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Industrial processes and municipal wastes largely contribute to the fluctuations in iron (Fe) content in soils. Fe, when present in unfavorable amount, causes harmful effects on human, flora, and fauna. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the composition of Fe in surface soils from paper mill and municipal landfill sites and assess their potential ecological and human health risks. Geochemical fractionation was conducted to explore the chemical bonding of Fe across different fractions, i.e., water-soluble (F1) to residual (F6). Different contamination factors and pollution indices were evaluated to comprehend Fe contamination extent across the study area. Results indicated the preference for less mobile forms in the paper mill and landfill, with 26.66% and 43.46% of Fe associated with the Fe–Mn oxide bound fraction (F4), and 57.22% and 24.78% in the residual fraction (F6). Maximum mobility factor (MF) of 30.65% was observed in the paper mill, and 80.37% in the landfill. The enrichment factor (EF) varied within the range of 20 < EF < 40, signifying a high level of enrichment in the soil. The individual contamination factor (ICF) ranged from 0 to >6, highlighting low to high contamination. Adults were found to be more vulnerable towards Fe associated health risks compared to children. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) index showed the highest risk potential pathways as dermal contact > ingestion > inhalation. The study offers insights into potential Fe contamination risks in comparable environments, underscoring the crucial role of thorough soil assessments in shaping land use and waste management policies. [Display omitted] • Geochemical fractionation unveils less bioavailable Fe in contaminated soil. • EF, ICF, and I geo indicate high Fe contamination. • Adults are more susceptible to potential health risks from surplus Fe exposure. • HQ analysis pinpoints dermal contact as the primary pathway for Fe exposure risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the "Green Paper on Land Reform," which represents the latest development in land reform in South Africa. It mentions that the fragmented land tenure system resulted from the Apartheid has not been successfully rectified, despite all the developments and legislative efforts. It explores the proposals of the Green Paper that include four-tier system of land tenure, property rights governed by a land administration system, and secure reforms of long-term land tenure.

The article discusses the mechanics of interventions announced and implemented by South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, focusing on the "Green Paper on land Reform 2011." Topics include the legal aspects linked to land tenure in general and sub-programmes, the restructuring of South African Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, and land tenure security legislation and policy. It suggests that the mechanics of intervention still need further engineering.

In recent years, many papers have been published on the topics of the blockchain (BC) and blockchain technology (BCT). Some papers put BCT in the context of land registries (LRs), land cadastres (LCs), land registration, land administration (LA) and land management (LM) and its implementation benefits. Some eight years later, from its beginnings in 2014, the question of the future of the proposed concept and whether it has one, has been raised. The Scopus database was analysed using bibliometric analysis methodology and Rstudio software with the Bibliometrix R-package and the Shiny package environment. Based on this research, significant interest and growth in the topic was found in both technical and land-governance directions. Different approaches to the topic have been established in the global north and global south. From today's perspective, the future of BCT in both worlds is guaranteed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use conflicts are intensifying in Northern Sweden due to the increasing global demand for resources coupled with the green transition. In line with this, a thorough understanding of land use conflicts in the area is becoming necessary as economic activities expand and newer ones are developed. Hence, this paper aims to provide a systematic literature review of research on land use conflicts specific to Northern Sweden, focusing on various economic activities such as forestry, mining, tourism, energy sector and reindeer husbandry. Additionally, we aim to determine lessons learned and suggested ways forward based on a systematic review. We used Scopus and Web of Science on June 2023 and through descriptive statistical analysis of 33 articles, we summarized research trends and gaps. We found three main typologies of conflicts and five main themes of suggested ways forward. Recommendations agree that there should be a broader understanding of the underlying interests of the stakeholders; and there should be an inclusive, more participatory approach to discussing potential solutions, not to create an agreement but to come to an understanding. Beyond academic insights, the findings hold practical relevance for shaping effective land use policies. This paper offers valuable lessons that extend beyond the local context, informing broader discussions and policy considerations for sustainable land management in the larger Arctic setting, where similar challenges and resource demands are unfolding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land stands as a crucial factor in the production process. The rational allocation of land resources and the enhancement of land use efficiency play pivotal roles in maintaining stable economic development. Various land use types facilitate the capitalization of land resources through activities such as land transfer, land investment, and large-scale land management. Presently, certain regions grapple with challenges characterized by abundant land resources, insufficient utilization of land elements, and a low degree of utilized land capitalization. To address these issues, scholars employ diverse research methods, delving into land capitalization from various perspectives. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current academic research on land capitalization. It elucidates the conceptual nuances inherent in the process of land capitalization, traces the historical evolution of land capitalization, and establishes a research framework that considers land appreciation, ownership relationships, and functional transformations. By synthesizing and analyzing the existing research on land capitalization, this paper outlines the current status and identifies future research directions. It is concluded that land appropriation, ownership relationships and functional transformations are the three most important elements in the process of land capitalization. The paper proposes objectives for achieving high-quality development while avoiding excessive capitalization and the aim is to propel land capitalization as a catalyst for rural economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), known as the "Third Pole of the Earth", contains fragile ecosystems and is sensitive to global environmental changes. With the intensification of climate change and human activities, the land cover of the QTP is changing significantly, which affects its function as an ecological security barrier. This paper searched 379 papers in the Web of Science core database, conducted a bibliometric analysis, and proposed potential future research directions to gain a macroscopic understanding of the impact of land use and cover change (LUCC) on the regional and global ecological environment of the QTP. The results are as follows. (1) The period from 1995 to 2022 witnessed an overall increase in the number of publications in this field with a high development potential. (2) Climate change, land use, China, impacts, conservation, and management were high-frequency keywords in the field; among these, climate change has received increasing research