Interprovincial and interannual differences in the causes of land-use fires in Sumatra, Indonesia

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Stolle ◽  
E.F. Lambin

Despite the vast destruction caused by recent fires in Sumatra's forested areas, there have been few analyses of their spatial variability and causes. Various combinations of predisposing and land-use factors in space and time may cause fires. For each variable, fire densities were calculated to assess the spatial and temporal association between natural and cultural landscape variables and fire occurrence in four provinces in Sumatra, Indonesia for a non-dry year (1999) and a dry year (1997). This was complemented by a single multivariate logistic regression for the two years over the four provinces with fires as the dependent variable and land use and predisposing factors as independent variables. The provincial analyses showed that fires are determined by multiple, interacting factors and that these factor interactions are not the same in all provinces. In the non-dry year, the factors were only weak determinants of fires and only few determinants were common to all provinces (presence of undisturbed forests, elevation, smallholder area, land allocation to production area). In the dry year, more determinants of fires were found to be common to all provinces (presence of undisturbed forests, elevation, land allocation to production or conversion areas, presence of plantations, distance from roads). This led to the identification of pathways that increased fire probability. The first step was the allocation of land to different land-use types and stakeholders by national policies. If allocated to large-scale landowners, fires were more likely to occur in plantations, especially in the dry year. Logging concessions did not play a major role in increasing the incidence of fire. However the strongest increase in fire probability was outside the areas under use, in undisturbed forests. We conclude that areas not yet used by large-scale landowners were more prone to fire, indicating a serious threat to the remaining forests in this region.

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy E. Hessl ◽  
Uyanga Ariya ◽  
Peter Brown ◽  
Oyunsannaa Byambasuren ◽  
Tim Green ◽  
...  

Rising temperatures are expected to increase wildfire activity in many regions of the world. Over the last 60 years in Mongolia, mean annual temperatures have increased ~2°C and the recorded frequency and spatial extent of forest and steppe fires have increased. Few long records of fire history exist to place these recent changes in a historical perspective. The purpose of this paper is to report on fire history research from three sites in central Mongolia and to highlight the potential of this region as a test case for understanding the relationships between climate change, fire and land use. We collected partial cross-sections from fire-scarred trees and stumps at each site using a targeted sampling approach. All three sites had long histories of fire ranging from 280 to 450 years. Mean Weibull fire return intervals varied from 7 to 16 years. Fire scars at one protected-area site were nearly absent after 1760, likely owing to changes in land use. There is limited synchrony in fire occurrence across sites, suggesting that fire occurrence, at least at annual time scales, might be influenced by local processes (grazing, human ignitions, other land-use factors) as well as regional processes like climate. Additional data are being collected to further test hypotheses regarding climate change, land use and fire.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khemarat Talerngsri

Land-use conflict in Northern Thailand has led to large-scale deforestation. This article suggests two reasons why this conflict has not been resolved despite the many legal and institutional approaches taken by Thai governments over the decades. First, conflicting directions embedded within the national policymaking level caused uncertainty for policy implementors at ministerial levels. Second, policy-drivers at the local level interacted with the specific socioeconomic context of upland residents in a way to make land-use conflict persistent. Contradictory messages by top policymakers, combined with the national ministries’ focus on purely functional tasks, diminished the importance of a local area-based approach necessary for land-use conflict resolution. Additionally, vested interests favoring agricultural expansion into the forests have been more diverse and influential than those favoring forest conservation; the former having tools at hand to incentivize smallholders to encroach into forested areas. Further driving agricultural expansion was that, in a management vacuum, local private sector actors acted as the de facto policy coordinators for the fragmented government local operations; however, on the forest conservation front, there was no coordinating body. This imbalanced situation has proved fertile soil for conflict. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2853
Author(s):  
Sheena Philogene ◽  
Wenge Ni-Meister

