scholarly journals Assessing the effects of agricultural intensification on natural habitats and biodiversity in Southern Amazonia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Göpel ◽  
Jan Schüngel ◽  
Rüdiger Schaldach ◽  
Benjamin Stuch ◽  
Norman Löbelt
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Scale Levels ◽  
Southern Amazonia

AbstractThe ongoing trend toward agricultural intensification in Latin America makes it essential to explore intensification measures in combination with assumptions regarding future socio-economic development and policies to protect biodiversity and natural habitats. Information on the future development of land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) under the combination of various driving factors operating at different spatial scale-levels, e.g., local land-use policy and global demands for agricultural commodities is required. The spatially explicit land-use change model LandSHIFT was applied to calculate a set of high-resolution land-use change scenarios for Southern Amazonia. The time frame of the analysis is 2010 - 2030. The resulting maps were analyzed in combination with spatially explicit maps depicting vertebrate species diversity in order to examine the effect of a loss of natural habitats on species ranges as well as the overall LULCC-induced effect on vertebrate diversity as expressed by the Biodiversity Intactness Index in this region. The results of this study indicate a general decrease in Biodiversity Intactness in all investigated scenarios. However, agricultural intensification combined with diversified environmental protection policies show least impact of LULCC on vertebrate species richness and conservation of natural habitats compared to scenarios with low agricultural intensification or scenarios with less effective conservation policies.

scholarly journals Assessing the effects of agricultural intensification on natural habitats and biodiversity in Southern Amazonia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0225914
Author(s):  
Jan Göpel ◽  
Jan Schüngel ◽  
Benjamin Stuch ◽  
Rüdiger Schaldach
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Southern Amazonia ◽  
The Impact

The ongoing trend toward agricultural intensification in Southern Amazonia makes it essential to explore the future impacts of this development on the extent of natural habitats and biodiversity. This type of analysis requires information on future pathways of land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) under different socio-economic conditions and policy settings. For this purpose, the spatially explicit land-use change model LandSHIFT was applied to calculate a set of high-resolution land-use change scenarios for the Brazilian states Para and Mato Grosso. The period of the analysis were the years 2010–2030. The resulting land-use maps were combined with maps depicting vertebrate species diversity in order to examine the impact of natural habitat loss on species ranges as well as the overall LULCC-induced effect on vertebrate diversity as expressed by the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII). The results of this study indicate a general decrease in biodiversity intactness in all investigated scenarios. However, agricultural intensification combined with diversified environmental protection policies show least impact of LULCC on vertebrate species richness and conservation of natural habitats compared to scenarios with low agricultural intensification or scenarios with less effective conservation policies.

scholarly journals Assessment on the rates and potentials of soil organic carbon sequestration in agricultural lands in Japan using a process-based model and spatially explicit land-use change inventories – Part 1: Historical trend and validation based on nation-wide soil monitoring

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 4429-4442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yagasaki ◽  
Y. Shirato
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Paddy Fields ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Upland Crop ◽  
Soc Stock ◽  
Stock Change ◽  
Soc Stocks

Abstract. In order to estimate a country-scale soil organic carbon (SOC) stock change in agricultural lands in Japan, while taking into account the effect of land-use changes, climate, different agricultural activities and the nature of soils, a spatially explicit model simulation system was developed using Rothamsted Carbon Model (RothC) with an integration of spatial and temporal inventories. Simulation was run from 1970 to 2008 with historical inventories. Simulated SOC stock was compared with observations in a nation-wide stationary monitoring program conducted during 1979–1998. Historical land-use change, characterized by a large decline in the area of paddy fields as well as a small but continuous decline in the area of orchards, occurred along with a relatively large increase in upland crop fields, unmanaged grasslands, and settlements (i.e. conversion of agricultural fields due to urbanization or abandoning). Results of the simulation on SOC stock change under varying land-use change indicated that land-use conversion from agricultural fields to settlements or other lands, as well as that from paddy fields to croplands have likely been an increasing source of CO2 emission, due to the reduction of organic carbon input to soils and the enhancement of SOC decomposition through transition of soil environment from anaerobic to aerobic conditions. The area-weighted mean concentrations of the simulated SOC stocks calculated for major soil groups under paddy fields and upland crop fields were comparable to those observed in the monitoring. Whereas in orchards, the simulated SOC stocks were underestimated. As the results of simulation indicated that SOC stock change under managed grasslands and settlements has been likely a major sink and source of CO2 emission at country-scale, respectively, validation of SOC stock change under these land-use types, which could not have been accomplished due to limited availability or a lack of measurement, remains a forthcoming challenge.

