scholarly journals A Place-Based Approach to Agricultural Nonmaterial Intangible Cultural Ecosystem Service Values

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy R. Petway ◽  
Yu-Pin Lin ◽  
Rainer F. Wunderlich
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Environmental Characteristics ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Service ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Landscape Biodiversity

Though agricultural landscape biodiversity and ecosystem service (ES) conservation is crucial to sustainability, agricultural land is often underrepresented in ES studies, while cultural ES associated with agricultural land is often limited to aesthetic and tourism recreation value only. This study mapped 7 nonmaterial-intangible cultural ES (NICE) valuations of 34 rural farmers in western Taiwan using the Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES) methodology, to show the effect of farming practices on NICE valuations. However, rather than a direct causal relationship between the environmental characteristics that underpin ES, and respondents’ ES valuations, we found that environmental data is not explanatory enough for causality within a socio-ecological production landscape where one type of land cover type (a micro mosaic of agricultural land cover) predominates. To compensate, we used a place-based approach with Google Maps data to create context-specific data to inform our assessment of NICE valuations. Based on 338 mapped points of 7 NICE valuations distributed among 6 areas within the landscape, we compared 2 groups of farmers and found that farmers’ valuations about their landscape were better understood when accounting for both the landscape’s cultural places and environmental characteristics, rather than environmental characteristics alone. Further, farmers’ experience and knowledge influenced their NICE valuations such that farm areas were found to be sources of multiple NICE benefits demonstrating that farming practices may influence ES valuation in general.

scholarly journals Assessing Cropland Area in West Africa for Agricultural Yield Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaboro Samasse ◽  
Niall Hanan ◽  
Gray Tappan ◽  
Yacouba Diallo
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Cropland Area ◽  
Western Sahel

Accurate estimates of cultivated area and crop yield are critical to our understanding of agricultural production and food security, particularly for semi-arid regions like the Sahel of West Africa, where crop production is mainly rain-fed and food security is closely correlated with the inter-annual variations in rainfall. Several global and regional land cover products, based on satellite remotely-sensed data, provide estimates of the agricultural land use intensity, but the initial comparisons indicate considerable differences among them, relating to differences in the satellite data quality, classification approaches, and spatial and temporal resolutions. Here, we quantify the accuracy of available cropland products across Sahelian West Africa using an independent, high-resolution, visually interpreted sample dataset that classifies all points across West Africa using a 2-km sample grid (~500,000 points for the study area). We estimate the “quantity” and “allocation” disagreements for the cropland class of eight land cover products in five Western Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal). The results confirm that coarse spatial resolution (300 m, 500 m, and 1000 m) land cover products have higher disagreements in mapping the fragmented agricultural landscape of the Western Sahel. Earlier products (e.g., GLC2000) are less accurate than recent products (e.g., ESA CCI 2013, MODIS 2013 and GlobCover 2009). We also show that two of the finer spatial resolution maps (GFSAD30, and GlobeLand30) using advanced classification approaches (random forest, decision trees, and pixel-object combined) are currently the best available products for cropland identification. However, none of the eight land cover databases examined is consistent in reaching the targeted 75% accuracy threshold in the five Sahelian countries. The majority of currently available land cover products overestimate cultivated areas by an average of 170% relative to the cropland area in the reference data.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal variation of ecosystem services value in the Northern Tianshan Mountain Economic zone from 1980 to 2030

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9582
Author(s):  
Lei Shi ◽  
Ümüt Halik ◽  
Zulpiya Mamat ◽  
Zhicheng Wei
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Water Body ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Tianshan Mountain ◽  
Northern Tianshan ◽  
Economic Zone

Rapid agricultural land expansion and urbanization have accelerated land use and land cover changes (LUCC) in the Northern Tianshan Mountain Economic Zone and have significantly impacted on the ecosystem services (ESs). However, the spatiotemporal variations of ecosystem service value (ESV) to LUCC are not well understood. Based on the land use and land cover (LULC) data from 1980 to 2019, we used a CA-Markov model to predict LUCC in 2020 and 2030, assess the spatial-temporal changes of ESV and LULC during 1980–2030, and explore the elastic response of ESV to LUCC. We found that cropland and built-up land expanded rapidly by 34.38% and 196.66%, respectively between 1980 and 2030, while grassland and unutilized land decreased significantly by 11.45% and 10.26%, respectively. The ESV of water body, cropland, grassland and forestland accounts for more than 90% of the total ESV. Our research shows that the ESV of cropland increased 32 million yuan from 1980 to 2030, mainly due to the expansion of cropland area. However, the loss caused by the reduction of grassland area was 45 million yuan. Water conservation, waste treatment, soil formation and retention, and biodiversity conservation are the primary ecosystem service function, accounting for 71.82% of the total ESV. Despite notable increases in the ESV from 1980 to 2010, grassland degradation still remains a main ecological and environmental issue from 2010 to 2030. The results suggest that effective land use policies should be developed to control the expansion of croplands and protect water body, grassland and forestland to maintain more sustainable ESs.

