Modelling dynamics of land use and ecosystem services changes in the Luanhe River Basin in China

<p>Quantifying land use dynamics is central to evaluate changes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. It also allows for understanding how ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem disservices (EDS) are affected by human interventions in the landscape. Finally, it can lead to the development of improved future land use management strategies for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Luanhe River Basin (LRB) is the most afforested river basin in North China and provides multiple ecosystem services which are related to several SDGs (e.g. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, and 13: Climate Action). In this study, four scenarios: Trend, Expansion, Sustainability, and Conservation were developed based on different socioeconomic development and environmental protection targets as well as local plans and policies. Local stakeholders were consulted to develop these scenarios and to explore land use dynamics of the LRB and major challenges that the river basin may face by 2030. Land use change was modelled with CLUMondo and ES and EDS were characterised using capacity matrices. The ecosystem services potential index (ESPI) and ecosystem disservices potential index (EDSPI) was calculated, and ES and EDS hotspots and coldspots were identified. The study found that forests and water bodies provided the highest overall ES capacity, while the lowest scores were recorded for built-up and unused land areas. Built-up land and cropland provided the highest overall EDS capacity, while the lowest EDS scores were for water bodies. The forests and water bodies, which were widespread in the upper-middle reaches of the basin, were hotspots of provisioning services, regulating services, cultural services and ecological integrity, while the hotspots of EDS were concentrated in the built-up land areas and the croplands, which were mainly distributed in the downstream of the LRB. Modelling results indicated that the LRB was likely to experience agricultural (crop and livestock) intensification and urban growth under all four future scenarios. The cropland intensity and the urban growth rate were much higher under the historical trend (Trend) scenario compared to those with more planning interventions (Expansion, Sustainability, and Conservation scenarios). The most significant increase of livestock density in grassland was projected under the Expansion scenario. Unless the forest area and biodiversity conservation targets are implemented (Conservation scenarios), the forest areas are projected to decrease under three scenarios by 2030. The ESPI of all the ES declined from 1980 to 2018 and would continue to decline until 2030 without sustainable and conservation development strategies. Compared with the EDSPI in 1980, the EDSPI under all future scenarios in 2030 was projected to increase. This study calls for establishing and implementing sustainable environmental protection policies as well as cross-regional and trans-provincial eco-compensation schemes for minimising trade-offs in ES. The methodological framework and findings of this study can guide regional sustainable development and rational utilisation of land resources in the LRB and other comparable river basins, and will be valuable for policy and planning purposes to the pursuance of SDGs at the sub-national scale.</p>

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Ecosystem services and disservices in the Luanhe River Basin in China under past, current and future land uses: implications for the sustainable development goals

Sustainability Science ◽

10.1007/s11625-021-01078-8 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Jiren Xu ◽

Brian Barrett ◽

Fabrice G. Renaud

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

River Basin ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Land Uses ◽

Luanhe River Basin ◽

Potential Index ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Development Goals ◽

Ecosystem Disservices

AbstractUnderstanding how ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem disservices (EDS) are affected by human-induced landscape changes is important to minimise trade-offs and maximise synergies between Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets, and for equitable development across governance scales. However, limited research investigates how ES and EDS can change under past, current, and future land uses. This study, conducted in the Luanhe River Basin (LRB), demonstrates the interaction between humans and the environment under past, current, and future land uses at the river basin scale in China, using a stakeholders’ participatory capacity matrix to characterise both ES and EDS. Results indicate that forests and water bodies provided the highest overall ES capacity, while the lowest scores were reached in built-up and unused land areas. Built-up land and cropland provided the highest overall EDS, while the lowest EDS scores were for water bodies. By applying the ecosystem services potential index (ESPI) and ecosystem disservices potential index (EDSPI), we found that the ESPI of all the ES declined from 1980 to 2018 and would continue to decline until 2030 without sustainable and conservation development strategies in the LRB. The EDSPI under all future scenarios in 2030 was projected to increase compared to the baseline in 1980. This study recommends establishing and implementing sustainable environmental protection policies and cross-regional and trans-provincial eco-compensation schemes for minimising trade-offs in ES. The study proposes an integrated research framework that could be useful for understanding the effect of historical and future human–environment interactions on ES and EDS, and SDGs achievement.

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Modelling land system evolution and dynamics of terrestrial carbon stocks in the Luanhe River Basin, China: a scenario analysis of trade-offs and synergies between sustainable development goals

Sustainability Science ◽

10.1007/s11625-021-01004-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiren Xu ◽

Fabrice G. Renaud ◽

Brian Barrett

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Land Cover ◽

River Basin ◽

Urban Growth ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Luanhe River Basin ◽

Land System ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Development Goals

AbstractA more holistic understanding of land use and land cover (LULC) will help minimise trade-offs and maximise synergies, and lead to improved future land use management strategies for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, current assessments of future LULC changes rarely focus on the multiple demands for goods and services, which are related to the synergies and trade-offs between SDGs and their targets. In this study, the land system (combinations of land cover and land use intensity) evolution trajectories of the Luanhe River Basin (LRB), China, and major challenges that the LRB may face in 2030, were explored by applying the CLUMondo and InVEST models. The results indicate that the LRB is likely to experience agricultural intensification and urban growth under all four scenarios that were explored. The cropland intensity and the urban growth rate were much higher under the historical trend (Trend) scenario compared to those with more planning interventions (Expansion, Sustainability, and Conservation scenarios). Unless the forest area and biodiversity conservation targets are implemented (Conservation scenario), the forest areas are projected to decrease by 2030. The results indicate that water scarcity in the LRB is likely to increase under all scenarios, and the carbon storage will increase under the Conservation scenario but decrease under all other scenarios by 2030. Our methodological framework and findings can guide regional sustainable development in the LRB and other large river basins in China, and will be valuable for policy and planning purposes to the pursuance of SDGs at the sub-national scale.

