Land Use Change in the Changing Environment II

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 10255

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Land-use changes are discussed not only in relation to climate change, but also to political and socio-economic changes. Such interactions between humans and environments are receiving more attention in today’s society. Because of its complexity, land science involves broad communities. This Special Issue is seeking original, unpublished papers that describe recent advances and efforts in various land-use and land-cover-change issues in relation to changing environments, not only from a GLP (Global Land Project) community standpoint but also from that of non-GLP communities. This Special Issue invites research papers addressing the state of the art in developing the concepts and tools for an effective analysis at different scales. Research results and discussions, especially those targeting contributions to exploring the research framework with co-design and co-production for Future Earth (http://www.futureearth.org/), are highly welcome. Papers selected for this Special Issue are subjected to a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications in the area of environments.

Prof. Dr. Teiji Watanabe
Dr. Ram Avtar
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  •  accumulation of case studies on land use change and sustainability, resilience, and vulnerability
  •  land use change in protected areas
  •  trade-offs between development/land use change and conservation
  •  land use change and climate change, societal change, or policy change as a driver
  •  land use change and poverty, marginality, and gender
  •  models and analytical tools for environmental management and sustainability

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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15 pages, 1278 KiB  
Article
Soil Loss Analysis of an Eastern Kentucky Watershed Utilizing the Universal Soil Loss Equation
by Bilal G. Jones, Buddhi R. Gyawali, Demetrio Zourarakis, Maheteme Gebremedhin and George Antonious
Environments 2022, 9(10), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments9100126 - 4 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3410
Abstract
Soil erosion is the displacement of soil’s upper layer(s) triggered by a variation in topography, land use and soil types, and anthropogenic activities. This study selected the Marrowbone Creek-Russel Fork watershed in eastern Kentucky to estimate the mean annual soil loss over eight [...] Read more.
Soil erosion is the displacement of soil’s upper layer(s) triggered by a variation in topography, land use and soil types, and anthropogenic activities. This study selected the Marrowbone Creek-Russel Fork watershed in eastern Kentucky to estimate the mean annual soil loss over eight years (from 2013 to 2020) utilizing the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). We included monthly precipitation, soil survey, digital elevation model (DEM), and land cover data to estimate the parameters of the USLE. The mean annual soil loss for the study area ranged from 1.77 to 2.91 Mg ha−1 yr−1 with an eight-year mean of 2.31 Mg ha−1 yr−1. In addition, we observed that developed land cover classes were less erosion-resistant than undeveloped land cover classes over the observation period. The results of this case study in our small watershed that has been historically impacted by upstream coal-mining activities are comparable to the results from similar studies in other geographic regions. However, we suggest other researchers conduct similar studies using robust data to determine the applicability of the USLE model and validate the results in developing measures to address soil loss issues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Change in the Changing Environment II)
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Review

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13 pages, 2248 KiB  
Review
A Review to Update the Protected Areas in Ecuador and an Analysis of Their Main Impacts and Conservation Strategies
by Carlos Mestanza-Ramón, Joel Monar-Nuñez, Paola Guala-Alulema, Yuri Montenegro-Zambrano, Renato Herrera-Chávez, Celene B. Milanes, Carla Arguello-Guadalupe, Pamela Buñay-Guisñan and Marco Toledo-Villacís
Environments 2023, 10(5), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10050079 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6050
Abstract
Establishing new protected areas (PAs) is one of the first steps needed to reduce habitat loss and fragmentation, protect ecosystems that are of vital importance to conserve biodiversity, and even protect traditional cultures. The correct management of a PA can be beneficial for [...] Read more.
Establishing new protected areas (PAs) is one of the first steps needed to reduce habitat loss and fragmentation, protect ecosystems that are of vital importance to conserve biodiversity, and even protect traditional cultures. The correct management of a PA can be beneficial for the different forms of life found within it and can provide multiple benefits to humanity and to the continued functioning of productive ecosystems. Protected Areas act as buffers for life while serving as sanctuaries and strongholds for species in the face of climate change. Within these areas, genetic diversity is enabled to evolve in response to the pressures of natural selection. The causes of biodiversity loss include changes in land use due to agriculture and urbanization, invasive species, overexploitation, and pollution. As stipulated, the current study aims to update the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) by applying a review of scientific and gray literature. This review presents updated information; Ecuador currently has 74 protected areas, with state, decentralized autonomous, community, and private subdivisions. The main social and environmental impacts found in the protected areas included in the SNAP are presented in a review of the existing literature. Finally, strategies are proposed to improve the management of the protected areas of the SNAP focused on strengthening the conservation of their different life forms and the responsible use of their ecosystem services through more efficient and productive spaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Change in the Changing Environment II)
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