attention since 2018. (3) The field included three main research directions: the impact of LUCC on biodiversity, the impact of land degradation on ecosystems, and the impact of climate change and land use changes on ecosystem services. (4) The development and evolution of research hotspots were mainly focused on three aspects: the impact of cultivated land expansion and deforestation, the impact of land use management and conservation, and the impact of climate change and human activities on LUCC. (5) Future research should focus on improving the accuracy of land use and cover data on the QTP, assessing and preventing the ecological risks of LUCC, investigating the impacts of human activities on LUCC and the ecological environment, and exploring the interactions between climate change and human activities on the ecological environment. The findings of this paper will help researchers and stakeholders gain a rapid and comprehensive understanding of this research area and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the QTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating green and low-carbon building targets into the rural planning management system requires scientific and quantitative methods for assessing carbon emissions from rural land use. At present, the research in this field mainly focuses on urban areas, but there are fewer theoretical and practical studies on the assessment of carbon emissions from rural land use. This paper proposes a new carbon emission assessment method based on land use modes, and the model can not only assess carbon emissions but also directly reflect the carbon emission intensity of different land use spaces in rural areas and guide the carbon emission control of construction land in village planning. In this paper, we take suburban rural areas in Hunan Province as an example and establish a land use carbon emission assessment model with 13 indicators in five dimensions: total carbon emission, carbon emission efficiency, carbon emission intensity per unit of land use, carbon emission structure of land use, and carbon emission intensity of buildings, based on the bottom-up field research data. We practised our method in Jinlong Town, Hunan Province, and gave examples of model applications. It was found that the carbon emission calculation method based on the carbon emission intensity of land use can be used to calculate the current status of carbon emissions in different villages in Jinlong Town. At the same time, the carbon emission assessment results can be used as a scientific basis for carbon emission control in detailed village planning in Jinlong Town. In general, the carbon emission assessment model can complete the assessment of land carbon emissions in rural areas and provide a low-carbon land use management tool for the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the importance of sound land administration, efficient land management, and sustainable real estate markets for good governance and economic, social, and environmental development. It highlights the need for stable and transparent land policy frameworks and efficient land administration systems for global and sustainable prosperity. The document also invites papers on various issues related to land administration and management, including policy and strategy development, technical challenges, legal issues, and connections to other disciplines. Recent developments in data dissemination, adaptation to societal changes, inconsistencies in cadastral data, the third dimension in land management, and crowdsourcing approaches are also discussed. The document concludes by acknowledging the contributors to the special issue. [Extracted from the article]

Context and Background: The specialised land court in Zambia is known as the Lands Tribunal, and it was created in 1996 through the 1995 Lands Act. The Tribunal was established with the objective of achieving speedy, low cost, flexible and efficient means of settling conflicts over land. Inspite of being existence for 27 years, little has been done on the progress and challenges of the Lands Tribunal in resolving conflicts over land in the country. Goal and Objectives: This paper aims at establishing the progress made by the Lands Tribunal in resolving conflicts over land and investigating the challenges faced by the Lands Tribunal in resolving conflicts over land. Methodology: The study incorporated the use of both primary and secondary data collected between January and October 2023. Secondary data were obtained through documents which include peer-reviewed journal articles, theses, books, media, Zambian land laws, and technical reports. Secondary data was supplemented by primary data obtained from three purposively selected institutions: Lands Tribunal, Law Association of Zambia, and Zambia Land Alliance (Kitwe office). The data collection method used with the key informants was in-depth face-to-face interviews. Office management at each institution chose the key informant based on their expertise and experience on the subject. Results: In order to strengthen the Tribunal's operations, the Lands Tribunal Act of 2010 was enacted, enhancing the Tribunal's operations by granting it more authority and responsibilities (that is, expanding jurisdiction). Research findings showed that between 2014 and 2023, the Lands Tribunal handled 3318 cases. According to research findings, if the Tribunal was operating efficiently and effectively, it could have handled more than 3,318 cases between 2014 and 2022 considering the numerous problems facing the general courts which adversely affect the general public to resolve their land conflicts. However, the Tribunal could not handle more cases because of various challenges which include inadequate funding, Inadequate staff, poor conditions of service for members of the Tribunal, inadequate transport, delay in the delivery of judgments, low public awareness of the Lands Tribunal, centralised operations of the Lands Tribunal, and forum shopping [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background: The existence, survival and continuity of a number of income-generating activities (farming, mining, etc.) depend on land, making it an important lever for a country's development. However, if land is not properly managed and governed, this can leave the door wide open to various forms of embezzlement, including corruption. Corruption is well known to have a deleterious effect on its victims, and when it affects land tenure and access to land, it can affect more than just a country's economy. It can at the first time undermines a country's ability to trade properly with its neighbors, and hindering the continent's ability to fully harness the benefits of free trade agreements as well. Goal and objectives: In the context of Africa's commitment to promoting industrial development through the development of agriculture and food security, it is vital to talk about issues that could hinder these developments, and more specifically the reaching of the Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area implementation. In this instance, the aim is to talk about land corruption. Readers will be led to reflect into the critical role of addressing and eradicating land corruption as a fundamental prerequisite for the successful implementation of free trade initiatives in Africa, but also to facilitate sustainable economic growth and harmonious regional integration. Methodology: This paper offers a broad panorama of negative impacts of land corruption in Africa, and will be based on the experience and lessons of anti-corruption strategies deployed on the land sector in Madagascar. Through an in-depth analysis of the existing challenges, far-reaching consequences, and potential solutions, this work elucidates the paramount importance of curbing land corruption to foster sustainable economic growth, regional integration across the continent and African Continental Free Trade Area’s swift and sustainable implementation. Results: How does corruption affect the land tenure system? What impact does it have? Why and