scholarly journals Linking Social Perception and Provision of Ecosystem Services in a Sprawling Urban Landscape: A Case Study of Multan, Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Manzoor ◽  
Aisha Malik ◽  
Muhammad Zubair ◽  
Geoffrey Griffiths ◽  
Martin Lukac

Urban sprawl causes changes in land use and a decline in many ecosystem services. Understanding the spatial patterns of sprawl and exploration of citizens’ perception towards the sporadic urban expansion and its impacts on an ecosystem to deliver services can help to guide land use planning and the conservation of the urban ecosystem. Here, we spatially examined land use changes in Multan, Pakistan, and investigated public perception about urban sprawl and its impacts on the quality and provision of ecosystem services, using a survey instrument. The spatial analysis of the historical land cover of Multan indicated an exponential expansion of the city in the last decade. Large areas of natural vegetation and agricultural land were converted to urban settlements in the past two decades. The citizens of Multan believe that the quality and provision of ecosystem services have declined in the recent past and strongly correlate the deteriorating ecosystem services with urban sprawl. Education and income levels of the respondents are the strongest predictors of urban ecosystem health literacy. Citizens associated with laborious outdoor jobs are more sensitive to the changes in ecosystem services. We concluded that the rapidly expanding cities, especially in the tropical arid zones, need to be prioritized for an increase in vegetation cover, and economically vulnerable settlements in these cities should be emphasized in climate change mitigation campaigns.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esthela Salazar ◽  
Cristián Henríquez ◽  
Richard Sliuzas ◽  
Jorge Qüense

Peripheral urban sprawl configures new, extensive conurbations that transcend current administrative boundaries. Land use planning, supported by the analysis of future scenarios, is a guide to achieve sustainability in large metropolitan areas. To understand how urban sprawl is consuming natural and agricultural land, this paper analyzes land use changes in the metropolis of Quito, considering a combination of urban planning, natural conservation and risk areas. Using the Dyna-CLUE model we simulate spatial demands for future land uses by 2050, based on two growth scenarios: the trend scenario (unrestricted growth) and the regulated scenario, which considers two parameters—a government proposal for urban expansion areas and laws that protect natural areas. Both scenarios show how urban expansion consumes agricultural and natural areas. This expansion is backed by urban policies which do not sufficiently account for conservation areas nor for risk areas. Therefore, these simulations suggest that planning should follow a more holistic approach that explicitly considers urban growth beyond current administrative limits, in what we refer to as the New Metropolitan Area of Quito.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Amorim Leitão ◽  
Carla Sofia Santos Ferreira ◽  
António José Dinis Ferreira

<p>Land-use changes affect the properties of ecosystems, and are typically associated with decreasing ability to supply services, which in turn causes a decrease in the social well-being. Urbanization is identified as one of the main causes of ecosystem degradation, once it is considered an artificial space that replaces natural areas.This study investigates the impact of land-use changes during 20 years (1995-2015) on the potential supply of ecosystem services in Coimbra municipality, central Portugal. The assessment was based on the evaluation performed by 31 experts familiar with the study area, through questionnaires. The experts ranked the potential supply of 31 ecosystem services, grouped in regulation, provisioning and cultural services, for the several land-uses existent. Experts performed a qualitative evaluation, considering ‘strong adverse potential’, ‘weak adverse potential’, ‘not relevant’, ‘low positive potential’ and ‘strong positive potential’. The qualitative evaluation was converted into a quantitative classification (-2, -1, 0, 1, 2). Quantitative values were then used to develop an ecosystem services quantification matrix and to map the information in the study area, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). An urban expansion from 14% to 18% was recorded over the last 20 years. Agricultural land decreased 8% due to conversion into forest (4% increase) and urban areas (4% increase). This has led to a decrease in the supply of provision (e.g. food) and regulation services (e.g. flood regulation). In fact, over the last years, recurrent floods have been increasingly noticed in Coimbra city. On the other hand, the growth of forest areas has led to an increase in general ESs supply. The adverse impacts of urbanization were partially compensated by enlarging the benefits provided by forest areas, which is the land-use with greatest ESs potential supply. In order to support urban planning and develop sustainable cities, it is essential to quantify the potential supply of ecosystem services considering local scale and characteristics.</p>


1975 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-194
Author(s):  
Barry C. Field ◽  
Jon M. Conrad

Interest in land-use planning and control in the United States has recently shifted to a variety of non-conventional tools in an attempt to attain results that have eluded older techniques such as traditional zoning. A major land-use objective has been to continue certain existing land uses in the face of market pressures to convert to more intensive uses. This has been the case, for example, with ecologically fragile areas such as wetlands, or environmentally valuable areas such as scenic land, which are also economically attractive for development into housing or industrial property. In recent years interest has also turned to preservation of agricultural land, particularly in areas near urban concentrations that are feeling the effects of urban sprawl.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 875-884 ◽  

