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Paris agreement’s 2°C target has set a goal for the entire World to reduce emissions. Simultaneously, the countries which are a party to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are also required to set voluntary national climate targets to reduce emissions. For achieving these targets, mitigations efforts have to be made at every possible level, especially from the metropolitan cities as they are the prominent source of emissions. This raises the requirement of elucidating the meaning of climate targets at local levels. In this context, the present study tries to interpret the global and national targets at the level of a metropolitan region and quantify the amount of emission reduction required. Mumbai Metropolitan Region in India was studied for this purpose. Paris Agreement’s 2°C target as a global target and India’s climate target defined in its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions as the national target were studied. These climate targets were translated into emission budgets for Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Comparing these with Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s emission forecast showed that it requires a 16.8% reduction to meet the national target while a 40% to 47% reduction to meet the global target. The results are significant for policy makers and planners to design focused mitigation policies and support national efforts to govern climate change., The article is a part of Ph.D. dissertation conducted by the corresponding author (first author) under second author’s supervision in Kyoto University, Japan. The dissertation is available online at Kyoto University depository.

Jakarta–Bandung Mega Urban Region (JBMUR), located in the western part of Java Island, Indonesia, is experiencing rapid regional development which can be observed from its increase in population density, massive changes of land-use from agricultural land into built-up area, rapid development of infrastructure and facilities, and advances in economic activities. Unfortunately, problems related to sustainability emerge along with this rapid regional development, primarily in decrease in environmental quality and social performance, leading to unsustainable development. This study aims: (1) to develop indicators promoting sustainable development at the subdistrict level, named the local sustainability index (LSI), utilizing factor analysis; (2) to observe local-scale spatial interdependency by employing local indicator of spatial association (LISA) statistics; and (3) to identify regional clusters based on LSI scores using K-means clustering method. Our LISA results show that spatial interdependency of local sustainability performances exists between local-scale spatial units: the LSI of a subdistrict is influenced by the sustainability state of the surrounding areas. Meanwhile, the clustering results show that most subdistricts in JBMUR are categorized as members of cluster 1 with low LSI values in economic and social dimensions but moderate in environmental dimensions.

Jakarta and Bandung metropolitan areas in Indonesia are experiencing urban expansion, which makes these two metropolitan areas increasingly connected by corridors to become one mega-urban. Karawang and Purwakarta Regencies are part of the Jakarta-Bandung corridor area which then triggers the urban physical development. This study aims to 1) Determine the level of service facilities in Karawang and Purwakarta Regencies; 2) Identify the changes in built-up and paddy fields Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) of Karawang and Purwakarta Regency based on existing and future conditions, and 3) Propose recommendations to control the urban physical development in Karawang and Purwakarta Regency. Analysis of level service facilities was carried out by using the scalogram method. Changes of built-up and paddy fields LULC in the existing and future conditions (projected using the CA-Markov method) are based on LULC of 2005, 2010 and 2018. Recommendations are given based on the grouping of villages with the same characteristics using the quantitative zoning method. Results showed the village development index in 2018 as the level of service facilities indicators, has a high or more developed value in the area around the connecting accessibility route between Jabodetabek and Greater Bandung metropolitan area. Changes in built-up and paddy fields LULC also the same trend as the village development index that is characterized by a fairly large increase in the area of built-up LULC in Karawang and Purwakarta Regencies. Recommendations are given to address specific problems that exist in each village group formed based on the spatial clustering method result.

The growth of secondary and tertiary sectors in the peri-urban villages results in development strain and causes demographic, socio-economic, and spatial transformations. Deficiency in provisioning of basic services is one of the prime concerns for these villages. This study aims to examine the present conditions and the community’s attitude towards waste management, and whether the self-help groups (SHGs) can aid in developing a sense of collective responsibility. Five villages from the Bhiwandi Surrounding Notified Area in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India, were selected for a case study investigation of the current situation of service provisioning by the rural local bodies. Questionnaire surveys were conducted for 122 households and the heads of all SHGs in the villages simultaneously. Due to the limited household surveys, the data were triangulated with documents and interviews with officials. The results were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed to understand people’s perception of the SHGs and the major factors through which the groups contribute in improving livelihoods and living conditions. The SHGs also play a significant role in developing awareness of issues and social integration in the rapidly evolving structure of these peri-urban communities, as is highlighted in the case studies. The relations between SHG participation and literacy levels on the attitude towards local involvement in solid waste management for the villages were analysed. The resulting significant correlations point towards the consideration of these factors while planning for a development model for peri-urban villages. Policy-level support to the SHGs can help in fostering local partnerships and community initiatives towards better service delivery in the villages. This kind of social empowerment forms the basis for social sustainability, which in turn promotes economic and environmental sustainability.

