Article
Environmental Studies
Maria Jesus Mosciaro, Lucas Seghezzo, Marcos Texeira, Jose Paruelo, Jose Volante
Summary: Land transformation is a significant aspect of global change, which has direct impacts on habitat composition, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. The Dry Chaco region in North-western Argentina has experienced extensive land transformation due to agricultural expansion, but the specific patterns and drivers of this change remain unclear. In this study, a comprehensive database was used to analyze land use transitions over the past 20 years. The results showed that ranching is the primary cause of deforestation, accounting for the majority of annual cleared area. The analysis also revealed a spatial arrangement where croplands have replaced ranching in drier areas. The understanding of these land use transitions is crucial for effective land management strategies.
Article
Environmental Studies
Edita Abalikstiene, Dalia Perkumiene
Summary: This article analyzes the territorial planning documents in Vilnius district municipality (Lithuania) and evaluates the impact of land use change on it. It highlights the existing problems in territorial planning documents and emphasizes the importance of considering environmental factors and legal safeguards.
Article
Soil Science
Emilce Viruel, Cecilia A. Fontana, Edoardo Puglisi, Jose A. Nasca, Natalia R. Banegas, Pier S. Cocconcelli
Summary: The study found that changes in land use in the semi-arid Chaco ecoregion significantly impact the diversity and functions of soil bacterial communities, with soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and pH being key determining factors of bacterial community composition and diversity.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Changjie Chen, Jasmeet Judge, David Hulse
Summary: This paper introduces an open-source tool called PyLUSAT for conducting land use suitability analysis. The tool was evaluated against ArcMap and showed higher efficiency in terms of speed and accuracy. Additionally, PyLUSAT is compatible with multiple platforms, highly extensible, and supports parallel computing, automation, and customization.
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Jesus Mosciaro, Noelia Cecilia Calamari, Pablo Luis Peri, Nelson Flores Montes, Lucas Seghezzo, Edder Ortiz, Larissa Rejalaga, Paula Barral, Sebastian Villarino, Matias Mastrangelo, Jose Volante
Summary: This study analyzed the threats of land use change in the Gran Chaco region due to agricultural expansion, and identified areas susceptible to deforestation through simulation in four different scenarios. The findings contribute to understanding the patterns of land use change and the potential consequences of future scenarios, as well as providing recommendations for prioritizing protection efforts in designing land-use policies and forest governance systems.
REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenli Jing, Kanhua Yu, Lian Wu, Pingping Luo
Summary: Accurately identifying potential land use conflicts is crucial for easing the intensifying contradictions between humans and nature. This study improved the model of suitability analysis and constructed a multi-objective evaluation model to explore the status of LUCs. The results showed a significant percentage of land in Hengkou District is at risk of conflict, with the largest conflicts between production and ecological lands located at the fringe of urban and ecologically dominant areas.
Article
Environmental Studies
Stefano Salata, Sila Ozkavaf-Senalp, Koray Velibeyoglu, Zeynep Elburz
Summary: The study establishes a land suitability analysis for vineyard production in the metropolitan area of Izmir, Turkey, using elevation, slope, aspect, land capability, and solar radiation as criteria. The findings provide insights into the most suitable areas for vineyard production and future strategic expansion and management. The discussion focuses on promoting a new policy of vineyard plantation in the Kozak plateau to preserve traditional methods and practices.
Article
Geography
Matias E. Mastrangelo, Aldana Ciani, Federico Weyland, Alejandra Auer, Jonathan Von Below, Pedro Laterra
Summary: This study analyzed articles published in a popular newspaper in Argentina between 1996 and 2020 to examine the framing of rural landscapes. The prevalence of the productivist imaginary decreased over time, while the sustainability imaginary increased, surpassing the former between 2006 and 2010. This shift was observed earlier in discourses than in practices.
JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bappa Sarkar, Prasanta Das, Nazrul Islam, Amiya Basak, Manoj Debnath, Ranjan Roy
Summary: The study aimed to identify suitable regions for paddy cultivation in the Koch Bihar district of West Bengal, India using Land Suitability Analysis (LSA) method. By assessing 18 criteria and assigning weightage based on expert opinion and Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) method, the study identified important factors such as rainfall, soil texture, slope, and elevation for developing LSA for paddy cultivation. Results showed areas classified as highly suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable, and not suitable for paddy cultivation, with a reliable AUC value (0.869) confirming the effectiveness of the F-AHP approach. The findings provide valuable insights for sustainable agricultural planning and potential sites for paddy cultivation.
GEOCARTO INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tigist Kibret Asmare, Befkadu Abayneh, Melese Yigzaw, Tsegaye Adane Birhan
Summary: Different land use practices in Ethiopia, particularly in the Dabat district, have a significant impact on soil quality. This study assessed the influence of land use type and soil depth on soil physicochemical properties in the Shihatig watershed, Northwest Ethiopia. The results showed that land use type, soil depth, and their interaction affected various soil properties, including texture, soil organic carbon, bulk density, soil moisture content, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, pH, electrical conductivity, and exchangeable cations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qianguo Li, Lucang Wang, Hafiza Nayab Gul, Dan Li
Summary: High-intensity land use in oasis regions has caused water resource imbalance and land degradation, posing a threat to ecological security. This study aimed to spatially allocate land use activities to more suitable regions, evaluating land ecological suitability in Ganzhou District and simulating and optimizing land use patterns under different scenarios. Results showed that the optimized land use pattern generated by LES was more reasonable, with restrictions on construction land growth and conversion of farmland to grassland.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
George Bilas, Nikolaos Karapetsas, Anne Gobin, Konstantinos Mesdanitis, Gergely Toth, Tamas Hermann, Yaosheng Wang, Liangguo Luo, Thomas M. Koutsos, Dimitrios Moshou, Thomas K. Alexandridis
Summary: This study used Land Suitability Analysis (LSA) to evaluate the suitability of maize cultivation on different agricultural lands and employed Soil-Improving Cropping Systems (SICS) to improve land suitability. The results demonstrate that LSA can evaluate scenarios of management practices and recognize limiting factors.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Lucia Cacciabue, Elina Ceballos, Leonardo Sierra, Josep M. Soler, Jordi Cama
Summary: Groundwaters in the Chaco-Pampean Plain in Argentina are contaminated with arsenic released from weathered volcaniclastic loess sediments. The dissolution of different loessial materials and their variation in output concentrations were studied to understand the release of arsenic. The reactivity of the phases controlling the dissolution of these materials varies with pH. The dissolution rate of the Al-Si-material in the loess sediments is influenced by pH and temperature.
APPLIED GEOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Maria Belen Thalmeier, Daniela M. Krohling, Ernesto Brunetto
Summary: This research presents geomorphological and sedimentary data on the Salado-Juramento fluvial megafan in Northeast Argentina. It is the second largest megafan on the Chaco aggradational plain and one of the largest in the world. The study used a combination of methods including remote sensing analysis, field data collection, and historical document analysis to understand the morpho-sedimentary processes and Late Quaternary evolution of the region. The findings suggest that the megafan was formed by short-term sedimentation, channel avulsions, and interactions with the main river, controlled by tectonic and climatic factors. The data presented in this research is essential for making informed decisions regarding aquifer exploitation, land use, and infrastructure planning.
Article
Environmental Studies
Luisa Franco, Manuela Raposo Magalhaes
Summary: This study presents a method for assessing the ecological suitability of land-use change, highlighting the integration of two widely used methods, land-use change and land suitability analysis, to support land use policy analysis. It shows how past policies did not consider Baixo Guadiana Landscape Suitability, and identifies challenges such as the lack of natural regeneration of holm and cork oaks, the death of adult trees, and low production of stone pine plantations in the area.