scholarly journals Integrating stakeholders’ perspectives and spatial modelling to develop scenarios of future land use and land cover change in northern Tanzania

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0245516
Author(s):  
Rebecca W. Kariuki ◽  
Linus K. Munishi ◽  
Colin J. Courtney-Mustaphi ◽  
Claudia Capitani ◽  
Anna Shoemaker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Northern Tanzania

Rapid rates of land use and land cover change (LULCC) in eastern Africa and limited instances of genuinely equal partnerships involving scientists, communities and decision makers challenge the development of robust pathways toward future environmental and socioeconomic sustainability. We use a participatory modelling tool, Kesho, to assess the biophysical, socioeconomic, cultural and governance factors that influenced past (1959–1999) and present (2000–2018) LULCC in northern Tanzania and to simulate four scenarios of land cover change to the year 2030. Simulations of the scenarios used spatial modelling to integrate stakeholders’ perceptions of future environmental change with social and environmental data on recent trends in LULCC. From stakeholders’ perspectives, between 1959 and 2018, LULCC was influenced by climate variability, availability of natural resources, agriculture expansion, urbanization, tourism growth and legislation governing land access and natural resource management. Among other socio-environmental-political LULCC drivers, the stakeholders envisioned that from 2018 to 2030 LULCC will largely be influenced by land health, natural and economic capital, and political will in implementing land use plans and policies. The projected scenarios suggest that by 2030 agricultural land will have expanded by 8–20% under different scenarios and herbaceous vegetation and forest land cover will be reduced by 2.5–5% and 10–19% respectively. Stakeholder discussions further identified desirable futures in 2030 as those with improved infrastructure, restored degraded landscapes, effective wildlife conservation, and better farming techniques. The undesirable futures in 2030 were those characterized by land degradation, poverty, and cultural loss. Insights from our work identify the implications of future LULCC scenarios on wildlife and cultural conservation and in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets by 2030. The Kesho approach capitalizes on knowledge exchanges among diverse stakeholders, and in the process promotes social learning, provides a sense of ownership of outputs generated, democratizes scientific understanding, and improves the quality and relevance of the outputs.

scholarly journals Assessing Changes in Ecosystem Service Values over 1985–2050 in Response to Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics in Abaya-Chamo Basin, Southern Ethiopia

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashebir Woldeyohannes ◽  
Marc Cotter ◽  
Wubneshe Biru ◽  
Girma Kelboro
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Ecosystem Service Value ◽  
Service Value

This study evaluated the effect of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) dynamics on the value of ecosystem services in Abaya-Chamo basin over 1985–2050. The main objectives of the study were to estimate the value of ecosystem services of Abaya-Chamo basin using local and global ecosystem service value coefficients, assess how it changes over time, and develop tools to inform policy and public decision-making to protect lands and waters in the region. The study utilized observed (1985 and 2010) and predicted (2030 and 2050) LULC datasets and ecosystem service value coefficients obtained from publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The results indicated that the total ecosystem service value of Abaya-Chamo basin was 12.13 billion USD in 1985 and 12.45 billion USD in 2010. The value is predicted to increase to 12.47 billion USD by the year 2050, which is 2.84% (344.5 million USD) higher than the total value of ecosystem services of the basin in 1985. Although the total ecosystem service value of the basin showed a slight increase over the study period, it was observed that the total value of services obtained from natural ecosystems is expected to decline by 36.24% between 1985 and 2050. The losses of services obtained from natural ecosystems, such as water regulation and erosion control, are major concern as the consequence has already been reported in the basin in the form of reduced water quality and productivity of the lakes due to an increased soil erosion and sediment transport in the basin. Therefore, special attention should be given to the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and the protection of remaining natural vegetation and water bodies to enhance natural capital and ecosystem services in the basin. A large-scale dissemination of eco-agricultural land use practices, which provide multiple ecosystem services (such as agroforestry and heterogeneous agricultural areas) in the basin, needs to be considered in the future.

