Reimagining U.S. Federal Land Management through Decolonization and Indigenous Value Systems

U.S. Federal Land Management Areas (FLMAs) are grounded in settler colonialism, including Indigenous land dispossessions and violations of Tribal treaties. This critical thought-piece is written by Indigenous scholars to reimagine FLMAs (especially recreation areas) through decolonization and the Indigenous value systems embedded within the “four Rs”: relationship, responsibility, reciprocity, and redistribution. We reweave conceptions about parks and protected areas, reimagine park management, and reconfigure management foci to reflect Indigenous value systems shared by Indigenous peoples. We emphasize a need for Tribal comanagement of FLMAs, the inclusion of Tribal land management practices across ecosystems, and the restoration of Indigenous land use and management rights. Land and recreation managers can use this paper to 1) decolonize park management practices, 2) understand how Indigenous value systems can inform park management foci, and 3) build a decolonized and reciprocal relationship with Tribes and their ancestral landscapes.

Short and Long-Term Effect of Land Use and Management on Soil Organic Carbon Stock in Semi-Desert Areas of North Africa-Tunisia

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in the global C cycle, as well as in the maintenance and improvement of the soil quality. Over time, special attention has been paid to it in the study of the SOC reserves worldwide; however, reduced attention has been given to assessing the spatial patterns of SOC stock (SOCS) in semi-desert ecosystems. In this line, there are no conclusive studies in drylands of Africa affected by aeolian processes (semi-desert conditions) mainly due to the complexity of sample collection, and this is especially significant in some soil types such as Arenosols (AR) and Calcisols (CL). This study evaluated the spatial variability of SOC and SOCS in AR and CL with woody crops in relation to land use and management (old plantations > 100 years: centenary olive grove; new plantations < 12 years: young olive grove, almond, and pistachio) in semi-desert conditions. For this purpose, 16 soil profiles (for 0–40 and 40–100 cm depth) were selected and studied in an experimental area of Menzel Chaker-Sfax in southeastern Tunisia (North Africa). The main results indicated that the SOCS on average was higher in Old Cultivated AR (OC-AR) with 41.16 Mg ha−1 compared to Newly Cultivated AR (NC-AR) with 25.13 Mg ha−1. However, the SOCS decreased after a long period of cultivation in CL from 43.00 Mg ha−1 (Newly Cultivated CL: NC-CL) to 32.19 Mg ha−1 (Old Cultivated CL: OC-CL). This indicates that in the long term, CL has more capacity to store SOC than AR, and that in the short term, AR is more sensitive to land management than CL.

Changes by use and management in alluvial plain soils in southern Brazil

Agricultural land use causes changes in physical and chemical attributes of the soil, due to the management practices employed the productive capacity of the soil can be compromised under different agricultural systems. The soils of Porto Alegre are quite diverse reflecting the geology, topography and drainage network of the region, and include lowland soils, like the alluvial plain of the Arroio Dilúvio. This study was carried out in four landscape units (Native Forest, Agroforestry System, Horse Farm and Agricultural Crops), to assess changes in soil characteristics after different types of land use and management on the plain of the Dilúvio Arroio. We sampled disturbed and undisturbed soil samples for chemical (pH, EC, V, SOM, CEC, Al3+, H+Al) and physical analysis (porosity, microporosity and macroporosity). These chemical and physical attributes of the soils, especially pH, V%, SOM, CEC and Al3+, underwent changes under the different types of land use and management, with significant differences. Most changes were detected in the cropland soils. Multivariate analysis demonstrated the influence of the different types of land use, at the surface, land use and management had the greatest influence, while at depth, the proximity of the areas was the predominant factor.

