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Human-wildlife conflict is an important factor in the modern biodiversity crisis and has negative effects on both humans and wildlife (such as property destruction, injury, or death) that can impede conservation efforts for threatened species. Effectively addressing conflict requires an understanding of where it is likely to occur, particularly as climate change shifts wildlife ranges and human activities globally. Here, we examine how projected shifts in cropland density, human population density, and climatic suitability-three key drivers of human-elephant conflict-will shift conflict pressures for endangered Asian and African elephants to inform conflict management in a changing climate. We find that conflict risk (cropland density and/or human population density moving into the 90th percentile based on current-day values) increases in 2050, with a larger increase under the high-emissions regional rivalry SSP3 - RCP 7.0 scenario than the low-emissions sustainability SSP1 - RCP 2.6 scenario. We also find a net decrease in climatic suitability for both species along their extended range boundaries, with decreasing suitability most often overlapping increasing conflict risk when both suitability and conflict risk are changing. Our findings suggest that as climate changes, the risk of conflict with Asian and African elephants may shift and increase and managers should proactively mitigate that conflict to preserve these charismatic animals.

Species-rich natural and semi-natural ecosystems are under threat owing to land use change. To conserve the biodiversity associated with these ecosystems, we must identify and target conservation efforts towards functionally important species and supporting habitats that create connections between remnant patches in the landscape. Here, we use a multi-layer network approach to identify species that connect a metanetwork of plant–bee interactions in remnant semi-natural grasslands which are biodiversity hotspots in European landscapes. We investigate how these landscape connecting species, and their interactions, persist in their proposed supporting habitat, road verges, across a landscape with high human impact. We identify 11 plant taxa and nine bee species that connect semi-natural grassland patches. We find the beta diversity of these connector species to be low across road verges, indicating a poor contribution of these habitats to the landscape-scale diversity in semi-natural grasslands. We also find a significant influence of the surrounding landscape on the beta diversity of connector species and their interactions with implications for landscape-scale management. Conservation actions targeted toward species with key functional roles as connectors of fragmented ecosystems can provide cost-effective management of the diversity and functioning of threatened ecosystems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Connected interactions: enriching food web research by spatial and social interactions'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the evolution characteristics and driving factors of net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation in arid regions, with Kashi region as a representative case, this study utilized various remote sensing satellite data, including MOD13A1/Q1, MOD09A1, and MOD17A3, to estimate vegetation NPP in the study area from 2001 to 2020 using the CASA model. The study aimed to express the impact of external driving factors on vegetation NPP from the perspectives of climate change and land use change. The results indicated: (1) Over the past two decades, the overall trend of vegetation NPP in the study area exhibited an initial increase, followed by a subsequent decrease. Specifically, from 2001 to 2015, vegetation NPP increased at a rate of 0.303, while from 2016 to 2020, it decreased at a rate of -0.202. (2) Through trend analysis and significance testing using the Sen+MK method, it was found that 37% of the study area showed a significant increasing trend in NPP, while 73% exhibited a decreasing trend. (3) Precipitation in the Kashi region had a stronger correlation with NPP than temperature. In the southwest region, the Pamir Plateau and Karakoram Mountains showed positive correlations with both temperature and precipitation, with warm and moist airflows promoting NPP in high latitudes. (4) )During the period of 2001-2020, Grassland in the study area degraded at the fastest rate, with a change rate of -2.1%, and the largest increase was observed in farmland, with a change rate of 2.7%; the vegetation NPP decreased by a total of 2748.3 TgC, and the study area shows a decreasing trend in the value of vegetation NPP in the future period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses an immediate threat to tropical soils with changes in rainfall patterns resulting in accelerated land degradation processes. To ensure the future sustainability of arable land, it is essential to improve our understanding of the factors that influence soil erosion processes. This work aimed to evaluate patterns of soil erosion using the activity of plutonium isotopes (Pu) at sites with different land use and clearance scale in the Winam Gulf catchment of Lake Victoria in Kenya. Erosion rates were modelled at potential erosive sites using the MODERN model to understand small-scale erosion processes and the effect of different management practices. The lowest soil redistribution rates for arable land were 0.10 Mg ha−1 yr−1 showing overall deposition, resulting from community-led bottom-up mitigation practices. In contrast erosion rates of 8.93 Mg ha−1 yr−1 were found in areas where steep terraces have been formed. This demonstrates the significance of community-led participation in effectively managing land degradation processes. Another key factor identified in the acceleration of soil erosion rates was the clearance of land with an increased rate of erosion over three years reported (0.45 to 0.82 Mg ha−1 yr−1) underlining the importance vegetation cover plays in limiting soil erosion processes. This novel application of fallout plutonium as a tracer, highlights its potential to inform the understanding of how soil erosion processes respond to land management, which will better support implementation of effective mitigation strategies. Modelling of soil erosion and deposition patterns using the MODERN model to calculate the depth of soil loss/gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within scenario-based research of social-ecological systems, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of normative scenarios that define positive outcomes for both nature and society. While several frameworks exist to guide the co-creation of normative scenario narratives, examples of operationalizing these narratives in quantitative simulation modelling are still limited. To address this gap, this paper presents an example of how aspects of normative scenarios can be realized within a spatial model of land use and land cover change. This is achieved through a combination of data-driven approaches to encapsulate scenario-specific differences in local and global scale phenomena, as well as iterative expert elicitation to quantify descriptive trends from narratives. This approach is demonstrated with a case study simulating five scenarios of landscape change (three normative and two exploratory) in Switzerland between 2020 and 2060. The resulting maps of future land use and land cover exhibited distinct variations between the scenarios, notably with regard to the prevalence of areas of heterogeneous semi-natural land, such as alpine pastures and grassland, often considered culturally emblematic of Switzerland. While the simulation results were generally consistent with the outcomes expressed in the scenario narratives, following a process of expert feedback, we reflect that there are clear challenges in leveraging such results to elicit further discussions as to the desirability and plausibility of future scenarios. Specifically, the need to summarize spatial simulations in a manner that is easily interpretable and encourages consideration of the broader patterns of change rather than focusing on fine-scale details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The China-Vietnam border plays a crucial role as a vital ecological barrier in China, and along with the development of the border, the pattern of production-living-ecological (PLE) spaces has been significantly affected by human activities. Therefore, the resulting landscape ecological risk is worthy of attention. Based on the perspective of PLE spaces, the paper employs transfer matrices, landscape ecological risk evaluation model, and spatial models to examine the evolution of land space and landscape ecological risk over the past 40 years along the China-Vietnam border. The findings are as follows: (1) agricultural production space is shrinking by 49.82 km2, and the problem of arable land non-agriculturalization is escalating. Meanwhile, industrial and mining production space has witnessed considerable expansion of 94.38 km2. Similarly, urban living space experienced an increase of 52.91 km2. Although rural living space initially contracted, it later experienced rapid growth, surpassing urban living space. In 2020, rural living space is 2.3 times larger than urban living space. Woodland ecological space has slightly expanded but subsequently contracted. Grassland ecological space reduced by 44.20 km2, while watershed ecological space expanded significantly by 88.42 km2. Other ecological space decreased sharply by 807.84 km2. (2) Both ecological protection and destruction behaviors are observed in the study area. Landscape ecological risk (LER) is increasing. Moving from west to east, the LER index consistently rises. (3) LER in the study area exhibits a significant spatial aggregation. High-high (H–H) areas are predominantly concentrated in the mineral resource-rich regions and coastal tourism zones of the central-eastern region, while low-low (L-L) areas are primarily distributed in border villages and cottages. Based on our findings, we can conclude that human activities in the study area have resulted in the transformation of PLE spaces, leading to a deterioration in the quality of the ecological environment. To address this issue, it is essential to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization and improve the ecological compensation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the potential of place-based theory to contribute to land use diversification, particularly against the backdrop of prevailing climate change challenges. The study delves into local Māori and wider community perspectives in Wairau Marlborough, New Zealand, through two sets of semi-structured interviews. Questions asked aimed to (1) develop an understanding of the community’s vision of land use in the Wairau Marlborough region, (2) identify and understand the elements necessary to develop a pathway to achieving a shared vision for land use in the