Human impacts and sustainability of grasslands in the northern Tianshan Mountains region of China

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Yu Zhao ◽  
Ya Ning Chen ◽  
Li Zhao ◽  
Hui Yin
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Tianshan Mountains ◽  
Western China ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Cropland Area ◽  
The Impact

A case study of changes in the pattern of land use was undertaken to describe the impact of land-use policy reform, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in an arid area with particular reference to the Fukang County of the Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region of western China, in the Tianshan Mountains region, between 1971 and 2006. Information was obtained from a range of sources on changes in the consumption of products and related to changes in their area of production since little exchange of crop and animal products occurred outside the County particularly during the earlier part of the period in the light of the traditional self-sufficiency in inland undeveloped counties of western China. It was found that an unrestrained boom in the consumption of energy resources and animal products to promote economic activity and to increase the standard of living of humans led to a rapidly increased production from land resources. However, continuously expanding resource consumption quickly crossed the threshold of land ecosystem rehabilitation and caused unsustainable land-use patterns, especially in the transitional grassland–cropland area. The study demonstrated that grazing land is exposed to more ecological risks than cropland and forestland, not only due to enormously expanding requirements for and decreasing supply of grazing land but also Kazak herdsmen’s inability to cope with the management of change in the use of the grassland resource largely because of their poor economic status, lack of knowledge, passive response to rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, and some cultural conflicts.

scholarly journals Socio-economic factors of high trash generation in the city of Los Angeles

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-417
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Liang ◽  
Mi-Hyun Park ◽  
Michael K. Stenstrom
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Quantitative Model ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Final Model ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Abstract Trash is one of major pollutants in urban runoff. Some studies have been conducted to verify the different impacts of land use on trash generation in a qualitative way and focused on the performance of trash control measures. Few studies have explored the human impacts on trash generation or developed a quantitative model to describe the phenomenon. This paper examined the impact of human activity on trash generation. Spatial regimes on high trash generation areas were identified using the selected variables from best subset model regression and validated with Moran's I scatter plot and spatial analysis of variance. Bidirectional spatial lag regression with regimes was performed to develop the final model to explain the spatial distribution of trash generation and identify its major causes. The result showed that economic status and occupation of the population were correlated with trash accumulation and the dominant land use type, and the distance to rivers most affected trash generation. The effects of these indicators were different within and outside the high trash generation areas.

scholarly journals Does the Construction and Operation of High-Speed Rail Improve Urban Land Use Efficiency? Evidence from China

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 303
Author(s):  
Xinhai Lu ◽  
Yifeng Tang ◽  
Shangan Ke
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Land Use ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Western China ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Land Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

The construction and operation of high-speed rail (HSR) has become an important policy for China to achieve efficiency and fairness and promote high-quality economic growth. HSR promotes the flow of production factors such as labor and capital and affects economic growth, and may further affect urban land use efficiency (ULUE). To explore the impact of HSR on ULUE, this paper uses panel data of 284 cities in China from 2005 to 2018, and constructs Propensity Score Matching-Differences in Differences model to evaluate the effect of HSR on ULUE. The result of entire China demonstrates that the HSR could significantly improves the ULUE. Meanwhile, this paper also considers the heterogeneity of results caused by geographic location, urban levels and scales. It demonstrates that the HSR has a significantly positive effect on ULUE of Eastern, Central China, and large-sized cities. However, in Western China, in medium-sized, and small-sized cities, the impact of HSR on ULUE is not significant. This paper concludes that construction and operation of HSR should be linked to urban development planning and land use planning. Meanwhile, the cities with different geographical locations and scales should take advantage of HSR to improve ULUE and promote urban coordinated development.

scholarly journals Impacts of Urbanization on Land Use Pattern and Environment: A Case Study of Ajmer City, Rajasthan

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-91
Author(s):  
Bhanu Priya Chouhan ◽  
Monika Kannan
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
The Impact

