How Ecosystem Services Can Strengthen the Regeneration Policies for Monumental Olive Groves Destroyed by Xylella fastidiosa Bacterium in a Peri-Urban Area

The Apulian Region (Italy) is a socio-ecological system shaped by the millennial co-evolution between human actions and ecological processes. It is characterized by monumental olive groves protected from Regional Law 14/2007 for the cultural value of the landscape, currently threatened by the spread of a devastating phytopathogen, the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa. The aim of this paper is to apply landscape resilience analysis focusing on ecosystem services to understand the potential effects and trade-offs of regeneration policies in a peri-urban area characterized by monumental olive groves land cover. The study involved land-cover and land-use analysis, supported by a survey on the inhabitants and an ecosystem services analysis. The results showed a mismatch between the agroecosystem and the social and economic use linked to leisure or hospitality. The study area was defined as a peri-urban landscape characterized by tourist use. From the interviews of the users, the cultural heritage of olive groves seems linked to the presence of olive trees like a status quo of the landscape and olive oil productions. The culture aspect could thus be preserved by changing the type of olive trees. In addition, the analysis showed that the microclimate could be preserved and enhanced in terms of air temperature and thermal comfort, by replacing the olive trees with varieties resistant to Xylella, such as cv. Leccino. Therefore, regeneration policies that promote replacing dead olive groves with new olive trees could be efficient to stimulate social components of the landscape and improve the resilience of ecosystem services in peri-urban areas in the interest of the cultural heritage of the users and benefits that they provide. An ecosystem services analysis at a local scale could be a strategy for an integrated regenerate approach between land-use and land-cover with social, ecological, and economic evolutions vision orientated to a sustainable and desirable future.

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Urban green. Integrating ecosystem extent and condition data in urban ecosystem accounts. Examples from the Oslo region

Statistical Journal of the IAOS ◽

10.3233/sji-210834 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-28

Author(s):

Per Arild Garnåsjordet ◽

Margrete Steinnes ◽

Zofie Cimburova ◽

Megan Nowell ◽

David N. Barton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Cover ◽

Satellite Data ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Ecosystem ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

Urban Green ◽

Trade Offs ◽

United Nations System

The article enhances the knowledge base for the assessment of urban ecosystem services, within the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA), recently adopted as an international statistical standard. The SEEA EA is based on spatial extent accounts (area of ecosystems) and biophysical condition accounts (ecological state of ecosystems). Case studies from the Oslo region are explored, combining land use/land cover maps from Statistics Norway with satellite data. The results illustrate that a combination of land use/land cover data for ecosystem extent and detailed satellite data of land cover provides a much higher quality for the interpretation of extent and condition variables. This is not only a result of applying spatial analysis, but a result of applying knowledge about the information categories from satellite data of land cover, to official statistics for built-up land in urban areas that until now have not been identified. Moreover, the choice of spatial units should reflect that modelling of different ecosystem services, as a basis for trade-offs in urban planning, requires a combination of different spatial approaches to capture urban green elements.

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Assessing Matching Characteristics and Spatial Differences between Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services: A Case Study in Hangzhou, China

Land ◽

10.3390/land10060582 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 582

Author(s):

Peng Tian ◽

Jialin Li ◽

Luodan Cao ◽

Ruiliang Pu ◽

Hongbo Gong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Area ◽

Food Supply ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Supply And Demand ◽

Water Yield ◽

Western Region ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Carbon Retention

Ecosystem services (ESs) is a term used to describe the foundations of the well-being of human society, and several relevant studies have been carried out in this area. However, given the fact that the complex trade-offs/synergy relationships of ESs are a challenging area, studies on matching mechanisms for ES supply and demand are still rare. In this study, using the InVEST model, ArcGIS, and other professional tools, we first mapped and quantitatively evaluated the supply and demand of five ES types (water yield, soil conservation, carbon retention, food supply, and leisure and entertainment) in Hangzhou, China, based on land use, meteorology, soil, and socio-economic data. Then, we analyzed the matching characteristics between the supply and demand of these ESs and analyzed the complex trade-offs and synergy between the supply and demand of ESs and factors affecting ESs. The results of this analysis indicate that although the ES supply and demand of carbon retention tended to be out of balance (supply was less than demand), the supply and demand of the other four ES types (i.e., water yield, soil conservation, food supply, and leisure and entertainment) were in balance (supply exceeded demand). Finally, the spatial heterogeneity of the supply and demand of ESs in Hangzhou was significant, especially in urban areas in the northeast and mountainous areas in the southwest. The supply of ESs was based on trade-offs, whereas the demand of ESs was based on synergy. Our results further show that the supply and demand of ESs in the urban area in Hangzhou were out of balance, whereas the supply and demand of ESs in the western region were coordinated. Therefore, the linkage of ES flows between this urban area and the western region should be strengthened. This innovative study could provide useful information for regional land use planning and environmental protection.