how is it incompatible with the objectives of the African continental free trade area? What can be done to tackle it, based on experience from Madagascar and extended to the African context? This paper gives inputs to those burning questions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background A global land rush -driven by a variety of factors-is driving transformative change in African rural communities that depend on land for their livelihoods. This increased demand has resulted in the acquisition of large areas of land on the continent. While the pace and scale of land acquisition may be levelling off,1 in many cases, some or all of the land acquired by investors stands idle.2 Land return- in which a private company legally transfers all or part of its land holdings back to a community or government-is an emerging phenomenon that may be on the rise as companies seek to limit their exposure to risk, governments redesignate lands and communities push for the return of their land. Land return holds promise as a way to correct for overzealous and misguided land acquisition and historical injustices amidst a growing understanding of the value of land to communities. Goal and Objective Yet land return presents challenges, many of which may be unexpected. Though existing frameworks and guidelines regarding responsible investments require effective community consultation, there is less clarity and limited guidance on what risks, mitigation strategies, and tools are needed to safeguard the rights of communities in the context of land return. Methodology This paper brings forward experience from a recent land return process in Tanzania in which Landesa and its partners worked to identify and put into practice standards and approaches that protect community rights while supporting a company's efforts to comply with best practices, national and international requirements and expectations for responsible corporate practice. The tools and processes tested and shared through this project align with efforts to support implementation of the Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Areas (AfCFTA) and achieve the aspiration of the Africa We Want (Agenda 2063). Results: This paper highlights the importance of inclusive and transparent land governance practices by presenting a case study of Landesa's experience working with a forestry company to engage with communities and local land administration to understand needs and expectations around the companys intention to return approximately 14,000 hectares of land. The case study will highlight land return-related risks, present a model for community benefit sharing arrangements, and will share lessons learned, highlighting potential best practices that companies holding idle land might consider and employ to reallocate to landscarce communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change is the most important driving factor of terrestrial carbon stock change. Soil is the largest carbon reservoir of terrestrial ecosystems, and the impact of land use change on soil carbon sequestration is related to major issues such as the global warming process and food security. The research can provide a basis for land managers and policy makers to develop appropriate planning strategies for soil carbon sequestration management. Despite the widespread attention of relevant studies, macro reviews are still lacking. In order to objectively reveal the current situation of the research field, firstly this paper conducted a bibliometric analysis based on relevant papers in the Web of Science Core Collection database from 1985 to 2021. Secondly, we conducted a review study of land use change on soil carbon sequestration. The research results showed that: (1) the overall amount of the published literature in related fields showed an upward trend, and the development could be divided into three stages, growing slowly from 1985 to 1999, steadily from 2000 to 2009, and rapidly from 2010 to 2021. (2) From the perspective of national distribution, the published papers were mainly from the United States and China, which were much higher than those in other countries. There was mutual cooperation between research institutions in different countries and on a certain scale. (3) Since 2000, soil carbon sequestration has been more frequently mentioned in articles on land use change. Related research was mostly focused on exploring the impact of different land use types and different farming methods on soil organic carbon content in the context of global warming. Land use change and management among agricultural land, woodland, and grassland are the focus of research. The conversion of woodland to agricultural land and grassland is an important reason for the decrease in soil carbon sequestration. Corresponding management measures can be taken to improve soil carbon sequestration. Future research should use multidisciplinary technical means and methods to further explore the interaction mechanism between climate change, land use change, and soil carbon sequestration, so as to carry out more accurate prediction and assessment of different climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the responses of nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions to pan-European changes in land cover, land management and climate, an integrated dynamic model, INTEGRATOR, has been developed. This model includes both simple process-based descriptions and empirical relationships, and uses detailed GIS-based environmental and farming data in combination with various downscaling methods. This paper analyses the propagation of uncertainties in model inputs and model parameters to outputs of INTEGRATOR, using a Monte Carlo analysis. Uncertain model inputs and parameters were represented by probability distributions, while spatial correlation in these uncertainties was taken into account by assigning correlation coefficients at various spatial scales. The uncertainty propagation was analysed for the emissions of NH3, N2O and NOx and N leaching to groundwater and N surface runoff to surface water for the entire EU27 and for individual countries. Results show large uncertainties for N leaching and N runoff (relative errors of ~19% for Europe as a whole), and smaller uncertainties for emission of N2O, NH3 and NOx (relative errors of ~12%). Uncertainties for Europe as a whole were much smaller compared to uncertainties at Country level, because errors partly cancelled out due to spatial aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China's rural land system, the collective owns the land, and farmers, as members of the collective, can acquire land contractual management rights through land contracting. With the second round of land contracts nearing expiration, the central government has announced that the term should be extended for 30 years. This paper introduces the theory of psychological ownership to explore the implementation paths of the 30-year extension policy. The study finds that (1) farmers generally exhibit strong psychological ownership towards the contracted land. (2) The Household Contract Responsibility System satisfies the three routes for the formation of psychological ownership—control, intimate knowledge, and self-investment. As the duration of farmers' possession of contracted land extends, their psychological ownership gradually forms and strengthens. (3) Farmers' psychological ownership has both positive and negative effects. The 30-year extension policy must adhere to the path dependence formed by the evolution of the land contract system, comply with the institutional constraints imposed by rural land collective ownership, and simultaneously meet the practical demands posed by urban–rural integration and agricultural development. Drawing on the complex effects of farmers' psychological ownership and considering the historical, institutional, and practical contexts of policy implementation, this study proposes the dual necessity of facilitating and restraining farmers' psychological ownership when extending for another 30 years and offers corresponding