scholarly journals Deriving spatially explicit water uses from land use change modelling results in four river basins across Europe

2018 ◽  
Vol 628-629 ◽  
pp. 1079-1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verena Huber García ◽  
Swen Meyer ◽  
Kasper Kok ◽  
Peter Verweij ◽  
Ralf Ludwig
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Explicit Water ◽  
Water Uses

scholarly journals If They Come, Where will We Build It? Land-Use Implications of Two Forest Conservation Policies in the Deep Creek Watershed

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 581
Author(s):  
Markandu Anputhas ◽  
Johannus Janmaat ◽  
Craig Nichol ◽  
Adam Wei
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Land Use Type ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Creek Watershed

Research Highlights: Forest conservation policies can drive land-use change to other land-use types. In multifunctional landscapes, forest conservation policies will therefore impact on other functions delivered by the landscape. Finding the best pattern of land use requires considering these interactions. Background and Objectives: Population growth continues to drive the development of land for urban purposes. Consequently, there is a loss of other land uses, such as agriculture and forested lands. Efforts to conserve one type of land use will drive more change onto other land uses. Absent effective collaboration among affected communities and relevant institutional agents, unexpected and undesirable land-use change may occur. Materials and Methods: A CLUE-S (Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at Small Scales) model was developed for the Deep Creek watershed, a small sub-basin in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The valley is experiencing among the most rapid population growth of any region in Canada. Land uses were aggregated into one forested land-use type, one urban land-use type, and three agricultural types. Land-use change was simulated for combinations of two forest conservation policies. Changes are categorized by location, land type, and an existing agricultural land policy. Results: Forest conservation policies drive land conversion onto agricultural land and may increase the loss of low elevation forested land. Model results show where the greatest pressure for removing land from agriculture is likely to occur for each scenario. As an important corridor for species movement, the loss of low elevation forest land may have serious impacts on habitat connectivity. Conclusions: Forest conservation policies that do not account for feedbacks can have unintended consequences, such as increasing conversion pressures on other valued land uses. To avoid surprises, land-use planners and policy makers need to consider these interactions. Models such as CLUE-S can help identify these spatial impacts.

A model-based assessment of the environmental impact of land-use change across scales in Southern Amazonia

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger Schaldach ◽  
Katharina H. E. Meurer ◽  
Hermann F. Jungkunst ◽  
Claas Nendel ◽  
Tobia Lakes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Southern Amazonia

scholarly journals Land Use Change from Biofuels Derived from Forest Residue: A Case of Washington State

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Brent ◽  
Sergey Rabotyagov
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
The United States ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Biofuel Policy ◽  
Indirect Land Use Change ◽  
Forest Residue ◽  
Net Returns ◽  
Processing Plants

Biofuel policy in the United States is transitioning away from corn towards second-generation biofuels in part because of the debate over environmental damages from indirect land use change. We combine a spatially explicit parcel level model for land use change in Washington State with simulations for biofuel policy aimed at utilizing forest residue as feedstock. Using a spatially explicit model provides greater precision in measuring net returns to forestland and development and indicates which areas will be most impacted by biofuel policy. The effect of policy is simulated via scenarios of increasing net returns to forestry and of siting feedstock-processing plants. Our results suggest that forestland will increase from such a policy, leading to a net reduction in atmospheric carbon from indirect land use change. This is in contrast to the experience of corn ethanol where the change in carbon emissions is potentially positive and large in magnitude.

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