L'urbanisation et la transformation économique, c'est-àdire la croissance des secteurs non agricoles, industriels et tertiaires, offrent de nombreuses possibilités d'améliorer les conditions d'existence des pauvres. Le défi essentiel consiste à s'assurer que la population bénéficie plus d'un milieu offrant un cadre favorable à l'évolution des moyens de subsistance et des systèmes économiques. Mais trop souvent, on constate une incapacité à reconnaître et gérer la transition urbaine, ce qui se traduit par une urbanisation permanente de la pauvreté, de la vulnérabilité et de l'exclusion.

Les villes tirent profit de la prospérité de l'agriculture

La relation entre la ville et les zones rurales s'est radicalement transformée au cours des dernières années. Une délimitation franche n'est plus guère possible aujourd'hui et c'est le continuum des zones à vocation agricole, des banlieues, des zones d'habitat spontané et des centres urbains qui modèle le paysage. Mais les pays et la coopération au développement disposent-ils des instruments nécessaires pour promouvoir un développement dynamique et équilibré entre la ville et le milieu rural et pour entrouvrir des perspectives aux populations qui y vivent ?

Remotely-sensed images and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data were integrated into the SLEUTH cellular automata (CA) model to analyze land-use/land-cover dynamics in Chiang Mai city and its surrounds. The land-use and land-cover statistics, obtained from GIS data base and satellite images from 1952, 1977, 1989 and 2000 revealed rapid increased in urbanization during these periods. To understand the underlying causes of land-use and land-cover dynamics, remote sensing, GIS and modeling techniques were applied.

The Baekdudaegan Mountain Range is a backbone of the Korean Peninsula which has special spiritual and sentimental significance for Koreans and significant ecological value to diverse organisms. Despite the importance of this region, however, the natural environment of Baekdudaegan has been severely threatened by a variety of human activity and tremendous forest fires. To make management and restoration plans for the deforested areas, it is necessary to investigate quantitatively such natural and human-induced physical changes.

A combined approach of remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS) was used in this study to identify the impact on urban surface radiant temperature (SRT) of urban green-space change. Urban SRT increases as green-space area is converted into non-green-space area. Also, well preserved green space and newly connected green space contribute to a decrease of the SRT. Seoul Metropolitan area is rapidly expanding. Existing urban SRT studies have, however, mainly been conducted for Seoul City.

How can ecologists be more effective in supporting ecologically informed rural land-use planning and policy? Improved decision making about rural lands requires careful consideration of how ecological information and analyses can inform specific planning and policy needs. We provide a brief overview of rural land-use planning, including recently developed approaches to conservation.

Food systems are being transformed at an unprecedented rate as a result of global economic and social change. Urbanization, foreign direct investment in markets of developing countries and increasing incomes are prime facilitators for the observed changes, while social changes, such as the increased number of women in the workforce and rural to urban migration, provide added stimulus.