scholarly journals The impact of land reform on the status of large carnivores in Zimbabwe

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samual T. Williams ◽  
Kathryn S. Williams ◽  
Christoffel J. Joubert ◽  
Russell A. Hill

Large carnivores are decreasing in number due to growing pressure from an expanding human population. It is increasingly recognised that state-protected conservation areas are unlikely to be sufficient to protect viable populations of large carnivores, and that private land will be central to conservation efforts. In 2000, a fast-track land reform programme (FTLRP) was initiated in Zimbabwe, ostensibly to redress the racial imbalance in land ownership, but which also had the potential to break up large areas of carnivore habitat on private land. To date, research has focused on the impact of the FTLRP process on the different human communities, while impacts on wildlife have been overlooked. Here we provide the first systematic assessment of the impact of the FTLRP on the status of large carnivores. Spoor counts were conducted across private, resettled and communal land use types in order to estimate the abundance of large carnivores, and to determine how this had been affected by land reform. The density of carnivore spoor differed significantly between land use types, and was lower on resettlement land than on private land, suggesting that the resettlement process has resulted in a substantial decline in carnivore abundance. Habitat loss and high levels of poaching in and around resettlement areas are the most likely causes. The FTLRP resulted in the large-scale conversion of land that was used sustainably and productively for wildlife into unsustainable, unproductive agricultural land uses. We recommended that models of land reform should consider the type of land available, that existing expertise in land management should be retained where possible, and that resettlement programmes should be carefully planned in order to minimise the impacts on wildlife and on people.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Halake Guyo Rendilicha ◽  
Patrick Home ◽  
James M. Raude ◽  
Charles M. M’Erimba ◽  
Stellamaris Muthoka

The study assessed the impact of land-use types on the groundwater quality of the mid River Njoro catchment, Kenya. Groundwater samples were collected from eight boreholes between the period of October 2017 to February 2018 and analyzed for pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, ammonium, and total phosphorus. These parameters were used to calculate the Groundwater Quality Index (GQI) value of the study area. The concentration maps (“primary maps I”) were constructed using Kriging interpolation of ArcGIS software from the seven groundwater quality parameters. The “primary maps I” were standardized with the KEBS and WHO standards to the “primary maps II” for ease of integration into a GIS environment. The “primary maps II” were then rated and weighted using a polynomial function to generate “rank maps” before calculating the GQI using spatial analyst tools of ArcGIS software. The land use map was prepared from a high-resolution Google earth satellite imagery of 2015. The mean GQI values for the different land use polygons were calculated and compared using GIS techniques. The GQI ranged from 68.38 to 70.92, indicating a high groundwater quality of mid River Njoro catchment. The major land-use types identified include settlement area, forest cover, agricultural land and mixed area. The agricultural land dominated the study area, followed by settlement area, forest cover and finally mixed area. The mean GQI value in each land use type varied minimally and this could be because of the diffuse nature of the land use types of the study area. Settlement area had low GQI, followed by agricultural land, mixed area and the forest cover had the highest mean GQI value, which corresponds to good quality of groundwater. Even though the variation is insignificant in this particular study, it somehow indicates the adverse effects of different land use on the quality of groundwater.


2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
Ruth Roselin Nainggolan

The conversion of agricultural land  in Sumedang of  the  year  2005-2014 reached 317 hectares. The land generally converted  into housing, office buildings and public facilities. This study aims to conduct a comprenhensive  evaluation of the factors affecting changes in  land use, analyze the impact of the changes and develop management strategies. This research was conducted with a qualitative approach located in Sumedang District, West Java Province. Sampling was done by multistage random sampling. The first step is selection of the sample subdistricts purposively with consideration of subdistricts that convert of land use at most, they are: Sumedang Selatan, Jatinangor and Jatigede. The second step sample selection by simple random  to residents who do changes their agricultural land use. The data obtained from questionnaires, interviews,observations, study of documents and mass media. Working method is based on a modification of the stages of strategic planning for the company. Formulation of the strategy carried out through three phases: phase determination of the key internal and external factors, phase matching using the SWOT matrix, as well as the decision phase using QSPM matrix. The resulting strategy is implemented in a more technical work steps. The results showed the factors that affect farmers convert agricultural land is decreasing productivity of  the land, accretion of family members, the right of inheritance of land, high land prices, construction of public facilities and government policy. The most dominant factor affecting is different in each district. The impact of changes in land use in general is the opening of new agricultural land by cutting down forests, decline in rice productivity and the emergence of new unemployment and alteration or  loss of livelihood. From the SWOT analysis matrix, obtained three possible strategic options. First, a policy review of spatial and territories; second, to encourage farmers to maintain agricultural land by providing agricultural inputs and extension the use of organic materials to restore soil fertility and the third private land use change should be governed by strict licensing mechanism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Júlio Barboza Chiquetto ◽  
Maria Elisa Siqueira Silva ◽  
Rita Yuri Ynoue ◽  
Flávia Noronha Dutra Ribieiro ◽  
Débora Souza Alvim ◽  
...  

