Search Results (31)

In 2022, the United Nations Global Biodiversity Framework set forth an ambitious target for “biodiversity-inclusive cities”, recognising the imperative to address biodiversity decline across all sectors, including the built environment. However, the application of this emerging concept remains limited, with few projects directly aligned with the framework’s objectives or timelines necessary for meaningful biodiversity outcomes. To address this limitation this research presents The Paddock, a 27-home regenerative development in southeastern Australia, designed to empower residents in ecological restoration and regeneration efforts. Engagement was initiated through citizen science surveys and a co-design workshop during 2015–2016. As a result, The Paddock seeks to support five focal species’ return via ecosystem-centred design principles. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, the paper documents the design process, ecological decision-making, and the evolving people–nature relationships within the community. Preliminary results indicate the anecdotal return of four targeted species alongside other local fauna. Feedback gathered from residents, combined with insights from the landowner and architect, illustrates that residing in a regenerative environment enhances ecological connections and stewardship tendencies. Ongoing long-term species monitoring will further evaluate the project’s ecological impact. This case study underscores the potential of biodiversity inclusive design (BID) in fostering biodiversity-positive and socially responsive housing developments. Full article

Many barriers prevent ranchers from supporting prescribed fire on grazing leases or their own land. Barriers include negative perceptions of fire resources limitations, and fear of liability. We surveyed ranching landowners around four National Grasslands in North and South Dakota—public grazinglands managed by the USDA Forest Service—to assess landowner attitudes towards prescribed fire and provide insight into the barriers to using prescribed burning on the National Grasslands. Respondents reported being motivated by an interest in stewardship and want managers to prioritize sound science in decision-making on the National Grasslands. But respondents generally had negative perceptions of fire and reported little awareness of potential benefits. With respect to prescribed fire, specifically, respondents reported their greatest degree of trust in prescribed fire activity and/or information of Pheasants Forever and county Extension, and their lowest trust in the USDA Forest Service. Despite their proximity to public grazingland, where the risk and resource barriers for prescribed burning would be borne by the USDA Forest Service, respondents disagreed that prescribed fire use on the Grasslands should be increased and stated a lack of readiness to conduct prescribed burns on their own ranches. As the primary barriers to prescribed fire use in these communities appear to be negative perceptions, educational materials from trusted sources and opportunities to engage with burning might help explain where and when prescribed fire use would be appropriate on the landscape and aid understanding between entities that would like to use prescribed fire and those who are concerned about prescribed fire use. Full article

Grid-cell data are increasingly used in research due to the growing availability and accessibility of remote sensing products. However, grid-cell data often fails to represent the actual decision-making unit, leading to biased estimates in socio-economic analysis. To this end, this paper presents a comprehensive parcel-level dataset for Salt Lake County, Utah, spanning from 2008 to 2018. This dataset combines detailed spatial and temporal data on land ownership, land use, and preferential farmland tax assessments under the Greenbelt program. Compiled from multiple geospatial sources, the dataset includes nearly 200,000 parcel-year observations, providing valuable insights into landowner decision-making and the impact of tax abatement incentives at the decision-making level. This resource is beneficial for researchers, educators, and practitioners in sustainable development, environmental studies, and farmland conservation. Full article

More than half of the private forestland in the U.S. is under non-industrial private forest (NIPF) ownership. Understanding NIPF landowners’ decision-making is crucial for developing effective policy that promotes sustainable forest management practices and ensures forest health. This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of different management practices, with a focus on potential crowding effects among these practices. Drawing on data from over four hundred NIPF landowners in the U.S. central hardwood region, a series of binary logistic regression models were employed to analyze the relationship between landowner and forestland characteristics and the likelihood of adopting various management practices, like invasive plant management, forest stand improvement, and grapevine control. The findings reveal that factors, such as forest acreage, proximity of landowner residence to the forest, and education level, significantly affect the likelihood of adopting management practices. More importantly, this study found evidence of crowding-in effects, where implementing one practice increased the probability of adopting others, suggesting a preference among NIPF landowners for a diverse approach to forest management. Full article

