scholarly journals Agricultural Transformation and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being in Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Xi’an, China

Land ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Zhongxue Zhou ◽  
Xiaofang Liu ◽  
Bijun Zheng ◽  
Guy M. Robinson ◽  
Bingjie Song
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Landscape Fragmentation ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Surveys ◽  
Agricultural Transformation ◽  
Nursery Production

There is a gap in understanding the relationships between the transformation of agricultural landscapes, ecosystem services and human well-being in the peri-urban fringe of major cities worldwide. In this paper, we use semi-structured interviews, perception surveys, social surveys and field mapping to examine linkages between agricultural and landscape transition, ecosystem services and human well-being in five sample villages in Xi’an metropolitan zone, China. The results indicate that: (1) Agricultural change has increased landscape fragmentation, with a shift from grain to more profitable horticulture and nursery production. The farming system is more diversified and exhibits a multifunctional character. (2) This transformation has had a significant impact on the character of the agroecosystem. (3) The agricultural transformation towards greater multifunctionality has increased the supply of ecosystem services, including tourism-related activities, potentially improving human well-being. (4) Different combinations of activities in the sample villages were evaluated with respect to a well-being index, indicating the importance of combining horticulture and tourism. (5) Linkages identified between agricultural transformation, ecosystem services and human well-being may have significant implications for potential approaches within future studies.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Equity and Regional Management of Some Urban Green Space Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Main Urban Area of Xi’an City

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 813
Author(s):  
Hui Dang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Yumeng Zhang ◽  
Zixiang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Xi’An City

Urban green spaces can provide many types of ecosystem services for residents. An imbalance in the pattern of green spaces leads to an inequality of the benefits of such spaces. Given the current situation of environmental problems and the basic geographical conditions of Xi’an City, this study evaluated and mapped four kinds of ecosystem services from the perspective of equity: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, air purification, and climate regulation. Regionalization with dynamically constrained agglomerative clustering and partitioning (REDCAP) was used to obtain the partition groups of ecosystem services. The results indicate that first, the complexity of the urban green space community is low, and the level of biodiversity needs to be improved. The dry deposition flux of particulate matter (PM2.5) decreases from north to south, and green spaces enhance the adsorption of PM2.5. Carbon sequestration in the south and east is higher than that in the north and west, respectively. The average surface temperature in green spaces is lower than that in other urban areas. Second, urban green space resources in the study area are unevenly distributed. Therefore, ecosystem services in different areas are inequitable. Finally, based on the regionalization of integrated ecosystem services, an ecosystem services cluster was developed. This included 913 grid spaces, 12 partitions, and 5 clusters, which can provide a reference for distinct levels of ecosystem services management. This can assist urban managers who can use these indicators of ecosystem service levels for planning and guiding the overall development pattern of green spaces. The benefits would be a maximization of the ecological functions of green spaces, an improvement of the sustainable development of the city, and an improvement of people’s well-being.

scholarly journals Green Infrastructures in the Peri-Urban Landscape: Exploring Local Perception of Well-Being through ‘Go-Alongs’ and ‘Semi-Structured Interviews’

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6836
Author(s):  
Rocío Santo-Tomás Muro ◽  
Carlota Sáenz de Tejada Granados ◽  
Eva J. Rodríguez Romero
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Local Perception ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Environmental Inequalities

Providing conditions for health and well-being, especially for those most exposed to social and environmental inequalities, is a precondition for sustainable development. Green infrastructures in peri-urban areas have the potential to improve the quality of life of locals by fostering healthy practices, providing views, or bringing nature closer to the city. This work explores the local perception of well-being within urban green infrastructures (UGI) in the peri-urban fringe of Madrid (Spain) through a combination of qualitative methods: “go-alongs” and “semi-structured static interviews”. The grounded-theory based codification of the data using NVivo software and their subsequent analysis results in the identification of social, natural, and perceptual elements that prove to play a relevant role in locals’ perception of well-being. Among these, connectivity with other green spaces, panoramic views and place-based memories are aspects that seem to make UGI serve the community at its full potential, including perceived physical and psychological well-being. We identify in each case study both positive characteristics of UGI and dysfunctional aspects and areas of opportunity. Lastly, a methodological, geographical, and theoretical discussion is made on the relevance of the case studies and pertinence of the two interview methods as valuable tools for analysis and intervention in the peri-urban landscape.