A poluição do ar é influenciada por fatores naturais e antropogênicos. Quatro pontos de monitoramento (veicular, comercial, residencial e background urbano (BGU))da poluição do ar em São Paulo foram avaliados durante 16 anos, revelando diferenças significativas devidoao uso do solo em todas as escalas temporais. Na escala diurna, as concentrações de poluentes primários são duas vezes mais altas nos pontos veicular e residencial do que no ponto BGU, onde a concentração de ozonio (O3) é 50% mais alta. Na escala sazonal, as concentrações de monóxido de carbono(CO) variaram em 80% devido ao uso do solo, e 55% pela sazonalidade.As variações sazonais ede uso do solo exercem impactos similares nas concentrações de O3 e monóxido de nitrogênio (NO). Para o material particulado grosso (MP10) e o dióxido de nitrogênio(NO2), as variações sazonais são mais intensas do que as por uso do solo. Na série temporal de 16 anos, o ponto BGU apresentou correlações mais fortes e significativas entre a média mensal de ondas longas (ROL) e o O3 (0,48) e o MP10 (0,37), comparadas ao ponto veicular (0,33 e 0,22, respectivamente). Estes resultados confirmam que o uso do solo urbano tem um papel significativo na concentração de poluentes em todas as escalas de análise, embora a sua influência se torne menos pronunciada em escalas maiores, conforme a qualidade do ar transita de um sistema antropogênico para um sistema natural. Isto poderá auxiliar decisões sobre políticas públicas em megacidades envolvendo a modificação do uso do solo.


Author(s):  
Tamara Smovzhenko ◽  
Oryslava Korkuna ◽  
Ivan Korkuna ◽  
Ulyana Khromyak

Nowadays, according to decentralization and current legislation (Land Code of Ukraine, Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine «On Self-Governance»), the public lands have been transferred to the CTCs since 1 February 2018. In 2018/2019, 788 CTCs received communal ownership of 1.68 ha of public lands. According to the Draft Law «On Amendments to Several Legal Documents of Ukraine on Agricultural Lands Turnover», the consolidated territorial communities become the legal entities and can acquire property rights to agricultural land plots. Therefore, transferring the lands to be used by the newly created CTCs is currently an urgent issue that requires extended scientific and practical research. The paper aims to research the role of land reform in Ukraine and its impact on increase of CTCs’ budget revenues. The stages of land reform and the development of the land reform in Ukraine as well as its implementation strategy are outlined. The disparities of the integrated satellite map and the data of the Land Cadaster of Ukraine in terms of unregistered lands are defined. The amount of a CTC budget’s increased revenues due to the reform is estimated. Statistical data on small, medium, and large farmers and their interest in the land reform are analyzed. The terms of selling the land to foreign investors and conditions of participation in land auctions are examined. The mechanisms of land purchase, selling, and lease in line with the land reform are suggested. Generalizing the presented aspects of the land reform in Ukraine and their impact on economic activity of the newly created CTCs, it can be argued that the process is quite positive and necessary for both communities and businesses in order to get additional budget revenues for CTCs. The land reform improves the living standards of Ukrainian people through the disclosure of the country’s agricultural capacity.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Adena R Rissman ◽  
Molly C Daniels ◽  
Peter Tait ◽  
Xiaojing Xing ◽  
Ann L Brower

Summary Neoliberal land reforms to increase economic development have important implications for biodiversity conservation. This paper investigates land reform in New Zealand’s South Island that divides leased state-owned stations (ranches) with private grazing leases into state-owned conservation land, private land owned by the former leaseholder and private land under protective covenant (similar to conservation easement). Conserved lands had less threatened vegetation, lower productivity, less proximity to towns and steeper slopes than privatized lands. Covenants on private land were more common in intermediate zones with moderate land-use productivity and slope. Lands identified with ecological or recreational ‘significant inherent values’ were more likely to shift into conserved or covenant status. Yet among lands with identified ecological values, higher-threat areas were more likely to be privatized than lower-threat areas. This paper makes two novel contributions: (1) quantitatively examining the role of scientific recommendations about significant inherent values in land reform outcomes; and (2) examining the use of conservation covenants on privatized land. To achieve biodiversity goals, it is critical to avoid or prevent the removal of land-use restrictions beyond protected areas.


Author(s):  
Hildegarde Vandenhove

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has raised questions about the accumulation of radionuclides in soils, the transfer in the foodchain and the possibility of continued restricted future land use. This paper summarizes what is generally understood about the application of agricultural countermeasures as a land management option to reduce the radionuclides transfer in the food chain and to facilitate the return of potentially affected soils to agricultural practices in areas impacted by a nuclear accident.


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