This study investigated the land use and land cover changes in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, for the period of 2002 through 2017, to determine if forested areas were burned or converted to other land uses, to analyze the use of fire as a catalyst and mechanism for land cover change, and to determine if there was a relationship between land use changes and gross domestic product (GDP). MapBiomas classifications and MODIS data were analyzed using the Google Earth Engine. The results of the analysis found that there were minimal changes in the forested areas in São Paulo during the study period; however, there was a 5% increase in natural forest and a 75% increase in planted forest cover. On the other hand, there was a 128% increase in sugarcane, and nearly a 50% decrease in pasture land coverage, suggesting that land was converted from pasture to more profitable agricultural land. Finally, there was a strong positive correlation (r = 0.96) between the increase in sugarcane and the GDP, and a negative correlation between the frequency of fire events and economic production (r = −0.62). Overall, there was a decline in fire events in São Paulo, with fire events occurring in less than 2% of the total observed land area by 2017. This overall declining trend in fire events are likely the direct result of increases in green harvest methods, which prevent the need for pre-harvest burning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 414
Author(s):  
Amsar Yunan

Maps or remote sensing can be interpreted as the process of reading using various sensors where data collected remotely can be analyzed to obtain information about the object, area or phenomenon. In this study, the author develops a flood disaster mapping information system applying overlays with scoring between the parameters. The determinant factors to provide flood hazard levels includes rainfall factors in the dasarian unit, land-use factors and land-use arbitrary factors. Of all these parameters, a scoring process will be carried out by assigning weights and values according to their respective classifications, then an overlay process will be performed using ArcGIS software. The author conducted this study in Nagan Raya Regency since this area experiences flooding annually.  Framing a thematic map of flood-prone areas in Nagan Raya Regency was designed using the flood hazard method. Spatial data that has been presented in the form of thematic maps as parameters are land use maps, landform maps, and dasarian rainfall maps (per 10 daily). The design of thematic maps that are prone to flooding is done by overlapping (overlay process). In contrast, the determination of the classification is done by adding scores to each parameter, with low, medium and high hazard levels. Parameter analysis shows the level of flood vulnerability in Nagan Raya Regency of each district, namely Beutong: high 0.21%, medium 13.68%, low 86.12%. Seunagan District: high 51.17%, medium 48.83%, low 0%. Seunagan Timur District: high 10.07%, medium 46.18%, low 43.75%. Kuala Subdistrict: high 29.66%, medium 68.99%, low 1.35%. Darul Makmur District: high 8.57%, medium 63.37%, low 28.06%. From the overall results of the study, it can be concluded that the danger of flooding in Nagan Raya Regency with a level of vulnerability: high 9.92%, moderate 42.65% and low 47.43%.


2016 ◽  
pp. rtw062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin H. Klaus ◽  
Deborah Schäfer ◽  
Till Kleinebecker ◽  
Markus Fischer ◽  
Daniel Prati ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117862212110281
Author(s):  
Nieves Fernandez-Anez ◽  
Andrey Krasovskiy ◽  
Mortimer Müller ◽  
Harald Vacik ◽  
Jan Baetens ◽  
...  

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009–2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we present a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action “Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society” funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wildland fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.


2021 ◽  
pp. 103530462110176
Author(s):  
Anna Sturman ◽  
Natasha Heenan

We introduce a themed collection of articles on approaches to configuring a Green New Deal as a response to the current capitalist crisis marked by ecological breakdown, economic stagnation and growing inequality. The Green New Deal is a contested political project, with pro-market, right-wing nationalist, Keynesian, democratic socialist and ecosocialist variants. Critiques of the Green New Deal include pragmatic queries as the feasibility of implementation, and theoretical challenges from the right regarding reliance on state forms and from the left regarding efforts to ameliorate capitalism. They also include concerns about technocratic bias and complaints about lack of meaningful consultation with Indigenous peoples on proposals for large-scale shifts in land use. Debates over the ideological orientation, political strategy and implementation of the Green New Deal must now account for the economic and employment impacts of COVID. JEL Codes: Q43, Q54, Q56, Q58


