scholarly journals An overview of a land evaluation in the context of ecosystem services

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslava Janků ◽  
Jan Jehlička ◽  
Kristina Heřmanová ◽  
Daniel Toth ◽  
Mansoor Maitah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Land Evaluation ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Soil System ◽  
Detailed Measurement ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
The Status

The environment is changing quickly and it is ever more burdened in connection with the greater needs of human society. This fact has increased efforts to improve the management of land and natural resources and the necessity to evaluate them. Land valuations become more important as the land consumption increases. Soil needs to be evaluated in the whole context of how its quality is affected and the values it provides. The concept of ecosystem services offers this holistic view. This paper defines ecosystem services (ES), the various linkages between soil properties, their functions and benefits, the assessment of soil quality using indicators and then briefly mentions EU environmental assessment methods and terms used in the context of ES. The article also mentions frameworks with which to assess and evaluate the soil quality that can be divided into two groups. The first group is comprised of a framework of indicators that describe the current state of the soil system assessment for evaluating the quality of the agricultural land. This is based on a detailed measurement of the terrain, a statistical analysis of soil databases or processing the status of specific threats to the soil. The second group is comprised of a framework of indicators focused on changes in the soil quality and applied soil management. These frameworks deal with the productivity of the soil in various systems of farming, compare agricultural systems or discuss the advantages of soil biota as indicators of soil quality in detail. Many of the designs of the soil quality indicators focus on the soil management in the context of a single discipline such as agriculture or water pollution. There are concepts for considering the soil quality in regional planning.

scholarly journals Identification, Prioritization and Mapping of Ecosystem Services in the Panchase Mountain Ecological Region of Western Nepal

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar Adhikari ◽  
Himlal Baral ◽  
Craig Nitschke
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cultural Services ◽  
The Status ◽  
Ecological Region ◽  
Forest Users ◽  
Provisioning Services

Ecosystem services (ES) are critical to human well-being, especially in developing countries. Improved understanding of the status of ES is required to help people improve their quality of life. The status of ES is largely unknown in many regions of Nepal. This study was carried out in one of Nepal’s biodiversity hotspots, the Panchase Mountain Ecological region (PMER), to identify, prioritize and map the major ES in the region. Primary data for the study were collected through key informant interviews, focus group discussions, a transect walk, and field observations. Similarly, secondary data were obtained from published and unpublished reports and satellite images of the study area. The data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Thirty-seven ES were identified from the study landscape. Among them, nine were provisioning services, thirteen regulating services, nine cultural services, and six supporting services. Interestingly, the prioritization of ES among stakeholders differed on the basis of their background, particular features of their landscape, professional engagement, and individual interests. For instance, forest users prioritized provisioning services for their daily needs whereas forest managers prioritized regulating and cultural services for overall ecosystem management and aesthetic values. Mapping of the ES from the landscape for 1995 and 2015 identified that forest area and associated ES have likely increased, especially in the upland regions, while agricultural land and their associated ES have decreased. The study can be used as a reference by planners and policy makers in managing ES in the PMER to increase synergies and reduce trade-off among various services.

Forest Health Degradation in Barak Valley: A NDVI-Based Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-328
Author(s):  
Demsai Reang ◽  
◽  
Aparajita De ◽  
Ashesh Kumar Das ◽  
Parshant Dhanda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Maximum Area ◽  
Barak Valley ◽  
Bare Land ◽  
The Status

Forests have two primary objectives, viz. biodiversity conservation and maintenance of ecosystem services. The forests of Barak valley have not been mapped till now. The study aims to map and assess the status of the forest using Landsat 8 data and NDVI technique. In this study, the NDVI values varied from -0.13 to 0.49. Five land classes were delineated with an overall accuracy of 90%. These are forests with high vegetation cover, medium vegetation cover, low vegetation cover, others (forest villages, agricultural land, bare land etc.) and water bodies. The area statistics of the different land classes varied significantly. Forests with low vegetation cover (4668.79 ± 2391.6 ha) occupied the maximum area followed by forests with medium vegetation cover (4380.07 ± 1525.6 ha) and forests with high vegetation cover (3794.64 ± 1112.5 ha). Forests in need of immediate attention in this region have been identified. Proper management of these areas needs to be taken up immediately to prevent their further degradation.