Rural areas near large cities do not satisfy the food needs of the city’s population. In Medellín, Colombia, these areas satisfy only 2% of the city’s food needs, highlighting an urgent need to review and improve policies supporting agriculture. This study was conducted over a ten-year period since the release of the Medellín policy related to land use. The model uses agent-based modelling, geographic analysis and dichotomous variables, combining these structures to create a decision-making element and thus identify changes to examine in relation to current land use and detect properties with a potential for conversion to agricultural use. By evaluating post-processed geographic layers, land use in agricultural rural environments is prioritized, setting up clusters of homogeneous zones and finding new areas of rural influence. The implications of this study extend beyond Medellín, offering a model that can be applied to other regions facing similar challenges in agricultural productivity and land use. This research supports informed and effective decision-making in agricultural policy, contributing to improved food security and sustainable development. The results show that some properties are susceptible to policy changes and provide a framework for the revision of local regulations, serving as a support tool for decision-making in rural public policies by giving the local administration key factors to update in the current policies. The findings are relevant to local stakeholders, including policymakers and rural landowners, suggesting that several properties are susceptible to policy changes promoting agriculture and supporting informed decision-making in agricultural policy, contributing to food security and sustainable development. Also, this approach promotes efficient and sustainable agriculture, highlighting the importance of geographic analysis and agent-based modelling in policy planning and evaluation. Full article

In this study, we primarily assess the relationship between social safeguards and the living standards of local communities in different ecological zones of Ghana, relying on data from the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS 7) and publicly available policy documents from the Ghana Statistical Service and the Forestry Commission of Ghana, respectively. This research aims to assist policymakers and stakeholders to make informed and appropriate decisions when developing social safeguards for emission reduction projects. The GLSS 7 covers 14,009 households, comprising 59,864 individuals in 892 enumeration areas or communities across the 10 regions of Ghana, now divided into 16. The data were collected using a stratified random sampling technique. Principal component analysis was employed to develop a living condition index, after which we generated a second construct based on the number of factors affecting living conditions. The results showed that access to sharecropping, literacy, extension services, financial institutions, a mobile phone network, and markets have significant positive relationships with the living conditions of local communities in Ghana. In addition, 78% of the social safeguards described in Ghana’s REDD+ strategy, Forest and Wildlife Policy, Benefits Sharing Mechanism, and Forest Plantation Development Strategy are aligned with the determinants of local communities’ living conditions. The findings suggest a need to enforce the Benefit Sharing Mechanism, better forest governance, and tenancy reforms in order to prevent the overexploitation of landowners and avoid elite capture. Furthermore, farmers must be linked to financial institutions in order to obtain credits. Additionally, we must seek to provide local communities with better access to markets and mobile phone networks in a way that allows them to carry out their livelihood activities effectively and efficiently. These measures help to reduce the risk of REDD+ actions and ensure sustainability. Full article

Ecosystem services assessment is vital for sustainable land management decision-making. However, ecosystem service responses to land ownership and forest fragmentation have rarely been incorporated into landscape management decision-making contexts. Such knowledge gaps pose a challenging conservation issue: how to incentivize landowners to ensure the sustainability of ecosystem services provision? This study provides new insights into integrating ecosystem services into landscape planning by illustrating the significant changes in ecosystem service value among different landowner types. The net ecological and economic consequences of forest land cover transition in Kentucky, USA, were assessed, as were the details of how each landowner type was affected, and the driving factors were analyzed. The results showed that the total value of water-related ecosystem services was USD 745.83 million in 2011, which had decreased by USD 19.38 million compared to the value in 2001. Forestland owned by family landowners contributed 75% of the total loss. Public landowners lost USD 0.08 million, corporate landowners lost USD 0.19 million and family landowners lost USD 0.55 million in terms of water retention value. In terms of nitrogen retention value, there was a loss of USD 1.57 million, USD 7.65 million and USD 1.69 million for public, family and corporate landowners, respectively. Family-owned forestland presented the highest mean value of water retention and the lowest mean value of soil, nitrogen and phosphorus retention. All landowners experienced a noticeable loss in water-related ecosystem services value. Land ownership and forest fragmentation exerted significant impacts on ecosystem services provision and change. Integrating land ownership into ecosystem service assessment may improve the landscape and regional planning, through which scientifically sound decision-making can be promoted by natural resource management agencies. Full article

