Announcements

As all of the articles published in our journal Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) are presented in an open access format, everyone has free and unlimited access to the full texts. We welcome you to read our annual recommended articles published in 2024, listed below:

1. “Spatiotemporal Analysis of Soil Quality Degradation and Emissions in the State of Iowa (USA)”
by Elena A. Mikhailova, Hamdi A. Zurqani, Lili Lin, Zhenbang Hao, Christopher J. Post, Mark A. Schlautman and Gregory C. Post
Land 2024, 13(4), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13040547
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/4/547

Highlights:

• The concept of soil quality (SQ) is defined as the soil's capacity to function to support plant and animal life, maintain water and air quality, and support human health, and is often applied at the field scale;
• Soil quality (SQ) is composed of inherent (soil suitability) and dynamic (soil health, SH) components that form a landscape-level SQ continuum (SQC);
• This study analyzed SQ degradation and emissions from land developments for the state of Iowa (IA) in the United States of America (USA);
• The results support pending soil health-related legislation in IA that works towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the United Nations (UN).

2. “Resilience of Terraced Landscapes to Human and Natural Impacts: A GIS-Based Reconstruction of Land Use Evolution in a Mediterranean Mountain Valley”
by Titouan Le Vot, Marianne Cohen, Maciej Nowak, Paul Passy and Franck Sumera
Land 2024, 13(5), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050592
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/5/592

Highlights:

• Terraced lands are a historical landscape under risk in Mediterranean mountains;
• Their surface and land-use trajectories are analyzed across five centuries in a GIS;
• Although mostly abandoned, they persist in the ground landscape;
• Their environmental and productive functions are part of their future resilience.

3. “Exploring Urban Service Location Suitability: Mapping Social Behavior Dynamics with Space Syntax Theory”
by Saleh Qanazi, Ihab H. Hijazi, Isam Shahrour and Rani El Meouche
Land 2024, 13(5), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050609
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/5/609

Highlights:

• Research objective: This paper investigates urban service suitability by integrating social factors with spatial analysis at the community level using space syntax theory;
• Main findings:

• This study identifies the optimal locations for essential governmental facilities, such as health clinics and fire stations, and suggests reallocation for some schools;
• It demonstrates ways to improve the placement of community amenities, finding ideal locations for parks but noting suboptimal placements for mosques;
• The study highlights areas for enhancement in commercial services, including gas stations and shops.

• Future implications: The insights from this research can guide policymakers and planners in creating more efficient, equitable, and accessible cities.

4. “Modeling Irrigation of Tomatoes with Saline Water in Semi-Arid Conditions Using Hydrus-1D”
by Sabri Kanzari, Jiří Šimůnek, Issam Daghari, Anis Younes, Khouloud Ben Ali, Sana Ben Mariem and Samir Ghannem
Land 2024, 13(6), 739; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060739
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/739

Highlights:

• Hydrus-1D successfully simulated soil water and salt dynamics in a soil profile, with tomatoes irrigated with saline water;
• The multiplicative S-model was the best model for reproducing a decrease in tomato relative yield due to irrigation water salinity;
• An increase in seasonal temperature of 2°C had no significant effect on tomato yield.

5. “Facilitated Forest Restoration Using Pioneer Seed Dispersers in Madagascar: The Example of Microcebus spp.”
by Jörg U. Ganzhorn, Jean-Basile Andriambeloson, Sylvia Atsalis, Lis M. Behrendt, Marina B. Blanco, An Bollen, Stéphanie M. Carrière, Lounès Chikhi, Melanie Dammhahn, Giuseppe Donati et al.
Land 2024, 13(12), 1971; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13121971
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/12/1971

Highlights:

• The aim of this research is to explore the potential contributions of a small primate seed disperser (genus Microcebus) to forest restoration projects at early stages when the restored vegetation cannot yet attract large seed dispersers, which are often targeted by the concept of “facilitated restoration”;
• Microcebus disperses the seeds of small-seeded plants such as pioneer herbs and shrubs, but also the seeds of some large trees;
• In reforestation plots bordering natural forest, these small animals could be lured into the restoration plots by planting fast-fruiting shrubs and herbs that set fruit within one to two years;
• Considering the potential roles of these small seed dispersers in restoration planting could accelerate the trajectory of a reforested area that might otherwise might remain species-poor for a long period of time towards a species-rich plant community.