After decentralization, there was massive development in Jakarta megacity’s outer suburbs (JMOS), especially in Bekasi and Tangerang regencies, marked by large-scale industrial estate/park (LSIEP) and followed by new town developments. However, this process led to the emergence of “chaotic” urban-rural land patterns. This study sought to identify the extent to which LSIEP development has affected rural-urban land transformation (RULT). The primary data were land use/cover (LUC) data from 2005, 2015, and 2020 and the LSIEP distributions. The methods applied are the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model for 2025’s LUC prediction and the RULT index approach, RULT index development using the analytical hierarchy process. These combined approaches were novel in Indonesia, which usually relies on Cellular Automata (CA)-Markov, overlay (spatial), and descriptive statistics analyses to describe the RULT phenomenon. It was found that the villages located around the LSIEP close to the Jakarta megacity toll road network and those adjacent to the municipality (city) had been transformed into urban areas, while villages far from those locations were still rural. This study’s results help clarify the rural to urban transformation in Jakarta megacity’s outer suburbs and could be used as input for spatial planning policy.

The urban form is the physical configuration of a city, developed over time and space. Urban form can be considered at different scales, from region to neighborhood, each carrying a different focus. North Cianjur serves as the hinterland and one of the conurbation corridors of the Jakarta–Bandung Mega-Urban Region, meaning that the balance between its function as an environmental buffer area and the destination of urban growth needs to be planned carefully. This paper explores the dynamics in North Cianjur and employs several model scenarios as a planning intervention using landscape dynamic tools and land-change modeling, with three scenarios employed: Business as Usual (BAU), Spatial Planning Policy (SPP), and Urban Containment (UCT). The result show that North Cianjur has transformed into a polycentric region with two urban zones, a peri-urban zone, and a rural zone in the northernmost part of the region. Urban form trends show a sprawling built-up pattern outside urban zones, and a compacted trend in urban zones due to expansion from the Jakarta and Bandung Metropolitan Area. UCT models appear to be the most optimal for implementation in North Cianjur, representing a way to accommodate urban growth and expansion inside the urban center while still maintaining regional sustainability.

Seagrass beds in central Vietnam plays an important role in the aquatic ecosystem. The area of seagrass beds in Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area (MPA), central Vietnam, has been reported to be declining in recent years. However, there has not been any study on assessing the changes in the area of seagrass beds in Cu Lao Cham MPA, especially by the application of remote sensing technology for evaluating temporal and spatial changes. The aim of this study is to establish the current status and document historical changes using maps of seagrass area in Cu Lao Cham MPA, central Vietnam, during the period of 2003–2017. This is the first study on assessing the temporal and spatial changes in the area of seagrass beds in central Vietnam using remote sensing technology. The study integrated field surveys, satellite remote sensing and GIS methods to analyse ALOS AVNIR-2 and Landsat satellite image data during the period of 2003–2017. The Kappa coefficients and overall accuracies of the years 2003, 2010 and 2017 were generally higher than 89% and 0.83, respectively, in all cases. Seagrass beds have mainly distributed near small islands such as Hon La, Hon Tai and Hon Dai. In particular, seagrass beds have almost disappeared at Bai Ong and Bai Huong in April 2017. In the period of 2003–2017, the area of the seagrass bed experienced significant changes. The seagrass area loss was 40.17 ha, and it gained 58.6 ha in the period of 2003–2010. In the period of 2010–2017, the loss of seagrass area was 68.76 ha, and the new addition was 7.27 ha. The study has identified a number of impacts of declining seagrass areas including marine pollution, changes in natural conditions and some other direct impacts from human activities and tourism. The results of this study could contribute to conservation of seagrass resources and sustainable livelihood development for the local community.