scholarly journals Assessment of Potential Supply of Ecosystem Services in Coimbra Municipality

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Leitão ◽  
Ferreira ◽  
Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Potential ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Quantitative Classification ◽  
Natural Systems

Land-use changes driven by human activities affect natural systems. Urbanization, forest monoculture and intensive agriculture are changing the functioning of many biotic and abiotic processes. This tends to decrease the ability of ecosystems to provide services, which leads to several problems particularly in cities. This study investigates the ability of urban areas with great population and environmental pressures, to supply ecosystem services. The study was carried out in Coimbra municipality, through the assessment of regulation, provisioning and cultural services. The quantification of ecosystem services was based on the evaluation performed by experts familiar with the study area, through questionnaires. A total of 31 questionnaires were completed. The experts ranked the potential supply of 30 ecosystem services for the 33 existent land-uses. based on a qualitative evaluation: “strong adverse potential”, “weak adverse potential”, “not relevant”, “low positive potential” and “strong positive potential”. The qualitative evaluation was converted into a quantitative classification (−2, −1, 0, 1, 2). The values were used to develop an ecosystem services quantification matrix and to map the information in the study area, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Despite the limited ecosystem services provided by urban areas, agricultural fields and especially green spaces are relevant for the provision of resources essential for human survival and well-being. The methodology used in this work is still useful for the quantification of ecosystem services in cities with characteristics associated with the Mediterranean climate. This type of studies are important to (i) anticipate problems originated from the loss of ecosystem services, (ii) identify good and bad practices of land use changes, (iii) the role of connectivity in maintaining biotic and abiotic processes, and (iv) develop practices that promote the sustainable development of societies.

scholarly journals Temperate Agroforestry Systems and Insect Pollinators: A Review

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Bentrup ◽  
Jennifer Hopwood ◽  
Nancy Lee Adamson ◽  
Mace Vaughan
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Yield Enhancement ◽  
Temperate Agroforestry ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Agroforestry Practices

Agroforestry can provide ecosystem services and benefits such as soil erosion control, microclimate modification for yield enhancement, economic diversification, livestock production and well-being, and water quality protection. Through increased structural and functional diversity in agricultural landscapes, agroforestry practices can also affect ecosystem services provided by insect pollinators. A literature review was conducted to synthesize information on how temperate agroforestry systems influence insect pollinators and their pollination services with particular focus on the role of trees and shrubs. Our review indicates that agroforestry practices can provide three overarching benefits for pollinators: (1) providing habitat including foraging resources and nesting or egg-laying sites, (2) enhancing site and landscape connectivity, and (3) mitigating pesticide exposure. In some cases, agroforestry practices may contribute to unintended consequences such as becoming a sink for pollinators, where they may have increased exposure to pesticide residue that can accumulate in agroforestry practices. Although there is some scientific evidence suggesting that agroforestry practices can enhance crop pollination and yield, more research needs to be conducted on a variety of crops to verify this ecosystem service. Through a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of agroforestry practices on pollinators and their key services, we can better design agroforestry systems to provide these benefits in addition to other desired ecosystem services.

scholarly journals The Political Ecology of Hedgerows and Their Relationship to Agroecology and Food Sovereignty in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Tilzey
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
Agroecological Transition ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Ecosystem Disservices