region, and (3) assess the potential for place-based approaches to support land use and diversification where there is high potential for conflicting interests between different groups, or in contexts with a history of colonisation. Overall, the study highlights the importance of understanding the community’s connection to the place and land, empowering them to be leaders in the development of pathways to solutions for the challenges that impact them. Interviewees emphasise the need for diversification, protection of natural resources, and inclusion of diverse perspectives. The studies provide useful insights for achieving a shared vision for land use diversification in Wairau, Marlborough, that can also be applied to other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Abandonment of cultural landscape practices has had a notable impact on grasslands and domestic livestock that depend on them. This affects the prerequisites for sustainable transitions of cultural landscapes, which combine traditional livelihoods and novel ones like tourism. Objectives: The aims of this study were to explore (1) the long-term temporal dynamics of grassland and livestock in a regional gradient from coastal to inland landscapes in Norway and (2) the temporal development of tourism types among regions. Methods: Using three regions as case studies, with 62 municipalities, we analyzed (1) the temporal dynamics of grassland and livestock using agricultural census data from 1918 to 1999 and (2) two tourism types. Kruskal–Wallis and ANOVA were used to examine whether the relative changes in grassland areas and livestock units, respectively, differed significantly among regions. A PCA was conducted to explore relationships between grassland and livestock types. The proportions of tourist categories were compared. Results: The grassland area and thematic resolution of census data declined over time. Grassland areas correlated with domestic livestock units. Multivariate analysis explained 68% of the variation in grassland and livestock types among municipalities. There was a notable increase in the number of tourists, with summer tourism dominating where the cultural landscape was well conserved. Conclusions: Our study underscores the importance of integrating regional historical trajectories for the conservation and use of valuable cultural landscapes, thereby providing sustainable transitions that combine traditional livelihoods and new types as tourism. Additional in-depth studies are needed to understand the detailed drivers of these changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding of how human activities impact biodiversity comes largely from space‐for‐time substitutions. However, spatial gradients are a poor surrogate for changes through time as they do not account for dynamic processes such as delayed extinction debts. Here we contribute towards filling this research gap by assessing the trajectories of local avian assemblages over 40+ years of climate and land‐use change. Using four decades of volunteer observations in Denmark we investigated long‐term trends of local bird richness, community structure, function, abundance, and biomass to better understand their anthropogenic drivers. Between 1976 and 2020, volunteers recorded ~ 2.4 million birds at 378 routes spanning a median of 15 years (range: 10–44). At the local level, we found a restructuring of bird communities over time (6% change per decade) and declines in abundance (−7% per decade), but stability in biomass, functional diversity, and spatial turnover. Local species richness showed a shallow decline on average. These results provide evidence that temporal turnover and loss of individuals are the most prominent features of recent ecological change in these communities. We found that the rate of local warming was positively associated with trends of species richness and functional diversity, suggesting a potential redistribution of warm‐adapted species. Meanwhile, communities that were becoming more spatially homogenous were associated with urban and farmland areas. In space, environmental changes are often distinct and recognisable, e.g. between forest and farmland. Through time, however, changes can be infrequent, gradual, and non‐linear. Despite these challenges, our results illustrate the power of spatially replicated, long‐term biodiversity monitoring programs for detecting the trends and attributing drivers of local biodiversity change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species distribution models (SDMs) are algorithms designed to infer the distribution of species using environmental and biotic variables and have become an important tool for ecologists and conservation biologists seeking to understand the implications of environmental change. Global datasets of environmental variables at resolutions of a few metres are increasingly available. SDMs fitted using such high‐resolution data allow researchers to investigate how local factors affect species occurrences at unprecedented fine spatial scales. As the spatial resolution of SDMs increases, we see a critical need to consider the characteristics of habitat types within or around raster pixels. In particular, we argue that the effects of habitat patches (EHPs, including habitat area, habitat configuration, and habitat diversity), measured focusing on patches or landscapes, have yet to be fully realized in SDMs. We provide guidelines to incorporate EHPs in SDMs. We explain why this development is important, describe approaches to properly conduct such analyses, and discuss pitfalls we foresee in testing EHPs. Synthesis. Ensuring that SDMs incorporating EHPs are properly designed will be key to increasing model predictive performance and to understanding which environmental factors influence the distribution of species at fine spatial scales. At a crucial time for nature conservation, we foresee that this will be a key step forward to understanding and protecting biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on GEE (google earth engine), the data of land use types in 2001, 2010 and 2020 were obtained. With the help of GIS environment, the land use change in Heze City in different periods, the land use change in each county and district, and the characteristics of the map of land use change were analyzed. The results showed that from 2001 to 2020, the cultivated land area in Heze City decreased gradually, and the reduction (255.73 km²) was large; construction land area continued to increase, increased by 105.13 km² in 20 years. In each land use type, the transfer area of cultivated land was the largest. There were great differences in land use change among counties and districts. The decrease of cultivated land area (51.19 km²) and the increase of construction land area (22.59 km²) in Mudan District were the largest. Combined with the situation of Heze City, this paper analyzed the reasons for the prominent contradiction between human and land, the aggravation of land degradation, and the prominent contradiction between cultivated land and urban construction land in Heze City, and proposes the scientific countermeasures to reverse the reduction of cultivated land area, protect wetland and reverse the trend of land degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of informal settlements poses significant challenges to urban ecosystems and their services, a pressing issue that this study addresses by examining its impacts in Addis Ababa. This study delves into the impact of informal settlements on ecosystem services in Addis Ababa, comparing them with formal settlements. Utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, it employed Landsat imagery, aerial photography, and base maps to track spatiotemporal changes and analyze trends. Through a GIS overlay approach, informal settlements and associated land use changes were identified, while the benefit transfer method assessed ecosystem service values. The findings revealed a significant increase in informal settlements on the city's outskirts, expanding from 77 ha in 2009 (2% of the total area) to 765.6 ha in 2023 (21% of the total area). Nearly half (48.5%) of these informal settlements were established on previously natural land covers through encroachment. The research highlighted the ongoing conversion of agricultural land, forests, and urban green spaces into informal settlements, particularly on the city's outskirts, leading to significant encroachment on these areas. This transformation caused an annual loss of $1,665,033.7 in ecosystem services from 2009 to 2023. Significant impacts were identified on food production, climate regulation, and habitat ecosystem services. Overall, the annual loss in ecosystem services due to land use changes amounted to $1,933,320.08. Informal settlements accounted for 86.1% of this total loss, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions to mitigate their disproportionate effects on ecosystem services. The study underscores the urgency of addressing the impact of informal settlements on ecosystem services through effective urban planning, sustainable land management practices, prevention of encroachment on natural land covers, and promotion of sustainable ecosystem management and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jialing River watershed has seen substantial changes in habitat quality and land use throughout the last 20 years. It is yet unknown, however, how the habitat quality will react to these changes in land use. In this work, multi-scenario simulations for 2030 were carried out using the PLUS and InVEST models, and the land use changes and habitat quality evolution in the Jialing River basin from 2000 to 2020 were evaluated. In this study, the following facts were determined: (1) The study area's southern region is mainly farmland, whereas the northern part is predominantly forestland. The most significant changes were a decrease of 1.46% in the grassland and an increase of 1.07% in the construction land. (2) The northern area typically has greater habitat quality than the southern region, at habitat quality indices of 0.5401, 0.5338, and 0.5084 for the year 2000, the year 2010, and the year 2020, respectively, demonstrating a pattern of steady decline. (3) Converting farmland to forestland can successfully increase habitat quality, but the conversion of grassland and forestland to farmland is the primary cause of the decline of habitat quality. (4) Global Moran's indices of −0.7809, −0.7537, and −0.6376 for 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively, were found in the correlation study between habitat quality and land use intensity, showing a high negative link. The local indicators of spatial association (LISA) maps indicated that the northern region had high land use intensity with low habitat quality, while the southern region had low land use intensity with low habitat quality. (5) The outcomes of the multi-scenario simulations show that, except under the ecological conservation scenario (0.5123) where habitat quality improved, there was a certain degree