Although uneven regional development has long been an issue in Java, most parts of the territory experienced an increased level of development over the last two decades. Due to the variance in local background and spatial heterogeneity, the driving factors of the development level should, theoretically, vary over space. Therefore, in this study, we aim to investigate the local factors that influence the development level of Java’s regions. We used the spatiotemporal pattern analysis, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, and geographically weighted regression (GWR), utilizing the regional development index as the predicted variable, and the social level, economy, infrastructure, land use, and environmental barriers as predictors. As per our results, it was found that the level of development in Java has improved over the past two decades. Metropolitan areas continued to lead this improvement. All the predictors that we examined significantly affected regional development. However, the spatial pattern of the local regression coefficients of Human Development Index (HDI), landslide, paddy conversion, and crime shifted due to changes in the spatial concentration of development activities.

The paper narrates a systematic literature review on ‘’mangrove ecosystem services’’ to identify their typology, distribution, and utilization within the contemporary scientific literature. We performed a systematic review of 76 research articles derived from the Scopus database, and the dataset was scrutinized and classified against the four major categories of ecosystem services, namely provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services, as per the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). We attempted to determine the existing state of the interconnectedness of mangrove ecosystem services by mapping the potential synergies and trade-offs. Further, an attempt was made to understand the critical linkages between mangrove ecosystem services and their contribution to the localization/achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The results suggest disproportionate distribution of scientific literature, where nearly 56 of the studies were concentrated in Asia. The recognition of regulating the services of mangroves, particularly in carbon storage and disaster risk reduction, outnumbered the other types of ecosystem services. In particular, studies related to mangroves’ cultural ecosystem services remain underrepresented. The results show a strong correlation in terms of synergies between the coastal protection ecosystem services and the high carbon sequestration ability of mangroves; and the trade-off between facilitating water transport services and the provision of fresh water. Of the 17 SDGs, three SDGs, namely, SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 13 (climate action), and SDG 14 and 15 (life below water and life on land) showed close interrelationships with the existing database. As such, the results are beneficial for coastal planners to better integrate and mainstream mangrove ecosystem services into coastal and regional planning, by maximizing synergies, encouraging the involvement of coastal communities as well as elaborating ameliorative adaptive measures.

Conservation of protected areas is likely to be challenging in the long term if the dependence of local communities on natural resources is not measured appropriately. We investigated forest ecosystem services utilized by communities living around the Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam, and examined their spatial distributions through the integration of data from interviews, participatory mapping, and GIS analysis. The results suggest that provisioning services are crucial to the local livelihoods, and especially for an ethnic minority group. Many respondents confirmed the collection of specific types of forest foods, materials, and water resources mainly used for family consumption. We conducted spatial pattern analysis with land use, administrative units, terrain conditions, and accessibility, and clarified the characteristics of the spatial distribution of ecosystem service collection in relation to these factors, resource abundance, and forest governance. We propose the introduction of community-based tourism as one means to improve the livelihood opportunities of the ethnic minority groups to reduce their forest dependence.

It has been suggested that the well-known cultural differences in interdependence across cultures are linked to economic activities, such as farming. However, the underlying processes of how such psychological tendencies are shared among people in a society has not been sufficiently investigated. This article addresses the multilevel processes of how psychological characteristics are shared among people. We focus on collective activities that go beyond the individual’s personal economic activities. Multilevel analyses on a large-scale survey (residents of Japanese communities, N = 7, 295) of 408 communities, along with a follow-up survey (N = 1, 714) of 86 communities, suggested that “concern for reputation” (one aspect of interdependence) was more prevalent in farming communities than in nonfarming communities, not only for farmers, but also for nonfarmers. Furthermore, multilevel mediational analyses suggested that, (a) the proportion of farmers in a community was positively associated with participation in collective activities (e.g., maintenance of community infrastructure) by both farmers and nonfarmers, and (b) this is in turn associated with increased levels of concern for reputation at the community level. Community-level longitudinal analyses revealed that collective activities promoted residents’ concern for reputation about two years later. These findings support our “collective activity” hypothesis, and demonstrate that interdependence can be constructed through social interaction via community activities. Fishing was associated with high levels of self-esteem and risk avoidance, and these effects were found only at the individual level. We conclude that economic activities affect social interaction, which in turn affects the multilevel processes of cultural emergence., 日本社会の「協調性」は農業地域で高く、その一因が「地域活動」にあることを見出しました. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2018-11-02.