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Spatial Pattern Analysis of a Water-Related Ecosystem Service and Evaluation of the Grassland-Carrying Capacity of the Heihe River Basin under Land Use Change

Water ◽

10.3390/w13192658 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 2658

Author(s):

Rui Luo ◽

Shiliang Yang ◽

Yang Zhou ◽

Pengqun Gao ◽

Tianming Zhang

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Use Change ◽

River Basin ◽

Carrying Capacity ◽

Animal Husbandry ◽

Heihe River Basin ◽

Heihe River ◽

The Impact ◽

The Heihe River Basin

A key challenge to the sustainability and security of grassland capacity is the protection of water-related ecosystem services (WESs). With the change of land use, the supply of aquatic ecosystem services has changed, and the grassland-carrying capacity has been affected. However, the correlation mechanism between WESs and the grassland-carrying capacity is not clear. In this study, we used the InVEST(Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) model to evaluate the impact of land-use change on WESs, and made a tradeoff analysis between WESs and grassland-carrying capacity. Considering that the Heihe River Basin (HRB) was an important grassland vegetation zone, which was a milestone for the development of animal husbandry in China, HRB was taken as a case. The main findings are as follows: (1) the spatial distribution of WESs shows the dissimilation rule, the upper reaches are the main water yield area, the soil retention is weakening in the middle and lower reaches, and the pollution has further increased in the middle and upper reaches. (2) The carrying capacity of animal husbandry decreased in the upper reaches, increased in Shandan County and Zhangye City in the middle reaches, and decreased sharply in other regions. (3) There was a positive correlation between the livestock-carrying capacity and nitrogen export in 2018, which was increasing. As the change of land use has changed the evapotranspiration structure, WESs have undergone irreversible changes. Meanwhile, the development of large-scale irrigated farmland and human activities would be the source of a further intensification of regional soil erosion and water pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to trade off the WESs and animal husbandry under land-use change. This paper revealed how WESs changed from 2000 to 2018, the characteristics of the changes in the spatial and temporal distribution, and the carrying capacity. It aims to provide a scientific basis for coordinating the contradiction between grassland and livestock resources, improving the regional ecological security situation, and carrying out ecosystem management.

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Land Use Dynamics and Variations in Sprawl across Municipalities in the Bamenda Urban-scape from 1996-2018

Journal of Sustainable Development ◽

10.5539/jsd.v13n4p224 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 224

Author(s):

Fombe Lawrence F. ◽

Acha Mildred E.

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Urban Growth ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Town Planning ◽

Land Values ◽

Landsat Images ◽

Land Use Dynamics ◽

Spatiotemporal Analyses

Worldwide urban areas are having increasing influence over the surrounding landscape. Peri-urban regions of the world are facing challenges which results from sprawl with increasing problems of social segregation, wasted land and greater distance to work. This study seeks to examine the trends in land use dynamics, urban sprawl and associated development implications in the Bamenda Municipalities from 1996 to 2018. The study made use of the survey, historical and correlational research designs. The purposive and snowball techniques were used to collect data. Spatiotemporal analyses were carried out on Landsat Images for 1996, 2008, and 2018 obtained from Earth Explorer, Erdas Image 2014 and changes detected from the maps digitized. The SPSS version 21 and MS Excel 2016 were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data. The former employed the Pearson correlation analysis. Analysis of land use/land cover change detection reveals that built-up area has increased significantly from 1996 to 2018 at the detriment of forest, wetland and agricultural land at different rates within each municipality. These changes have led to invasion of risk zones, high land values, uncoordinated, uncontrolled and unplanned urban growth. The study suggests that proactive planning, use of GIS to monitor land use activities, effective implementation of existing town planning norms and building regulations, are invaluable strategies to sustainably manage urban growth in Bamenda.

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Land use dynamics in the context of variations in hydrological regimes in the upper Senegal River basin

International Journal of Hydrology ◽

10.15406/ijh.2019.03.00179 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 185-192

Author(s):

Abdoulaye FATY ◽

Fernand Kouame ◽

Awa Niang FALL ◽

Alioune KANE

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

River Basin ◽

Senegal River ◽

Land Use Dynamics ◽

Senegal River Basin ◽

Hydrological Regimes

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Determination of Relation between the Quaternary Sediments and Land Use Dissemination on the Basis of Šventoji River Basin

Proccedings of 10th International Conference "Environmental Engineering" ◽

10.3846/enviro.2017.084 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Andrius Litvinaitis ◽

Lina Bagdžiūnaitė-Litvinaitienė ◽

Laurynas Šaučiūnas

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Quaternary Sediments ◽

Corine Land Cover ◽

Quality Of Water ◽

Management Plans ◽

Subsurface Runoff

On preparing of the first management plans of River Basin Districts have been found that diffuse agricultural pol-lution is one of the most important causing factor and the most significant impact on the quality of water bodies. Diffuse agricultural pollution can be from 45% to 80% of nitrate nitrogen pollution load of water bodies. Pollution is transported by water surface and subsurface runoff through sediments from agricultural territories. This article aims at evaluating of relation between the Quaternary sediments and Land use dissemination. The lithological factor (sandy, loamy, argillaceous) of the basin was calculated based on Quaternary map of Lithuania M 1:200000 and Lithuanian river map M 1:50000. The land-use factor of the basin was calculated based on Corine Land cover M 1:100000 using ArcGis software. In order to carry out more thorough analysis of the determination of relation between the Quaternary sediments and Land use dissemination in given territories, sections of 0–50 m, 50–200 m, 200–500 m, 500–800 m, 800–1000 m and >1000 m were established, calculating the distance in meters from the riverbank.

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