—or extremely flexible—previously acquired parcels can readily be sold. This latter approach, the selling of protected areas, is infeasible or problematic in many situations. We considered the value to conservation organizations of increasing the flexibility of their land‐acquisition strategies through their approach to financing deals. Specifically, we modeled 2 acquisition‐financing methods commonly used by conservation organizations: borrowing and budget carry‐over. Using simulated data, we compared results from these models with those from an inflexible fixed‐budget model and an extremely flexible selling model in which previous acquisitions could be sold to fund new acquisitions. We then examined 3 case studies of how conservation organizations use borrowing and budget carry‐over in practice. Model comparisons showed that borrowing and budget carry‐over always returned considerably higher rewards than the fixed‐budget model. How they performed relative to the selling model depended on the relative conservation value of past acquisitions. Both the models and case studies showed that incorporating flexibility through borrowing or budget carry‐over gives conservation organizations the ability to purchase parcels of higher conservation value than when budgets are fixed without the problems associated with the selling of protected areas.     

土地质量对农业劳动生产率的影响——来自六省县级数据的经验证据

本文利用国土资源部农用地分等定级与估价项目的土地自然质量指数数据,结合2004年的县级统计数据,建立改造的C-D生产函数,通过多元回归分析定量考察了土地质量对农业劳动生产率的影响。最终得到如下研究结果:对所用的县,土地质量指数每增加1%,农业劳动生产率增加0.336%;分地区的结果显示,土地质量和化肥投入在东部地区为替代关系,在西部地区为互补关系。研究结论:土地质量在很大程度上影响着农业劳动生产率,应加强对土地质量的保护和改善。     

Simulating urban encroachment on rural land with fuzzy-logic-controlled cellular automata in a geographical information system

Encroachment on rural land is a serious problem in developing countries, particularly in regions that are undergoing rapid economic development. Monitoring and simulating land conversions thus are critical to the formulation of a sustainable development strategy. This paper describes a computer-based approach for simulating land encroachment with fuzzy-logic-controlled cellular automata (CA). Unlike CA models developed in the domain of natural sciences, this simulation model seeks to integrate rule definition with explicit, interactive and heuristic decision-making processes. Fuzzy logic was used to capture the feature of land conversion behaviour, while CA was to used to simulate global pattern from local rules and implemented in a geographical information system (GIS) using ARC/INFO software. By providing a series of simulation scenarios, the study reveals potential hazardous consequences inherent in some development policies that would jeopardize sustainable development of the region and demonstrates that this approach is a useful tool to provide decision support.1998 Academic Press     

Food production in the city: (re)negotiating land,food and property

This paper addresses issues of access to land for food production in Toronto by offering fresh perspectives on urban agriculture in the neo-liberal city of the global north. It examines attempts to scale up urban agriculture that emphasise changing the relationships between land access, property and new collaborative relationships among different stakeholders. These initiatives involve renegotiating access to land for growing food between private property owners and landless growers, concomitant shifts in control over valued resources and commercialisation. These shifts are often based on relations of trust within a sharing economy rather than public battles over political decisions to develop urban agriculture lands. Growing food on private lands in the city is political in challenging taken-for-granted ideas and practices of property and urban agriculture. New approaches offer options for training and income, as well as expanding the land base for urban agriculture. Small-scale farming projects are affirmative political manoeuvres. They challenge urban residents to consider land for food production across the categories of public and private property. We document three approaches that challenge current property relations: temporary use of a development site through “soft” squatting; redesignating suburban backyards for farmer training and community-based and private food production; and garden sharing of private home backyards for urban food production and commercial growing. Such initiatives articulate alternative visions of sustainability and food security that rely on principles of collaboration and a sharing economy that challenge prevailing notions of property ownership and food security.     

Using social network analysis to examine planner involvement in environmentally oriented planning processes led by non-planning professions

Broad stakeholder involvement cannot be assumed in all environmental planning and management processes that have critical land use dimensions. This paper illustrates how concepts and techniques from social network analysis (SNA) can be used to examine and better understand the roles of one type of stakeholders, planners, in environmentally oriented planning and management processes led by other professions. Two cases of natural hazard mitigation planning led by emergency managers illustrate the usefulness of three SNA concepts of network structural characteristics in understanding how differences in planner involvement may influence incorporation of land use approaches in local natural hazard mitigation plans aimed at reducing long term risks from natural hazards.     

近20a三峡库区农林地利用变化图谱特征分析

土地利用变化图谱单元能够把表示"空间单元特征的图"与表示"时间发展之起点与过程的谱"合为一体,并建立起空间—属性—过程一体化数据信息。论文以TM/ETM影像为空间数据源,构建三峡库区1990—2000年和2000—2010年两个阶段农林地利用变化信息图谱,以及融合1990、2000、2010年这三个时期土地利用现状的变化模式图谱,以探讨库区近20 a来的农林用地变化轨迹和特征规律。结果表明:1 1990—2000年阶段的农林地利用变化图谱主要以农林地间及其和草地互换、建设用地占用农林地的图谱单元类型为主。空间差异上最为显著的是"耕地→建设用地(编码15)"、"草地→林地(编码32)"和"林地→草地(编码23)",空间分离度较低。2 2000—2010年阶段的农林地利用变化图谱单元分离度增大,农林地利用发生转换空间进一步扩张。最显著变化的是"耕地→林地(编码12)"和"耕地→建设用地(编码15)"图谱单元类型,其次是农林地转换为水域图谱类型(编码14和24)的面积增大。3库区农林地利用变化模式以前期变化型和后期变化型为主,反复变化型和持续变化型发生概率较小,库区农林地利用的转换具有明显的时间阶段性特征。     

齐齐哈尔市土地利用变化及其对地下水水质的影响

为了探究齐齐哈尔市土地利用变化及其对地下水水质的影响,利用1995年、2003年、2011年遥感影像解译结果,比照地下水水质长期监测数据开展相关研究。结果表明,研究区土地利用类型以旱田、湿地和建设用地为主,其中旱田面积最大,占45%以上;近20a来,湿地面积持续减少,减少面积达112.38km2,主要转变为旱田、水田和建设用地,而建设用地的增加主要来自于开发旱田;1995~2003年、2003~2011年2个时期的综合土地利用动态度分别为0.97%、0.60%,研究区2003年之前总体土地利用变化程度明显高于后期。地下水中NO-3-N、SO2-4、Cl-和总硬度浓度变化趋势,与建设用地和旱田间的相互转变密切相关。城镇化建设快速发展及工矿用地土地资源的长期开发,成为对该地区地下水水质产生直接影响的主要土地利用方式。