Carbon sequestration is one of the most important forest ecosystem functions that has been recognized globally but the dynamics are highly influenced by the alteration of forest cover. Given the different development thrusts in the Laguna province, the estimation and monitoring of carbon storage become an important activity. This study aims to estimate the carbon stock in the Silang-Santa Rosa and Pagsanjan-Lumban watersheds and explore the possible changes as an effect of land use changes. Sentinel-2 and Landsat 5 satellite images covering different time periods were classified to generate the land use maps. The process of carbon stock estimation was implemented using the carbon storage and sequestration model of Integrated Valuation and Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) software. Carbon pool data for the land uses were obtained from different studies and estimates. Classified images covering different time periods showed that the largest land uses among the different land uses in the selected watersheds are built-up and agriculture. Much of the carbon stock was attributed to the high carbon pool values of the forest class. The reduction of forest areas in the watersheds resulted in a decrease in the total carbon stock. The generated land use scenario showing the continued built-up and agriculture expansion decreased the carbon stock further. The estimation of carbon stock based on different land use change scenarios will help in the evaluation and planning of future land use.

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Khanh Hoa (Vietnam) coastal area plays an important role in coastal communities and the marine ecosystem. However, SAV distribution varies widely, in terms of depth and substrate types, making it difficult to monitor using in-situ measurement. Remote sensing can help address this issue. High spatial resolution satellites, with more bands and higher radiometric sensitivity, have been launched recently, including the Vietnamese Natural Resources, Environment, and Disaster Monitoring Satellite (VNREDSat-1) (V1) sensor from Vietnam, launched in 2013. The objective of the study described here was to establish SAV distribution maps for South-Central Vietnam, particularly in the Khanh Hoa coastal area, using Sentinel-2 (S2), Landsat-8, and V1 imagery, and then to assess any changes to SAV over the last ten years, using selected historical data. The satellite top-of-atmosphere signals were initially converted to radiance, and then corrected for atmospheric effects. This treated signal was then used to classify Khanh Hoa coastal water substrates, and these classifications were evaluated using 101 in-situ measurements, collected in 2017 and 2018. The results showed that the three satellites could provide high accuracy, with Kappa coefficients above 0.84, with V1 achieving over 0.87. Our results showed that, from 2008 to 2018, SAV acreage in Khanh Hoa was reduced by 74.2%, while gains in new areas compensated for less than half of these losses. This is the first study to show the potential for using V1 and S2 data to assess the distribution status of SAV in Vietnam, and its outcomes will contribute to the conservation of SAV beds, and to the sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources in the Khanh Hoa coastal area.

The population growth rate of Mumbai city within Mumbai Metropolitan Region shows a declining trend, while that of other areas has been increasing since the past few decades. Kalyan and Bhiwandi are two such developing nodes within the region and the villages around them are also fast urbanising. This study analyses the polycentric governance structure of Mumbai Metropolitan Region with respect to the policy provisions at national, state, and local levels and points out the weaknesses in the system by following an inductive approach. Documentary analysis and interviews with government officials and experts from various related organizations form the base for institutional mapping, and the evolution of the existing regional planning structure is also elaborated upon. The study reveals the hierarchy and inter-relations between the organizations involved in the urban and rural centres within the region. Overlapping, complementing, or conflicting objectives and differences in accountabilities are the major issues discussed to highlight the inefficiencies in development planning and management. In doing so, the study draws theoretical conclusions for overcoming the deficiencies in the system through a reciprocal relationship between the governing bodies, both vertically and horizontally, to make the governance framework more effective.

Supply of non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs) is an important provisioning ecosystem service. It is often argued that forest conservation contributes to poverty alleviation through provisioning of NTFPs to the poor. However, implicit assumptions of the argument that NTFPs are more intensively utilized by poor who lack alternative subsistence options, and that NTFP supplies are limited by forest cover, have rarely been critically examined. This study investigated social and environmental factors affecting NTFP uses in rural areas of Borneo, using a land cover map and socio-economic dataset collected from 1596 households in 87 villages. The NTFPs examined were wild boars, sambar deer, wild fruits, firewood, wild vegetables, and wild mushrooms. To explain the variations in NTFP uses among households, four village and nine household characteristics were considered using generalized linear mixed models. We found that forest cover and collection pressure limit the use of some NTFPs, supporting the second assumption. On the other hand, the first assumption was supported only for firewood, and animals and wild fruits were more frequently used by wealthier households, contrary to this assumption. Other factors (education, age and sex of householder and agricultural activities) were also related to the use of one or more NTFPs. This study demonstrates the complexity of the process by which forest cover and other factors affect the ecosystem services people receive. Evaluation of ecosystem services is an important and urgent research subject today, but it is also necessary to pay attention to who receives the benefits, and who does not.

