Characteristics of the manifestation of landscape-forming processes in the Kuril and Hawaiian Islands

A comparative analysis is made of the landscape-forming factors, and their role in the formation of the spatial structure of landscapes in the Kuril and Hawaiian Islands is determined. The research has been done on the basis of landscape mapping at a scale of 1:200 000. A correlative study was made of the different genetic varieties of geosystems: classical landscapes, catenary and nuclear. In spite of the dissimilar character of manifestation of landscape-forming processes, there occur largely identical formation principles for the spatial structure of landscapes.     

Landscape diversity of specially protected natural territories of Nenets Autonomous Okrug

A landscape diversity representativeness assessment is made of the system of specially protected territories in Nenets Autonomous Okrug having regard to natural regionalization and zonal division. It is shown that the existing specially protected natural territories are representative for a small number of landscapes. Maps have been generated, which display the distribution of rare and threatened groups of landscapes, and territories have been identified, which are high priority for the establishment of specially protected natural territories.     

New multifunctional hunting landscapes in Denmark

Between 1992 and 2008 subsidization of mandatory set aside land under the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) gave rise to the establishment of a characteristic type of multifunctional hunting landscapes in Denmark, primarily located on fallow land in tilled valley bottoms. A national survey of these landscapes in 2006 has been carried out and 1061 hunting areas have been identified nationwide. Subsidies relating to set aside land acted as a supplementary type of income, which supported the development of multifunctional land use on marginal soils where the income from hunting and subsidies in combination was a viable alternative to monofunctional rotational agriculture. Hunting landscapes developed as the consequence of landscape management strategies designed to comply with the requirements of the CAP while improving habitat conditions for wildlife and increasing income from hunting rental activities. Forty-seven percent of the hunting landscapes in 2006 were in rotational production in 2010 while 19% were used for other agricultural purposes and 34% were taken out of the subsidy regime and removed from the general agricultural register. In 2012, a total of 431 such areas ? 41% of the areas identified in 2006 ? were still used for hunting. The number and geographical distribution of the hunting landscapes seems closely related to the potential average hunting rent, the level of urbanisation and the occurrence of manorial estates with traditions for multifunctional land use as part of their economic strategy. Implications for the ongoing discussion on land use policy concerning land sharing vs. land sparing is discussed.     

西辽河流域历史早期的文化景观格局

考古发现表明 ,西辽河流域自历史早期以来 ,先后演绎了多期文化 ,文明一直延续至今。本文根据大量的野外考古调查资料 ,在典型考古遗址、教来河流域、敖汉旗三个空间尺度上建立了本区历史早期文化景观的DEM模型 ,分析了赤峰全境历史早期文化遗址点的水平分布格局 ,从四个不同的空间尺度探讨了西辽河流域历史早期文化景观的演变过程 ,概括出本区历史时期文化景观垂向变迁和水平变迁两种模式 ,为进一步深入研究本区人地系统的相互作用机制提供了基础。     

The look of agricultural landscapes – How do non-crop landscape elements contribute to visual preferences in a large-scale agricultural landscape?

ABSTRACT

Efficiency in agricultural food production has long been in focus and this has affected the spatial structure of agricultural land use. One outcome has been extensive criticism based on a wide range of negative consequences, such as for biodiversity, accessibility, cultural heritage, and aesthetics. In line with the European Landscape Convention (ELC), management of people’s everyday landscapes is important. In Norway, agricultural landscapes are the ‘everyday landscape’ for a large proportion of the population. The aim of the article is to contribute to the understanding of landscape changes perceived as positive or negative by the inhabitants. The authors focused on grain-crop dominated landscapes and the impact of smaller non-crop elements on people’s landscape preferences. They administered a photo-based questionnaire using manipulated photos to assess preferences for different agricultural landscapes. Additionally, people’s perceived objectives for the agricultural sector and agriculture’s primary functions were assessed. The results documented positive perceptions of added landscape elements and that people were both aware of and agreed on the multifunctional role of agriculture. The authors conclude that if the public’s preferences are to be taken into consideration, such as during policymaking, it is important to maintain various landscape elements in the large-scale grain field landscapes of Norway.     

Risk Assessment and Disaster Management for Natural and Anthropogenically Induced Geologic Hazards: Application to the Preolkhon Region,Western Lake Baikal,Siberia, Russia

In the Western Lake Baikal, recent Baikal Rift's tectonics control the topography, seismicity, climate, geomorphology, and economy. Scarps, facets, structural terraces, horsts and grabens, and trapezoid valleys can be clearly observed. They have been generated by the recent tectonic movements along the faults and represent a serious geologic hazard. The specific geological conditions predetermine a unique variety of landscapes. Thus, the main type of the economy is tourism. However, unorganized tourism leads to the degradation of the unique landscapes. It increases risk and requires disaster management. Three criteria has been used for risk assessment: (1) degree of geologic hazard; (2) degree of landscape degradation; and (3) degree of the economy's vitality. The high ecological significance and low stability to antropogeneous pressure are typical for landscapes of the Western Lake Baikal. Thus, some special activities of disaster management should be implemented based on our investigation.     