scholarly journals Spatial-Temporal Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Urban Areas Using Remote Sensing Images and GIS Analysis: The Case Study of Opole, Poland

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 312
Author(s):  
Barbara Wiatkowska ◽  
Janusz Słodczyk ◽  
Aleksandra Stokowska
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Management Procedures

Urban expansion is a dynamic and complex phenomenon, often involving adverse changes in land use and land cover (LULC). This paper uses satellite imagery from Landsat-5 TM, Landsat-8 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI, and GIS technology to analyse LULC changes in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The research was carried out in Opole, the capital of the Opole Agglomeration (south-western Poland). Maps produced from supervised spectral classification of remote sensing data revealed that in 20 years, built-up areas have increased about 40%, mainly at the expense of agricultural land. Detection of changes in the spatial pattern of LULC showed that the highest average rate of increase in built-up areas occurred in the zone 3–6 km (11.7%) and above 6 km (10.4%) from the centre of Opole. The analysis of the increase of built-up land in relation to the decreasing population (SDG 11.3.1) has confirmed the ongoing process of demographic suburbanisation. The paper shows that satellite imagery and GIS can be a valuable tool for local authorities and planners to monitor the scale of urbanisation processes for the purpose of adapting space management procedures to the changing environment.

scholarly journals Land Cover Effects on Selected Nutrient Compounds in Small Lowland Agricultural Catchments

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Maksym Łaszewski ◽  
Michał Fedorczyk ◽  
Sylwia Gołaszewska ◽  
Zuzanna Kieliszek ◽  
Paulina Maciejewska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Agricultural Catchments ◽  
Landscape Water ◽  
Seasonal Impact

The influence of landscape on nutrient dynamics in rivers constitutes an important research issue because of its significance with regard to water and land management. In the current study spatial and temporal variability of N-NO3 and P-PO4 concentrations and their landscape dependence was documented in the Świder River catchment in central Poland. From April 2019 to March 2020, water samples were collected from fourteen streams in the monthly timescale and the concentrations of N-NO3 and P-PO4 were correlated with land cover metrics based on the Corine Land Cover 2018 and Sentinel 2 Global Land Cover datasets. It was documented that agricultural lands and forests have a clear seasonal impact on N-NO3 concentrations, whereas the effect of meadows was weak and its direction was dependent on the dataset. The application of buffer zones metrics increased the correlation performance, whereas Euclidean distance scaling improved correlation mainly for forest datasets. The concentration of P-PO4 was not significantly related with land cover metrics, as their dynamics were driven mainly by hydrological conditions. The obtained results provided a new insight into landscape–water quality relationships in lowland agricultural landscape, with a special focus on evaluating the predictive performance of different land cover metrics and datasets.

scholarly journals Remarkable Population Resilience in a North African Endemic Damselfly in the Face of Rapid Agricultural Transformation

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 353
Author(s):  
Rassim Khelifa ◽  
Hayat Mahdjoub ◽  
Affef Baaloudj ◽  
Robert A. Cannings ◽  
Michael J. Samways
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Agricultural Expansion ◽  
North African ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Agricultural Transformation ◽  
The Face ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats

Agriculture can be pervasive in its effect on wild nature, affecting various types of natural habitats, including lotic ecosystems. Here, we assess the extent of agricultural expansion on lotic systems in Northern Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco) and document its overlap with the distribution of an endemic damselfly, Platycnemis subdilatata Selys, using species distribution modeling. We found that agricultural land cover increased by 321% in the region between 1992 and 2005, and, in particular, the main watercourses experienced an increase in agricultural land cover from 21.4% in 1992 to 78.1% in 2005, together with an increase in the intensity of 226% in agricultural practices. We used capture–mark–recapture (CMR) surveys in terrestrial habitats surrounding a stream bordered by grassland and cropland in northeastern Algeria to determine demographic parameters and population size, as well as cropland occupancy. CMR modeling showed that the recapture and survival probabilities had an average of 0.14 (95%CI: 0.14–0.17) and 0.86 (0.85–0.87), respectively. We estimated a relatively large population of P. subdilatata (~1750 individuals) in terrestrial habitats. The occupancy of terrestrial habitats by adults was spatially structured by age. Our data suggest that P. subdilatata has survived agricultural expansion and intensification better than other local odonate species, mainly because it can occupy transformed landscapes, such as croplands and grasslands.

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