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting cervid species, both free-ranging and captive populations. As the geographic range continues to expand and disease prevalence continues to increase, CWD will have an impact on cervid populations, local economies, and ecosystem health. Mitigation of this “wicked” disease will require input from many different stakeholders including hunters, landowners, research biologists, wildlife managers, and others, working together. The NC1209 (North American interdisciplinary chronic wasting disease research consortium) is composed of scientists from different disciplines involved with investigating and managing CWD. Leveraging this broad breadth of expertise, the Consortium has created a state-of-the-science review of five key aspects of CWD, including current diagnostic capabilities for detecting prions, requirements for validating these diagnostics, the role of environmental transmission in CWD dynamics, and potential zoonotic risks associated with CWD. The goal of this review is to increase stakeholders’, managers’, and decision-makers’ understanding of this disease informed by current scientific knowledge. Full article

Remote sensing is valuable for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) stocks. However, its application in agricultural and pasture areas is limited compared with forest areas. This study quantifies AGB in agriculture–pasture mosaics within Brazil’s Campo Maior Complex (CMC). The methodology employs remote sensing cloud processing and utilizes an estimator to incorporate vegetation indices. The results reveal significant changes in biomass values among land use and land cover classes over the past ten years, with notable variations observed in forest plantation, pasture, sugar cane, and soybean areas. The estimated AGB values range from 0 to 20 Mg.ha⁻¹ (minimum), 53 to 419 Mg.ha⁻¹ (maximum), and 19 to 57 Mg.ha⁻¹ (mean). In Forest formation areas, AGB values range from approximately 0 to 278 Mg.ha⁻¹, with an average annual value of 56.44 Mg.ha⁻¹. This study provides valuable insights for rural landowners and government officials in managing the semiarid territory and environment. It aids in decision making regarding agricultural management, irrigation and fertilization practices, agricultural productivity, land use and land cover changes, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, conservation strategies, the identification of priority areas for environmental restoration, and the optimization of resource utilization. Full article

We integrated a mechanistic wildfire simulation system with an agent-based landscape change model to investigate the feedbacks among climate change, population growth, development, landowner decision-making, vegetative succession, and wildfire. Our goal was to develop an adaptable simulation platform for anticipating risk-mitigation tradeoffs in a fire-prone wildland–urban interface (WUI) facing conditions outside the bounds of experience. We describe how five social and ecological system (SES) submodels interact over time and space to generate highly variable alternative futures even within the same scenario as stochastic elements in simulated wildfire, succession, and landowner decisions create large sets of unique, path-dependent futures for analysis. We applied the modeling system to an 815 km² study area in western Oregon at a sub-taxlot parcel grain and annual timestep, generating hundreds of alternative futures for 2007–2056 (50 years) to explore how WUI communities facing compound risks from increasing wildfire and expanding periurban development can situate and assess alternative risk management approaches in their localized SES context. The ability to link trends and uncertainties across many futures to processes and events that unfold in individual futures is central to the modeling system. By contrasting selected alternative futures, we illustrate how assessing simulated feedbacks between wildfire and other SES processes can identify tradeoffs and leverage points in fire-prone WUI landscapes. Assessments include a detailed “post-mortem” of a rare, extreme wildfire event, and uncovered, unexpected stabilizing feedbacks from treatment costs that reduced the effectiveness of agent responses to signs of increasing risk. Full article

