This study investigated whether the current lateral boundary for estuaries in South Africa, i.e. the estuarine functional zone (EFZ), includes all estuarine habitats. The EFZ covers 173 930 ha in 304 estuaries/outlets nationally. Field surveys and analysis of available aerial images showed that 82 (12 956.70 ha) of these estuaries (26%) had estuarine habitats occurring outside of this boundary. As a result of mapping scale, the National Vegetation Map does not represent habitats that are associated with small estuaries (approximately 50% of South Africa's estuaries).

Cloud forest in the Central Highlands of Guatemala provides important ecosystem services for the Q’eqchi’ Maya but has been disappearing at an increasing rate in recent decades. This research documents changes in cloud forest cover, explores some contributing factors to deforestation, and considers forest preservation and food security implications for Q’eqchi’ communities. We used a transdisciplinary framework that synthesized remote sensing/GIS analysis of land cover change, focus group dialogs, and surveys.

Soil loss poses a significant threat to the long-term sustainability of hydrological systems, the environment, and agriculture. In this regard, efficient soil management relies on accurate quantification of soil loss. To this end, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) standard of soil erosion, developed for agricultural areas, has been applied in many countries, including South Korea.

In the present study, remote sensing techniques, GIS models and field measurements are integrated to identify and map groundwater potential zones at Wadi Yalamlam (Sa’diyah) basin, Makkah Province, Western Saudi Arabia. The study area is located in the Arabian Shield heterogeneous basement terrain. It is characterized by insignificant primary porosity and permeability and is mainly covered by massive and altered gneissose granites, diorite, and gabbro and metamorphosed basalts.

Knowing the influence of land use/land cover changes on the hydrological behavior of a subwatershed is essential to land use planning. The Alto Paraguaçu Watershed is a major producer of fruits and vegetables, and currently the largest producer of English potato in the north/northeast of Brazil. The water availability in the region can be considered the limiting factor to the expansion of agricultural frontiers.

KEY MESSAGE : We compiled 2,458 biomass equations from 168 destructive sampling studies in Indonesia. Unpublished academic theses contributed the largest share of the biomass equations. The availability of the biomass equations was skewed to certain regions, forest types, and species. Further research is necessary to fill the data gaps in emission factors and to enhance the implementation of climate change mitigation projects and programs.

Habitat fragmentation and habitat loss diminish population connectivity, reducing genetic diversity and increasing extinction risk over time. Improving connectivity is widely recommended to preserve the long-term viability of populations, but this requires accurate knowledge of how landscapes influence connectivity. Detectability of landscape effects on gene flow is highly dependent on landscape context, and drawing conclusions from single landscape studies may lead to ineffective management strategies.

In this study, a data-driven weights of evidence (WOE) technique was used to demarcate groundwater potential zones at northeastern Missan and Wasit governorates, Iraq using geographic information system (GIS) platform. In the first step, borehole location inventory map consisting of 143 with relatively high yield (>8 L/s) was prepared. Then, eight influencing groundwater factors, namely altitude, slope, geology, land use/land cover, distance to roads, distance to faults, aquifer type, and depth of wells were prepared and integrated into spatial database.

The rapid urbanization of the world has significant ecological consequences that shape global biodiversity patterns. The plant communities now common in urban centers may represent new habitats with unique dynamics and the potential for highly modified ecological services. This study, joining extensive spatial and floristic data sets, examined current distribution patterns of non-native and native woody plant species in the New York metropolitan region, USA.

The effects of urban sprawl, at the expense of green natural areas, and the increasing anthropogenic pressure on these areas, lead to significant changes in land cover composition and structure. One of the threats and hazardous aspects of the urban sprawl is the disposal of construction site waste (CW) at the cities’ fringes and by the roadsides. The analysis of vegetation community structure over space and time in such areas may contribute to the understanding of community dynamics at the urban fringe following modern human intervention.

Unprecedented land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the Gilgel Tekeze catchment of the upper Nile River basin in Ethiopia may have far-reaching consequences for the long-term sustainability of the natural resources base. This study analyzed the dynamics and hydrologic effects of LULC changes between 1976 and 2003 as shown in satellite imagery. The effects of these LULC changes on the hydrologic response were investigated using the WetSpa model to estimate spatially distributed average annual evapotranspiration, surface runoff, and groundwater recharge.

In Mongolia, nomadic herders have successfully been grazing livestock for more than a millennium. However, in recent years, concerns have increased that changes in management and higher livestock stocking rates may negatively affect vegetation and increase soil erosion, overland flow and sediment load of rivers. In addition, ambitious agricultural policies increase the intensity of agricultural land use thus enforcing a conversion of grassland to agricultural land which is far more susceptible to erosion.