Hedgerows can make an important contribution to agroecological transitions and to an overall contribution to multifunctional agro-ecosystems with multiple benefits for biodiversity, climate change mitigation, soil health, human health, well-being, and livelihoods. Where such agroecological transition assumes the form of political agroecology, this can underpin transformation of the farming system towards food sovereignty. Current mismanagement of hedgerows is constraining the optimum delivery of ecosystem services by these important features of the British landscape. This mismanagement is, moreover, an integral part of a (capitalist) productivist degradation of the countryside that is contributing to the delivery of ecosystem disservices and is, therefore, antithetical to the adoption of agroecological production practises. Being contrary to the requirements of political agroecology, it is similarly antithetical to the requirements of food sovereignty. In response, this paper outlines what appears to be required, in policy and political terms, for the adoption of an agroecological and food sovereignty framework enabling the sustainable management of hedgerows and maximising their potential for ecosystem services delivery.

scholarly journals How farmers think about insects: perceptions of biodiversity, biodiversity loss and attitudes towards insect-friendly farming practices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Busse ◽  
Felix Zoll ◽  
Rosemarie Siebert ◽  
Annette Bartels ◽  
Anke Bokelmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Agricultural Policies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Market Prices ◽  
Insect Biodiversity ◽  
Ecological Importance

AbstractAn alarming decrease of insects in number and variety calls for measures of protection and promotion, since insects are crucial for the functioning of ecosystems and provide multiple ecosystem services. Agricultural landscapes can provide vast insect habitats if they are managed accordingly. However, little is known about farmers’ problem awareness and attitudes toward insect biodiversity loss, related farming practises, or alternative acceptable insect-friendly solutions. To fill these research gaps, this paper aimed to reveal farmers’ perceptions and attitudes regarding these aspects in two German case studies. We conducted 23 semi-structured interviews with farmers in 2019 and qualitatively analysed them using semantic web analysis. Farmers mostly reported awareness of insects’ ecosystem services and disservices related to agricultural production rather than mentioning the holistic ecological importance of insects. About half of the farmers confirmed insect loss based on their own observations, whereas a similar number doubted there had been a decrease of insects. Most farmers are open-minded towards insect-friendly measures if financially compensated. The farmers also mentioned a joint societal responsibility for insects, economic pressure on farmers to use pesticides due to global market prices, and unbalanced agricultural policies. This study revealed in-depth insights into farmers’ thinking about insects and how farmers contextualise arguments. Our results identified overlaps in farmers’ mental models, which paves the way for co-designing insect-friendly farming practices in landscape labs. Local transformation efforts can also demonstrate new pathways for a shift on the higher levels.

scholarly journals Landscape Architecture and the Quality of Life : The Story of Relativity within the Transitional Settlements

10.36249/52.1 ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 2-13
Author(s):  
Andreja Tutundžić
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Landscape Architecture ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Living Standard

The quality of life and human well-being is often perceived differently, dependable on individuals and groups, as well as within contrasting socio-political circumstances, varying from the many concepts such as respecting the living standard based primarily on income to the benefits that society receives from ecosystems. From the early beginnings as a professional discipline, landscape architecture has been respecting the quality of life and human well-being to a great extent, as a subject of professional interest and accordingly, through approaches used to address it. While those goals are mostly the same, the engagement in the scope and complexity of the discipline is significantly increasing over the years, but still targeting the traditional paradigm - to contribute to the improvement of the living conditions and quality of life. However, the majority of the projects are predominantly dealing with urban areas and the life of the urban population related to the upper- and middle-class social groups. Contrary to the above considerations, there is a layer of social groups of those who are forced to leave their homes in the times of crises, either caused by natural disasters, but even more of those seeking sanctuary due to the political turbulences and wars. The consequences of those tragic events can be found within different communities, including refugee camps or transitional settlements. Those places bring poor living conditions, lack of space, and numerous environmental problems, where even just the provisioning and supporting categories of ecosystem services are dependable on the input of external factors while regulating and cultural categories seems to be almost out of question. This paper describes the results of the “e-scape. Transitional settlement” Project, organized by the Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management at American University in Beirut, in collaboration with the International Federation of Landscape Architecture. The goal of the project was to contribute to the improvement of the living conditions in the transitional settlements including the provision of even elementary ecosystem services in, at least, a bit greater extent. The additional intention was to broaden a methodology and guidelines of landscape architectural interventions within settlements resulting from conflict and natural disasters.