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Spatiotemporal analysis of landscape patterns and its effect on soil loss in the Rmel river basin, Tunisia

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/84/2019-swr ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (No. 1) ◽

pp. 39-49

Author(s):

Sana Bouguerra ◽

Sihem Jebari ◽

Jamila Tarhouni

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Cover ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Landscape Patterns ◽

Delivery Ratio ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Sediment Export ◽

The Impact

Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) are generally associated with environment pollution and the degradation of natural resources. Detecting LULC changes is essential to assess the impact on ecosystem services. The current research studies the impact of the LULC change on the soil loss and sediment export in a period of 43 years from 1972 to 2015. Landsat imageries were classified into five classes using a supervised classification method and the maximum likelihood Algorithm. Then, the sediment retention service for avoiding reservoir sedimentation was assessed using the InVEST SDR (integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs sediment delivery ratio) model. The results showed that the changes are very important in this study period (1972–2015). Forests were reduced by 18.72% and croplands were increased by approximately 54%. The InVEST SDR model simulation results reveal an increase in the sediment export and soil loss, respectively, from 1.68 to 5.57 t/ha/year and from 15.22 to 43.61 t/ha/year from the year 1972 to 2015. These results highlight the need for targeted policies on integrated land and water resource management. Then, it is important to improve the common understanding of land use and land cover dynamics to the different stakeholders. All these can help in projecting future changes in the LULC and to investigate more appropriate policy interventions for achieving better land and water management.

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Quantifying Land Use Land Cover Changes in the Lake Victoria Basin Using Satellite Remote Sensing: The Trends and Drivers between 1985 and 2014

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12172829 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (17) ◽

pp. 2829 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robinson Mugo ◽

Rose Waswa ◽

James W. Nyaga ◽

Antony Ndubi ◽

Emily C. Adams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Cover ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Lake Victoria ◽

Small Scale ◽

Land Cover Changes ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

Lake Victoria Basin ◽

Basin Scale

The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) is a significant resource for five states within East Africa, which faces major land use land cover changes that threaten ecosystem integrity and ecosystem services derived from the basin’s resources. To assess land use land cover changes between 1985 and 2014, and subsequently determine the trends and drivers of these changes, we used a series of Landsat images and field data obtained from the LVB. Landsat image pre-processing and band combinations were done in ENVI 5.1. A supervised classification was applied on 118 Landsat scenes using the maximum likelihood classifier in ENVI 5.1. The overall accuracy of classified images was computed for the 2014 images using 124 reference data points collected through stratified random sampling. Computations of area under various land cover classes were calculated between the 1985 and 2014 images. We also correlated the area from natural vegetation classes to farmlands and settlements (urban areas) to explore relationships between land use land cover conversions among these classes. Based on our land cover classifications, we obtained overall accuracy of 71% and a moderate Kappa statistic of 0.56. Our results indicate that the LVB has undergone drastic changes in land use land cover, mainly driven by human activities that led to the conversion of forests, woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands to either farmlands or settlements. We conclude that information from this work is useful not only for basin-scale assessments and monitoring of land cover changes but also for targeting, prioritizing, and monitoring of small scale, community led efforts to restore degraded and fragmented areas in the basin. Such efforts could mitigate the loss of ecosystem services previously derived from large contiguous land covers which are no longer tenable to restore. We recommend adoption of a basin scale, operational, Earth observation-based, land use change monitoring framework. Such a framework can facilitate rapid and frequent assessments of gains and losses in specific land cover classes and thus focus strategic interventions in areas experiencing major losses, through mitigation and compensatory approaches.

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GIS Analysis of Land-Use Change in Threatened Landscapes by Xylella fastidiosa

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11010253 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 253 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Giuseppe Maggiore ◽