The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history. More than half of the world’s population now lives in towns and cities, and by 2030 this number will swell to about 5 billion. ‘Urbanization has the potential to usher in a new era of wellbeing, resource efficiency and economic growth. But due to increased population the pressure of demand also increases in urban areas’ (Drakakis-Smith, David, 1996). The loss of agricultural land to other land uses occasioned by urban growth is an issue of growing concern worldwide, particularly in the developing countries like India. This paper is an attempt to assess the impact of urbanization on land use and land cover patterns in Ajmer city. Recent trends indicate that the rural urban migration and religious significance of the place attracting thousands of tourists every year, have immensely contributed in the increasing population of city and is causing change in land use patterns. This accelerating urban sprawl has led to shrinking of the agricultural land and land holdings. Due to increased rate of urbanization, the agricultural areas have been transformed into residential and industrial areas (Retnaraj D,1994). There are several key factors which cause increase in population here such as Smart City Projects, potential for employment, higher education, more comfortable and quality housing, better health facilities, high living standard etc. Population pressure not only directly increases the demand for food, but also indirectly reduces its supply through building development, environmental degradation and marginalization of food production (Aldington T, 1997). Also, there are several issues which are associated with continuous increase in population i.e. land degradation, pollution, poverty, slums, unaffordable housing etc. Pollution, formulation of slums, transportation congestion, environmental hazards, land degradation and crime are some of the major impacts of urbanization on Ajmer city. This study involves mapping of land use patterns by analyzing data and satellite imagery taken at different time periods. The satellite images of year 2000 and 2017 are used. The change detection techniques are used with the help of Geographical Information System software like ERDAS and ArcGIS. The supervised classification of all the three satellite images is done by ERDAS software to demarcate and analyze land use change.

scholarly journals The Impacts of Land Use Patterns on Water Quality in a Trans-Boundary River Basin in Northeast China Based on Eco-Functional Regionalization

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 1872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peixuan Cheng ◽  
Fansheng Meng ◽  
Yeyao Wang ◽  
Lingsong Zhang ◽  
Qi Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Degraded Water Quality

The relationships between land use patterns and water quality in trans-boundary watersheds remain elusive due to the heterogeneous natural environment. We assess the impact of land use patterns on water quality at different eco-functional regions in the Songhua River basin during two hydrological seasons in 2016. The partial least square regression indicated that agricultural activities associated with most water quality pollutants in the region with a relative higher runoff depth and lower altitude. Intensive grazing had negative impacts on water quality in plain areas with low runoff depth. Forest was related negatively with degraded water quality in mountainous high flow region. Patch density and edge density had major impacts on water quality contaminants especially in mountainous high flow region; Contagion was related with non-point source pollutants in mountainous normal flow region; landscape shape index was an effective indicator for anions in some eco-regions in high flow season; Shannon’s diversity index contributed to degraded water quality in each eco-region, indicating the variation of landscape heterogeneity influenced water quality regardless of natural environment. The results provide a regional based approach of identifying the impact of land use patterns on water quality in order to improve water pollution control and land use management.

scholarly journals Impacts of land use and topography on soil organic carbon in a Mediterranean landscape (north-western Tunisia)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donia Jendoubi ◽  
Hanspeter Liniger ◽  
Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Spectral Library ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Mediterranean Landscape ◽  
Field Crops ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
The Impact ◽  
North And South ◽  
North Western

Abstract. This study evaluated the impact of land use and landscape forms on SOC within the Wadi Beja watershed in north-western Tunisia. A soil spectral library was set to assess the variation of the SOC of 1440 soil samples from four land use types (field crops, permanent crops, forest, and grazing land), three slope categories (flat, moderate, and steep) and two aspects (north- and south-facing). For field crops, only one factor – slope – significantly affected SOC, which SOC levels in north-facing areas appear higher in flat areas (0.75 %) than in hilly areas (0.51%). However, in south-facing areas, SOC levels were also higher in flat areas (0.74 %) than in hilly areas (0.50 %). For permanent crops, which was interplanted with field crops, the slope significantly affected SOC levels where SOC levels have been improved to 0.97 % in flat north facing and 0.96 % in flat south-facing areas, which are higher than hilly south – and north-facing areas (0.79 %). In the grazing land use system, both investigated factors – aspect and slope – significantly affected the SOC levels which, SOC levels were significantly higher in flat areas (north-facing: 0.84 %, south-facing: 0.77 %), compared to hilly areas (north-facing: 0.61 %, south-facing: 0.56 %). For the forest, none of the factors had a significant effect on the SOC, which they are higher in flat areas (north-facing: 1.15 %, south-facing: 1.14 %), compared to 1.09 % in north and 1.07 % in south-facing in steep areas. This study highlights the importance of the land use and landscape forms in determining the variation in SOC levels.

