Indicators of Land Degradation Vulnerability due to Anthropic Factors

2013 ◽  
pp. 1400-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Imbrenda ◽  
M. D’Emilio ◽  
M. Lanfredi ◽  
M. Ragosta ◽  
T. Simoniello
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Spatial Characterization ◽  
Land Cover Data ◽  
First Time

Land degradation is one of the most impacting phenomena on natural resource availability, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. In order to provide efficient tools for territorial sustainable management in areas affected by land degradation, it is important to define suitable models and indicators able to identify exposed areas and their vulnerability level, so as to provide an effective support for decision makers in identifying intervention priorities and planning mitigation/adaptation strategies. This work is focused on the evaluation at high spatial detail of land degradation vulnerability due to anthropic factors, which is a crucial issue in areas devoted to farming practices. Vulnerability is evaluated by integrating a new indicator of the mechanization level the authors recently developed, with a set of census based indicators of land management. The new indicator is independent of census data being based on land cover data; thus, it can provide a better spatial characterization and a more frequent updating compared to commonly adopted indices that are evaluated at municipal scale. By analyzing data for the whole Southern Italy, such an indicator was integrated for the first time at full spatial resolution to obtain a final vulnerability index of land management. This comprehensive index enabled a more accurate estimation of the land degradation vulnerability due to anthropic factors allowing the discrimination of priority areas within the municipal areas.

Indicators of Land Degradation Vulnerability Due to Anthropic Factors

2013 ◽  
pp. 87-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Imbrenda ◽  
M. D’Emilio ◽  
M. Lanfredi ◽  
M. Ragosta ◽  
T. Simoniello
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Spatial Characterization ◽  
Land Cover Data ◽  
First Time

Land degradation is one of the most impacting phenomena on natural resource availability, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. In order to provide efficient tools for territorial sustainable management in areas affected by land degradation, it is important to define suitable models and indicators able to identify exposed areas and their vulnerability level, so as to provide an effective support for decision makers in identifying intervention priorities and planning mitigation/adaptation strategies. This work is focused on the evaluation at high spatial detail of land degradation vulnerability due to anthropic factors, which is a crucial issue in areas devoted to farming practices. Vulnerability is evaluated by integrating a new indicator of the mechanization level the authors recently developed, with a set of census based indicators of land management. The new indicator is independent of census data being based on land cover data; thus, it can provide a better spatial characterization and a more frequent updating compared to commonly adopted indices that are evaluated at municipal scale. By analyzing data for the whole Southern Italy, such an indicator was integrated for the first time at full spatial resolution to obtain a final vulnerability index of land management. This comprehensive index enabled a more accurate estimation of the land degradation vulnerability due to anthropic factors allowing the discrimination of priority areas within the municipal areas.

scholarly journals Predictors of historical change in drug treatment coverage among people who inject drugs in 90 large metropolitan areas in the USA, 1993–2007

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Tempalski ◽  
Leslie D. Williams ◽  
Brooke S. West ◽  
Hannah L. F. Cooper ◽  
Stephanie Beane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drug Treatment ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
People Who Inject Drugs ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Poverty Rate ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Historical Change ◽  
Treatment Coverage ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background Adequate access to effective treatment and medication assisted therapies for opioid dependence has led to improved antiretroviral therapy adherence and decreases in morbidity among people who inject drugs (PWID), and can also address a broad range of social and public health problems. However, even with the success of syringe service programs and opioid substitution programs in European countries (and others) the US remains historically low in terms of coverage and access with regard to these programs. This manuscript investigates predictors of historical change in drug treatment coverage for PWID in 90 US metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) during 1993–2007, a period in which, overall coverage did not change. Methods Drug treatment coverage was measured as the number of PWID in drug treatment, as calculated by treatment entry and census data, divided by numbers of PWID in each MSA. Variables suggested by the Theory of Community Action (i.e., need, resource availability, institutional opposition, organized support, and service symbiosis) were analyzed using mixed-effects multivariate models within dependent variables lagged in time to study predictors of later change in coverage. Results Mean coverage was low in 1993 (6.7%; SD 3.7), and did not increase by 2007 (6.4%; SD 4.5). Multivariate results indicate that increases in baseline unemployment rate (β = 0.312; pseudo-p < 0.0002) predict significantly higher treatment coverage; baseline poverty rate (β = − 0.486; pseudo-p < 0.0001), and baseline size of public health and social work workforce (β = 0.425; pseudo-p < 0.0001) were predictors of later mean coverage levels, and baseline HIV prevalence among PWID predicted variation in treatment coverage trajectories over time (baseline HIV * Time: β = 0.039; pseudo-p < 0.001). Finally, increases in black/white poverty disparity from baseline predicted significantly higher treatment coverage in MSAs (β = 1.269; pseudo-p < 0.0001). Conclusions While harm reduction programs have historically been contested and difficult to implement in many US communities, and despite efforts to increase treatment coverage for PWID, coverage has not increased. Contrary to our hypothesis, epidemiologic need, seems not to be associated with change in treatment coverage over time. Resource availability and institutional opposition are important predictors of change over time in coverage. These findings suggest that new ways have to be found to increase drug treatment coverage in spite of economic changes and belt-tightening policy changes that will make this difficult.

scholarly journals Analyzing Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Land Management Practices in Mecha Woreda, Northwestern Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7007
Author(s):  
Habtamu Nebere ◽  
Degefa Tolossa ◽  
Amare Bantider
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Household Heads ◽  
The Impact

