scholarly journals Land cover transitions and effects of transhumance on available forage biomass of rangelands in Benin

Author(s):  
James Ellison ◽  
Katja Brinkmann ◽  
Rodrigue V. Cao Diogo ◽  
Andreas Buerkert

AbstractThis study examined the effects of transhumance pressure on total abavoe-ground biomass and forage availability on rangelands in Benin. We also investigated the implications of land cover transitions on rangelands over a 31-year period. Our work was carried out in three regions of Benin representing distinct phytogeographic regimes: Ketou, Tchaourou, and Sinende. Ground-truthing and biomass sampling of the herbaceous and phanaerophyte strata were carried out between the 2016 peak vegetation period and the onset of the 2017 rainy season. Herbaceous biomass was determined by destructive sampling, and biomass of shrub and trees was estimated using non-destructive sampling and allometric equations. Historical and present-day Landsat data allowed an analysis of land cover change for the 1986–2002 and 2002–2017 periods. Land cover analyses yielded evidence of significant expansion of agricultural areas, especially in the latter period. The data also revealed progressive landscape fragmentation and transformations to a land cover of reduced total phytomass. There were no long-term effects of transhumance on trees, but likely on herbaceous biomass. Land cover changes in the study regions seem primarily the result of population pressure, infrastructural changes, persisting norms, and traditions regarding environmental management and the increasing popularity of livestock keeping as an insurance strategy. Rangeland transformations had negative impacts on transhumant herds’ mobility and forage availability. As rangeland stability and consent between agricultural and pastoral land users are at a tipping point, informed policies, and land use planning that foster compromises among all stakeholders are needed.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 026-031
Author(s):  
Snehalata Chaware ◽  
◽  
Nitin Patil ◽  
Gajanan Satpute ◽  
M. R. Meshram ◽  
...  

Land resources in India are under severe pressure and it is widely believed that marginal lands are being brought under cultivation. The extent of such changes needs to be known for better land use planning decisions. The present study illustrates the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use land cover of Nagjhari watershed in Bhatkuli block of Amravati, Maharashtra. Multi-temporal high resolution of Sentinel and Landsat satellite data were used to identify the significant positive and negative Land use land cover changes over a decade of 2007 to 2017. From 2007 to 2017, the ‘habitation’ class increased by 34% due to increasing population pressure. There was a decrease in ‘wasteland’ by 10.3%, while the area under ‘agriculture’ decreased by approximately 4.7% because of the increased area under ‘habitation’ and ‘water body’ at Nagjhari watershed. The biggest change occurred in land use class ‘water body’ increased sharply from 2013-17 by 62.7 per cent due to consequence of state policy of watershed development that was implemented after 2014. The forest class recorded maximum loss (18.3%) due to increasing population maximum land converted into habitation. The study shows overall classification accuracy as 85.46% and kappa coefficient (K) of 0.85. Kappa coefficient indicated that land use land cover assessment from remote sensing data show the best accuracy. These finding will help in deciding land use policy for future and its impact on land management of the watershed.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 443
Author(s):  
Evidence Chinedu Enoguanbhor ◽  
Florian Gollnow ◽  
Blake Byron Walker ◽  
Jonas Ostergaard Nielsen ◽  
Tobia Lakes

Land use planning as strategic instruments to guide urban dynamics faces particular challenges in the Global South, including Sub-Saharan Africa, where urgent interventions are required to improve urban and environmental sustainability. This study investigated and identified key challenges of land use planning and its environmental assessments to improve the urban and environmental sustainability of city-regions. In doing so, we combined expert interviews and questionnaires with spatial analyses of urban and regional land use plans, as well as current and future urban land cover maps derived from Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing. By overlaying and contrasting land use plans and land cover maps, we investigated spatial inconsistencies between urban and regional plans and the associated urban land dynamics and used expert surveys to identify the causes of such inconsistencies. We furthermore identified and interrogated key challenges facing land use planning, including its environmental assessment procedures, and explored means for overcoming these barriers to rapid, yet environmentally sound urban growth. The results illuminated multiple inconsistencies (e.g., spatial conflicts) between urban and regional plans, most prominently stemming from conflicts in administrative boundaries and a lack of interdepartmental coordination. Key findings identified a lack of Strategic Environmental Assessment and inadequate implementation of land use plans caused by e.g., insufficient funding, lack of political will, political interference, corruption as challenges facing land use planning strategies for urban and environmental sustainability. The baseline information provided in this study is crucial to improve strategic planning and urban/environmental sustainability of city-regions in Sub-Saharan Africa and across the Global South, where land use planning faces similar challenges to address haphazard urban expansion patterns.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 664
Author(s):  
Özlem Altınkaya Genel ◽  
ChengHe Guan

