Intergrating the Diversity Characteristics to Design a Quantitative Landscape Regionalization Framework: Case Study of Van Chan District, Yen Bai Province

Landscape regionalization plays an important role in delineating the heterogeneous characteristics of territory, and provide the spatial fundamental data for natural resource planning and environmental protection activities. The integrating of the diversity indices (landscape metrics) is expressed the change of landscape structure by the richness and evenness of land-use objectives. In this study, a quantitative landscape regionalization framework is designed from 03 group (attribute factor, driving factor, and diversity factor) of basic landscape unit. By using k-means clustering, the study is classified into 06 sub-regions of 68 watersheds in the administration boundary of Van Chan district, Yen Bai province. With the comparison of region numbers in statistical and practical dimensions, the optimal results are edited and determined 15 sub-regions for uncertainty reduction of landscape regionalization.

Stakeholder Engagement: Methods of Inclusion in South Carolina State Water Plan Decision-Making

Stakeholder engagement in natural resource planning has become increasingly important at local and state levels. Including stakeholders in decision-making can increase buy-in and public support of final regional and state recommendations. It can also lead to policy change and improved implementation outcomes resulting from these planning processes. South Carolina is developing a stakeholder-driven water plan, although it is several years away from being finalized. The methods used in this process are a departure from past efforts. Stakeholder inclusion in decision-making in the water planning process is described and analyzed in this article. The focus is on the specific phases of the process and the methods of inclusion used or those anticipated to be used. In this cycle, stakeholder involvement in decisions range from informational/advisory to consultative to decision-making.