scholarly journals Green areas in an urban area and provision of ecosystem services: a bibliometric and integrative review

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (Supl. 2) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Maycon Jorge Ulisses Saraiva Farinha ◽  
André Geraldo Berezuk ◽  
Luciana Virginia Mario Bernardo
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Man And Nature ◽  
Bibliometric Review ◽  
Process Of Urbanization

The process of urbanization is accomplished by changes in land use, that is, by the interaction between man and nature, so that there is a common loss of green areas in cities. However, the need and importance of green areas inside urban areas has been emphasized in order to provide quality to the provision of ecosystem services. Such services favor the quality of life and human well-being of people living in urban areas. Thus, nature-based solution practices have been encouraged as a form of innovation for urban planning and to overcome problems in cities. An integrative and bibliometric review on urban green areas and ecosystem service provision was proposed from 2009 to 2019. Among the results, there is a growing interest in the topic. There is recognition of the importance of green areas for population needs regarding human physical and mental health. In addition, the need for public actions in favor of urban planning involving the issue is recognized in order to provide equal access to existing areas and/or in areas that will be created.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Energy Crop Production by Lay People and Farmers Using the Ecosystem Services Approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerd Lupp ◽  
Olaf Bastian ◽  
Ralf-Uwe Syrbe ◽  
Reimund Steinhäußer
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Energy Crop ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Lay Persons ◽  
Legal Frameworks

Abstract Perceptions of energy crop production are assessed in this paper. The Görlitz district (Germany) serves as a case study area for this purpose. Semi-structured interviews with farmers and standardized surveys among lay persons were conducted. Many farmers perceive themselves being responsible for providing many ecosystem services. Farmers prefer a regional scale of energy crop cultivation based on conventional crops. Improved legal frameworks and incentives would safeguard equal competition and ecosystem services. Laypersons think that drinking water, food production, biodiversity and pollination are the most important ecosystem services of agricultural landscapes. Providing biomass for renewable energy production is not considered to be an important ecosystem service. Laypersons believe that biomass production should be restricted to fields that are not needed for food production, and the use of residues or landscape management materials. According to laypersons, more money should be spent to halt the decline of ecosystem services.

The impact of two decades of land-use changes in potential ecosystem services supply in a Portuguese municipality - Coimbra

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Amorim Leitão ◽  
Carla Sofia Santos Ferreira ◽  
António José Dinis Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Potential ◽  
The Impact

<p>Land-use changes affect the properties of ecosystems, and are typically associated with decreasing ability to supply services, which in turn causes a decrease in the social well-being. Urbanization is identified as one of the main causes of ecosystem degradation, once it is considered an artificial space that replaces natural areas.This study investigates the impact of land-use changes during 20 years (1995-2015) on the potential supply of ecosystem services in Coimbra municipality, central Portugal. The assessment was based on the evaluation performed by 31 experts familiar with the study area, through questionnaires. The experts ranked the potential supply of 31 ecosystem services, grouped in regulation, provisioning and cultural services, for the several land-uses existent. Experts performed a qualitative evaluation, considering ‘strong adverse potential’, ‘weak adverse potential’, ‘not relevant’, ‘low positive potential’ and ‘strong positive potential’. The qualitative evaluation was converted into a quantitative classification (-2, -1, 0, 1, 2). Quantitative values were then used to develop an ecosystem services quantification matrix and to map the information in the study area, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). An urban expansion from 14% to 18% was recorded over the last 20 years. Agricultural land decreased 8% due to conversion into forest (4% increase) and urban areas (4% increase). This has led to a decrease in the supply of provision (e.g. food) and regulation services (e.g. flood regulation). In fact, over the last years, recurrent floods have been increasingly noticed in Coimbra city. On the other hand, the growth of forest areas has led to an increase in general ESs supply. The adverse impacts of urbanization were partially compensated by enlarging the benefits provided by forest areas, which is the land-use with greatest ESs potential supply. In order to support urban planning and develop sustainable cities, it is essential to quantify the potential supply of ecosystem services considering local scale and characteristics.</p>

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