scholarly journals WATER CARRYING CAPACITY BASED ON ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN URBAN AGRICULTURE OF PALU

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nursalam Nursalam ◽  
Nur Edy
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Environmental Carrying Capacity ◽  
The Status ◽  
Water Provision ◽  
Land Space

Urban agriculture grows increasingly in tropical countries. It develops not only to feed the growth of the population but also to provide green space, biodiversity, and recreational landscaping. However, developing urban agriculture is facing the problem of water provision.  This study examines the existence of agricultural land in Palu, investigates the distribution of agricultural land use in each district, and analyzes the status of environmental carrying capacity for provisioning water. The environmental carrying capacity for provisioning water was assessed based on ecosystem services analysis. The total area of agricultural land in Palu is 5,892.06 ha or about 16.52% of the total area, which spreads in all districts. Three districts recorded have the more extensive agricultural lands, Mantikulore, Tawaeli, and North Palu, of each, has 2188.12 ha (14%), 1090.89 ha (18.51%), and 723.88 ha (12.29%) respectively. The status of water carrying capacity ranged from moderate to high levels, covering an area of ​​5,189.95 ha or 88.08% of the total area of ​​agricultural land. The low carrying capacity of water provision covers ​​689.31 ha or about 11.84% of the total agricultural land. The district of West and South Palu calculated to have the highest carrying capacity. However, both districts experienced a decrease in agricultural land space due to urban development. This study's finding contributes to essential data for relevant authorities in decisions making for sustainable development of urban agriculture in Palu.

scholarly journals Perspectives of land evaluation of floodplains under conditions of aridification based on the assessment of ecosystem services

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-243
Author(s):  
Dénes Lóczy ◽  
Gergely Tóth ◽  
Tamás Hermann ◽  
Marietta Rezsek ◽  
Gábor Nagy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Land Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Methodology ◽  
Fundamental Properties ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Hydrometeorological Parameters

Global climate change has discernible impacts on the quality of the landscapes of Hungary. Only a dynamic and spatially differentiated land evaluation methodology can properly reflect these changes. The provision level, rate oftransformation and spatial distribution of ecosystem services (ESs) are fundamental properties of landscapes and have to be integral parts of an up-to-date land evaluation. For agricultural land capability assessment soil fertility is a major supporting ES, directly associated with climate change through greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration as regulationg services. Since for Hungary aridification is the most severe consequence of climate change, water-related ESs, such as water retention and storage on and below the surface as well as control of floods, water pollution and soil erosion, are of increasing importance. The productivity of agricultural crops is enhanced by more atmospheric CO2 but restricted by higher drought susceptibility. The value of floodplain landscapes, i.e. their agroecological, nature conservation, tourism (aesthetic) and other potentials, however, will be increasingly controlled by their water supply, which is characterized by hydrometeorological parameters. Case studies are presented for the estimation of the value of two water-related regulating ESs (water retention and groundwater recharge capacities) in the floodplains of the Kapos and Drava rivers, Southwest Hungary. It is predictable that in the future land evaluation techniques based on the FAO framework will be more dynamic and integrated with the monetary valuation of ESs. The latter task, however, still involves numerous methodological problems to solve.

scholarly journals Using the LANCA® Model to Account for Soil Quality Within LCA: First Application and Approach Comparison in Two Contrasted Tropical Case Studies

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Thoumazeau ◽  
Céline Bustany ◽  
Jérémy Rodrigues ◽  
Cécile Bessou
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Soil System ◽  
The Impact

Assessing the effect of land management on soil quality is nowadays a key environmental concern, as the soil system is linked to major ecosystem services. There is a strong methodological shortage to integrate the impact of anthropogenic pressure on the soil system within large scale environmental frameworks, such as the Life Cycle Assessment. The LANCA® method was proposed to meet this need, integrating five impact categories of soil functions and directly applicable within the Life Cycle Assessment framework. Although the most recent 2016-LANCA® version shows readiness to be integrated in this large scale environmental framework to meet the demand, it has not yet been applied and validated on case studies. This study proposes a first application of the LANCA® model on two contrasted agricultural-based case studies to share experience in implementing the model through both background and foreground approaches, to analyze the first model outputs and to provide tracks for further model improvements. The results proved that both LANCA® approaches were poorly sensitive to the agricultural land managements tested. The foreground approach was difficult to implement due to the lack of transparency of the targeted characterization factors calculation procedure. Further global sensitivity and redundancy analysis should also be proposed in order to validate the consistency of the global model.

