Drivers of Long-Term Land-Use Pressure in the Merguellil Wadi, Tunisia, Using DPSIR Approach and Remote Sensing

Increasing land use pressure is a primary force for degradation of agricultural areas. The drivers for these pressures are initiated by a series of interconnected processes. This study presents a novel methodology to analyze drivers of changing land use pressure and the effects on society and landscape. The focus was on characterizing these drivers and relate them to land use statistics obtained from geospatial data from the important semiarid Merguellil Wadi between 1976 and 2016. Cause-and-effect relationships between different drivers of land use change were analyzed using the DPSIR approach. Results show that during the 40-year period cultivated land increased and wetland areas decreased substantially. Drivers for change were pressure from economic development, cultivation practices, and hydro-agricultural techniques. This leads to stress on water and soil resulting in soil erosion, poverty increase, and rural exodus. We show that hydro-agricultural techniques adapted to the semiarid climate, allocation of land property rights, resource allocation, and improved marketing of agricultural products can help rural residents to diversify their economy, and thus better preserve the fragile semiarid landscape. Results of this study can be used to ensure sustainable management of water and soil resources in areas with similar climate and socio-economic conditions.

Poverty Approach and How to Reduce it with an Agropolitan Program in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia

This study aimed to explain the conditions of poverty in Gorontalo Province, Sulawesi, Indonesia, to identify the causes of poverty in the province, and then to propose efforts to reduce this poverty. Data related to human and economic resources were used in the analysis. The condition of poverty was seen through the DPSIR approach, which consists of the driver (D), pressure (P), state (S), impact (I), and response (R). Poverty in Gorontalo Province could be reduced by utilizing the occupation that dominates the population, which is in agriculture sector. Therefore, developing an agropolitan system is a solution. In the first stage, the location quotient (LQ), shift share (SS), and Klassen typology methods were used to determine regencies or cities that have the potential to develop an agropolitan system. The results of the analysis showed that there were two districts that have the potential to develop agropolitan systems, namely Pohuwato Regency and Gorontalo Regency. Efforts to reduce poverty in Gorontalo Province with an agropolitan system can be continued with a second stage consisting of the preparation of products and forms of management organizations, and a third stage in the form of strengthening human resources.

The environmental balance of the Alta Val d'Agri: a contribution to the evaluation of the industrial risk and strategic sustainable development

This study presents the preliminary environmental balance of the Alta Val d'Agri (Basilicata Region, Southern Italy), an area of great naturalistic interest characterized by the presence of huge oil and gas fields. The DPSIR methodology has been used to outline the background in terms of environmental impacts mainly caused by the oil extraction activities, as well as existing potential responses. The study aims at providing stakeholders with an exhaustive framework to identify the existing data, the main sources of pollution, their potential impacts, the associated industrial risks and the existing policy strategies. Moreover, the DPSIR approach allows identifying the vulnerable areas and defining targeted actions for a sustainable development of the area.