Balance of sugarcane plantation land needs in Lamongan Regency in 2031 based on land-use changes using SPOT imagery

The volume of Indonesia's sugar imports in 2019 reached 4,09 million tons. The high volume of imports was influenced by the decreasing area of sugarcane plantations. Lamongan Regency is one of the sugarcane and sugar-producing regencies in East Java. Sugarcane and sugar production in Lamongan Regency has experienced quite diverse dynamics and has been influenced by changes in land-use conditions. This study aims to analyze the balance of land needs for sugarcane plantations in Lamongan Regency in 2031 based on an analysis of land-use changes using SPOT imagery of 2007, 2013, and 2019. The study was conducted by analyzing land-use changes, population projections, and land demand balance analysis for sugarcane plantations. The results of the analysis showed that the population of Lamongan Regency in 2031 is projected to reach 1.419.843 people with a land requirement for sugarcane plantations of 2.362,29 ha. There will be a land surplus of 1.276,92 ha but it is still concentrated in 7 of the 27 sub-districts. Sugarcane plantations in Lamongan Regency have the potential to be developed considering that the land allocation for plantations in the Lamongan Regency Spatial Plan of 2011-2031 reaches 10.022,42 ha.

The effect of forest land allocation on understory plant species associations

Species association is a reciprocal relationship among species within a community and can estimate the community composition. This research aimed to obtain information regarding the level of dominance and plant species association in each forest land allocation. Data analysis tested in this study constituted an analysis of the importance value index and association analysis performed on the main constituent species with INP > 10% using a 2x2 Contingency Table. The research revealed that species association in understorey plants in plantation forests contained one pair with real associations, five with unreal associations, six with positive associations, and none with negative associations. Meanwhile, there were no real associations in protected forest areas, ten pairs with unreal associations, four pairs with positive associations, and six pairs with negative ones. There were two pairs with real associations in natural forests outside the company’s concessions, 13 species with unreal associations, four pairs with positive associations, and 11 pairs with negative associations.

Cooperators Satisfaction with Cooperative Society Housing Activities in Jos

Most public workers in Nigeria have always faced the problem of housing either during service or after retirement. This is because the mechanism put in place by the government for tackling the housing problem has not met their expectations. Due to that, workers started using alternative means to solve their housing needs. This study measured the level of housing activities carried out by the cooperative society and assessed cooperators' satisfaction with the activities in Plateau State, Nigeria. The study was based on a questionnaire survey conducted on institution-based cooperative societies engaged in cooperator housing activities using various methods. Data was collected from Jos University Teaching Hospital JUTH multipurpose cooperative society in the State. Data were analysed with descriptive statistical tools using mean ranking, and a 5-Point Likert scale was used to determine the level of each activity. It was found that housing development, direct purchases of houses, private-public projects and building materials purchase ranked highest. In contrast, processing land and building documents, housing loans, and land allocation were the least ranked contrary to popular belief that cooperative societies only achieved land allocation and granting of housing loans. Also, the respondents were most satisfied with housing development, directly purchased houses, building materials purchase, transaction cost, while their level of satisfaction on interest to be paid on loans for housing, cost of loan recovery, processing of land and building document and land allocation were ranked least respectively. Therefore, the study concluded that cooperators satisfaction should be given consideration in all activities to improve patronage for their various housing needs at all times.

EARLY TRANSFORMATION AND ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE BRITISH CONCESSION IN MODERN EAST ASIA. RESEARCH ON 1866 LAND REGULATIONS OF THE BRITISH CONCESSION OF TIENTSIN

The systematic development of British Concession in the 19th century had a profound impact on the development of cities in the history of modernization in East Asia. To find out the relevance of the urban management system of the British concession and the process of urban modernization between different cities in East Asia, this paper combs the development process of land allocation and urban management in the early British concession by using the land regulation. It focuses on the specific case of the 1866 land regulation promulgated by the British concession in Tianjin from the perspective of colonialism and the construction and management system of the East Asian British concession. It analyses the historical background and influence, then further explores the reasons for its promulgation. This finding can fill part of the vacancy in the history of urban development and play an important role in the development of contemporary urban construction in East Asia as reflection and reference.

Poor science meets political neglect: Land use changes of high conservation value forests in Indonesia

Forest land allocation and use in Indonesia have been politically contested and characterized by poor data and competing interests of different institutions. This study analyzes the process of integrating scientific findings in policymaking about land use and changes. The focus is on the processes related to the changes of Highly Important Forest Zones with Strategic Values (Dampak Penting Cakupan Luas dan bernilai Strategis/DPCLS). DPCLS forests are unique as any changes require approval from the parliament to complement the processes at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and must be based on rigorous scientific evaluation. This study uses the case of Riau Islands (Kepri) Province, previously part of Riau Province, which to date is one of only two Indonesian provinces yet to accept the forest zonings of the Ministry. The province’s strategic positions as exclusive economic and free trade zones make it further interesting in terms of land allocation as land becomes increasingly valuable for other uses. This paper specifically asks how the scientific investigation on the potential land use changes were conducted, how reliable the discoveries are, and how they were utilized in multiple steps at different institutions from the proposal evaluations to the approval stages. Our research indicates that scientific findings have rarely been integrated in policy making regarding DPCLS forests in Kepri Province. In addition, the scientific findings are weak; the institution producing them is heavily dominated by government officials and paid consultants/ experts. The scientific body was only established to fulfill the formal processes required by the regulatory frameworks. Proposals and decisions on the changes of DPCLS forests in Kepri Province are more characterized by political considerations. The “scientific findings” of the current land use in Kepri Province is used as a political commodity (or commodities) to support the interests of actors.