land use
AGROVOC URI: http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_4182
Across the grain: Multi-scale map comparison and land change assessment
Changes in the spatial distribution of land cover and land use can have significant impacts on ecological processes at multiple scales; estimating these changes provides critical data for both monitoring and understanding land-use effects on these processes. One approach to mapping landcover changes, particularly useful over longer periods of time, is comparison of existing landcover maps, (post-classification change analysis).
Future European agricultural landscapes--What can we learn from existing quantitative land use scenario studies
The structure of agricultural production and spatial patterns of agricultural land use in Europe are expected to face major changes over the next decades due to changes in global trade, technology, demography and policies. This paper presents a set of 25 scenarios comprising information on quantitative land use changes in Europe. The scenarios have been selected from studies with different foci, operating on both different spatial scales and different time horizons.
Woodland restoration in Scotland: Ecology, history, culture, economics, politics and change
In the latter half of the 20th century, native pine woodlands in Scotland were restricted to small remnant areas within which there was little regeneration. These woodlands are important from a conservation perspective and are habitat for numerous species of conservation concern. Recent developments have seen a large increase in interest in woodland restoration and a dramatic increase in regeneration and woodland spread. The proximate factor enabling this regeneration is a reduction in grazing pressure from sheep and, particularly, deer.
vulnerability of ecosystem services to land use change
Terrestrial ecosystems provide a number of vital services for people and society, such as biodiversity, food, fibre, water resources, carbon sequestration, and recreation. The future capability of ecosystems to provide these services is determined by changes in socio-economic characteristics, land use, biodiversity, atmospheric composition and climate. Most published impact assessments do not address the vulnerability of the human-environment system under such environmental change.
Borders without barriers – Structural functionality and green infrastructure in the Austrian–Hungarian transboundary region of Lake Neusiedl
Many ongoing processes in today's landscapes impact our environment considerably. Thus, it is enormously important to gather information on qualitative characteristics of our landscapes in order to effectively counteract the negative developments. Structural functionality as proxy for the assessment of habitat quality and species patterns has already proven potential to successfully describe ecological values.
Urban land uses with respect to ecology: A case study for Çanakkale city centre
This investigation was conducted for both constituting an urban land use planning and criticizing the appropriateness of the uses with respect to ecology by taking into consideration the ecological factors in the centre and the periphery of Çanakkale city. A method based on "Maximum Values Map Approximation Method" was used in this present study. A suggested land use map of the study area was constructed for these usage types according to the arrangements of their priorities by the experts.
Impacts of land-use change on biodiversity: An assessment of agricultural biodiversity in the European Union
The objective of this study is to assess land-use intensity and the related biodiversity in agricultural landscapes of the EU25 for the current situation (2000), and explore future trends, based on the four EURURALIS scenarios up to 2030. Data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) were used to classify farm types in 100 regions of the EU15, according to agricultural intensity. For the ten New Member States (EU10), which are not yet considered by the FADN, country level data were used to obtain similar farm types.
Mountain vegetation change quantification using surface landscape metrics in Lancang watershed, China
Land cover and vegetation change are among the most important aspects of environmental change. Vegetation change can be quantified by landscape pattern indices (LPI). Landscape indices are routinely calculated using planar land use/land cover (LU/LC) maps, obtained by the projection of a non-flat landscape surface into a two-dimensional Cartesian space. Especially in mountainous areas, quantification on planar maps can lead to underestimation of vegetation and land cover changes. Hoechstetter et al.
Developing scenarios and visualisations to illustrate potential policy and climatic influences on future agricultural landscapes
The future evolution of our agricultural landscapes and countryside is the subject of considerable debate and policy discussion, alongside which is an increasing emphasis on the inclusion of public consultation and participation within planning and decision making systems. However, communicating different proposed policy options in a manner that facilitates informed decisions from stakeholders can be far from straightforward. This is particularly true with more abstract and uncertain issues such as potential impacts of climate change.
Impacts of edge density of field patches on plant species richness and community turnover among margin habitats in agricultural landscapes
In intensive agricultural environments, arable field margins are important habitats as reservoirs of various beneficial wild species. Many studies of species diversity in field margins have focused on the local habitat level. However, relationships between the network of the margin habitats and species diversity are less studied. Edge density index of field patches is a class-level landscape metric used as one measure of habitat network. This study focused on edge density index and its impacts on plant species richness and community turnover among the margins in agricultural landscapes.
Comparison between reconstructions of global anthropogenic land cover change over past two millennia
Three global datasets, the History Database of the Global Environment (HYDE), Kaplan and Krumhardt (KK) and Pongratz of reconstructed anthropogenic land cover change (ALCC) were introduced and compared in this paper. The HYDE dataset was reconstructed by Goldewijk and his colleagues at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in Netherland, covering the past 12 000 years. The KK dataset was reconstructed by Kaplan and his colleagues, the Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Research Group at the Institute of Environmental Engineering in Switzerland, covering the past 8000 years.