| 1. |
- Angelstam, Per
(author)
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Agricultural Intensification Reduces the Portfolio of Wetland Ecosystem Services: European Danube River Lowlands as a Global Biodiversity Hotspot
- 2023
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In: Land. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-445X. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anthropogenic landscape transformations have promoted the provision of ecosystem services (ES) at the expense of other ES, biodiversity, and human well-being. We analysed the transformation portfolios of ES provisions, the costs of transformation, and the rivalry between ES categories and biodiversity conservation during the pre-communist and communist eras. We also examined EU influences in Romania's Danube River lowlands. The environmental history of social-ecological systems was used to: (1) map transformations of natural environments; (2) analyse the outputs of human modes of production, including crops, fish, timber, and livestock, using economic valuation methods and by appropriating the primary means of production; and (3) describe ideologies and values as drivers of ES transformations. During the communist era, the surface area of the agricultural land increased at the expense of natural ecosystems. This resulted in increased provisions being made for crops and timber at the expense of the fish supply; it also caused a reduction in livestock. The costs of land reclamation, hydrotechnical works, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides, resulted in a net annual loss of EUR 36 million for the entire case study area, disregarding the losses of other ES. Achieving a balanced portfolio of ES requires a discussion about the need for nature restoration, transdisciplinary social-ecological research, and the identification of key leverage points.
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| 2. |
- Angelstam, Per
(author)
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Challenges and Solutions for Forest Biodiversity Conservation in Sweden: Assessment of Policy, Implementation Outputs, and Consequences
- 2023
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In: Land. - 2073-445X. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Swedish policies aim at conserving biological production, biodiversity, cultural heritage and recreational assets. This requires compositionally and structurally functional networks of representative habitats, the processes that maintain them, and resilient ecosystems. The term green infrastructure (GI) captures this. We review (1) policy concerning forest biodiversity conservation from the 1990s; (2) the implementation outputs, including the formulation of short-term and evidence-based long-term goals for protected areas, education, and the development of hierarchical spatial planning; (3) the consequences in terms of formally protected and voluntarily set-aside forest stands, as well as conservation management and habitat restoration. We assess the successes and failures regarding policy, outputs and consequences, discuss challenges to be addressed, and suggest solutions. Policies capture evidence-based knowledge about biodiversity, and evidence-based conservation planning as an output. However, the desired consequences are not met on the ground. Thus, the amount of formally protected and voluntary set-aside forests are presently too low, and have limited quality and poor functional connectivity. GI functionality is even declining because of forestry intensification, and insufficient conservation. Challenges include limited collaborative learning among forest and conservation planners, poor funding to conserve forest habitats with sufficient size, quality and connectivity, and national politics that ignores evidence-based knowledge. As solutions, we highlight the need for diversification of forest management systems with a landscape perspective that matches forest owner objectives and regional social-ecological contexts. This requires integrative approaches to knowledge production, learning and spatial planning.
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| 3. |
- Angelstam, Per
(author)
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Periphery and Integrated Planning: Coping with Rural and Touristic Challenges across Scales in the German Wadden Sea Region
- 2023
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In: Land. - 2073-445X. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rural landscapes face multiple challenges, but they can be attractive for developing nature-based tourism. Encouraging place-based participatory governance in local communities represents a relevant transdisciplinary landscape approach. In this study, we map (1) rural and touristic challenges and (2) coping strategies in peripheral-rural municipalities, and we (3) discuss the need for integration of local and regional-level actions. Two island and two mainland municipalities with different demographic profiles and different degrees of touristic specialization in the German Wadden Sea Region were selected as case studies. Through meetings and interviews we mapped perceived challenges and analyzed policies and other coping strategies. We then discuss the need for integration at multiple scales. Island municipalities were more exposed to tourism development challenges than mainland municipalities. Securing public services and welfare, and the sustainable conservation of ecological green infrastructures were particularly challenging. Applying a participatory approach was a coping strategy at the local level. However, there is a need for activities at multiple scales. In coping with rural development challenges, local level participatory approaches and regional planning complement each other. Combination and integration of local and regional-level concepts should be encouraged to support collaborative learning through evaluation.
