Multifunctional land use has become a widely supported pathway for Europe's countryside. Brussels and the national governments stimulate farmers to integrate primary production with non-agricultural practices from which they can also benefit. In favour of this development different stakeholders are encouraged to collaborate to produce the so-called farmer-managed public goods. This paper explores critical success factors for the production and maintenance of these public goods.

Dryland areas cover about 41 % of the Earth’s surface and sustain over 2 billion inhabitants. Soil carbon (C) in dryland areas is of crucial importance to maintain soil quality and productivity and a range of ecosystem services. Soil mismanagement has led to a significant loss of carbon in these areas, which in many of them entailed several land degradation processes such as soil erosion, reduction in crop productivity, lower soil water holding capacity, a decline in soil biodiversity, and, ultimately, desertification, hunger and poverty in developing countries.

Agricultural practices and land use significantly influence soil carbon storage. The processes that are affected by land use and management are generally understood, but uncertainties in projections are high. In this paper, we investigate the long-term effects of chronosequential land use change from grassland to cropland and vice versa on soil carbon stock dynamics in four fields on a Swedish farm. Between 1850 and 1920, three of the fields were converted from grassland into cropland, and one was converted back to grassland in 1971.

Changes in hydrological cycle have been experienced as the result of the global climate change which may have caused undetermined increase or decrease in the location and reserve of water resources which are already undetermined in various parts of the world.

In this study, three-phase satellite images were used to define rules for the allocation of time and space in construction land resources based on a complex adaptive system and game theory. The decision behavior and rules of government agent, enterprise agent and resident agent in construction land growth were explored. A distinctive and dynamic simulation model of construction land growth was built, which integrated multi-agent, GIS technology and RS data and described the interaction among influencing agents.

SUMMARYSite and soil characteristics associated with existing plantings of whitewood (Endospermum medullosum Euphorbiaceae) were characterised across Espiritu Santo Island in Vanuatu. Two hundred, generally small (most commonly around 0.5 ha), plantations dominated by whitewood have been planted across the eastern side of the island. These plantations range up to 20 years in age and provide a guide to the expected growth rates of whitewood in plantation in those areas.

Knowledge on trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services is crucial for the design of land use strategies that optimize ecosystem service delivery. Correlation coefficients, obtained through pairwise comparison of ecosystem service provision maps, have been put forward as suitable indicators to quantify these interactions. However, for more in depth analyses of trade-offs and synergies where driving forces of interactions need to be determined, more sophisticated methods are needed.

CONTEXT: Understanding the causes and consequences of land use and land cover change in drylands is crucial for global sustainability. Inner Mongolia consists of arid and semiarid ecosystems of global importance. OBJECTIVES: Our main goal was twofold: to review the patterns and drivers of land use and land cover change in Inner Mongolia, and to discuss ecological impacts and strategies for promoting landscape and regional sustainability. METHODS: We took an interdisciplinary and retrospective approach, based on historical records and remote sensing data.

Chah Nimeh reservoirs have served as a water storage facility, especially during droughts over the last three decades. It is also an important wintering site for migratory birds. In this study, thematic mapper time-series data were derived from Landsat images for prolonged droughts that occurred in two satellite images (2002 and 2011). The data derived from these images were used for the detection of changes in land cover and water storage in the reservoirs. First, a vegetation cover map was produced using soil-adjusted vegetation index and field sampling.

The status of urban forests and other green open spaces has always been ambiguous within the context of rural-urban peripheries. On one hand, most European countries have introduced protected green zones around cities to contain their sprawl and to provide urban dwellers recreational space and sanitation services since the early days of city planning policies. On the other hand, the ecosystems of green open areas remain under high pressure due to high demand for suburban land, causing issues ranging from illegal dumping to ecosystem fragmentation and forest loss.