The Paris Agreement is set to come into effect from the year 2020. With this, the issue of emission sharing responsibility has gained momentum. This paper discusses the future emission allowances of various countries based on different sharing principles. Twelve countries from six continents were chosen for observation based on attributes such as past emissions, extent of development, and population. The aim was to find the implication of different sharing principles in future emission quota of a diverse range of countries. Four different budgeting periods were employed for increased certainty. Future cumulative and per capita emission allowances were estimated. The results prove that longer budgeting periods are more advantageous for developed countries while shorter budgeting periods favor developing countries more. The study brings forth some new developments in emission distribution research, primarily concerned with the low emitting countries. Overall, the study contributes to the field of emission sharing science to meet global climate targets.

Peri-urban areas in developing countries pose unique governance challenges because of their rapid development. Villages in these areas are under-served in terms of the provision of waste management services. This research focused on an exploratory workshop conducted in one peri-urban village in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India, to raise community awareness regarding the importance of contributing towards effective waste management in their village and the means by which they can do so. The findings of the workshop show its effectiveness in raising the awareness levels of self-help group members. In addition to these findings, causal loop diagrams were drawn to construct effective institutional mechanisms from the perspective of the capacities of the participants and the officials. This study examined the policy initiatives necessary for meeting the sanitation and waste management needs of peri-urban villages. Inferences regarding the institutionalization of linkages between self-help groups and local bodies were made based on the principles of sociocracy. Theoretical insight was provided regarding the different factors affecting this system, and how this model is flexible enough to accommodate the contextual needs of peri-urban villages.

Currently, in Vietnam 35 urban WWTPs had been constructed with a total capacity of 850,000 m3/day. Some 40 new WWTPs are in the design or construction phase with a capacity of 1,600,000 m3/day. During operation, a lot of excess sludge must be wasted out of the system. It is well recognized that sludge disposal is one of the most critical issues for WWTPs as the cost of the excess sludge treatment and disposal can account for 50–60% of the operating cost. In Vietnam, sludge discharged from wastewater treatment plants were mostly disposed by the conventional method such as landfill. Therefore, reduction of sludge volume before disposal is very important for sludge transportation and management. In this study, the sludge was disintegrated by alkalis to enhance the sludge biodegradability before adding to the anaerobic digestion. As a result, MLSS reduced from 6600 mg/L down to about 4800 mg/L when alkalis dosage was increased from 1 to 1.8 g/L. Soluble COD was increased from less than 100 mg/L to over 1800 mg/L. The sludge biodegradability enhancement is linearly correlated to COD solubilization. The biogas production of the disintegrated sludge was higher compared to the sludge without the alkali disintegration (358 and 245 mL biogas/g sludge added), representing a 46% increase in the biogas production. The cost of chemical consumption for sludge disintegration was about 0.36 US $/kg TSS. The alkali sludge disintegration combined with anaerobic digestion process could be considered as a potential approach for sludge management of wastewater treatment plants in Vietnam.

Because of the lack of time-series spatial data on urban components, urban expansion in developing countries has usually been studied using a pixel-based approach, despite the coarse spatial resolution associated with this technique. To understand the residential-scale processes involved in urban expansion, we developed feature-oriented GIS data extracted from very high spatial resolution satellite images (IKONOS for 2000 and Quickbird for 2006 and 2008). We selected a fringe area of Ulaanbaatar, the capital municipality of Mongolia, as a case study. Residential plots in this area have developed in an unplanned manner owing to the poor execution of land reform policy. This study facilitated the residential-scale delineation of the significantly expanding area occupied by private land plots in time series. It also permitted the identification of geographical factors driving the expansion. Using a logistic regression model, we found that such expansion is related to social infrastructure rather than to natural landforms. In particular, new plots of private land tended to be built near pre-existing plots and in proximity to roads and water kiosks (which provide essential drinking water for residents). These findings and the probability map predicted by the model have implications for urban planners and decision makers.

