land use
AGROVOC URI: http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_4182
Modern pollen and land-use relationships in the Taihang mountains, Hebei province, northern China—a first step towards quantitative reconstruction of human-induced land cover changes
Studies of the modern relationship between pollen, vegetation and land-use are essential to infer past human impact on vegetation from pollen records. Nevertheless, such investigations are relatively few in China. We present here a study of pollen assemblages from sediment samples collected from irrigation pools in the Tuoliang and Qipanshan catchments in northern China.
Shoreline Change Analysis along the Coast of South Gujarat, India, Using Digital Shoreline Analysis System
Shoreline changes along the south Gujarat coast has been analyzed by using USGS Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 4.3. Multi-temporal satellite images pertaining to 1972, 1990, 2001 and 2011 were used to extract the shoreline. The High water line (HTL) is considered as shoreline and visual interpretation of satellite imageries has been carried out to demarcate the HTL based on various geomorphology and land use & land cover features. The present study used the Linear Regression Method (LRR) to calculate shoreline change rate.
Landscape context and plant community composition in grazed agricultural systems of the Northeastern United States
Temperate humid grazing lands are an important component of the landscape of the northeastern United States, as well as of the economy of this region. Unlike their European counterparts, little is known about the basic ecology of managed grasslands in this region. During an 8-year survey of 28 farms across the northeastern United States, we sampled the vegetation on 95 grazed plots, identifying 310 plant species, and collected data on topography, climate and soils.
characterization of the drivers, pressures, ecosystem functions and services of Namatala wetland, Uganda
Namatala wetland near the town of Mbale in the Eastern region of Uganda is a papyrus wetland that is subject to conversion for agriculture (mainly rice farming) and pollution by wastewater. The main goal of this study was to analyze the ecosystem functions and services of Namatala wetland and their drivers of change, and to suggest directions for sustainable use. Data on climate, hydrology, water quality, population and land use were collected. Stakeholder workshops were organized at national and local levels to identify stakeholder interests in the wetland and conflicts.
Variation in the accuracy of thermal remote sensing
Thermal infrared (TIR) remote-sensing techniques have been used to estimate land surface temperatures (LSTs) and to study the relationship between land uses and LSTs. Remotely sensed thermal data provide a time-synchronized dense grid of temperature data, and there has been a growing interest on LSTs in various fields, such as urban climatology and global environmental change. It is also important for urban planning and management practices to maintain thermally efficient urban structures. This article focuses on differences between the estimated LSTs and the measured temperatures.
Belowground carbon allocation patterns in a dry Mediterranean ecosystem: A comparison of two models
Total belowground C allocation (TBCA) accounts for a large fraction of gross primary production, it may overtake aboveground net primary production, and contributes to the primary source of detrital C in the mineral soil. Here, we measure soil respiration, water erosion, litterfall and estimate annual changes in C stored in mineral soil, litter and roots, in three representative land uses in a Mediterranean ecosystem (late-successional forest, abandoned agricultural field, rain-fed olive grove), and use two C balance approaches (steady-state and non-steady-state) to estimate TBCA.
Background report: Kurunegala, Sri Lanka
This project is funded by the European Commission under its Asia Pro Eco II Program. It is undertaken by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri Lanka; COSI, Sri Lanka; the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC), the Netherlands; NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, Bangladesh; and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden. The project pilot cities are Rajshahi City in Bangladesh and Kurunegala City in Sri Lanka.
Soil erosion research in catchments: Initial MSEC results in Asia
cumulative impacts of reclamation and dredging on the marine ecology and land-use in the Kingdom of Bahrain
This article assesses the ecological and economic impacts of land reclamation and dredging through consulting recent environmental impact assessment reports. Geographic features of Bahrain during 1963–2008 are produced using Geographical Information System. Extensive but inexpensive shallow coastal areas and tidal flats have been reclaimed particularly from 1997 to 2007 at a high rate of 21km²/year. Formal records show the increase in the original land mass by the year 2008 to be 91km².
Where to put things? Spatial land management to sustain biodiversity and economic returns
Expanding human population and economic growth have led to large-scale conversion of natural habitat to human-dominated landscapes with consequent large-scale declines in biodiversity. Conserving biodiversity, while at the same time meeting expanding human needs, is an issue of utmost importance. In this paper we develop a spatially explicit landscape-level model for analyzing the biological and economic consequences of alternative land-use patterns.