policy suggestions. Facilitation requires empowering farmers with more stable land possession and stronger land rights. Restraint requires preventing the permanent locking of rural land allocation patterns to achieve fair and efficient land allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sahelian Great Green Wall (SGGW) is an influential project to combat desertification and promote sustainable land management on a large scale, involving 11 countries in the Sahel region of Africa. The UNCCD's 2020 progress report showed a mixed picture concerning the meeting of the initial targets. At the One Planet Summit in 2021, announcements were made to consolidate the implementation of the SGGW, most notably with the creation of the Great Green Wall Accelerator. In this context, our paper sets out to review the scientific work conducted with regard to the SGGW. We have thus carried out a bibliometric analysis of the literature on SGGW. Although the initiative involves 11 countries and covers a large spectrum of scientific disciplines, our results show the predominance of ecological studies in the SGGW literature and a concentration of studies in certain geographies of interest, such as northern Senegal. Moreover, based on a secondary analysis of publications on land restoration and sustainable ecosystem management in Sahelian countries, we show that the literature relevant to SGGW topics is richer and fills in the information gaps we have identified at thematic and geographical levels. By showing that SGGW studies are overly focused on certain topics and geographical areas, our paper argues for a better interdisciplinary mobilization of researchers working on GGW-related topics. The scientific and operational success of the project depends on stronger networking between the different research teams and themes, both in Africa and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, and this percentage is increasing every day. Accelerated urbanization leads to overbuilding, air and environmental pollution, climate change, and various other environmental problems. One of the ways to solve these problems is the planning of green infrastructure (GI). The development of GI brings a number of social, ecological, and economic benefits, and it is one of the ways to achieve sustainable development. Therefore, it is important to include GI in land management systems. This study used VOSviewer to analyze 4385 published papers in the field of GI and 110 studies on GI in combination with land management, land administration, LADM, and land use planning from the WoS database for the periods from 1995 to 2022 and from 2007 to 2022, respectively. The current research used the bibliometric method to see what the trends are in GI and how much GI has been researched for the purpose of land management. It was shown that researchers are giving more and more importance to GI, but GI in land management systems is still not sufficiently researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as a potential sink or source. Land management influences SOC storage, so the European Parliament decided in 2013 that changes in carbon stocks within a certain land use type, including arable land, must be reported by all member countries in their national inven- tory reports for greenhouse gas emissions. Here we show the temporal dynamics of SOC during the past two decades in Swedish agricultural soils, based on soil inventories conducted in 1988-1997 (Inventory I), 2001-2007 (Inventory II) and from 2010 onwards (Inventory III), and link SOC changes with trends in agricultural management. From Inventory I to Inventory II, SOC increased in 16 out of 21 Swedish counties, while from Inventory I to Inventory III it increased in 18 out of 21 counties. Mean topsoil (0- 20 cm) SOC concentration for the entire country increased from 2.48 to 2.67%C (a relative increase of 7.7 %, or 0.38%yr-1) over the whole period. We attributed this to a substantial increase in ley as a proportion of total agricultural area in all counties. The horse population in Sweden has more than doubled since 1981 and was identified as the main driver for this management change (R² = 0.72). Due to subsidies introduced in the early 1990s, the area of long-term set-aside (mostly old leys) also contributed to the increase in area of ley. The carbon sink function of Swedish agricultural soils demonstrated in this study differs from trends found in neighbouring countries. This indicates that country-specific or local socio-economic drivers for land management must be accounted for in larger-scale predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public urban lands significantly benefit the people, environment, and economy and demand protection and proper management from people. However, unauthorized encroachment and occupation of public lands by Burundians have posed a significant threat to the sustainability of public lands. Understanding legal and policy responses and their coherence are critical for long-term public urban land management. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the coherency and ambiguity in the existing legal and policy frameworks vis -à- vis the management of public urban lands in Burundi. The such policy-level analysis could help to scrutinize the areas of policy intervention to improve the management of public urban lands. Qualitative research was applied. Data were collected from desk reviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. A Common Analytical Framework was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the different land-related policies. The evaluation is made based on three criteria: the content of each policy, governance of the policy under evaluation, and policy linkage to land management. The findings reveal that public urban land issues are fragmentally found in different policies and consequently are ineffectively managed by various institutions. This paper recommends the need for mainstreaming of public urban land in the land management programmes as well as harmonization of policy frameworks to effectively deal with public urban lands in Burundi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, transportation and network analysis has become a straightforward application. An underlying problem in transportation and network analysis is to find optimal paths between different locations from sources to destination on a network. Sometimes this optimal path between source to destination has to be done in real-time. Several optimal path algorithms have been proposed by the researchers based on single parameter problem. In this paper, a multi-parameters based optimal path solution is proposed using GIS software for the travelling of children to schools. For these rural schools of Bara tehsil of Prayagraj district in India is selected. Three different parameters are taken to find the optimal path which is population density-based, travelling distance-based and travelling time-based optimal path. The developed optimum path is the least cost and satisfied by the other technical, environmental, economic and social criteria. This paper provides a solution if the government need to apply any policy that needs to visit each school. This paper will help the government in land management. On the basis of this paper, government can find schools which are not connected with road and can plan a new road to connect each school by road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and land management practices are projected to significantly affect soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) leaching from soils. In this modelling study, we adopted the Century model to simulate past (1906-2012), present, and future (2013-2100) SOC and DOC levels for sandy and loamy soils typical for Northwestern European conditions under three land use types (forest, grassland and arable land) and several future scenarios addressing climate change and land management change. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the Century model has been applied to assess the effects of climate change and land management on DOC concentrations and leaching rates, which, in combination with SOC, play a major role in metal transport through soil. The simulated current SOC levels were generally in line with the observed values for the different kinds of soil and land use types. The climate change scenarios result in a decrease in both SOC and DOC for the agricultural systems, whereas for the forest systems, SOC is projected to slightly increase and DOC to decrease. An analysis of the sole effects of changes in temperature and changes in precipitation showed that, for SOC, the temperature effect predominates over the precipitation effect, whereas for DOC, the precipitation effect is more prominent. A reduction in the application rates of fertilizers under the land management scenario leads to a decrease in the SOC stocks and the DOC leaching rates for the arable land systems, but has a negligible effect on SOC and DOC levels for the grassland systems. Our study demonstrated the ability of the Century model to simulate climate change and agricultural management effects on SOC dynamics and DOC leaching, providing a robust tool for the assessment of carbon sequestration and the implications for contaminant transport in soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permanent grasslands (PG) feature in the European rural landscape and represent a major agricultural production resource. They support multiple non-provisioning ecosystem services (ES), including climate regulation, flood control, biodiversity, and pollination. PG are at risk of loss or degradation due to agricultural land use and land management changes. The objective of this systematic review is to identify the main economic influences shaping management and maintenance of PG, and the risks and opportunities for delivery of a range of ES. A total of 51 papers were included. Relevant policy interventions and economic drivers are identified in relation to how they shape the management of EU grasslands over time and across farming systems, countries, or biogeographic zones. A high reliance on public payments from the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with uneven impact on mitigating PG losses and associated ES provisions, was identified, which needs to be considered in relation to ongoing CAP reform. There is a gap in the literature regarding economic tipping points for change. Future research needs to identify and map ES provisions by PG along with trade-offs and synergies, and link this to policy. There are substantive challenges to maintaining Europe's PG area and management, which must be addressed through EU-wide instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major limiting factor affecting the uptake of conservation agriculture practices in smallholder farming systems in sub‐Saharan Africa is the limited availability of sufficient crop residues for use as surface mulch. This paper assesses the trade‐offs in crop residue utilization among smallholder farmers and its implications for soil management in the face of climate change risks in northern Ghana. The paper triangulated data from 350 household surveys with participatory key informant interviews from seven selected communities in three districts of northern Ghana. The problem confrontation index (PCI) was adopted to identify and rank the challenges associated with farmers' decision to use crop residues, while a multivariate probit model was used to analyse and predict the factors that influence farmers' choice of crop residue management practices. Results showed that crop residues were used as cooking fuel in households (21%), livestock feed (21%), left on the farm to decompose as mulch (34%) or burned to clear the land (24%). Key challenges identified included high labour cost (PCI = 404), high labour intensity (PCI = 388), the cost and transport for collection and storage of externally sourced crop residue (PCI = 383) and the low benefit from crop residue to farm output/soil fertility (PCI = 339). Results from the multivariate probit model revealed that household and farm variables, institutional and socio‐psychological factors, and experience of some climate shocks all influence farmers' choice of crop residue management practices. Crop residue use and management practices adopted were determined by factors including the crops being grown, challenges faced by farmers and the management options available. The study recommends the need for the Government of Ghana to empower farmers through the provision of technical knowledge and machinery for the sustainable utilization of crop residues due to the high labour intensity and cost associated with such practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the effectiveness of the management of land resources for agricultural enterprises suggested factors affecting the market for agricultural products, which integrates a system of environmental, economic and social indicators in this area. The paper highlights main theoretical aspects of the land resource management of the agricultural enterprises. The essence of land resource management is shown based on the definition of the objects of management, which are land resources of agricultural enterprises, subjects of management, which are landowners and employees of such agricultural enterprises, and objective of management, which is providing and maintaining the efficiency of land resources usage as a key factor of agricultural production. The land market and its structure are presented in detail. Described prospects management of land resources of agricultural enterprises. A complete analysis of mortgage lending secured by agricultural lands has been carried out. A decrease in the number of agricultural enterprises, which is mostly connected with imperfections of land governance, formed in the state, has been identified. Relationships between strengths and weaknesses of agricultural enterprises, opportunities, and threats of efficient land use have been identified. Scenarios of economic development have been considered, which should be taken into account while developing a strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing attention to climate change and biodiversity loss, conservation social science research on land management practices is burgeoning. Researchers have broadened their focus from protected areas to diverse types of land management to support conservation and climate mitigation. But, developing effective strategies for these issues requires an in‐depth understanding of both the socio‐psychological factors that guide landholders' decision‐making and global trends in land management practices and literature. To assess the trends and status of land management behavior research, we systematically reviewed research published between 2010 and 2020 in five seminal conservation journals. Of 11,607 articles reviewed, we identified 100 articles about land management behavior. We assessed theoretical groundings, measurement methodology, land‐use terminology and practices, ecosystem type, and geographic distribution. We identified strengths and significant gaps and weaknesses across land management research. For example, 52% of articles made no meaningful connection to theory, only 14% of papers used observed behavioral data, 86% of studies uses non‐experimental methods and researchers disproportionately measured land management behavior in developed nations (66%). We also find that language used to describe land management behavior is very heterogeneous, making it difficult to summarize land management research using traditional systematic review methods. Conducting a limited systematic review can help summarize research and also identify trends across disciplines that might otherwise missed. Results from our limited systematic review can guide future research and support the development of evidence‐based policies to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions and land use intensity serve as crucial indicators of land management. This paper proposes a methodological framework to elucidate the sustainability of carbon emissions in rural