Urban expansion and urbanization have been continuing to grow rapidly, especially in Asian megacities. Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) has emerged as the world’s second largest urban area, with a population of 28 million in 2010, where urban expansion has a significant impact on the local as well as the global environment. Efforts to control urban expansion must start from a clear understanding of its various driving forces at a local, regional, and global level. Studies of the interdependencies between these driving forces in the local spatial relationships in emerging Asian megacities remain limited. This study explores the driving forces of urban expansion in Jabodetabek by considering local spatial dependency and analyzes the spatial characteristics of this urbanized area as well as identifies spatial variations in the relationship between urban expansion and its driving forces by using Geographically Weighted Regression. The presented findings show that the driving forces affecting urban expansion in the Jabodetabek region vary spatially. Owing to the influence of the global and regional economies on Jabodetabek, we find that the demographic, infrastructural, and natural elements driving forces significantly affect urban expansion in this region according to location. Outside the core of this megacity, urban expansion in most areas is significantly affected by local demographic as well as infrastructural driving forces. Jakarta city, as the core of the Jabodetabek megacity, is becoming independent of these local driving forces, however, since it is now more characterized as a global city and thus tending to have more linkages with the world market.

Mongolia is a mostly arid or semiarid country, so it might seem strange that floods could be one of the disaster threats it faces. However, the low precipitation and high evaporation of surface water are a result of the low absorptive capacity of the soil, and, accordingly, higher than normal precipitation often results in runoffs, which have the potential to become flash floods. In a peripheral area of Ulaanbaatar, the capital municipality of Mongolia, residential areas called ger areas have expanded rapidly in an unplanned manner because of the poor execution of land reform policy, and considerable migration has resulted from a natural hazard—dzud. These areas have been encroaching on flash-flood-prone areas, which have resulted in a dozen people losing their lives in 2009. This chapter introduces the background of ger areas expansion and reveals the actual situation of their spatial distribution over flash-flood-prone areas using VHR satellite imageries.

Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, has expanded rapidly over the past decade. Insufficient authority is in place to address this expansion, and many residential plots have been developed in the peripheral regions of the city. The aim of this study is to estimate changes in land cover within the central part of Ulaanbaatar, which has been affected by anthropogenic disturbances. The breaks for additive seasonal and trend (BFAST) method is a powerful tool for implementing this study because it is able to robustly and automatically derive the timing and locations of land cover changes from spatio-temporal datasets. We applied the BFAST method for the first time to urban expansion analysis, with NDVI time series calculated from MODIS (MOD09A1 product) during the period 2000–2010. The results show that land cover has changed across 22.51% of the study area, and that the change occurs at a later time with increasing distance from the city center. Bi-temporal high-resolution satellite images of a sample area in 2000 and 2008 confirmed that the detection of land cover changes by BFAST corresponds to areas in which residential development is dominant. This study demonstrates that BFAST is an effective method for monitoring urban expansion. In addition, it increases the applicability of NDVI time series.

This paper evaluates the spatial linkages between the livestock product markets in Mongolia and the effects of road conditions on market transactions. It is based on the Engle-Granger test, an error correction model, and a model of market integration using the monthly price datasets of livestock products in Mongolia during 2005-2009. Empirical analysis indicates that the most and least integrated markets are the cashmere and milk markets, respectively. Extending paved roads might tighten the integration of the livestock products markets. Discipline: Agricultural economics Additional key words: Engle-Granger test, Error Correction Model, price

Regular monitoring of expanding impervious surfaces areas (ISAs) in urban areas is highly desirable. MODIS data can meet this demand in terms of frequent observations but are lacking in spatial detail, leading to the mixed land cover problem when per-pixel classifications are applied. To overcome this issue, this research develops and applies a spatio-temporal sub-pixel model to estimate ISAs on an annual basis during 2001-2013 in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area, Indonesia. A Random Forest (RF) regression inferred the ISA proportion from annual 23 values of MODIS MOD13Q1 EVI and reference data in which such proportion was visually allocated from very high-resolution images in Google Earth over time at randomly selected locations. Annual maps of ISA proportion were generated and showed an average increase of 30.65 km2/year over 13 years. For comparison, a series of RF per-pixel classifications were also developed from the same reference data using a Boolean class constructed from different thresholds of ISA proportion. Results from per-pixel models varied when such thresholds change, suggesting difficulty of estimation of actual ISAs. This research demonstrated the advantages of spatio-temporal sub-pixel analysis for annual ISAs mapping and addresses the problem associated with definitions of thresholds in per-pixel approaches.