of deterioration under the business-as-usual (0.4381), farmland conservation (0.4941), and sustainable development (0.4909) scenarios. For future sustainable development, strict control of the encroachment on farmland and forestland is recommended, alongside the adoption of proactive measures to improve habitat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon storage capacity of terrestrial ecosystems serves as a crucial metric for assessing ecosystem health and their resilience to climate change. By evaluating the effects of land use alterations on this storage, carbon management strategies can be improved, thereby promoting carbon reduction and sequestration. While county-level cities are pivotal to ecological conservation and high-quality development, they often face developmental challenges. Striking a balance between economic growth and meeting peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality objectives is particularly challenging. Consequently, there is an urgent need to bolster research into carbon storage management. The study focuses on Jianli City, employing the InVEST model and land use data to examine the response patterns of land use changes and terrestrial system carbon storage from 2000 to 2020. Using the PLUS model, the study simulated the land use and carbon storage in Jianli City for the year 2035 under three scenarios: Natural Development scenario, Urban Expansion scenario, and Ecology and food security scenario. Our findings indicate the following: (1) Between 2000 and 2020, significant shifts in land use were observed in Jianli City. These changes predominantly manifested as the interchange between Cropland and Water areas and the enlargement of impervious surfaces, leading to a decrease of 691,790.27 Mg in carbon storage. (2) Under the proposed scenarios—Natural Development scenario, Urban Expansion scenario, and Ecology and food security scenario—the estimated carbon storage capacities in Jianli City were 39.95 Tg, 39.90 Tg, and 40.14 Tg, respectively. When compared with the 2020 data, all these estimates showed an increase. In essence, our study offers insights into optimizing land use structures from a carbon storage standpoint to ensure stability in Jianli's carbon storage levels while mitigating the risks associated with carbon fixation. This has profound implications for the harmonious evolution of regional eco-economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a list of references to scientific articles and studies that explore various aspects of land use change and urban development in China and other regions. The articles cover topics such as modeling urban open spaces, simulating future land use scenarios, analyzing the impact of land use change on ecosystem services, and predicting land surface temperature under climate change scenarios. These articles offer valuable insights into the complex relationship between land use, urbanization, and environmental sustainability. [Extracted from the article]

[Objective] The aims of this study are to explore the topographic gradient effect of land use in the Hanjiang Ecological Economic Belt (HJEEB), and to provide scientific reference for the adjustment and optimization of regional land use patterns. [Methods] Based on land use and DEM data from 1990 to 2022, four terrain features, namely elevation, slope, relief amplitude and topographic index, were selected to analyze the terrain gradient effect of land use change in HJEEB by used methods such as land use distribution index(DI), information graph. [Results] The land use structure of the HJEEB was mainly composed of forestland and farmland, with an area proportion of over 54.59% and over 35.20%, respectively. In terms of space, there was a pattern of farmland dominated in the east and forest land in the west. From 1990 to 2022, the areas of forestland, construction land, and water areas increased while the areas of farmland and grassland decreased significantly. As the gradient level of each terrain increased, the distribution area and index of farmland, water area, and construction land gradually decreased. The area of forestland showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, while the DI continued to increase. The area and DI of grassland showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. The distribution advantages of farmland and forestland during the research period had expanded in the low to medium(IIII) and high to medium(III-V) levels of various terrain factors, respectively, with an increase in their DI ranging from 0.041 to 0.117 and 0.005 to 0.076. Except for a consistent decrease in the DI on the I-level gradient, the distribution advantages of grassland and water area on other gradients mainly expanded, with the most significant increase in the DI being relief amplitude level III (0.317) and topographic index level III (0.299), respectively. The distribution advantage of construction land showed an expanding trend on the I-level gradient, with DI increase of 0.056 ~0.689. During the research period, the land use information graph of the HJEEB was mainly stable. accounting for 81.39% of the study area. In addition, there were significant differences in the degree to which various types of land use information graphs were affected by terrain gradients. [Conclusion Affected by factors such as watershed terrain structure and land use policies (returning farmland to forests, etc.), the land use pattern has a significant topographic gradient effect in HJEEB, and the change of distribution advantage is relatively complex in the topographic gradient. Therefore, the territorial space development needs to adhere to the principle of adapting to local conditions in future in order to promote the sustainable development of land resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aims of this study are to explore the spatiotemporal dynamic evolution characteristics of land use in the Two Screens and Three Belts ecological barrier area, to reveal its differentiation rules, and to provide a basis for the integration of land resources in the study area and the construction of a national ecological security barrier. [Methods] Based on 8 periods of land use data from 1985 to 2020 in the Two Screens and Three Belts' ecological barrier area, methods such as single land use dynamic degree, comprehensive land use dynamic degree and transfer matrix, three models were used to comprehensively analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic evolution characteristics and differentiation rules of land use change from the aspects of land use structure, dynamic degree and spatial transfer. [Results] (1) In the *Two Screens and Three Belts ecological barrier area from 1985 to 2020, except for the northern sand control belt whose grassland area increased by 20 618.03 km², the other four major barrier areas had decreased. Among them, the northeastern forest belt's grassland area had decreased the most, reaching up to 18 031.03 km. The area of construction land in the five major ecological barrier areas all increased with the northern sand control belt increasing the most reaching up to 7 280.79 km². The ecological land in the northeastern forest belt significantly decreased, and the non-ecological land increased significantly, which was consistent with the ecological barrier area contrary to the development requirements. (2) From 1985 to 2020, the land use type change rate in the south-central hilly and mountainous areas of the Two Screens and Three Belts' ecological barrier area was the highest (the average comprehensive dynamic degree was 24.27%), and the difference in change rates among each stage was the largest (the comprehensive dynamic degree range was 31.23%). Except for the decrease in the dynamic degree of comprehensive land use in the northeastern forest belt, other barrier areas were on the rise, (3) The degree of land use conversion in the *two screens and three belts' ecological barrier areas had increased from 1985 to 2020. Among them, the Sichuan-Yunnan-Loess Plateau barrier and the northern sand control belt had increased significantly, with increases of 3.89% and 3.82%, respectively. The main types of land converted in each barrier area were cultivated land and grassland, and unused land accounted for a large proportion of the ecological barrier conversion in the northern sand control belt and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. [Conclusion] From 1985 to 2020, the land use in the two screens and three belts' ecological barrier area showed uneven evolution characteristics, land use planning and management should be carried out according to local conditions to further build the national ecological security barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of built-up areas in Pekanbaru City represents a complex phenomenon with broad impacts on the urban environment. This study aims to formulate appropriate environmental management strategies in response to this trend. Utilizing the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, the study identifies land use changes between 2010 and 2022. Data from the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) indicates a significant decrease in forest or shrubland areas, while built-up areas, particularly in the Tampan and Tenayan Raya districts, have increased. The analysis suggests that effective policy strategies for managing the environmental impacts of built-up land should prioritize environmental preservation, economic collaboration, ecological citizenship movements, and community participation. Policy recommendations should focus on implementing effective policies, strengthening economic collaboration, conserving biodiversity, and empowering communities in environmental decision-making. These strategies are expected to enhance the quality of the built-up environment and, overall, improve the well-being of the people in Pekanbaru City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Afforestation is considered as an effective method to restore degraded ecosystem. The effects of afforestation on soil fertility, microbial communities assembly have been broadly studied in the whole soil, yet gaps still exist at the aggregate scale. Methods: In the Danjiangkou Reservoir area, we set up 3 quadrats (20 m × 20 m) for bareland, farmland and woodland, respectively, and separated the collected soil into four aggregate size fractions (<0.25 mm, 0.25–1 mm 1–3 mm and > 3 mm). Soil fertility, enzyme activities, microbial communities composition were determined for all aggregate fractions. Results: Afforestation promoted soil fertility, enzyme activities and their aggregational differentiation. E.g., invertase activity in woodland was 3.6 times higher than in bareland. Interestingly, the aggregational differentiation of bacterial alpha-diversity (P < 0.05) was more sensitive to afforestation than fungal alpha-diversity (P > 0.05). Conversely, afforestation caused that more fungal taxa (16 Ascomycota and 3 Basidiomycota taxa) were susceptible to aggregates than bacterial taxa (5 Proteobacteria