Microplastic-Induced Changes in Soil Quality and Functioning: Field Scale Trials

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davey Jones ◽  
David Chadwick
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Appreciable Effect ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Soil System ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
The Impact

<p>Microplastics represent an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems, however, our understanding of the fate and behaviour of microplastics in the plant-soil system remains poor. In this replicated, field-scale study we added microplastics (low density polyethylene) to soil at different dose rates representing contamination levels ranging from 0 to 10 t ha<sup>-1</sup>. These levels were chosen to cover both agricultural and urban contamination levels. Over a 12 month period, we studied a range of chemical, physical and biological soil quality indicators and wheat productivity to evaluate the impact of microplastics on the delivery of soil-related ecosystem services. Overall, we found little evidence to suggest that microplastics affect plant growth even at high dose rates. In contrast, microplastics had a significant impact on soil quality. The use of PLFA profiling and 16S metabarcoding of the bacterial and archaeal community, revealed changes in key microbial taxa at high microplastic doses. In addition, physiological profiling of the microbial community using lipidomics, untargeted metabolomics and targeted nitrogen metabolomics (using GC-MS platform) revealed significant shifts in microbial physiology. No appreciable effect of microplastics was seen on soil N and P dynamics, earthworm abundance or greenhouse gas emissions (CO<sub>2</sub>, N<sub>2</sub>O and CH<sub>4</sub>). Overall, our results suggest that microplastics do induce changes in soil quality, but that this has little overall effect on the delivery of key soil-related ecosystem services. These results contrast strongly with experiments performed in laboratory mesocosms where microplastics negatively affected plant growth and soil quality, and highlight the need to study the impact of microplastics at the field scale over longer timescales.</p>

Physico-Chemical Properties of Soil Collected from Chandrabhaga River in Kalmeshwar, Nagpur, Maharashtra

2020 ◽  
Vol 07 (02) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Amita M Watkar ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Soil Attributes ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Agricultural Land Management ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Soil, itself means Soul of Infinite Life. Soil is the naturally occurring unconsolidated or loose covering on the earth’s surface. Physical properties depend upon the amount, size, shape, arrangement, and mineral composition of soil particles. It also depends on the organic matter content and pore spaces. Chemical properties depend on the Inorganic and organic matter present in the soil. Soils are the essential components of the environment and foundation resources for nearly all types of land use, besides being the most important component of sustainable agriculture. Therefore, assessment of soil quality and its direction of change with time is an ideal and primary indicator of sustainable agricultural land management. Soil quality indicators refer to measurable soil attributes that influence the capacity of a soil to function, within the limits imposed by the ecosystem, to preserve biological productivity and environmental quality and promote plant, animal and human health. The present study is to assess these soil attributes such as physical and chemical properties season-wise.

scholarly journals Effects of Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Soil Quality Indicators: The Case of Geshy Subcatchment, Gojeb River Catchment, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melku Dagnachew ◽  
Awdenegest Moges ◽  
Asfaw Kebede ◽  
Adane Abebe
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Soil And Water Conservation ◽  
Land Resources ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Volumetric Soil Water Content ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
The Status ◽  
Soil And Water