The condition of a watershed is vital to its provision of goods and services. Unfortunately, in the Philippines, a lot of watersheds are degraded due to various causes like deforestation and mining. Restoration of these areas has been initiated through reforestation, with limited information generated on the impact of such practice to the overall tree diversity in the area. As such, a study was conducted at La Mesa Watershed (LMW), situated near an urban area, to determine the impact of reforestation on tree diversity. Data were generated through a field inventory of trees following a stratified cluster sampling technique where the area was subdivided into three elevation classes ( 150 masl) and a corresponding number of plots were established in each classes. Results showed a relatively high diversity of native trees with 70 species of the total 92. Fourteen species are found to be endemic to the country while 7 species are listed in either the IUCN or Philippine Red List.. The current vegetation in LMW shows a rare success story of reforestation efforts in the country implemented through private-public partnerships.  Keywords: La Mesa Watershed, restoration, plant diversity, endemism, environmental services

The stable nitrogen (N) isotope ratio (δ15N) has been used to examine the anthropogenic N input (i.e., septic water, wastewater, and manure) to aquatic ecosystems, because anthropogenic N generally has a δ15N signature distinct from that found in nature. Aquatic organisms and the derived organic matter such as sediments are reported to become increasingly enriched in 15N as the human population density increases in watersheds. However, little is known about the relationship in steppe ecosystems, where the livestock population is greater than that of humans. Here, we conducted a preliminary study in the Selenga river mainstream watershed in Mongolia, which covers an area of approximately 300,000 km2. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the δ15N of the riverine sediment was significantly affected by the human population density and more significantly by livestock population density. The population density, including both humans and livestock, significantly influenced δ15N of the macrophytic Potamogeton spp. The results showed that δ15N of riverine organic matter can be an indicator of the human and livestock population density, which is likely associated with the status of N cycles in livestock-dominated watersheds.

The rapid change in the livestock population in Mongolia since the beginning of the 1990s has been a very important issue in terms of the sustainable management of grasslands. We investigated the spatial distribution and changes in the populations of Mongolian livestock for the years 1992, 1999, 2002, and 2006 using GIS datasets based on administrative units. Although the total livestock population had changed drastically owing to the shift from a planned economy to a free market economy from 1992 to 1999 and 2002 to 2006 – as well as the impact of the dzud, an adverse combination of summer drought followed by a harsh winter, between 1999 and 2002 – no significant change in the spatial association of any livestock other than goats was detected by the local indicators of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) statistics. Goats were the only animals to show a significant change in their spatial association, and the goat population is increasing in areas surrounded by a high density of livestock. Considering that of all Mongolian domestic animals, goats have the greatest impact on grasslands, policy makers should pay attention to these areas to ensure the sustainability of grasslands in the future. This could play a key role in the successful application of environmental management in Mongolia.

The complexity of the landscape in Japanese metropolitan suburbs is the result of high competition among land-demanding economic activities. Although both urban and rural planning legislation has played certain roles in the ordering of land-use, lack of coordination among different zoning systems is still a key issue in the proper development and conservation of limited land. This study investigated the effects of land-use master plans on actual control of land use through maximal utilization of detailed grid data with advanced GIS functions. We analyzed land-use changes in the Osaka metropolitan area for three periods: 1979–1985; 1985–1991; 1991–1996, and compared these changes with the zoning status in each period. This study demonstrates that disordered developments resulted in an increase of vacant areas in urban fringes, which also accelerated the fragmentation of forests and farmlands, causing a disordered spatial pattern from which it will be difficult to recover with the present land-use master plans.

The purpose of this study is to make clear the characteristics of the land-use distribution and farmland diversions in urban fringes extensively. We selected Osaka prefecture as a study area and made digital maps of the four types of land-use master plans, urbanization promotion areas, urbanization control areas, agriculture promotion areas and agricultural land zones, with grid data having a 10-m resolution to match the coordinate system of the land-use grid data. The land-use distribution and farmland diversions in “white zones” in agriculture promotion areas of urban fringes were analyzed spatially for the periods of 1979-85, 1985-91 and 1991-96. The result shows that farmland diversions tend to be influenced by the change of economic conditions. In the 1980's, developments for developing lands and residential were outstanding and even encroached deeply in white zones. Although this trend slowed down in the early 1990's, the disordered land-use distribution remained in white zones of urban fringes.