taxa). In bareland, deterministic process (83.3%) was the decisive factor for bacterial communities, while fungal communities was determined by stochastic (48.5%) and deterministic (51.5%) processes. Afforestation transformed assembly processes, with dispersal limitation (53%) occurring in bacterial communities and variable selection (68.2%) in fungal communities. Conclusions: Overall, afforestation enhanced soil fertility, enzyme activities and their variation with aggregate. Moreover, responses of fungal and bacterial assembly to afforestation vary at the soil aggregate level. This study demonstrated the importance of soil aggregates in predicting and quantifying the impact of afforestation on soil fertility and microbial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation restoration has an important effect on soil carbon (C) pool dynamics. Highly stable iron (Fe)‐associated C is an important component of the soil C pool and it plays a crucial role in the soil C cycle. However, a knowledge gap remains regarding the existence of Fe‐associated C variation during vegetation restoration. Herein, 0–60 cm soil samples of cropland, grassland, shrubland and forestland from three soil types (loam, loess and sandy soils) were collected to explore the response of Fe‐associated C to vegetation restoration. The results showed that soil Fe‐associated C proportion in the study area ranged from 2.2% to 26.3%. Surface soil (0–20 cm) Fe‐associated C content in loess and sandy soils increased following vegetation restoration, but decreased in loam soil. The accumulation efficiency of soil Fe‐associated C during vegetation restoration was higher in coarser soils. Moreover, the Fe‐associated C content and proportion of forestland with a higher soil organic matter (SOM) pool were the highest among the land use types. Vegetation restoration affects soil Fe‐associated C in two different ways: (1) increasing the SOM and dissolved organic C and improving the efficiency of C and Fe binding to promote the accumulation of Fe‐associated C; (2) decreasing the total soil Fe content, reducing the trivalent iron (Fe(III)) to bivalent iron (Fe(II)) and breaking the binding of C and Fe to decrease soil Fe‐associated C content, and these two different ways were found in all three soil types. Additionally, higher SOM accumulation efficiency and less root destruction caused by vegetation restoration in coarse soils resulted in a higher Fe‐associated C accumulation efficiency. Synthesis and applications. Vegetation and soil type strongly regulated the effects of vegetation restoration on soil Fe‐associated C. Forestlands may be the optimum vegetation type to provide soil C sequestration benefits, effectively increasing soil C pool and maximising Fe‐associated C content. This study has addressed the knowledge gap regarding the effects of vegetation restoration on soil Fe‐associated C and provides scientific basis for a better understanding of the soil C cycle and developing scientific vegetation restoration measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change drives the ecosystem service value (ESV) to some extent. Investigating the impact of land use distribution patterns under different scenarios on ESV is crucial for optimizing land spatial utilization in tropical island regions. This study employs a combination of multi-objective programming (MOP) and the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model to simulate and predict the spatial distribution of land use in Hainan Island for the year 2030 under three scenarios: natural development, ecological protection priority, and tourism development priority. The ESV for these scenarios is then assessed to provide insights into the sustainable economic, social, and ecological development of tropical island regions. The results indicate the following: (1) Between 2010 and 2020, forest land was the dominant land use type in Hainan Island, accounting for 63% of the total area, followed by arable land. Land use changes were characterized mainly by increases in built-up land and grass land, which increased by 497.13 km2 and 18.87 km2, respectively, with decreases in other types. The largest area of land conversion was from forest land, which was predominantly converted to built-up land and arable land, measuring 259.97 km2 and 174.49 km2, respectively. (2) The PLUS model was used to simulate land use changes in Hainan Island, achieving a Kappa coefficient of 0.88 and an overall accuracy of 0.94, indicating a high consistency between the simulation results and actual data. (3) The ecological protection priority scenario yielded the highest ecosystem service values (CNY 72.052 billion), while the values under other scenarios decreased compared to 2020. The natural development scenario saw a decrease of CNY 1.821 billion, and the tourism development priority scenario saw a decrease of CNY 0.595 billion. Spatially, the ecological protection priority scenario also showed the greatest increase in areas with high ecosystem service values, particularly due to an increase in forest land area, which contributed to an overall increase in the ecosystem service values of the study area. This study offers a scientific foundation and a decision-making reference for selecting priority scenarios for tourism development on Hainan Island, aimed at supporting its future sustainable development. It emphasizes the protection of forest resources, the promotion of greening initiatives, and the achievement of a balance between ecological preservation and tourism activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change and coastal urbanization have significantly impacted the health and carbon storage of coastal zone ecosystems. Investigating the spatial and temporal variations in coastal carbon storage is crucial for developing effective strategies for land management and ecological protection. Current methods for evaluating carbon storage are hindered by insufficient accuracy and data acquisition challenges, necessitating solutions to enhance both reliability and precision. This study aims to assess the variations in carbon storage and annual carbon sequestration in the Jiaozhou Bay coastal zone from 1990 to 2020 and to identify the driving factors by integrating the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) and Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) models with remote sensing data and geographic detector methods. The findings suggest that Jiaozhou Bay has experienced a substantial decrease in carbon storage, declining by 17.4% from 1990 to 2020, and annual carbon sequestration, decreasing by 35.5% from 1990 to 2016, but has stabilized recently. Vegetation cover and water bodies play critical roles in regional carbon storage. Furthermore, the dynamics of carbon storage and land use patterns are significantly influenced by socioeconomic factors, including GDP and population density. A comparison of the InVEST and CASA models demonstrates consistency in their carbon storage and annual carbon sequestration assessments. Combining these models in future assessments can enhance the scientific rigor and accuracy of the research, providing more reliable evidence for ecosystem management and policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Over the last three decades, Saskatchewan, home to over 40% of Canada's cropland, has seen transformative shifts in dryland crop production. Notably, the adoption of herbicide-tolerant canola in 1995 and the increase in nitrogen-fixing pulse crops like lentils and chickpeas have moved agricultural practices away from traditional fallow and tilled fields to more continuous crop rotations. Methods: Our study, analyzing survey data from 1991-1994 and to 2016-2019, evaluates how these changes have influenced fertilizer usage, focusing on application rates, timing, and types. Results: We anticipated that integrating nitrogen-fixing pulses and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) canola would promote more sustainable fertilization methods. Indeed, our results show significant reductions in nitrogen fertilizer use - by 49% to 73% in the earlier period and 3% to 19% more recently - due to the integration of these crops. Discussion: GMHT canola, by reducing the dependency on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, demonstrates a shift in fertility dynamics by enhancing nutrient uptake efficiency. This adaptation has not only reduced fertilizer costs but also contributed to more sustainable crop management. These findings highlight the environmental benefits of updated crop rotations, emphasizing the improved efficiency of fertilizer use. More broadly, they highlight the potential of expanded pulse cultivation to boost agricultural sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through better nitrogen management. While the transferability of these findings may be limited by the study's regional focus and sample size, they hold value for informing sustainable practices in similar agricultural settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of empirical evidence suggests that land use change, and the resulting decline in both the area and quality of natural habitats, contributes to an increased incidence of disease in humans. Despite calls to leverage conservation policy to address the burden of disease linked to ecosystem change, the potential benefits are unknown. Efficiently reducing the burden of infectious disease through land use policies and conservation initiatives is challenging because it requires balancing trade-offs that depend on ecological and socioeconomic factors. To assess some of these trade-offs, we developed a dynamic model of optimal land use when ecosystem change affects the overall incidence of infectious disease. We compared the net benefits and paths of optimal policy in which the increased cost of disease resulting from natural habitat loss is included in the optimization with a base case where it is ignored. We found that ignoring the linkage between habitat degradation and infectious disease incidence in the planner's problem reduces the net benefits of land management, such as conservation efforts, and results in significantly higher rates of infection and health costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water yield is a critical component of hydrological ecosystem services, influenced by both natural environments and human activities. Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) are particularly pivotal in causing water yield variations at the basin level, particularly for the ecologically fragile Ganjiang River Basin (GRB) in southern Jiangxi province, China. Over the last 33 years, the GRB has undergone substantial LULC changes that have significantly affected its water yield. Initially, this study assessed water yield from 1990 to 2022 using the InVEST model, then predicted future LULC scenarios using the PLUS model, including natural development (ND), cropland protection (CP), ecological protection (EP), and urban development (UD). The Geodetector model was then employed to analyze the influence of various factors on water yield changes. Key findings include the following: (1) Significant landscape changes were observed, including increases in impervious surfaces, cropland, and water areas, accompanied by substantial reductions in forest and other natural lands. The most pronounced decline occurred in forested regions. (2) The total water yield decreased by 0.44 × 1010 m3 over the study period, exhibiting fluctuations until 2016 and stabilizing afterward. Water yield was generally higher in the northeast and lower in the southwest, primarily influenced by actual evapotranspiration, LULC, and precipitation. (3) The impact of LULC changes on water yield varied by scenario, with the scenarios ranked from most to least impactful as follows: UD, ND, CP, EP. This variation is mainly due to the different rates of evapotranspiration and infiltration associated with land cover. These insights are crucial for guiding policymakers in developing effective LULC strategies that promote ecological restoration and sustainable water management in the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean landscapes were drastically affected by high levels of abandonment of agricultural and other land practices during the last century. These changes in land use can have significant effects on diversity patterns by altering disturbance and competition equilibria within plant communities at the landscape level. Particularly, such changes have been found to affect the patterns of phylogenetic diversity and structure by causing nonrandom losses of species through filtering effects and landscape homogenization. By investigating diversity patterns across a region submitted to high levels of land use changes, located in a (sub‐) mountainous area of northwestern Greece (northern Pindus), we aimed at understanding the patterns of phylogenetic diversity and structure in relation to land abandonment and the subsequent recovery of natural vegetation. We sampled 250 vegetation plots equally divided in grasslands and forests, distributed across the different classes of land use occurring in the general study area based on the period since the last change in land use. Standardized metrics of Faith's phylogenetic diversity, mean phylogenetic distance, and mean nearest taxon distance were used to investigate phylogenetic diversity patterns across communities and different land‐use regimes. A Principal Coordinates of Phylogenetic Structure analysis was employed to evaluate the variation in lineage composition among communities, and boosted regression trees were used to identify the relative influence of community differentiation (as captured by the classification of sampling plots in ecologically and floristically distinct vegetation communities), plant life strategies (competition, stress tolerance, and disturbance), and climatic, topographic, and soil variables on phylogenetic diversity metrics. Community differentiation was identified as the main driver of phylogenetic patterns. Additionally, phylogenetic diversity and structure were observed as having a statistically significantly negative correlation with disturbance, a statistically significantly positive correlation with stress tolerance, and a weaker positive correlation with competition. Phylogenetic clustering was observed for the early successional grassland communities submitted to stronger effects of disturbance, while phylogenetic randomness (or rarely overdispersion) was observed in forest communities submitted to stronger effects of competition. Finally, phylogenetic clustering of grassland communities was more evident shortly after land abandonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Heilongjiang Province is the region in China with the highest grain production and the most significant ecological security barrier in the northern part of the country. In recent years, the growing necessity for water in human production and life has intensified water resource conflicts. In order to identify a solution to this situation, the InVEST model's water yield module is employed to simulate the water yield in Heilongjiang Province in 2000, 2010, and 2020. The water yield in Heilongjiang Province from 2000 to 2020 is evaluated, and the scenario simulation method is employed to investigate the impact of climate change and land use type changes on water yield. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020, the annual precipitation in Heilongjiang Province increased from 490 mm in 2000 to 764 mm in 2020. The spatial distribution shows a west–high and east–low pattern, with Jixi City having the highest average annual precipitation and the Greater Khingan region having the lowest. During the period of 2000–2020, woodland had the highest proportion, followed by arable land, while built-up land had the smallest proportion. The conversion of unused land and woodland represents the primary driver of the expansion in farmland areas, while the conversion of water bodies accounts for the majority of the growth in the area of unused land. The areas of woodland and water bodies exhibited a slight decrease. The order of water yield of land use types, from the greatest to the least, is as follows: built-up land, unused land, farmland, grassland, woodland, and water bodies. The main factor affecting changes in precipitation levels in the province is climate change, which contributed up to 99.58% during the period 2000–2020. In contrast, changes in land use types contributed a mere 0.42%. The sustained expansion of the urban population in Heilongjiang province has resulted in an augmented water yield in select regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi‐purpose land use is of great importance for sustainable development, particularly in the context of increasing pressures on land to provide ecosystem services (e.g. food, energy) and support biodiversity. The recent global increase in land‐take for utility‐scale ground‐mounted solar farms (hereafter referred to as solar farms) to meet Net Zero targets presents an opportunity for enhanced delivery of ecosystem services, especially in temperate ecosystems where solar farm development often results in land use change away from comparatively intensive agricultural land management. Solar farms have long operational lifespans, experience low levels of disturbance during operation and can be managed for ecosystem services beyond low‐carbon electricity generation, including food production and biodiversity conservation. Here, we briefly synthesise the mechanisms by which solar farm development and operation may impact natural capital and ecosystem services, and provide policy recommendations for policymakers and the solar farm sector. Solar farms can deliver environmental benefits for hosting ecosystems while minimising negative impacts, with outcomes depending on location, construction techniques, and land management practices. However, the historical misalignment between climate, nature, and land use policies has hindered efforts to simultaneously address the climate and biodiversity crises through land use change for solar farms. For instance, existing public financial incentives in the UK that encourage landowners and developers to manage land for biodiversity largely exclude land with solar farms. Policy implications: We call for public policymakers to identify appropriate opportunities to amend existing national laws that address climate and biodiversity separately to improve integration of multiple aspects of the climate‐nature‐land use nexus into policymaking by: (1) formulating ecological and socio‐economic indicators and metrics that are appropriate to underpin the development, implementation, and assessment of public policies; (2) adopting a cross‐sectoral and cross‐government approach to form public policies; (3) ensuring solar farms can access public financial incentives that encourage sustainable land use; (4) implementing land use policies that incentivise funding from non‐government sources (e.g. private sector) into nascent nature markets; (5) embedding solar farms in biodiversity‐inclusive spatial planning policies and decision‐making; and (6) building equity and clarity into responsibilities and benefits for all actors involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land cover change research is salient in providing information for land use planning and management in urban areas. This study therefore analysed land cover change in four local government areas in Ogun State, Nigeria. Using remote sensing and geographic information system, Landsat images were analysed between 2001, 2013 and 2020 with both unsupervised and supervised image classifications. Results showed that between 2002 and 2013, there was a 41.14% decrease in forest area which further reduced by 41.92% by 2020. Agricultural land increased by 66.47% between 2002 and 2013 but reduced by 43.24% by 2020. Urban areas increased by 108.66% between 2002 and 2013 while by 2020 they had gained 42.19% additional land. It is concluded that the 2005–2025 Ogun State regional planning policy has so far been less than effective due to massive ecological change caused by urban expansion in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in land use patterns, types, and intensities significantly impact ecosystem services. This study follows the time series logic from history to the expected future to investigate the spatial and temporal characteristics of land use changes in Ezhou and their potential impacts on the ecosystem services value (ESV). The results show that the Markov–FLUS model has strong applicability in predicting the spatial pattern of land use, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.9433 and a FoM value of 0.1080. Between 2000 and 2020, construction land expanded continuously, while water area remained relatively stable, and other land types experienced varying degrees of contraction. Notably, the area of construction land expanded significantly compared to 2000, and it expanded by 70.99% in 2020. Moreover, the watershed area expanded by 9.30% from 2000 to 2010, but there was very little change in the following 10 years. Under the three scenarios, significant differences in land use changes were observed in Ezhou City, driven by human activities, particularly the strong expansion of construction land. In the inertial development scenario, construction land expanded to 313.39 km2 by 2030, representing a 38.30% increase from 2020. Conversely, under the farmland protection scenario, construction land increased to 237.66 km2, a 4.89% rise from 2020. However, in the ecological priority development scenario, the construction land area expanded to 253.59 km2, a 10.13% increase from 2020. Compared to 2020, the ESV losses in the inertia development and farmland protection scenarios were USD 4497.71 and USD 1072.23, respectively, by 2030. Conversely, the ESV under the ecological protection scenario increased by USD 2749.09, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing ecological protection in Ezhou City's development. This study may