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| 4. |
- Barron, Jennie
(author)
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One Hundred Priority Questions for the Development of Sustainable Food Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
- 2023
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In: Land. - 2073-445X. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sub-Saharan Africa is facing an expected doubling of human population and tripling of food demand over the next quarter century, posing a range of severe environmental, political, and socio-economic challenges. In some cases, key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in direct conflict, raising difficult policy and funding decisions, particularly in relation to trade-offs between food production, social inequality, and ecosystem health. In this study, we used a horizon-scanning approach to identify 100 practical or research-focused questions that, if answered, would have the greatest positive impact on addressing these trade-offs and ensuring future productivity and resilience of food-production systems across sub-Saharan Africa. Through direct canvassing of opinions, we obtained 1339 questions from 331 experts based in 55 countries. We then used online voting and participatory workshops to produce a final list of 100 questions divided into 12 thematic sections spanning topics from gender inequality to technological adoption and climate change. Using data on the background of respondents, we show that perspectives and priorities can vary, but they are largely consistent across different professional and geographical contexts. We hope these questions provide a template for establishing new research directions and prioritising funding decisions in sub-Saharan Africa.
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| 5. |
- Campera, Marco, et al.
(author)
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Depth of edge influence in a Madagascar lowland rainforest and its effects on lemurs’ abundance
- 2023
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In: Land. - : MDPI. - 2073-445X. ; 12:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Edge effects result from interactions between adjacent habitats, which can modify abiotic and biotic conditions and produce various negative effects on biodiversity. Given the high degree of forest fragmentation in Madagascar, understanding lemur responses to edges is a conservation priority. We aim to determine the depth of edge influence in a continuous low-land rainforest of south-eastern Madagascar and identify the response of six lemur species. We surveyed lemur abundance along nine 1 km transects from May 2015 to July 2016 totaling 112.2 km of survey effort during the day and 88.5 km at night. We characterized the habitat structure via 33 plots centered along the line transects. We used Generalized Additive Models and Generalized Linear Models to test the effect of distance from the forest edge on vegetation parameters and animal encounter rates. Edge effect on the vegetation structure can be detected up to around 100 m in terms of tree diversity and density. We found a negative edge response for Madame Fleurette’s sportive lemurs (Lepilemur fleuretae) and collared brown lemurs (Eulemur collaris), and a positive edge response for Anosy mouse lemurs (Microcebus tanosi), Southern bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur meridionalis) and Southern woolly lemurs (Avahi meridionalis). Since around half of the forested areas in Madagascar are within 100 m of forest edge, taking into account edge effect is vital when producing estimates of population sizes and informing conservation management.
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| 6. |
- Dinh, Hoang Huu, et al.
(author)
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Impact of Land Tenure Security Perception on Tree Planting Investment in Vietnam
- 2023
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In: Land. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-445X. ; 12:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With over 14 million hectares allocated, Vietnam's forest and forestland allocation has been one of the largest natural resource decentralization programs in the developing world over the last three decades. Given this remarkable achievement, critics are concerned about the low rates of household tree planting investment and question the roles and effects of land institutions on investment. Using nested logit and ordered probit models, this study examined the effects of household perceptions of forestland tenure security on tree investment and the causal effects among 239 households in 11 communes in the Central Highlands. The findings suggested that, given the land titling in hand, household perceptions of potential land expropriation in the next five years did not thwart investments in both short-term acacia and long-term cashew horizons. The number of laborers, cost of plantations, off-farm and agricultural incomes, migrant status, soil condition, plot location, government subsidies, and a positive market outlook all played a significant role in this investment. Interestingly, we found that short-term tree planting had the reverse impact on decreasing land users' perceptions of land tenure security, possibly because each tree rotation shortens the 50-year land use period recorded in the Land Use Right Certificate. However, market prospects and government subsidies may significantly counteract the negative perception of LTS and encourage households to plant trees. The policy implication is that, in addition to strengthening LTS to ensure households' current and future land use rights, tree investment-incentivized policies should be implemented.
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| 7. |
- Eliasson, Ingegärd, 1961, et al.
(author)
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Cultural Values of Landscapes in the Practical Work of Biosphere Reserves
- 2023
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In: Land. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-445X. ; 12:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the landscape’s cultural values in the practical work of biosphere reserves and to identify what opportunities there are to increase awareness and knowledge about these values. The paper draws upon data collected in a Swedish biosphere reserve, including a survey of residents, interviews with public officials involved in cultural heritage management, and an analysis of documents produced by the Biosphere Reserve Association. Residents showed a broad knowledge about the landscape’s cultural values, and they linked immaterial heritage to material objects. The residents’ strong identity and pride in relation to the landscape were confirmed by the officials, who argued that it is the deep layers of history and the cultural diversity of the landscape that make the biosphere reserve attractive. However, concepts related to the landscape’s cultural values were barely touched upon in the documents analysed; the landscape’s cultural values were presented as a background—as an abstract value. The findings reveal several unexplored opportunities and practical implications to increase awareness and knowledge of the landscape’s cultural values. Suggested actions include definition of goals, articulation and use of concepts, inventories of actors, increased collaboration, and use of residents’ knowledge. Cultural values of landscapes are often neglected in the practical work of biosphere reserves, despite the social and cultural dimensions of sustainable development being an important component of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. This research indicates several ways of bridging this gap between theory and practice
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| 8. |
- Grundström, Karin, et al.