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Ge Song ◽  
Hongmei Zhang

Cultivated land use layout adjustment (CLULA) based on crop planting suitability is the refinement and deepening of land use transformation, which is of great significance for optimizing the allocation of cultivated land resources and ensuring food security. At present, people rarely consider the land suitability of crops when using cultivated land, resulting in an imbalance between crop distribution and resource conditions such as water, heat, and soil, and adversely affects the ecological security and utilization efficiency of cultivated land. To alleviate China’s grain planting structural imbalance and efficiency loss, this paper based on the planting suitability of main food crops (rice, soybean, and maize) to adjust and optimize the cultivated land use layout (CLUL) in the typical counties of the main grain production area in Northeast China, using the agent-based model for optimal land allocation (AgentLA) and GIS technology. Findings from the study show that: (1) The planting suitability of rice, soybean, and maize in the region is obviously different. Among them, the suitability level of soybean and maize is high, and that of rice is low. The current CLUL of the food crops needs to be further optimized and adjusted. (2) By optimizing the layout of rice, soybean, and maize, the planting suitability level of the food crops and the concentration level of the CLUL spatial pattern have been improved. (3) The plan for CLULA is formulated: The study area is divided into rice stable production area, maize-soybean rotation area, maize dominant area, and soybean dominant area, and town or village is identified as the implementation unit of CLULA. The plan for CLULA will be conducive to the concentrated farming of food crops according to the suitable natural conditions and management level. The research realized the optimization of spatial structure and cultivated land use patterns of different food crops integrating farming with protecting land. The significance of the study is that it provides a scientific basis and guidance for adjusting the regional planting structure and solving the problem of food structural imbalance.


Author(s):  
Jane J. Aggrey ◽  
Mirjam A. F. Ros-Tonen ◽  
Kwabena O. Asubonteng

AbstractArtisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in sub-Saharan Africa creates considerable dynamics in rural landscapes. Many studies addressed the adverse effects of mining, but few studies use participatory spatial tools to assess the effects on land use. Hence, this paper takes an actor perspective to analyze how communities in a mixed farming-mining area in Ghana’s Eastern Region perceive the spatial dynamics of ASM and its effects on land for farming and food production from past (1986) to present (2018) and toward the future (2035). Participatory maps show how participants visualize the transformation of food-crop areas into small- and large-scale mining, tree crops, and settlement in all the communities between 1986 and 2018 and foresee these trends to continue in the future (2035). Participants also observe how a mosaic landscape shifts toward a segregated landscape, with simultaneous fragmentation of their farming land due to ASM. Further segregation is expected in the future, with attribution to the expansion of settlements being an unexpected outcome. Although participants expect adverse effects on the future availability of food-crop land, no firm conclusions can be drawn about the anticipated effect on food availability. The paper argues that, if responsibly applied and used to reveal community perspectives and concerns about landscape dynamics, participatory mapping can help raise awareness of the need for collective action and contribute to more inclusive landscape governance. These findings contribute to debates on the operationalization of integrated and inclusive landscape approaches and governance, particularly in areas with pervasive impacts of ASM.


Author(s):  
Hui Wei ◽  
Wenwu Zhao ◽  
Han Wang

Large-scale vegetation restoration greatly changed the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau since the implementation of the “Grain for Green Project” (GGP) in 1999. Evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil erosion is significant to local soil and water conservation and vegetation construction. Taking the Ansai Watershed as the case area, this study calculated the soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration, using the Chinese Soil Loess Equation (CSLE), based on rainfall and soil data, remote sensing images and socio-economic data. The effect of vegetation restoration on soil erosion was evaluated by comparing the average annual soil erosion modulus under two scenarios among 16 years. The results showed: (1) vegetation restoration significantly changed the local land use, characterized by the conversion of farmland to grassland, arboreal land, and shrub land. From 2000 to 2015, the area of arboreal land, shrub land, and grassland increased from 19.46 km2, 19.43 km2, and 719.49 km2 to 99.26 km2, 75.97 km2, and 1084.24 km2; while the farmland area decreased from 547.90 km2 to 34.35 km2; (2) the average annual soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration was 114.44 t/(hm²·a) and 78.42 t/(hm²·a), respectively, with an average annual reduction of 4.81 × 106 t of soil erosion amount thanks to the vegetation restoration; (3) the dominant soil erosion intensity changed from “severe and light erosion” to “moderate and light erosion”, vegetation restoration greatly improved the soil erosion environment in the study area; (4) areas with increased erosion and decreased erosion were alternately distributed, accounting for 48% and 52% of the total land area, and mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast of the watershed, respectively. Irrational land use changes in local areas (such as the conversion of farmland and grassland into construction land, etc.) and the ineffective implementation of vegetation restoration are the main reasons leading to the existence of areas with increased erosion.


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