provide new clues for the formulation of regional strategies for sustainable land use and ecosystem restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation plays a crucial role in enhancing residents' quality of life, especially in densely populated urban areas. However, previous research has rarely explored the inconsistency between vegetation greenness and productivity or its potential factors, leaving the reasons for their inconsistency unclear. Taking the three largest urban agglomerations in China as study areas, this study examined the inconsistency between vegetation greenness (LAI) and productivity (GPP) after detecting their dynamics based on the Mann–Kendall test. Then, the impact of land use change on the observed inconsistency was explored by contrasting the variations in vegetation greenness and productivity between regions with and without land use changes. The effect of climate change was evaluated by the Spearman correlation method at the pixel level. The results showed that both vegetation greenness and productivity exhibited a rising trend in three agglomerations from 2001 to 2020. Notably, an obvious inconsistency existed between greenness and productivity. Regions with a consistent change in greenness and productivity accounted for 69.87% in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH), while only 45.65% and 42.93% in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), respectively. Land use change and climate change exerted divergent impacts on greenness and productivity across these agglomerations. The conversion of croplands and grasslands to construction lands had a more severe negative effect on vegetation greenness than on productivity in all regions. However, this transition led to a general decline in both greenness and productivity in the YRD and PRD, whereas in BTH, greenness declined while productivity paradoxically increased. As for climatic factors, the responses of greenness and productivity to rainfall and solar radiation exhibited spatial heterogeneity among the three agglomerations. In the YRD and PRD, they had a negative correlation with rainfall and a positive correlation with solar radiation, whereas in BTH, these correlations were reversed. Our spatial comparative analysis provided insights into the inconsistency between vegetation greenness and productivity as well as their potential reasons, offering a fresh perspective for regional vegetation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia has experienced rapid primary forest loss, second only to Brazil in modern history. We examined the fates of Indonesian deforested areas, immediately after clearing and over time, to quantify deforestation drivers in Indonesia. Using time-series satellite data, we tracked degradation and clearing events in intact and degraded natural forests from 1991 to 2020, as well as land use trajectories after forest loss. While an estimated 7.8 Mha (SE = 0.4) of forest cleared during this period had been planted with oil palms by 2020, another 8.8 Mha (SE = 0.4) remained unused. Of the 28.4 Mha (SE = 0.7) deforested, over half were either initially left idle or experienced crop failure before a land use could be detected, and 44% remained unused for 5 y or more. A majority (54%) of these areas were cleared mechanically (not by escaped fires), and in cases where idle lands were eventually converted to productive uses, oil palm plantations were by far the most common outcome. The apparent deliberate creation of idle deforested land in Indonesia and subsequent conversion of idle areas to oil palm plantations indicates that speculation and land banking for palm oil substantially contribute to forest loss, although failed plantations could also contribute to this dynamic. We also found that in Sumatra, few lowland forests remained, suggesting that a lack of remaining forest appropriate for palm oil production, together with an extensive area of banked deforested land, may partially explain slowing forest loss in Indonesia in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatlands are complex landscape ecosystems. Since the beginning of the last century, they have been viewed as wastelands, with little or no economic value of note in their natural state. This led to their hidden values, particularly their contributions to human well‐being, and global and local support systems, being completely overlooked in policy and decision‐making, both at national and global levels. In this paper, we highlight some of the complexities relating to Irish peatlands: from their traditional use, to changes in land use relating to national and European policy changes in the last century. We then outline essential supporting components of a framework for their restoration and future sustainable use. Policy relating to agriculture, forestry, and energy has driven most of the land use change in Ireland, particularly since the mid‐1900s, and this has led to dramatic changes in peatland extent and condition, with negative impacts on the flows of ecosystem services and benefits for people. Restoration of peatlands has significant potential to reverse those negative flows and deliver benefits (local and global) for carbon, water, biodiversity, and people. Local communities can, and are keen to, support the delivery of peatland restoration, but they need to be supported by national agencies and policy frameworks that address social, economic, and environmental targets. The act of restoration creates opportunities to re‐connect with peatlands in a positive way, re‐enforcing the intrinsic and reciprocal values of peatlands, and ultimately supporting their sustainable use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking Jixi City, a typical mining city as an example, this paper quantitatively analyzed the changing characteristics of land use patterns in mining cities by using the methods of terrain location index, distribution index and land use change map under the support of RS and GIS. The results showed that affected by mining activities and urban expansion, land use types had strong differences in different terrain gradients;arable land and construction land had a high frequency of change in low-lying areas, and gradually expanded to high-lying areas;alternate transformation of arable land, forest land and grassland occurs frequently in topographic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing shifts in climate, coupled with human activities, are leading to significant land desertification; thus, understanding the long-term variations in ecosystem services as well as the driving factors has a significant value for ensuring ecological security in ecologically fragile arid regions. In this study, we used the RUSLE, RWEQ, CASA, and InVEST models to evaluate five typical ecosystem services (ESs) from 1990 to 2020 in the Gonghe Basin, including soil conservation, sand fixation, carbon sequestration, water yield, and habitat quality. Then, we analyzed the trade-offs between ESs and proposed scientific indications. Finally, we identified the driving mechanisms of ES spatiotemporal variations. The results showed that (1) the ecosystem services in the Gonghe Basin have, overall, improved over the past 30 years. Soil conservation, sand fixation, carbon sequestration, and water yield showed upward trends, while habitat quality showed a downward trend. (2) The relationships between ESs in the Gonghe Basin were characterized by strong synergies and weak trade-offs, with significant spatial heterogeneity in terms of the trade-off intensity. In addition, the implementation of ecological engineering may strengthen the intensity of the trade-offs. (3) Among all the factors (temperature, precipitation, wind speed, NDVI, land use type, slope, DEM and soil type) that affected ESs, NDVI had the greatest impact, and the explanatory power was 49%, followed by soil type. The explanatory power of the interactions between each factor was higher than that of a single factor, and the interaction between NDVI and soil type had the greatest impact. ESs increased by 12% mainly due to the implementation of ecological engineering projects and natural factors. The most suitable area for ESs was the southeastern edge of the Gonghe Basin. Our study will enrich the understanding of the mechanisms of ecosystem services in drylands and provide a scientific basis for the future implementation of ecological engineering on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use significantly affects soil biological fertility through impacts on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. The present study investigated the effects of long‐term rice cultivation after tidal flat reclamation on soil C and N metabolism, microbial biomass and biological fertility. Eighteen composite topsoil (0–20 cm) samples were identified in a chronosequence of coastal reclamation areas (0–700 years old) in subtropical monsoon climate zone, namely tidal flat (T0), salt marsh soil (S10) and paddy soil (P50, P100, P300 and P700). Using ANOVA analysis, mono‐exponential regression model, and multiple linear regressions, soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), cumulative C mineralization content (Ct) and N mineralization content (Nt), basal soil respiration (BSR) and microbial biomass C and N (MBC and MBN) in the P50‐P700 samples were significantly higher than those in the T0 and S10 samples, whereas C metabolic quotients (qCO2) in the P50‐P700 were significantly lower than those in the T0 and S10 samples. The time to steady state for SOM and TN are 357 years and 80 years, respectively; 133 and 221 years for Ct and Nt, respectively; and 318 and 183 years for MBC and MBN, respectively. Also, a soil biological fertility index (SBFI) was calculated on the basis of SOM, BSR, Ct, MBC, qCO2 and qCM. P100‐P300 samples had the highest SBFI score (28.7) and ranked in the class V (very high) of biological fertility, achieving steady‐state conditions after 146 years. SBFI was significantly positively correlated with SOM, TN, MBC, MBN, BSR, Ct and Nt, whereas it was significantly negatively correlated with pH, qCO2 and C mineralization quotient (qCM). MBC and qCM were two independent variables with considerable positive effects on SBFI. Long‐term rice cultivation could facilitate C and N accumulation and enhance biological fertility in soils via microbial activity, especially within 300 years. Our findings demonstrate that rice cultivation has the potential to enhance soil C and N accumulation. Carbon‐related SBFI is suitable for assessing soils under long‐term rice cultivation, mainly because the rice paddy field is an intensive and conservative system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geospatial data has proven useful for monitoring urbanization and guiding sustainable development in rapidly urbanizing regions. The United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 11.3.1 leverages geospatial data to estimate rates of urban land and population change, providing insight on urban land use expansion patterns and thereby informing