Effects of development interventions on pastoral livelihoods in Turkana County, Kenya

Turkana County has a long history of drought and development interventions and remains one of the poorest counties in Kenya. In Turkana, livelihoods are increasingly under threat because of climate change, conflict, and the changing land use and management. There are complex interactions between the multiple drivers of change in landscapes and livelihoods in the region. The question addressed here is: How have external development interventions contributed to the changing pastoralist livelihoods in Turkana? This study is specific to the lower part of the Turkwel River basin, particularly the Nanyee irrigated area in Turkwel, Loima sub-County of Turkana County. This article examines the external development interventions during the colonial, post-independence, and contemporary periods to reveal the ways that land use practices and livelihoods have changed across these periods. Land use practices are changing due to the growing human population, droughts, urbanization, and dispossession of grazing areas through state and donor-supported interventions. It is suggested in this article that the change from a system of customary, unrestricted grazing to one of enclosed pastures has threatened pastoral territories, as well as cultures and livelihoods over the past six decades. The new set of development interventions introduced by international and national actors have failed to support local livelihoods, instead joining the list of existing problems that undermine pastoralism, including drought, livestock diseases, and cattle rustling.

Royal Land Use and Management in Beijing in the Qing Dynasty

Management is an important factor affecting the formation and development of a landscape. This study concludes that royal land use is planned by specifying the land type, while the economic benefits and landscape value are also taken into account. The royal land has landscape value, with the core being the royal garden, the background being farmland, and the connecting line being water. Meanwhile, the royal garden management organization has a high level of authority. Based on the rules of the Imperial Household Department (Neiwufu) of the Qing Dynasty, the present paper extracts the royal land use and management records. This paper discusses the characteristics of royal land management from the spatial distribution and utilization of types of land. It analyzes the specific revenue, expenditure, and fund flow of land in detail and summarizes the land management model. Land management is based mainly on directional revenue and expenditure as well as quota revenue and the expenditure system. The management system is established to support the gardens’ construction.

EVALUATION OF THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF AN EXPOSED SOIL PROFILE IN AN EXCAVATED ACRISOL, SOUTHEAST NIGERIA

Increased population density has led to a lot of pressure on the limited natural/land resources of south-eastern Nigeria. This includes the need for laterite, sand, kaolin, gravel and clay for buildings, backfills and road construction. This has led to extensive unmoderated excavation of these resources, particularly in Anambra state. The excavation has in turns, culminated in increased intensity of land degradation in the state, underscoring the need to characterize and evaluate the land use potentials of such sites to better understand the nature of the soils and the impacts of the attendant land use. Samples were collected from the different horizons of the profile to evaluate the physical, chemical and morphological properties of the soils. Coefficient of variation was used to measure the soil variability within the profile. Land capability class was determined, which informed the land use and management recommendations. The results show that the soil is very deep (>21.5m). The soil texture ranged from sandy clay loam to sandy. Infiltration rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity decreased by up to 300 to 560 % with excavation. The soils were strongly acidic; organic carbon and total nitrogen was low but highly variable; Al, H, Ca, Mg, K, Na, and phosphorus were moderately variable while pH, CEC and base saturation (BS) were the least variable. The land capability class was IIIes. Given the evidence of erosion and preponderance of erodible Nanka sands in the subsoil, the site should be reclaimed as soon as the mining activities are discontinued.

ENVIRONMENTAL FRAGILITY PROVIDED BY SOILS OF A PLATEAU EDGE OF SOUTH BRAZIL, ON ATLANTIC FOREST BIOME

Plateau areas have been considered with high land-use capacity in the Brazilian Meridional Plateau Edge of South Brazil. These areas belong Atlantic Forest biome, the second most extinction threatened ecoregion in the world, and weak knowledge about the environment leads to intensive use and degradation. We aimed to identify soil fragility and land-use capacity and limitation of the Brazilian Meridional Plateau Edge, in South Brazil, by the soil properties. Soil morphology, steady-state water infiltration, and physical and chemical properties at 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers were evaluated at 57 sampling points in a grid of 20 x 20 m. Although under a small elevation slope, these areas have high soils and their properties variability, which implies high natural fragility. Unlike the soils and properties expected by farmers and scientists, naturally fragile soils (Leptosols, Regosols) with only patches of developed soils (Cambisols, Alisols, Planosols/Gleysols) predominate in these areas. The proper land-use and management of the soil and its landscapes depend on a detailed knowledge of the soil. Because, considering only the expected soil and environment capacity without the evaluation obtained with this study, the soils were intensively used and degraded.