Conservation easements (CEs) were introduced in the Chinese context to resolve the conflict between rural land use and area-based conservation measures. As conservation easements are usually set on private lands, little is known about their adaptation to the collective land tenure. We introduced a social-psychological aspect to sustainable livelihoods (SL) for an integrated decision-making mechanism to assess rural residents’ motivations for granting CEs. We surveyed farmers in the Qianjiangyuan National Park pilot area in order to explore how tangible factors, i.e., the livelihood assets, and intangible factors, i.e., farmers’ perceptions of the livelihood environment, affected their true feeling of conservation easements. Results suggested that CEs that were adapted to the collectively-owned forestland followed a well-established grassroots democracy but sacrificed the CE’s diversity in restricted uses tailored to specific landowners and properties. Institutional capital and perception of the economic environment appeared most important to affect farmers’ acceptance of CEs. Furthermore, the livelihood assets affected farmers’ perception of the livelihood environment, and their acceptance of CEs affected the perception of policy outcomes. Overall, our findings demonstrate the acceptance of conservation easements as a livelihood strategic choice and strengthen the importance of securing economic rights in the changing institutional environment. Full article

The Internet of Things (IoT) plays a vital role in improving cultivation methods for greenhouses and providing farmers/landowners with the relevant information to make decisions for optimal yields. This paper presents an intelligent system, based on the IoT concept that remotely provides users with information related to the temperature, humidity, and soil moisture intensity for the monitoring of plant conditions. The Android application is designed for the users to monitor plant health parameters and manage the timing and frequency of water sprinkling. The sensors collect the readings and transfer them to the Blynk app using the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module. Based on the critical condition of the plant, the user can control the solenoid valve via an Android application to maintain the healthy state of the plant. Full article

Short-term land rental agreements such as the traditional conacre system in Northern Ireland offer flexibility between the landowners and the farmers renting the land. However, the uncertainty of tenure linked to such short-term land rental systems does not allow for farmers renting the land to make longer-term investment planning and decisions, particularly around sustainable land management practices. Long-term tenancy agreements have been identified as a viable option to cope with short-term uncertainties and improve the environmental management of the land. In this study, we analysed the factors influencing farmers’ intention to adopt long-term land leasing with and without income tax incentives in Northern Ireland. To achieve our objective, we employed ordered logistic regression models complemented with qualitative analysis. The results of our analyses showed that varying factors including risk attitude, pro-environmental behaviour, profit consciousness, having a dairy enterprise, the area of farmland owned, the presence of a successor, and the age and education of the farmer influence farmers’ intention to adopt long-term land leasing. However, variability exists depending on the farmers’ rental status and availability of income tax incentives. It can be concluded from the study that policies aimed at encouraging long-term land leasing should take a holistic approach that incorporates environmental and socioeconomic factors. Full article

Land requirements of wind power (WP) are often seen as a constraint to future broad-scale deployment. The aim of the study is to evaluate the eligibility of abandoned agricultural land (AAL) areas, covered with woody plants, for the development of wind energy (WE) in Lithuania. Agricultural land abandonment (ALA) has numerous negative aspects and its use for WE must be a profitable choice for the landowner, as for the energy developers also. A newly developed methodological approach, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method known as TOPSIS (the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) was applied to select suitable areas for wind power plants (WPP). The authors have used various data sets, as follows: protected areas (reserves, parks) combined into one common geographic information system (GIS) layer, forest cadaster data, water (lakes, rivers) area layer; abandoned land area layer; buildings layer, taken from the Lithuania Georeferenced Data Base. The results were generated for the entire territory of Lithuania and separately for AAL using the algorithms of the open source QGIS program. The results showed that the central part of Lithuania is most suitable for the development of WE. However, ALA in this part is low, because of the high soil yield potential and suitable conditions for farming. According to the selection criteria, about 7% of AAL are suitable for WE, and more than 18% of AAL have an average suitability. Full article

Forest carbon offset programs have suffered from low landowner uptake, in large part to their long duration. A recent innovation in forest carbon offsets is the use of short period delays to harvest, which extend the rotation age of the stand beyond what is optimal for timber alone and increase sequestered carbon. Here, we assess the economic value of a short period delay “option pricing” in forest harvest with price uncertainty using a binomial option approach, accounting both for timber and carbon. Results from an option pricing model showed that landowners can generate considerably higher revenue with managerial flexibility along with the additional revenue from carbon offset programs. These results can help forest landowners make proper ownership decisions to withstand the risk and uncertainty associated with stumpage prices, while benefiting from carbon offset revenues. Full article