sustainable urbanization initiatives (i.e., SDG 11). Our work enhances a UN proposed delineation method by integrating various open-source datasets and tools (e.g., OpenStreetMap and openrouteservice) and advanced geospatial analysis techniques to automate the delineation of individual functional urban agglomerations across a country and, subsequently, calculate SDG Indicator 11.3.1 and related metrics for each. We applied our automated geospatial approach to three rapidly urbanizing countries in Africa: Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa, to conduct multi-level examinations of urban land use expansion, including identifying hotspots of SDG Indicator 11.3.1 where the percentage growth of urban land was greater than that of the urban population. The urban agglomerations of Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa displayed a 73%, 14%, and 5% increase in developed land area from 2016 to 2020, respectively, with new urban development being of an outward type in Ethiopia and an infill type in Nigeria and South Africa. On average, Ethiopia's urban agglomerations displayed the highest SDG Indicator 11.3.1 values across urban agglomerations, followed by those of South Africa and Nigeria, and secondary cities of interest coinciding as SDG Indicator 11.3.1 hotspots included Mekelle, Ethiopia; Benin City, Nigeria; and Polokwane, South Africa. The work presented in this study contributes to knowledge of urban land use expansion patterns in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa, and our approach demonstrates effectiveness for multi-level evaluations of urban land expansion according to SDG Indicator 11.3.1 across urbanizing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and land use change are two main drivers of global biodiversity decline, decreasing the genetic diversity that populations harbour and altering patterns of local adaptation. Landscape genomics allows measuring the effect of these anthropogenic disturbances on the adaptation of populations. However, both factors have rarely been considered simultaneously. Based on a set of 3660 SNPs from which 130 were identified as outliers by a genome–environment association analysis (LFMM), we modelled the spatial turnover of allele frequencies in 19 localities of Pinus leiophylla across the Avocado Belt in Michoacán state, Mexico. Then, we evaluated the effect of climate change and land use change scenarios, in addition to evaluating assisted gene flow strategies and connectivity metrics across the landscape to identify priority conservation areas for the species. We found that localities in the centre‐east of the Avocado Belt would be more vulnerable to climate change, while localities in the western area are more threatened by land conversion to avocado orchards. Assisted gene flow actions could aid in mitigating both threats. Connectivity patterns among forest patches will also be modified by future habitat loss, with central and eastern parts of the Avocado Belt maintaining the highest connectivity. These results suggest that areas with the highest priority for conservation are in the eastern part of the Avocado Belt, including the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. This work is useful as a framework that incorporates distinct layers of information to provide a more robust representation of the response of tree populations to anthropogenic disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use and settlement dynamics of two rural areas defined by the contact karst spring is the subject of this paper. The research area consists of the spring catchment of Ljubija in the northeast part of Slovenia and Gradole, the most water-rich spring in Istria (northwest Croatia), have been surveyed in terms of environmental conditions, and social and historic land use aspects. We used Statistical data and Geographic Information System (GIS) methods. Via a multidisciplinary approach we discovered that: 1) environmentally, both areas are actively managed due to drinking water resources— Gradole has 9.8% and Ljubija 8.9% of protected area; 2) data regarding social features showed that human pressure has not negatively influenced the natural settings and water supply vulnerability—the area of the Ljubija spring catchment has lower population density compared to the area of the Gradole spring catchment (1.4 inhabitants/ km² compared to 38.7 inhabitants/km² ), but the Ljubija area has more pronounced growth in the number of households—I2020/1948 = 115 compared to I2020/1948 = 88.1 at the Gradole spring catchment; and 3) the limited regeneration abilities of the karst water bodies have been preserved by the prevailing share of forest—land use data showed 84.8% for Ljubija and 34.4% for Gradole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of urbanization leads to the reallocation and adjustment of agricultural production factors, which has a significant impact on agricultural carbon emissions (ACEs). Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2007 to 2019, this study explores the mechanism of how urbanization affects ACEs and conducts empirical tests. The results show that there is an “inverted U-shaped” relationship between urbanization and ACEs, with ACEs first increasing and then decreasing as the urbanization rate increases. From the perspective of intermediate mechanisms, urbanization mainly influences ACEs through the scale of farmland operations, the structure of crops, and the intensity of agricultural mechanization. Agricultural land management scale and crop structure have an inhibitory effect on ACEs, but the increasing intensity of agricultural mechanization exacerbates ACEs. In terms of regional heterogeneity, due to differences in physical geography and agricultural policies, the impact of urbanization on ACEs occurs in northern areas and non-major grain-producing areas. The spatial analysis indicates that urbanization has a spatial spillover effect on ACEs in the neighboring provinces. This study contributes to the existing ACEs’ literature by integrating urbanization, agricultural land use, and ACEs into the same theoretical analytical framework, exploring the underlying mechanisms, spillover effects, and regional heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rahim, A.; Soeprobowati, T.R.; Putranto, T.T.; Hadiyanto, H., and Alfalah, M.H., 2024. Investigating the impact of climate and land use changes on mangrove ecosystems: A bibliometric analysis from 2013 to 2023. Journal of Coastal Research, 40(4), 768–778. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Mangroves are essential to the stability of coastal regions, especially when facing the threat of climate change. However, deforestation, land use changes, and rising sea levels destroy mangrove forests. Based on bibliometric analysis, this paper aims to gain insight into the impact of climate and land use changes on mangroves. By searching Scopus, 534 pieces of literature from 2013 to 2023 were found, and they were analyzed based on bibliometric information and article metadata. Trends and hotspots of the impact of climate and land use changes on mangrove research were explored using VOSviewer software. The results of a network co-occurrence analysis revealed that mangroves, climate change, land use change, blue carbon, and wetlands represent the most popular central areas of study. The results of this paper show that the countries with the greatest number of publications on mangroves and climate and land use changes are the United States, Australia, India, Indonesia, and China. The research findings revealed that remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are the most recently used technologies to enhance the research field of ecosystem monitoring in mangrove research. Maintaining and increasing carbon sinks through sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems have been a potential priority in climate change and mangrove ecosystem research development. This research highlights trends in the impact of climate and land use changes on mangrove ecosystem research over the past 10 years. It identifies areas that require further research investment to promote future research collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geospatial cellular automata (Geo-CA) models have encountered challenges in computing efficiency and scalability when conducting large-scale land use change simulation applications. Parallel computing has proven to be effective to address these challenges. However, parallelization strategies for existing parallel Geo-CA models are always optimized for specific models and lack applicability to others. Besides, most parallel Geo-CA models focus on parallelizing land use change simulations, ignoring land use transition rule mining. Moreover, there is a lack of effective parallel strategies for demand-constrained land use change simulation on distributed heterogeneous architectures. This study proposes a parallel framework on hybrid parallel computing architectures applicable for raster-based Geo-CA models to enhance their computing efficiency and scalability while maintaining simulation accuracy. The framework provides parallelization strategies for both the land use transition rule mining for multiple land use types and the demand-constrained land use change simulation on distributed heterogeneous architectures. The framework was employed to parallelize two contemporary Geo-CA models, i.e., PLUS and MCCA. Experiments showed that the parallelized models achieved significant improvements in computing efficiency and scalability, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed framework for large-scale land use change simulation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• LULC changes of three decades from 1991 to 2021 were examined and predicted. • Multi-spectral remote sensing data and RFT were utilized to generate LULC maps. • ACR were considered to analyze the categorical land use change detection. • Impervious land has expanded 10 times within 30 years and will increase in the future. The integration of multi-spectral remote sensing and GIS-based analysis is significant for studying land cover changes, providing valuable insights for informed land management and sustainable development. The present study aims to examine land use land cover (LULC) changes of three decades from 1991 to 2021 and predict the future LULC change in Binh Duong province, Vietnam to explore a future research direction on land use change and associated challenges in the study region. Multi-spectral remote sensing data and random forest tree (RFT) were utilized to generate LULC maps. Areal statistics and annual change rate were considered to analyze the categorical land use change detection. Statistical measures such as user's accuracy, producer's accuracy, kappa coefficient, and confusion matrix were employed to assess the accuracy of LULC classification. To predict future LULC and simulate the spatio-temporal change, we considered previous year LULC maps, independent spatial variables and a combined artificial neural