In Ethiopia, the practice of land management started three decades ago in order to address the problem of land degradation and to further boost agricultural production. However, the impact of land management practices in curbing land degradation problems and improving the productivity of the agricultural sector is insignificant. Various empirical works have previously identified the determinants of the adoption rate of land management practices. However, the sustainability of land management practices after adoption, and the various factors that control the sustainability of implemented land management practices, are not well addressed. This study analyzed the factors affecting the sustainability of land management practices after implementation in Mecha Woreda, northwestern Ethiopia. The study used 378 sample respondents, selected by a systematic random sampling technique. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the quantitative data, while the qualitative data were qualitatively and concurrently analyzed with the quantitative data. The sustained supply of fodder from the implemented land management practices, as well as improved cattle breed, increases the sustainability of the implemented land management practices. While lack of agreement in the community, lack of enforcing community bylaws, open cattle grazing, lack of benefits of implemented land management practices, acting as barrier for farming practices, poor participation of household heads during planning and decision-making processes, as well as the lack of short-term benefits, reduce the sustainability of the implemented land management practices. Thus, it is better to allow for the full participation of household heads in planning and decision-making processes to bring practical and visible results in land management practices. In addition, recognizing short-term benefits to compensate the land lost in constructing land management structures must be the strategy in land management practices. Finally, reducing the number of cattle and practicing stall feeding is helpful both for the sustainability of land management practices and the productivity of cattle. In line with this, fast-growing fodder grass species have to be introduced for household heads to grow on land management structures and communal grazing fields for stall feeding.

scholarly journals Ecological resource availability: a method to estimate resource budgets for a sustainable economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Desing ◽  
Gregor Braun ◽  
Roland Hischier
Keyword(s):  
Resource Availability ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Annual Production ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Sustainable Economy ◽  
Safe Limits ◽  
One Step ◽  
Environmental Limits ◽  
Environmental Burdens

Non-technical summary Resources are the basis of our economy and their provision causes major shares of the global environmental burdens, many of which are beyond safe limits today. In order to be sustainable, our economy needs to be able to operate within those boundaries. As resources are the physical ‘currency’ of our economy, we present a method that allows translating Earth system boundaries into resource budgets. This ecological resource availability determines the global annual production of a resource that can be considered absolutely sustainable. The budgets can be managed like financial budgets, bringing absolute environmental limits one step closer to decision-makers.

scholarly journals Land Degradation in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Dahal ◽  
Pradeep Adhikari
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Land Cover Data ◽  
Geological Formation ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
The Government ◽  
Landslide Susceptibility Index

Nepal is a mountainous country sandwiched between China and India that extends along the Hind Kush Himalayan range. The entire country sits on a geological formation that has witnessed massive transformation in the past several decades. Land degradation is active in Nepal. This study reviews the causes of land degradation in Nepal based on publicly available reports, books, journal articles, and government policy and regulations. The review also uses publicly available global datasets to contextualize local conditions. The review shows that topography; land use and cover change driven by population growth and urbanization; traditional agricultural practice in steep slope; soil erodibility due to unscientific ways of farming; use of chemical fertilizers and, pest and disease control techniques; unsustainable land management by the government; unscientific infrastructure development has been the proximate causes of land degradation in the majority of the cases. While underlying causes include population and poverty; out migration; deforestation; land tenure and property rights, non-farm employment; and technological change. The situation when combined with the Landslide Susceptibility Index and Land Cover data shows that the country needs to make concerted effort to stop and minimize the damage of land degradation in the country.

scholarly journals International Real Estate Review

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-61
Author(s):  
Vicky L. Seiler ◽  
◽  
Michael J. Seiler ◽  
James R. Webb ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Hedonic Model ◽  
Hedonic Models ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Specific Individual ◽  
First Time ◽  
Significant Linkage

This study is the first to identify whether specific individual homebuyer characteristics, such as repeat versus first- time, local versus out-of-town, individual versus joint decision-makers, and Web versus non-Web users relate to the rating of a firm’s overall service quality and whether or not the buyer will recommend the firm to others. A hedonic model reveals there is a significant linkage between repeat homebuyers and recommending the firm to others. Variations of the hedonic models are also examined. Specifically, multiple ways to measure each buyer characteristic are considered.

Water-Energy-Food Nexus Review for Biofuels Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-205
Author(s):  
Abass A. Gazal ◽  
Napat Jakrawatana ◽  
Thapat Silalertruksa ◽  
Shabbir H. Gheewala
Keyword(s):  
Resource Availability ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Assessment Methodology ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment Methodology ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Basic Human Needs

The appropriate use of limited natural resources for generating basic human needs such as energy, food, and water, is essential to help the society function efficiently. Hence, a new approach called nexus is being considered to resolve the effects of intrinsic trade-offs between the essential needs. A review of different methods and frameworks of the water-energy-food nexus was done in this article to give a detailed repository of information on existing approaches and advocate the development of a more holistic quantitative nexus method. Assessing biofuels under the water-energy-food nexus perspective, this review addresses the sustainability of bioenergy production. The results show the countries that can sustainably produce first-generation biofuels. Only a few methods have varied interdisciplinary procedures to analyse the nexus, and more analytical software and data on resource availability/use are needed to address trade-offs between these interacting resource sectors constituting the nexus. Also, “land” is suggested as an additional sector to consider in future studies using both the nexus index and life cycle assessment methodology. The review reveals that to tackle composite challenges related to resource management, cross-disciplinary methods are essential to integrate environmental, socio-political facets of water, energy, and food; employ collaborative frameworks; and seek the engagement of decision-makers.

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