This study investigated the urban growth dynamics of urban regions. The study area was the Marmara Region, one of the most densely populated and ecologically diverse areas in Turkey. Using CORINE land cover data for 2006, 2012, and 2018, the study utilized multiple correspondence analyses and cluster analyses, to analyze land cover changes. The resulting maps, visualized in GIS, revealed the rapid urban transformation of the regional structure, formerly comprised of four distinct areas, into a more complex structure, in which densification and sprawl occur simultaneously. Our findings demonstrated a dissonance between the spatial dynamics of the Marmara Region during the study period, and the capacity and scope of the simultaneously initiated regional policies and mega-projects. This uncoordinated approach has endangered the region’s sustainable development. The paper, therefore, discusses the importance of land use planning and transboundary collaboration for sustainable regional development. Beyond the local case, the results contribute to critical theories in regional planning by linking theory and practice.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 084596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongchang Sun ◽  
Xinwu Li ◽  
Wenxue Fu ◽  
Yingkui Li ◽  
Dongsheng Tang

Data ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Céline Bassine ◽  
Julien Radoux ◽  
Benjamin Beaumont ◽  
Taïs Grippa ◽  
Moritz Lennert ◽  
...  

Land cover maps contribute to a large diversity of geospatial applications, including but not limited to land management, hydrology, land use planning, climate modeling and biodiversity monitoring. In densely populated and highly fragmented landscapes as observed in the Walloon region (Belgium), very high spatial resolution is required to depict all the infrastructures, buildings and most of the structural elements of the semi-natural landscapes (like hedges and small water bodies). Because of the resolution, the vertical dimension needs explicit handling to avoid discontinuities incompatible with many applications. For example, how to map a river flowing under a bridge? The particularity of our data is to provide a two-digit land cover code to label all the overlapping items. The identification of all the overlaps resulted from the combination of remote sensing image analysis and decision rules involving ancillary data. The final product is therefore semantically precise and accurate in terms of land cover description thanks to the addition of 24 classes on top of the 11 pure land cover classes. The quality of the map has been assessed using a state-of-the-art validation scheme. Its overall accuracy is as high as 91.5%, with an average producer’s accuracy of 86% and an average user’s accuracy of 91%.


Author(s):  
Gizachew Kabite ◽  
Misgana Muleta ◽  
Berhan Gessesse

Land cover and climate changes greatly influence hydrologic responses of a basin. However, the response vary from basin to basin depending on the nature and severity of the changes and basin characteristics. Moreover, the combined impacts of the changes affect hydrologic responses of a basin in an offsetting or synergistic manner. This study quantified the separate and combined impacts, and the relative contributions of land cover and climate changes on multiple hydrological regimes (i.e., surface runoff, streamflow, groundwater recharge evapotranspiration) for the Dhidhessa Subbasin. Land cover and climate change data were obtained from a recent study completed for the basin. Calibrated Soil and Water Analysis Tool (SWAT) was used to quantify the impacts. The result showed that SWAT model performed well for the Dhidhessa Subbasin in predicting the water balance components. Substantial land cover change as well as an increasing temperature and rainfall trends were reported in the river basin during the past three decades. In response to these changes, surface runoff, streamflow and actual evapotranspiration (AET) increased while groundwater recharge declined. Surface runoff was more sensitive to land cover than to climate changes whereas streamflow and AET were more sensitive to climate change than to land cover change. The combined impacts played offsetting effect on groundwater recharge and AET while inconsistent effects within study periods for other hydrologic responses. Overall, the predicted hydrologic responses will have negative impacts on agricultural production and water resources availability. Therefore, the implementation of integrated watershed management strategies such as soil and water conservation and afforestation could reverse the negative impacts.