areas via a coordination model, scrutinizes the correlation with land use intensity, and investigates the significance of influential factors. The study focuses on village-level units within Ningde City, and finds the pronounced spatial heterogeneity characterizing the distribution of carbon emissions across different villages: (1) Villages exhibiting high levels of carbon emissions are predominantly concentrated in the southeast region, whereas those with low carbon emission levels are primarily clustered in the northwest region. The majority of the villages serve as net carbon emission sources. (2) Spatial disparities exist in the impact of land use intensity on economic benefits from carbon sources, ecological benefits from carbon sinks, and carbon emission sustainability. (3) Significant variations exist in the influence of factors affecting land use intensity, economic benefits of carbon sources, ecological benefits of carbon sinks, and the sustainability of carbon emissions in rural areas. These findings could guide governments in implementing distinct land use control policies and provide a framework for assessing carbon emission sustainability within land management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land degradation is one of the major challenges causing food insecurity and instability in Ethiopia. A comprehensive study on trends and drivers of land degradation and, socioeconomic and ecological impact of land degradation is necessary for an effective and sustainable mitigation measures. This study reviewed the drivers, trends and impacts of land degradation, existing sustainable land management (SLM) practices, and policies for land use and resources management. We employed the keyword research acquisition approach to review 122 scientific papers, reports, and other documents. The scientific literatures in the study were accessed through as the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar search engines, while reports and other additional materials were sourced from a variety of repositories and governmental offices. There has been a substantial increase in soil erosion since the 1980s in the highlands of Ethiopia. Illegal logging, poor land management system, overgrazing of pasturelands, population growth, insecure land tenure, war and conflict, poverty, ineffective government policies and programs, institutional issues, poor rural markets, and low agricultural inputs remained the major drivers for land degradation in Ethiopia causing huge loss of agricultural production and environmental unsustainability. Biological and physical soil and water conservation measures, exclosure establishment, afforestation, and reforestation programs are the most common intervention measures of preventing and restoring degraded lands. SLM practices such as intercropping systems, composting, crop rotation, zero grazing, minimum tillage, agroforestry and rotational grazing has been implemented across the country. However, land security and the absence of clearly defined property rights are the major factors that influence farmers' decisions for a long-term investment on land resources. Thus the SLM practices and various restoration interventions remain a critical requirement to address the growing concerns of land degradation in Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the four major bay areas in the world, the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is a highly integrated mega urban agglomeration and its unparalleled urbanization has induced prominent land contradictions between humans and nature, which hinders its sustainability and has become the primary concern in this region. In this paper, we probed the historical characteristics of land use and land cover change (LUCC) in the GBA from 2005 to 2015, and forecasted its future land use pattern for 2030, 2050, and 2070, using a cellular automata–Markov (CA–Markov) model, under three typical tailored scenarios, i.e., urban development (UD), cropland protection (CP), and ecology security (ES), for land use optimization. The major findings are as follows: (1) The encroachments of build-up land on the other land uses under rapid urbanization accounted for the leading forces of LUCCs in the past decade. Accordingly, the urban sprawl was up to 1441.73 km2 (23.47%), with cropland, forest land, and water areas reduced by 570.77 km2 (4.38%), 526.05 km2 (1.76%), and 429.89 km2 (10.88%), respectively. (2) Based on the validated CA–Markov model, significant differences are found in future land use patterns under multiple scenarios, with the discrepancy magnified over time and driven by different orientations. (3) Through comprehensive comparisons and tradeoffs, the ES scenario mode seems optimal for the GBA in the next decades, which optimizes the balance between socio-economic development and ecological protection. These results serve as an early warning for future land problems and can be applied to land use management and policy formulation to promote the sustainable development of the GBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use practices face significant pressure due to increased demand and conflicting needs. Several factors contribute to this trend, such as the ever-increasing human population, the increased demand for food production, and the expansion of industrial and agricultural areas. This paper, focused on the cultivation patterns and investigating changes in land use of maize and soybean over time (i.e., both genetically modified and non-genetically modified) in two South African provinces. The objective was to determine whether there was a net increase or decrease in land cover age for these two crops between 2006 and 2017 in the selected study areas. Hence, the study utilized ArcGIS (10.8.1) software to quantify and map the land used for the cultivation of maize and soybean from 2006 to 2017 in Free State and North West provinces. The results show both provinces to have minimal expansion or change in cultivation areas for both maize and soybean between 2006 and 2017. We concluded that both maize and soybean cultivation areas in these provinces, did not expand beyond the current agricultural areas (space), and did not encroach onto new land areas. As a result, both maize and soybean do not currently pose a threat to the surrounding landscape (i.e., natural vegetation) and are not in direct competition with other neighboring land use practices. We recommend that data on the annual planting or cultivation area be consistently gathered, analyzed, and mapped to monitor any alterations that could influence the current findings. This will also assist with any land use planning and management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines a feature-level fusion framework for detecting and mapping land degradation (LD) and enabling sustainable land management (SLM) in semi-arid areas using optical sensors and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data. The objectives of this review were to (i) determine the trends and geographical location of land degradation mapping publications, (ii) to identify and report current challenges pertaining to mapping LD using multiscale remote sensing data, (iii) to recommend a way forward for monitoring LD using multiscale remote sensing data. The study reviewed 78 peer-reviewed research articles published over the past 24 years (1998–2022). Image fusion has the potential to be more useful in various remote sensing applications than individual sensor image data, making it more informative and valuable in the interpretation process. In addition, this review discusses the importance of SAR and optical image fusion, pixel-level techniques, applications, and major classes of quality metrics for objectively assessing fusion performance. The literature review alluded that the SAR and optical image fusion in the detection and mapping of land degradation and enabling sustainable land management has not been fully explored. Advanced techniques such as the fusion of SAR and optical satellite imageries need to be incorporated for the detection and mapping