Land degradation is a global negative environmental process that causes the decline in the productivity of land resources’ capacity to perform their functions. Though soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies have been adopted in Geshy subcatchment, their effects on soil quality were limitedly studied. The study was conducted to evaluate the effects SWC measures on soil quality indicators in Geshy subcatchment, Gojeb River Catchment, Ethiopia. A total of 54 soil samples (two treatments–farmlands with and without SWC measures ∗ three slope classes ∗ three terrace positions ∗ three replications) were collected at a depth of 20 cm. Statistical differences in soil quality indicators were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) following the general linear model procedure of SPSS Version 20.0 for Windows. Means that exhibited significant differences were compared using Tukey’s honest significance difference at 5% probability level. The studied soils are characterized by low bulk density, slightly acidic with clay and clay loam texture. The results revealed that farmlands with SWC measures had significantly improved soil physical (silt and clay fractions, and volumetric soil water content (VSWC)) and chemical (pH, SOC, TN, C : N ratio, and Av. phosphorus) quality indicators as compared with farmlands without SWC measures. The significantly higher VSWC, clay, SOC, TN, C : N ratio, and Av. P at the bottom slope classes and terrace positions could be attributed to the erosion reduction and deposition effects of SWC measures. Generally, the status of the studied soils is low in SOC contents, TN, C : N ratio, and Av. P (deficient). Thus, integral use of both physical and biological SWC options and agronomic interventions would have paramount importance in improving soil quality for better agricultural production and productivity.

scholarly journals The Role of Selected Ecosystem Services in Different Farming Systems in Poland Regarding the Differentiation of Agricultural Land Structure

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6673
Author(s):  
Lidia Luty ◽  
Kamila Musiał ◽  
Monika Zioło
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Organic System ◽  
Supporting Soil ◽  
Management Method ◽  
The Impact

The functioning of various agroecosystems is nowadays shaped by different farming systems, which may impair their functions, as well as being beneficial to them. The benefits include ecosystem services, defined as economic and noneconomic values gained by humans from ecosystems, through supporting soil formation and nutrient circulation, and the impact of agriculture on climate and biodiversity. Their mutual flow and various disturbances depend on the agroecosystem’s management method, which is associated with the type of management of agricultural land (AL) in individual farms. This paper raises a problem of transformation in the structure of three main farming systems in Poland, in 2004–2018, in relation to the implementation of 16 selected ecosystem services and their scale. Special attention was given to organic farming, as the most environmentally friendly and sustainable. The analysis demonstrates the increase in ALs in that type of production during the analyzed period of time. Disparities of transformation associated with the type of agricultural system were noticeable at the regional level, which were presented in 16 Polish voivodeships. The results of the analysis confirm that the organic system, which is an important carrier of various ecosystem services, gained a stable position. Moreover, areas with integrated farming still do not exceed 0.5% of total agricultural lands in such voivodeships. The analysis of factors influencing the deterioration or disappearance of selected environmental services characterizing agricultural systems indicates the need to depart from an intensive conventional management system.

scholarly journals Spatial Distribution and Evaluation of Arsenic and Zinc Content in the Soil of a Karst Landscape

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6976
Author(s):  
Dimitrios E. Alexakis ◽  
George D. Bathrellos ◽  
Hariklia D. Skilodimou ◽  
Dimitra E. Gamvroula
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Urban Soil ◽  
Agricultural Soil ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Evaluation ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
North West ◽  
Total Study Area

Karst features such as polje are highly vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic pollution. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the soil quality in the Ioannina polje (north-west Greece) concerning arsenic (As) and zinc (Zn), and delineate their origin as well as compare the As and Zn content in soil with criteria recorded in the literature. For this purpose, the geomorphological settings, the land use, and the soil physicochemical properties were mapped and evaluated, including soil texture and concentrations of aqua-regia extractable As and Zn. The concentration of elements was spatially correlated with the land use and the geology of the study area, while screening values were applied to assess land suitability. The results reveal that 72% of the total study area has a very gentle slope. This relief favors urban and agricultural activity. Thus, the urban and agricultural land used cover 92% of the total area. The spatial distribution for As and Zn in the soil of the study area is located on very gentle slopes and is strongly correlated with the geological parent materials and human-induced contamination sources. Arsenic and Zn can be considered enriched in the soil of the area studied. The median topsoil contents (in mg kg−1) for As (agricultural soil 16.0; urban soil 17.8) and Zn (agricultural soil 92.0; urban soil 95.0) are higher compared to the corresponding median values of European topsoils. Land evaluation suitability concerning criteria given from the literature is discussed. The proposed work may be helpful in the project of land use planning and the protection of the natural environment.

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