<p>During the last century, the European Alps have faced intense socio-economic changes, which have led to respective land-use changes with immediate impact on ecosystem services (ESs). The aim of the study is to present the land-use changes and their effects on the economical contribution of ESs in the alpine environment of Ledro Valley, in Northern Italy. Data were collected through historical cartography and photographic material from 1859, 1973 and 2011. The analysis of landscape evolution highlighted the forest expansion, and partially the urban expansion, at the expense of grasslands and croplands due to a transition from a rural to a touristic and handcrafting economy. The land-use changes led to an overall reduction of the economical contribution of ESs, while further analysis on individual services identified advantages and disadvantages caused by the re-naturalization process of forest expansion. The results suggested that the profit maximization of ESs under the pressure of such land-use changes can be achieved by a) a respective profit maximization from services related to recreation activities (tourism) which have an immediate economical impact on local economies and b) the maintenance and sustainable management of the typical rural landscape and grasslands in order to preserve some of their economical benefits.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris Eekhout ◽  
Carolina Boix-Fayos ◽  
Pedro Pérez-Cutillas ◽  
Joris de Vente

&lt;p&gt;The Mediterranean region has been identified as one of the most affected global hot-spots for climate change. Recent climate change in the Mediterranean can be characterized by faster increasing temperatures than the global mean and significant decreases in annual precipitation. Besides, important land cover changes have occurred, such as reforestation, agricultural intensification, urban expansion and the construction of many reservoirs, mainly with the purpose to store water for irrigation. Here we study the impacts of these changes on several ecosystem services in the Segura River catchment, a typical large Mediterranean catchment where many of the before mentioned changes have occurred in the last half century. We applied a hydrological model, coupled with a soil erosion and sediment transport model, to study the impact of climate and land cover change and reservoir construction on ecosystem services for the period 1971-2010. Eight ecosystem services indicators were defined, which include runoff, plant water stress, hillslope erosion, reservoir sediment yield, sediment concentration, reservoir storage, flood discharge and low flow. To assess larger land use changes, we also applied the model for an extended period (1952-2018) to the Taibilla subcatchment, a typical Mediterranean mountainous subcatchment, which plays an important role in the provision of water within the Segura River catchment. As main results we observed that climate change in the evaluated period is characterized by a decrease in precipitation and an increase in temperature. Detected land use change over the past 50 years is typical for many Mediterranean catchments. Natural vegetation in the headwaters increased due to agricultural land abandonment. Agriculture expanded in the central part of the catchment, which most likely is related to the construction of reservoirs in the same area. The downstream part of the catchment is characterized by urban expansion. While land use changed in more than 30% of the catchment, most impact on ecosystem services can be attributed to climate change and reservoir construction. All these changes have had positive and negative impacts on ecosystem services. The positive impacts include a decrease in hillslope erosion, sediment yield, sediment concentration and flood discharge (-21%, -18%, -82% and -41%, respectively). The negative impacts include an increase in plant water stress (+5%) and a decrease in reservoir storage (-5%). The decrease in low flow caused by land use change was counteracted by an increase in low flow due to reservoir construction. The results of our study highlight how relatively small climate and land use changes compared to the changes foreseen for the coming decades, have had an important impact on ecosystem services over the past 50 years.&lt;/p&gt;


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2501 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Barros ◽  
Alexandre Tavares ◽  
Mário Monteiro ◽  
Pedro Santos

The objective of this study is to evaluate the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use in the city of Leiria, which is located in central Portugal, and its relation to the planning framework. The analysis is based on land-use change recognition in the period 1958–2011, calculation of the stability grade indicator, the losses and gains between classes, and the rate of artificialization. The results show an increase of the artificial areas, namely in continuous and discontinuous urban fabric, contrasting with a continuous decrease of the agricultural land-use classes, giving origin to peri-urbanization and rurbanization processes. We can also observe a large fragmentation of the landscape in the city of Leiria, representing rapid urban expansion that is fundamentally related to the increase of residential and industrial areas, and afterwards, tertiary growth. This study also demonstrated the relation of a land-use and planning framework that works as a driving force for land-use changes. This underlines the importance of strategic regional planning instruments in managing urban sprawl and the artificialization processes of medium-sized cities.


Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 379
Author(s):  
Hongmi Koo ◽  
Janina Kleemann ◽  
Christine Fürst

In West Africa, where the majority of the population relies on natural resources and rain-fed agriculture, regionally adapted agricultural land-use planning is increasingly important to cope with growing demand for land-use products and intensifying climate variability. As an approach to identify effective future land-use strategies, this study applied spatially explicit modeling that addresses the spatial connectivity between the provision of ecosystem services and agricultural land-use systems. Considering that the status of ecosystem services varies with the perception of stakeholders, local knowledge, and characteristics of a case study area, two adjoining districts in northern Ghana were integrated into an assessment process of land-use strategies. Based on agricultural land-management options that were identified together with the local stakeholders, 75 future land-use strategies as combinations of multiple agricultural practices were elaborated. Potential impacts of the developed land-use strategies on ecosystem services and land-use patterns were assessed in a modeling platform that combines Geographic Information System (GIS) and Cellular Automaton (CA) modules. Modeled results were used to identify best land-use strategies that could deliver multiple ecosystem services most effectively. Then, local perception was applied to determine the feasibility of the best land-use strategies in practice. The results presented the different extent of trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services delivered by future land-use strategies and their different feasibility depending on the district. Apart from the fact that findings were context-specific and scale-dependent, this study revealed that the integration of different local characteristics and local perceptions to spatially explicit ecosystem service assessment is beneficial for determining locally tailored recommendations for future agricultural land-use planning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6583
Author(s):  
Qiting Zuo ◽  
Xing Li ◽  
Lingang Hao ◽  
Minghui Hao

Land-use changes can significantly affect both the ecosystem services value (ESV) and ecosystem functions. Estimating the impacts of land-use changes in ESV in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is indispensable to provide public awareness about the status of ESV, and to help in policy-making processes. To understand the spatiotemporal evolution of land-use its impact on ESV in the BRI, this study investigated the main water-resource areas of BRI. Using GLCNMO data (2003, 2008, 2013), the land-use dynamic degree, comprehensive index of land-use degree, land-use transfer matrix, and method of ESV valuation were adopted to analyze the changes in land-use and ESV. The results showed that forest and cropland area increased markedly between 2003 and 2013, whereas grassland and shrubland area notably decreased. Forest, shrubland, grassland, cropland, and bare land occupied a relatively large proportion and changed frequently. The total ESV of the study area has increased from US $74.98 million in 2003 to US $82.12 million in 2013, which was primarily caused by the transition from cropland and grassland to forest. The impacts of land-use changes on the specific ecosystem services are also tremendous. The presented results can be valuable for the government for future land-use planning activities.


Author(s):  
S. Khan ◽  

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> India's urbanization has resulted in a significant change in many regions for both agricultural land and agricultural land use. However, there is limited understanding about the relationship between the two primary changes occurring to India's agricultural land – the urban expansion on agricultural land and agricultural land use intensity. Our primary goal here is to examine agricultural land change patterns and processes, and their main driving forces in Aligarh region (Uttar Pradesh) during the time periods from 2011 to 2018. We have conducted a remote sensing and GIS based analysis of change pattern using multi-temporal Landsat imageries for the years 2011 and 2018 by investigating the magnitude of changes in agricultural land use intensity across the district in a geographical perspective. Our study captured gradual decrease in the agricultural land in Aligarh district. The results also show that urban expansion is associated with a decline in agricultural land use intensity. The region experienced agriculture transition, and the urban expansion trend persisted till 2018. In terms of the drivers, we believe that the population and economic factors are most influential in shaping urban centers, while lower incentive and climatic shifts are the key drivers of decrease in agricultural land. Our study highlights the drastic effects of socio-economic and climatic changes on links between urbanization, and agricultural land which implies that urban land expansion is highly likely in future and consequently, will create pressure on the country's food security.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Ghapar Othman ◽  
Nurul Hanisah Jizan

Urbanization is the process of transforming a characteristically rural society into an urban one. The urban population is growing at an increasing rate while the rural population is declining, giving rise to imbalances in the development between urban and rural areas. The government’s strategy is to distribute the development to the major settlement centres in the rural areas, which are experiencing the same effects of urbanization as the urban areas in terms of changes to the use of land, especially the reduction of agricultural land and the increase in built-up areas. This study used the method of overlay in GIS applications to investigate land use changes, the speed of urban expansion and direction of development that has taken place from the period 2001 to 2018 in the town of Kuala Nerang, Kedah. This town has undergone a change in its status from a main settlement centre to a district administrative centre. Agricultural lands, which were targeted for development in the rural areas, have been converted into built-up areas. The speed of urban expansion has been slow, although some areas have recorded a higher rate. The development is moving towards the west along the main road connecting the major towns in this part of the state. The functions of the district administrative centre have influenced land use changes.


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