of LD, as well as the promotion of SLM in halting LD in South African drylands and around the world. We conclude that there is scope for further research on the fusion of SAR and optical images, as new micro-wave and optical sensors with higher resolution are introduced on a regular basis. The results of this review contribute to a better understanding of the applications of SAR and optical image fusion in future research in the severely degraded drylands of southern Africa. The fusion of SAR and optical data still remains an open challenge. The future of different remote sensing applications lies in this kind of fusion. Land degradation is one of the greatest challenges amongst the environmental problems in South Africa, causing a reduction in the capacity of the land to perform ecosystem functions and services that support society and development. Yet, in South Africa, there are no studies that have widely investigated the potential for a fusion of SAR and optical data to detect and map land degradation and SLM practices. This paper established a baseline for understanding the application of a fusion of SAR and optical data as rapid tools for mapping, monitoring, and evaluating LD, as well as the impacts of SLM practices in South Africa's degraded drylands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A revolutionary book by De Soto to formalize land tenure by changing "dead capital" to "life capital" has become the trademark in Egypt of issuing a temporary reconciliation law of 2019 and its amendment to approve a legal certificate to the violators against a certain fee. The question is does this law legalize informal housing? Is it enough to introduce a legal certificate to secure land tenure for the violators? How would this law apply on the ground? Depending on the deductive methodology, this paper traces sociotechnical transitions concerning legalizing the status quo of building/land, tenure security, real-estate markets (formal/informal) caused by laws on buildings violations reconciliation. The idea is to take a step back and look at a wide angle of the problem in the future to arrive at a clear picture of the influences of the introduction of a new law on the land market, before making a decision. The paper assumes that the temporary reconciliation law in Egypt is opening the debate on the alteration of land management to govern the status quo of the chaos of the right to land. It concludes this temporary reconciliation law has created a state of decayed/wealth, social inclusion/exclusion of the bottom of the social pyramid nevertheless to whom the justification is affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the carrier of global urbanization, urban land is the basic means of productivity and life of urban residents. Urban land management is of great significance to global climate change mitigation, improving ecological quality, promoting economic development, and ensuring sustainable urban development. At present, although studies on urban land management have accumulated at the global level, the differences in research methods, objectives, and perspectives have led to the fragmentation and confusion of research conclusions. Therefore, it is necessary to review the literature of urban land management, clarify the research contexts, grasp the research progress, and predict the research trends. Bibliometrics, as a quantitative analysis method of literature review analysis, is more comprehensive and objective than relying only on a literature review. It is of great value to grasp the topics and trends of the research field from an overall perspective. In this paper, the Bibliometrix R software package was used to conduct an econometric literature analysis on urban land management from 1979 to 2021, using the Web of Science database. The results showed that: (1) the annual scientific research output and citation frequency in the field of urban land management has generally increased. Combined with the annual change trend of scientific research output, urban land management research can be divided into three stages: the budding period, from 1979 to 1989, the development period, from 1990 to 2008, and the high-yield period, from 2009 to 2021. (2) The 129 countries/regions reviewed differed in their research output, and developed countries showed strong research. The United States, China, and Australia were the top three countries in terms of solo publications and cooperation publications. In addition, among the 16,270 authors, the top three authors were Pradhan, Zhao, and Li. (3) The top three keywords in the field of urban land management were "Management", "City/Cities" and "Land Use". The research topics can be divided into three stages. The first stage covers studies with topics of "Management", "Urbanization" and "GIS", from 1979 to 2013. From 2014 to 2018, the research topics were gradually enriched by "Urbanization", "Impact", "System", "GIS", "Management", "Policy", "Conservation" and "land", with a trend towards multidisciplinary and multi-perspective comprehensive analyses. From 2019 to 2021, "Management" and "Climate Change" were the main topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After nearly forty years of development, China's land consolidation policies (CLCP) have become an important tool for promoting rural revitalization and sustainable development. However, as a major land management policy, there is still a lack of quantitative evaluation research on its text. This paper establishes an evaluation system for CLCP using text analysis and the PMC-Index model. Based on a reasonable definition of the connotation of land consolidation, this paper collects 313 related policies issued by China's central government from 1982 to 2022, using text analysis to sort out the characteristics of issuance time, policy types, issuing institutions, and cooperation networks. By combining the outcomes of text mining with the previous research results to set evaluation indicators for the PMC-Index model, it distinguishes between comprehensive policies and specialized policies and separately evaluates them. Then, the PMC-Surface is established to clearly display the calculation results. The results show that the evaluation scores of comprehensive policies and specialized policies showed an upward trend over time. This indicates that the content of CLCP is constantly being enriched and expanded. The evaluation scores for different dimensions of comprehensive policies are relatively balanced, whereas there are significant differences in the evaluation scores of various dimensions of specialized policies. Both comprehensive policies and specialized policies have weaknesses in policy functions, incentives and constraints, and implementation guarantees, so improvements may be needed in these areas in the future. This study provides valuable insights into the advantages and disadvantages of a single land consolidation policy in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated land is the basis of food security and an important component of the construction of ecological civilization. The sustainable use of cultivated land is an important issue in land resource management, and it is also an inevitable factor when addressing the contradiction between food demands and resource and environmental constraints. Cultivated land use is both a food production process and a water- and energy-intensive process. Therefore, sustainable use of cultivated land is important not only for cultivated land itself but also for the associated social, economic, and ecological impacts of water and energy input. Therefore, based on the water–land–energy–food nexus, this paper carries out a theoretical analysis of cultivated land use following the element–structure–function framework and builds an evaluation framework of the sustainable use of cultivated land. Finally, this paper selects appropriate evaluation indicators to evaluate the changes in element coordination and function trade-offs of cultivated land use in Quzhou County from 2000 to 2020; analyzes the key influencing factors in