Teodoro Semeraro ◽

Roberta Aretano ◽

Luigi De Bellis ◽

Andrea Luvisi

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Xylella Fastidiosa ◽

Urban Expansion ◽

Learning By Doing ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

South Italy ◽

Detection Analysis ◽

Olive Groves ◽

Land Use Maps

Land-use/land-cover analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS) application can describe and quantify the transformation of the landscape, evaluating the effectiveness of municipal planning in driving urban expansion. This approach was applied in the municipality of Spongano (Salento, South Italy) in order to evaluate the spatial heterogeneity and the transformations of the land use/land cover from 1988 to 2016. This approach was also used to examine the spread of Xylella fastidiosa, which is a plant pathogen of global importance that is reshaping the Salento landscape. The land-use maps are based on the CORINE Land Cover project classification, while the topological consistency was verified through field surveys. A change detection analysis was carried out using the land-use maps of 1988 and 2016. The most extensive land-use class is olive groves (34–36%), followed by non-irrigated arable lands and shrub and/or herbaceous vegetation associations. The main transition of land involved non-irrigated arable lands, which lost 76 ha and 23 ha to shrub and olive areas, respectively. Meanwhile, the artificial surfaces class doubled its extension, which involved mainly the transition from shrub and heterogeneous agricultural areas. However, the olive groves class is threatened by the dramatic phytosanitary condition of the area, indicating a compromised agroecosystem, which is causing a de facto transition into unproductive areas. The results highlight the inconsistency between what was planned by the urban plan in the past and how the landscape of Spongano has been changed over time. This evidence suggests that it is necessary to develop a plan based on learning by doing, in order to shape and adapt the processes of territorial transformation to the unpredictability of the ecologic, social, and economic systems, as well as ensure that these processes are always focused on environmental issues.

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Analysing the Synergies and Trade-Offs between Ecosystem Services to Reorient Land Use Planning in Metropolitan Bilbao (Northern Spain)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10124376 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 4376 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Lorena Peña ◽

Miren Onaindia ◽

Beatriz Fernández de Manuel ◽

Ibone Ametzaga-Arregi ◽

Izaskun Casado-Arzuaga

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Basque Country ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Northern Spain ◽

Trade Offs

In the last decades, some European cities have undergone important changes in search of a more sustainable development. This is the case for the city of Bilbao (Bizkaia, Basque Country), where a Greenbelt has been maintained surrounding the urban areas allowing the periurban areas to deliver ecosystem services (ES) to society. However, the role of the different ecosystems in the provision of ES is not the same, which can lead to conflicts among them. The aim of this study is to analyze the synergies and trade-offs among the eight most important ES in the Bilbao Metropolitan Greenbelt (BMG) to orient their management strategies towards more multifunctional landscapes. We mapped the ES and overlapped them looking for the most relevant areas for the provision of multiple ES and areas that are mostly lacking ES provision. We identify also existing ES trade-offs and synergies between ES using correlations so that managers can prioritize preservation efforts of land use types in the rest of the area. The results show that provisioning ES had trade-offs with regulating and cultural ES and the latter showed synergies between them. The former are mainly delivered by semi-natural ecosystems, while regulating and cultural ES are delivered mainly by natural ecosystems. Moreover, the most relevant areas for the provision of multiple ES were proposed as potential components of a Green Infrastructure (GI). Their identification and ES bundles could help decision-makers to orient their management strategies towards sustainability in metropolitan areas.

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A Spatiotemporal Assessment of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Peri-Urban Areas: A Case Study of Arshaly District, Kazakhstan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12041556 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 1556 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Onggarbek Alipbeki ◽

Chaimgul Alipbekova ◽

Arnold Sterenharz ◽

Zhanat Toleubekova ◽

Meirzhan Aliyev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Urban Area ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Arable Land ◽

Multispectral Images ◽

Multi Temporal ◽

The Republic

In this study, the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) were evaluated in the peri-urban area of the Arshaly district, which borders the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Landsat multispectral images were used to study the changes in LULC. The analysis of LULC dynamics was carried out using supervised classification with a multi-temporal interval (1998, 2008, and 2018). During the study period, noticeable changes occurred in LULC. There was an increase in the area of arable land and forests and a reduction in the pastures. There was a sharp increase in the built-up area; that is, there was an intensification of land use through an increase in the share of arable land as well as the transformation of agricultural land for development. However, in general, the influence of urban sprawl in this peri-urban area has so far been accompanied by only a slight focus on its sustainable development.

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Ecosystem Services Provisioning, Urban Growth and the Rural–Urban Interface: A Case Study from China

Land ◽

10.3390/land10040337 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 337

Author(s):

Haiying Feng ◽

Victor R. Squires ◽

Jingji Wu

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Rapid Assessment ◽

National Policy ◽

Urban Regions ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Rural And Urban