(author)
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Imposing 'Enclosed Communities'? : Urban Gating of Large Housing Estates in Sweden and France
- 2023
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In: Land. - : MDPI. - 2073-445X. ; 12:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Gated communities and gated housing enclaves have primarily been identified as elite spaces of privilege that support self-imposed disaffiliation and spatial and social withdrawal by the affluent. Over the past decade, however, European countries have also seen a rise of gating in large housing estates. Drawing on previous research and a comparative case study that includes interviews, observations, and mapping, this article analyses policies and practices of gating in large housing estates since 2010 in Malmo, Sweden and since 2000 in Paris, France. We argue, first, that gating is legitimised by policy arguments about 'defensible space', by a critique of the modernist design, and by a perceived need for diversification. Secondly, we expand the notion of urban gating and identify four types of enclosure: complete enclosure, semi-enclosure, enclosure through densification, and enclosure of parks and playgrounds. We conclude that the notion of the welfare state has changed, not only in financial terms but also as an urban form, leading to the micro-segregation of housing and land, which makes visible the social stratification within large housing estates. Gating of large housing estates thus leads to 'enclosed communities' rather than 'gated communities'.
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| 9. |
- Jagadesh, M., et al.
(author)
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Altering Natural Ecosystems Causes Negative Consequences on the Soil Physical Qualities: An Evidence-Based Study from Nilgiri Hill Region of Western Ghats, India
- 2023
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In: Land. - : Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI). - 2073-445X. ; 12:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Land use change (LUC) has direct and indirect consequences on soil quality. To gain insight into how LUC influences the physical properties of soil, it can be advantageous to compare undisturbed ecosystems with those that have naturally evolved over time, as well as to use soil quality indices to pinpoint the sensitivity of each ecosystem and land use change (LUC). A soil survey was carried out in the six major ecosystems of the Nilgiri Hill Region: cropland (CL), deciduous forest (DF), evergreen forest (EF), forest plantation (FP), scrubland (SL), and tea plantation (TP), with those having an establishment for over 50 years being selected and analyzed for soil physical parameters. In addition, soil quality indices were also derived to pinpoint the vulnerability of each ecosystem to LUC. The results reveal that the changes in land use significantly altered the soil physical properties. The content of clay was higher in EF and DF and increased with the soil profile’s depth, whereas the sand content was higher in CL and TP and decreased with the depth increment. BD and PD were significantly lower in EF, DF, SL, and FP, whereas they were higher in CL and TP. PS and ASM followed a similar trend to BD and PD. Owing to undisturbed natural settings, an abundance of litter input, and higher carbon concentrations, the HC was higher in EF, DF, SL, and FP, whereas, in the case of anthropogenic-influenced ecosystems such as CL and TP, it was lower. We discovered that LUC has altered Ag S, WSA, and MWD. Due to tillage and other cultural practices, Ag S, WSA, and MWD were significantly lower in CL and TP. However, the results confirm that native ecosystems (EF and DF) with a higher carbon content prevent such degradation, thereby resulting in good Ag S, WSA, and MWD.
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| 10. |
- Jansson, Märit, et al.
(author)
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The Welfare Landscape and Densification—Residents’ Relations to Local Outdoor Environments Affected by Infill Development
- 2023
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In: Land. - 2073-445X. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Densification through infill developments is a common planning strategy where both advantages and problems have been brought forward. However, the knowledge on how such developments affect residents and their relations to local outdoor environments is limited. Also, modernist areas have been highlighted as planning heritage with specific values. We studied the case of a multi-family housing area in Uppsala, Sweden, originally planned in the 1960s as part of the Swedish modernist welfare era and later affected by densification through infill development. The mixed-methods approach included document analysis and observations followed by an online survey focused on the use of, perceived qualities of and satisfaction with outdoor environments among residents. The results revealed the heritage of careful planning during the 1960s concerning green space availability and solutions limiting car traffic, with recent densification affecting different sub-areas to various degrees. Respondents living in non-densified sub-areas reported higher levels of satisfaction, more qualities and a more varied use of the outdoor environment compared to in densified sub-areas. However, the management level was considered too low in mainly one of the non-densified sub-areas. Many respondents brought up the loss of qualities in their local outdoor environment through the infill development, both during the construction work and in the result, with less green spaces and increased car traffic. This study revealed large negative effects for residents of densification that focuses on density without securing sufficient qualities in the outdoor environment but also of neglected open space management.
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