detail; and proposes future development directions. The results reflect the fact that the element coordination degree showed obvious continuous decline three times in a row, then a brief rise, and it finally stabilized at a high level, whereas the synergies between the functions decreased and then increased. This means that the sustainable use level of cultivated land in Quzhou County basically presents a good trend. At present, the obstacle that is restricting the efficient use of cultivated land and sustainable development is water, which should be improved by some measures in the future. The results of this evaluation have important theoretical and practical significance for identifying the characteristics of changes in cultivated land use and for guiding future sustainable use in Quzhou County and other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kyungu (sometimes known as Kiungu or Kyungu) and Kifunyi, (sometimes known as Mbuoni, Mbuonyi, Kifuunyi or Ukuunyi) are revered places for any Chagga family. It is located within a Chagga Kihamba and is believed to be the origin or first settlement of the clan, marked by the presence of a significant tree and traditional Chagga sacred plant--isale. Within the Kyungu and Kifunyi landscapes, one finds a scatter of material remains, including potsherds, bones, bottles and pieces of clothes. These material cultures and local narratives signify spiritual practices, rituals and remembrance ceremonies around the Kyungu and Kifunyi area. Elders and spiritual leaders meet under Kyungu to perform such rituals and other related ceremonies to remember clan ancestors and ask for ancestral interventions to resolve hunger, droughts and other natural calamities. Following these community--Kyungu and Kifunyi interactions, the landscape in which isale forms a part has acquired a special status serving as a medium through which the living communicates with the dead. Although there is a slight alteration in the performance and continuation of these practices due to the invention of modern religions such as Christianity, these activities continue to take place under and around these spots. The community still cherish and maintains these places as heritage and a connector between the dead and the living. Against this background, this paper seeks to show how land and culture among the Chagga of Kilimanjaro, NE Tanzania are markers of deeptime spirituality and human-environment interactions. This paper argues that land and culture are both symbols and means of identity creation in which social relations between ancestors, the living and even the environment are constructed and prosper. For consistency, this paper uses Kyungu and Kifunyi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic land titling in the field of land administration being a new concept of right registration on land and properties developed on it, is seen to be the future of a centric land administration in Rwanda. Rwanda is promoting a cashless economy and a full paperless land administration aiming at promoting the principle of "zero trip zero paper". Since the completion of systematic land registration, the country has achieved a commendable work in the regularization of land tenure system which took place from 2009 to 2013 resulting to a mass land titling process where over 10,6 million of land certificates were registered and issued to land owners at a glance. Given that the application to land services mostly results to the issuance of a physical land title which acts as the proof of land ownership that can be presented as a collateral to financial institutions while applying for financial support, the title is supposed to be strictly taken care by the owner to avoid the loss or physical damage. Also, the production of a physical land title implies huge cost to the Government of Rwanda and to the citizens. Once e-titling is implemented, all these bottlenecks will be addressed since land owners will only use their electronic gadgets like phones, IPADS and computers to access their information and keep their land titles digitally. This paper seeks to enlighten policy makers and professionals in land administration on the importance of implementing electronic land titling and how it can increase transparency, equity, and accountability and speed up land related services and other services that require a proof of real property ownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is among the countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change. The country has experienced severe floods and droughts during recent decades. The agricultural sector in Pakistan is adversely affected by climate change. This systematic review paper set out to analyze the existing literature on adaptation measures at the farm level toward climate change in Pakistan. Adopting a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method, a total of 62 articles were identified from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The review paper indicates that the main adaptation strategies adopted by farmers are as follows: changing cropping practices, changing farm management techniques, advanced land use management practices, and nonagriculture livelihood options. Further, this review shows the factors influencing the farmer's adaptation measures to climate change. Influencing factors were examined and classified into three groups: demographic, socioeconomic, and resources and institutional. Barriers hindering farmers' adaptive capacity were identified as lack of access to information and knowledge, lack of access to extension services, lack of access to credit facility, and lack of farm resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem process models are important tools for determining the interactive effects of global change and disturbance on forest carbon dynamics. Here we evaluated and improved terrestrial carbon cycling simulated by the Community Land Model (CLM4), the land model portion of the Community Earth System Model (CESM1.0.4). Our analysis was conducted primarily in Oregon forests using FLUXNET and forest inventory data for the period 2001-2006. We go beyond prior modeling studies in the region by incorporating regional variation in physiological parameters from > 100 independent field sites in the region. We also compare spatial patterns of simulated forest carbon stocks and net primary production (NPP) at 15 km resolution using data collected from federal forest inventory plots (FIA) from > 3000 plots in the study region. Finally, we evaluate simulated gross primary production (GPP) with FLUXNET eddy-covariance tower data at wet and dry sites in the region. We improved model estimates by making modifications to CLM4 to allow physiological parameters (e.g. foliage carbon to nitrogen ratios and specific leaf area), mortality rate, biological nitrogen fixation, and wood allocation to vary spatially by plant functional type (PFT) within an ecoregion based on field plot data in the region. Prior to modifications, default parameters resulted in underestimation of stem biomass in all forested ecoregions except the Blue Mountains and annual NPP was both over and underestimated. After modifications, model estimates of mean NPP fell within the observed range of uncertainty in all ecoregions (two-sided p-value = 0.8) and the underestimation of stem biomass was reduced. This was an improvement from the default configuration by 50% for stem biomass and 30% for NPP. At the tower sites, modeled monthly GPP fell within the observed range of uncertainty at both sites for the majority of the year, however summer GPP was underestimated at the Metolius semi-arid pine site and spring GPP was overestimated at the Campbell River mesic Douglas-fir site, indicating GPP may be an area for further improvement. The low bias in summer maximum GPP at the semi-arid site could be due to seasonal response of Vcmax to temperature and precipitation while overestimated spring values at the mesic site could be due to response of Vcmax to temperature and daylength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]