The rural-urban (peri-urban) interface zones are important places that generate demands for ecosystem goods and services (EG & S). Urban regions face transitions in land use that affect ecosystem services (EG & S) and thus human wellbeing. Especially in urban areas with high population densities (as in most of China) and high demand for EG & S, the future availability of such services must be considered in order to promote effective and sustainable decision making and prevent further ecosystem degradation. The challenge for local government planners and land managers is to find tools that allow relevant data to be collected and analyzed. Ideally, such tools should be able to give a rapid assessment, and not involve large teams of highly trained personnel or incur high costs. The paper reports on the development and trial of such a tool. The paper has three main parts. First, we present a brief overview of the current and developing situation in China, in relation to urbanization, population shifts and the creation of peri-urban areas (PUAs). Next, we build on insights from the literature and from discussions with village heads and county- and prefecture-level officials to develop an understanding of their needs for tools to help planning and land management within the constraints of the national policy. Lastly, a “template” was derived from our multi-method approach that provided a new technical tool for the rapid assessment of the value of EG & S in each of five land use categories. The tool embodies a way to address trade-offs between environmental, social and economic values in the transition zone between rural and urban areas. The tool was trialed in QinBei District in Guangxi Autonomous Region in south China and judged to be useful and adaptable to other rural–urban regions.

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The impacts of land-use and land-cover change on wetland ecosystem service values in peri-urban and urban area of Bahir Dar City, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Northwestern Ethiopia

Ecological Processes ◽

10.1186/s13717-021-00310-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Workiyie Worie Assefa ◽

Belachew Getnet Eneyew ◽

Ayalew Wondie

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Cover ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Economic Value ◽

Bahir Dar ◽

Wetland Ecosystem ◽

Local Climate

Abstract Background Even though wetlands are essential in enhancing water quality and providing recreation and entertainment opportunities in urban areas, their values are overlooked by the decision-makers. Underestimation of the economic value of wetland ecosystem services contributes to their continuing deterioration and inevitable loss. Investigating the changes in ecosystem service values (ESV) can provide crucial information for decision-making. This study, therefore, analyzes the temporal and spatial land-use/land-cover (LULC) change patterns over 35 years (1984–2019) intending to evaluate its impact on wetland ecosystem service values in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia. Estimation and change analyses of ESVs were conducted by employing ArcGIS using LULC inputs of the year 1984, 1994, 2004, 2014, and 2019 with their corresponding global value coefficients that were developed earlier and our own modified value coefficients for the studied landscape. Results The results showed that wetlands and water bodies of the city and its peripheries had decreased by 75.71% (−1618 ha) within 35 years, while built-up area increased by 216.24% (+2599 ha). Cultivated land had increased slightly from 1984 to 1994 and then gradually declined since 1994. Changes in LULC had resulted in a decline of the total ESV. The total ESV had decreased from USD 29.73 × 106 to USD 20.84 × 106 in 35 years. This indicates the loss of nearly USD 8.9 × 106 ESV from 1984 to 2019. A sensitivity analysis suggested the robustness of ESV estimation in the study area. All individual ecosystem services experienced a negative change. However, a greater reduction in ESV was observed for services such as water regulation, waste treatment, and habitats for maintaining biodiversity. The expansion of built-up area of Bahir Dar City was the major factor that contributed to the loss of ESV provided by wetlands. Conclusions The loss of ESV resulting in LULC changes has a negative implication on local climate, waste management, and the livelihoods of the poor community. Thus, interventions should be made for the restoration and sustainable management of wetlands in the urban and peri-urban areas of Bahir Dar City.

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Assessment of Land Use/Land Cover Detection and Its Impact on the Human Environment Using Geospatial Techniques in the University of Port Harcourt Host Communities, Nigeria

Asian Journal of Advanced Research and Reports ◽

10.9734/ajarr/2020/v8i330202 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 40-53

Author(s):

Collins H. Wizor ◽

Olatunde S. Eludonyi

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Urban Area ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Control Measure ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Data Set ◽

Port Harcourt ◽

The University

This study examines the use of GIS and Remote Sensing in Mapping Land Use/Land Cover changes in the University of Port Harcourt host communities, mainly Choba, Aluu and Alakahia, between 2005-2010 and 2010-2015, to recognise the changes that have taken place in these peri-urban areas within the period of study. The study aim is to detect and map the land use/land cover of the area over a period of 10 years (2005-2015). Three data set of Landsat Satellite images were layer-stacked, after which supervised classification in EARDAS imagine software was carried out and mapping in Arc GIS software were carried out. Five land use and land cover categories were distinguished: built-up areas, cultivation, vegetation, and water body. The results of the study show rapid growth in built-up land between 2010 and 2015, whereas the periods between 2005 and 2010 witnessed an increase in this class also. The rapid increase in built-up areas revealed by the study is due to the rapid urbanization and industrialization in the peri-urban area. It was further observed that the increasing population of students in the area brings about much more demand on housing, which resulted in a great detrimental effect on the land cover of the area in recent years. The study, therefore, recommends, amongst others, the regulation of land use in the peri-urban area, encouragement of afforestation by government and other critical stakeholders, and provision of a mitigating control measure to realistically address the contemporary issues of rapid urbanization in the peri-urban areas.

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