network (ANN) multi-layer perceptron approach. The analysis revealed that there was a huge transition from agricultural lands to residential land with industry and commerce which resulting an expansion of impervious lands and a rapid decline of agricultural land as well as of scrub land and barren lands, and a changeability of forest and plantation, croplands, and waterbodies. Our study revealed that the impervious land has expanded 10 times within 30 years and will increase in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of flooding on cities is becoming increasingly significant in the context of climate change and rapid urbanization. Based on the analysis of the land use changes and rainstorm waterlogging inundation scenarios of Jiangqiao Town from 1980 to 2020, a scenario analysis was conducted to simulate and assess the rainstorm waterlogging disaster risk in 2040 under three land use scenarios (a natural development scenario, Scenario ND; an economic growth scenario, Scenario EG; and an ecological development priority scenario, Scenario EP) and three rainstorm scenarios with return periods of 10, 50, and 100 years. The following results were found: (1) Land use change is a significant factor in the risk of urban rainstorm waterlogging disaster caused by surface runoff and inundation depth change. In particular, the resultant increase in impermeable surfaces such as residential land and industrial land and the decrease in farmland during urbanization would lead to an increase in urban rainstorm waterlogging disaster risk. (2) Under three rainstorm scenarios, the future land use exposure elements and losses are consistent in terms of spatial distribution; from 10-year to 100-year return periods, they manifest as an expansion from the south to the surroundings, especially to the central region of the study area. The locations at risk are mainly distributed in the central and southern regions of Jiangqiao Town. (3) The economic losses are different in different land use scenarios and rainstorm scenarios. In the context of rainstorm scenarios with return periods of 10, 50, and 100 years, the total losses in land use scenario ND are CNY 560 million, CNY 890 million, and CNY 1.07 billion; those in land use scenario EG are CNY 630 million, CNY 980 million, and CNY 1.19 billion; and those in land use scenario EP are CNY 480 million, CNY 750 million, and CNY 910 million. The total losses of land use EP are the lowest by comparison. So, the influence of land use change on the rainstorm waterlogging disaster risk shows obvious differences among different rainstorm scenarios. This study has important reference value for decision making on land use management and flood disaster risk management in rapidly urbanizing areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities exert a profound influence on land use and land cover, and these changes directly influence habitat quality and ecosystem functioning. In the Gansu–Qinghai contiguous region of the upper Yellow River, habitat quality has undergone substantial transformations in recent years due to the synergistic impacts of natural processes and human intervention. Therefore, evaluating the effects of land use changes on habitat quality is crucial for advancing regional sustainable development and improving the worth of ecosystem services. In response to these challenges, we devised a two-pronged approach: a land use simulation (FLUS) model and an integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST) model, leveraging remote sensing data. This integrated methodology establishes a research framework for the evaluation and simulation of spatial and temporal variations in habitat quality. The results of the study show that, firstly, from 1980 to 2020, the habitat quality index in the Gansu–Qinghai contiguous region of the upper Yellow River decreased from 0.8528 to 0.8434. Secondly, our predictions anticipate a decrease in habitat quality, although the decline is not pronounced across all scenarios. The highest habitat quality values were projected under the EP (Ecology Priority) scenario, followed by the CLP (Cultivated Land Priority) scenario, while the BAU (Business as Usual) scenario consistently yielded the lowest values in all three scenarios. Finally, the ecological land, including forest land and grassland, consistently occupied areas characterized by high habitat quality. In contrast, Construction land consistently appeared in regions associated with low habitat quality. The implementation of conservation measures emerges as a crucial strategy, effectively limiting the expansion of construction land and promoting the augmentation of forest land and grassland cover. This approach serves to enhance overall habitat quality. These outcomes furnish a scientific foundation for the judicious formulation of future land-use policies and ecological protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arid Zone Research / Ganhanqu Yanjiu is the property of Arid Zone Research Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arid Zone Research / Ganhanqu Yanjiu is the property of Arid Zone Research Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Natural environmental factors and anthropogenic activities could have strong impacts on threatened species distribution. Based on Random Forest modeling and ordinary least squares models, we tested the correlations between natural environmental factors (mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP) and elevation range), anthropogenic activities (changes in cropland area, population density and pasture area) over different periods (between 1700 and 1800, between 1800 and 1900, and between 1900 and 2000) and ratio of threatened orchids in China. The results showed that threatened orchids were concentrated in Southwest China, Central China and Northeast China. The ratio of threatened orchids was positively correlated with MAT and MAP, but negatively correlated with elevation range. In addition, the three anthropogenic activity variables most correlated with threatened orchids ratio were changes of cropland area between 1900 and 2000, population density between 1700 and 1800, and between 1800 and 1900. These correlations were positive, indicating that areas with more anthropogenic activities had more threatened orchids. Moreover, MAP and changes of cropland area between 1900 and 2000 together were more correlated with threatened orchids ratio than other variables. These findings suggest important roles of contemporary climate and anthropogenic activities in shaping the distribution of threatened orchid species in China. Plain Language Summary: Natural environmental factors and anthropogenic activities are critical factors affecting threatened species distribution. This study assessed the associations between natural environmental factors, anthropogenic activities over different periods and the ratio of threatened orchids in China. We found that threatened orchid species were concentrated in Southwest China, Central China and Northeast China. The ratio of threatened orchids was positively correlated with mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation, but negatively correlated with elevation range. The results also demonstrate that threatened orchids tended to be concentrated in areas with greater increase in cropland area and population density. Our results contribute to a better understanding about the distribution patterns of threatened orchid species and the drivers of threatened orchid species diversity. Key Points: Threatened orchid species were concentrated in Southwest China, Central China and Northeast ChinaThe ratio of threatened orchids was positively correlated with mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitationThreatened orchids tended to be concentrated in regions with greater increase in cropland area and population density [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological restoration programs (ERPs) can lead to dramatic land use change, thereby affecting ecosystem services and their interaction. Determining the optimal ERPs is a crucial issue for ecological restoration in ecologically fragile regions. This study analyzed the impacts of land use change on four water-related ecosystem services (WESs), namely water yield, soil retention, water purification, and food production in the Ganjiang River basin, China during the past two decades. Then, trade-off and synergy between WESs were detected based on correlation analysis. Finally, to quantify the effect of ERPs on WESs, we comprehensively considered the types and intensity of ERPs and designed four categories of scenarios: returning farmland to forest (RFF) scenarios; planting forest (PF) scenarios; riparian forestland buffer (RFB) scenarios; and riparian grassland buffer (RGB) scenarios. Each category contains five scenarios of different intensities. The results showed that water yield, soil retention, and food production increased while water purification decreased from 2000 to 2020. The deterioration of water quality was mainly due to transitions from forestland to farmland and built-up land. Trade-offs only occurred between regulating services and provisioning services. Among all ecological restoration scenarios, only the RFF scenarios can significantly improve soil retention and water purification at the same time, although food production will decrease. Considering food security, returning farmland with a slope greater than 10 degrees to forestland was the optimal scenario in the study area. This study highlighted that both the type and intensity of ERPs should be considered in ecological restoration. This study can contribute to ecological restoration in the Ganjiang River basin and other subtropical mountainous regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion, one of the most serious phenomena in watershed management, can be estimated based on various criteria. Land use change is one of the most important factors affecting the susceptibility of soil erosion. In this study, the effect of land use change on soil erosion risk in two plan periods (2005 and 2017) was investigated using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the forest planning units in the Doğancı Dam Watershed, located in Bursa, Türkiye. Eight criteria were evaluated including erosion-related slope, bedrock type, land use/land cover, precipitation, relative relief, aspect, drainage frequency, and density. According to the results, the most effective factor in soil erosion was slope (0.29), while bedrock type and land use/land cover ranked second with 0.19. It was found that full closure forests were characterized by high erosion resistance (0.3), while bare land was characterized as the most sensitive area to erosion (0.39). In terms of spatio-temporal changes in a 12-year period, the areas in the medium and high erosion risk decreased, while low and very low-risk areas increased. The ROC method showed a satisfactory accuracy of 72.8% and 80.2% for the 2005 and 2017 erosion risk maps, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]