scholarly journals Influence of the Land Use Type on the Wild Plant Diversity

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 602
Author(s):  
Ina Aneva ◽  
Petar Zhelev ◽  
Simeon Lukanov ◽  
Mariya Peneva ◽  
Kiril Vassilev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Wild Plant ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Land Use Type ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Bioclimatic Variables ◽  
The Impact

Studies on the impact of agricultural practices on plant diversity provide important information for policy makers and the conservation of the environment. The aim of the present work was to evaluate wild plant diversity across the agroecosystems in two contrasting regions of Bulgaria; Pazardzhik-Plovdiv (representing agroecosystems in the lowlands) and Western Stara Planina (the Balkan Mountains, representing agroecosystems in the foothills of the mountains). This study conducted a two-year assessment of plant diversity in different types of agricultural and forest ecosystems, representing more than 30 land use types. Plant diversity, measured by species number, was affected by the land use type only in Pazardzhik-Plovdiv region. More pronounced was the effect of the groups of land use types on the diversity, measured by the mean species number per scoring plot. Climatic conditions, measured by 19 bioclimatic variables, were the most important factor affecting plant species diversity. Six bioclimatic variables had a significant effect on the plant diversity, and the effect was more pronounced when the analysis considered pooled data of the two regions. The highest plant diversity was found on grazing land with sparse tree cover, while the lowest one was in the land use types representing annual crops or fallow. The study also established a database on weed species, relevant to agriculture. A number of common weeds were found in the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv region, while the most frequent species in the Western Stara Planina region were indigenous ones. Overall, the natural flora of Western Stara Planina was more conserved; eleven orchid species with conservation significance were found in the pastures and meadows in that region. The present study is the first attempt in Bulgaria to characterize the plant diversity across diverse agroecosystems representing many different land use types and environmental conditions. The results can contribute to nature conservation, biodiversity, and the sustainable use of plant resources.

scholarly journals Prospects of Forage Production in Northern Regions under Climate and Land-Use Changes: A Case-Study of a Dairy Farm in Newfoundland, Canada

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Cordeiro ◽  
Alan Rotz ◽  
Roland Kroebel ◽  
Karen Beauchemin ◽  
Derek Hunt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Corn Silage ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Cropland Area ◽  
The Impact

Forage production in northern latitudes is challenging and uncertain in the future. In this case-study, the integrated farm system model (IFSM) was used to assess the impact of climate change and cropland expansion scenarios on forage production in a dairy farm in Newfoundland, Canada. Climatic projections indicated increases in temperature in the recent past (1990–2016) and under any future climate (2020–2079), thus enhancing agronomic performance. Temperature increases ranged from 2.8 °C to 5.4 °C in winter and from 3.2 °C to 6.4 °C in spring. Small precipitation increases (<10%) create narrower time windows to perform farm operations in the already stringent condition of excess moisture in the region. Results of land use scenarios including expansions of 20, 30, and 40% in cropland area, out of which 5% was dedicated to corn silage and the remainder to grass-legume mixtures, indicated increased yield and total production. Improvements in grass-legume yield ranged from 8% to 52%. The full range of production increases ranged from 11% to 105%. Increments in corn silage yield ranged from 28% to 69%. Total farm corn silage production increases ranged from 29% to 77%. An attainable cropland expansion of 20% would enable the farm to become self-sufficient in forage production under any climate scenario.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FUTURE LAND USE IN THE UNITED STATES: AN ECONOMIC APPROACH

2011 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
pp. 27-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID HAIM ◽  
RALPH J. ALIG ◽  
ANDREW J. PLANTINGA ◽  
BRENT SOHNGEN
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Cropland Area ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Net Returns

An econometric land-use model is used to project regional and national land-use changes in the United States under two IPCC emissions scenarios. The key driver of land-use change in the model is county-level measures of net returns to five major land uses. The net returns are modified for the IPCC scenarios according to assumed trends in population and income and projections from integrated assessment models of agricultural prices and agricultural and forestry yields. For both scenarios, we project large increases in urban land by the middle of the century, while the largest declines are in cropland area. Significant differences among regions in the projected patterns of land-use change are evident, including an expansion of forests in the Mountain and Plains regions with declines elsewhere. Comparisons to projections with no climate change effects on prices and yields reveal relatively small differences. Thus, our findings suggest that future land-use patterns in the U.S. will be shaped largely by urbanization, with climate change having a relatively small influence.

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