Author(s):  
Ivo Dostál ◽  
Petr Anděl ◽  
Marek Havlíček ◽  
František Petrovič

The steadily increasing landscape fragmentation and the reduction of permeability for wildlife are among the most negative impacts of human activity on the environment. In terms of education, theseproblems appear to be rather demanding, withthe difficulty corresponding tosecondary school standards. Considering the multiple interdisciplinary connections, the entire process cannot be sufficiently understood without a relevant amount of preliminary knowledge. Such a corpus of information is acquired especially through biology/ecology, geographyand history classes, but links to other subjects can be found too. The paper presents didactic methods facilitating the actual presentation of the theme to pupils/students; in this context, the authors discuss the possibilities of integrating the given problems into applicable schoolsubjects andoutline the risks arising from the proposed modification and/ or expansion of the teaching procedures. Also the links to data and supporting methodological materials are included that will allow the teacher to obtain enough information on the topicsto comprehend all the aspects and complexities of the innovated classes. In the corresponding sections, the papercharacterizes individual topics to be combined with selected teaching methods, especially as regards worksheets, project-oriented education, anda case study relating to afield trip targeting one of the areas of high importance for wildlife migration in the Czech Republic.


Author(s):  
Cicero H. O. Lallo ◽  
Sebrena Smalling ◽  
Audley Facey ◽  
Martin Hughes

Many Caribbean small ruminant management systems are forage-based, relying on rain to sustain pastures for feed. Animal performance is thus heavily dependent on forage availability. The nutritive value of pasture was highest during the intermediate season and lowest during the dry season, leading to under nutrition, and declined flock performance in the dry season. Climate change will therefore seriously hamper pasture availability and nutritive value. Hair sheep on pasture, without shade or water, experienced increased respiration rate, they were under chronic heat stress. However, where adequate shade and water were provided, heat stress was reduced. The current system of small ruminant production is prone to the negative impacts of climate change events due to its effect on nutrition, growth and reproduction. Immediate actions are needed to prepare farmers to respond by mitigation methods, to maintain and enhance animal productivity if the envisaged protein security goals set for this sector are to be realized.


Author(s):  
Raquel Faria de Deus ◽  
José António Tenedório ◽  
Jorge Rocha

In this chapter, a hybrid approach integrating cellular automata (CA), fuzzy logic, logistic regression, and Markov chains for modelling and prediction of land-use and land-cover (LULC) change at the local scale, using geographic information with fine spatial resolution is presented. A spatial logistic regression model was applied to determine the transition rules that were used by a conventional CA model. The overall dimension of LULC change was estimated using a Markov chain model. The proposed CA-based model (termed CAMLucc) in combination with physical variables and land-use planning data was applied to simulate LULC change in Portimão, Portugal between 1947 and 2010 and to predict its future spatial patterns for 2020 and 2025. The main results of this research show that Portimão has been facing massive growth in artificial surfaces, particularly near the main urban settlements and along the coastal area, and reveal an early and intensive urban sprawl over time.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5167
Author(s):  
Guglielmo Pristeri ◽  
Francesca Peroni ◽  
Salvatore Eugenio Pappalardo ◽  
Daniele Codato ◽  
Anna Giulia Castaldo ◽  
...  

Soil sealing is a worldwide phenomenon of covering of natural or seminatural soil with impervious surfaces, such as built-up or paved surfaces. It is widely recognized as a major environmental issue which drives landscape fragmentation and ecosystem services degradation and loss. Italy is one of European countries with the highest extent of soil sealing. The most affected area is northern Italy, especially the Po Valley with more than 12% of sealed surfaces. According to official data, Veneto Region and the city of Padua are seriously affected by this phenomenon. The Biotope Area Factor is a consolidated ecological urban index for mapping soil sealing, adopted in different European cities to support urban planning; it expresses the ratio of the ecologically effective surface area in relation to the total land area according to land cover classes. The general aim of this study is to map and to assess soil sealing in the whole municipal territory of Padua using the Biotope Area Factor (BAF) index. We tested and adopted a digital land cover map together with aerial images to perform a BAF analysis on the whole municipal territory of Padua. By using sample areas previously analyzed, we validated our source data by a double spatial validation process; therefore, soil sealing analysis was scaled-up to the municipality territory. Results show that in the city of Padua, the average BAF index value is 0.6; totally permeable surfaces (BAF = 1) cover 59.5%, whereas totally “sealed” surfaces (BAF = 0) are 40.3% of the municipal territory (93 km2). Most of the sealed soil is located in the east sector and in the historical core of the city, with BAF values ranging from 0 to 0.2. A particularly critical area is identified within the new industrial area of the city, which is strongly affected by soil sealing. BAF maps are useful tools to identify critical areas by geovisualizing surface permeability at a very detailed scale and by enabling further analyses for hydrogeological risk assessment and urban climate regulation. Moreover, the use of BAF maps at urban scale today represent an important tool for urban management, especially for policy makers who are planning mitigation and compensation measures to control soil sealing.


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