Soil variations on hillslopes in humid temperate climates

Considerable insight into the nature and causes of soil variations on hillslopes has been provided by studies which have incorporated both pedological and geomorphological concepts into their methodology. Even so, there is still a great deal of uncertainty concerning the relationships between soils and landforms. This paper attempts to outline the conceptual and methodological issues involved in such a synthesis by examining the nature of soil variation on specific examples of landscapes in humid temperate climates. It has not been possible to examine soils across the whole of this region but soil-landform relationships on the Chalk of southeast England, the granite uplands of Dartmoor and in the Wyre Forest of England have been used to examine a number of well-established principles. One of these principles is that many landscapes possess slopes with easily identifiable toposequences. The hillslopes analysed have shown that relationships do exist between soils and landforms but the idea that many slopes are integrated along their entire length is not necessarily true. Individual components of slopes possess soil characteristics that appear to be related to the morphological nature of those components but the slopes, as a whole, do not possess integrated soil systems. Different parts of the slope appear to act independently. This questions the validity of employing traditional concepts such as that of the catena in soil-landform relationships.     

孔子故里文化景观发展的历史层累及其机制效应

曲阜是中国历史文化名城,拥有“孔子故里”“东方圣城”“儒家文化发源地”等多个文化符号。然而,曲阜今日的景观格局是在历史发展过程中逐渐形成的。在这一过程中,为什么有些景观保留了下来,且影响日益扩大,而有的却湮没无闻？其背后的运行机制是什么？这些便是文章要探索的问题。已有关于文化景观的研究对景观的层累特性以及形成原因多有涉及,但较少分析层累过程中景观的筛选问题以及具体的机制效应。采用文献分析法,利用历史文物、历史文献和规划资料,以曲阜为例分析了城市文化景观的历史层累过程及其机制。结论如下：1）国家文化认同需要是造就曲阜文化景观历史层累及演变的主要原因。历史上,国家对儒学正统的不断强化,使曲阜与孔子和儒学有关的景观地位被不断抬高,而其他人文景观则被有意无意地忽略,导致最终消失。2）经济动机是当代曲阜文化景观维护与建设的重要标准。在当代,曲阜人文景观建设以服务旅游经济为目的,儒家文化的物质表征成为招揽游客的招牌和被消费的对象。3）鉴于曲阜在中国传统社会中的特殊地位,其人文景观被贴上了孔子与儒学的标签;但从另一方面看,这也限制了其城市景观多元化发展的可能性。     

Soils in the Northern Hovsgol Region and their transformation in the process of land use

The formation features of soil cover in conditions of the Northern Hovsgol Region are considered. A standardization of pasture loads on the region’s steppe landscapes has been carried out on the basis of the soil transformation indices identified for land use.     

The rise of corporate retailing and the impacts on small-scale retailing: the survival strategies of Kirana stores and informal street vendors in Durgapur,India

In many developing world economies in recent years, the state has been seen to encourage neoliberal economic expansion policies. This has involved both large-scale foreign corporations and sometimes large-scale domestic corporations. Many studies have discussed the new landscapes of economic hardship and the impacts on small businesses. The aim of this paper is to argue that the impacts on small traders are in fact more complex and varied than usually appears in the literature. The research was conducted in the industrial city of Durgapur in the Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. First it is argued that the impact has been greatest on the ‘kirana’ owners, operating small convenience type stores with legalized trading arrangements and fixed premises. On the other hand, the street vendors (often unlicensed and having no fixed premises) seem not to be affected in terms of customer loss and indeed could be seen to be doing well against the backcloth of neoliberal expansion. In fact we argue that the growth in the number of street vendors provides as much of a threat to future livelihoods for traditional kirana owners as the growth of large corporations itself.     

乌蒙山区岩溶景观特征及其旅游扶贫潜力分析和模式

在对乌蒙山区社会经济、扶贫现状、自然环境及区域地质背景和岩溶地质特征进行分析和研究的基础上,首先系统探讨了其岩溶景观的类型、发育和分布特征,然后从资源潜力、开发适宜性、区位特性、开发条件、市场潜力等方面探讨和分析其岩溶景观旅游扶贫潜力的大小及其与岩溶特征间的关系,认为：1）乌蒙山区拥有118处不同级别优势（78处省级、32处国家级、8处世界级）的岩溶景观单体或景观区,是全球高原岩溶景观的典型集中发育区和杰出范例,形成并表现出明显的类型、区域优势和特色;2）总体上,随着岩溶景观分布密度的依次降低,以及可溶性特征的减弱和景观区级别的降低,贵州、云南、四川三大岩溶片区以及各县域岩溶区、各类岩溶景观单体或景观区资源的优势性、聚集性、规模性及知名性依次降低,旅游扶贫潜力依次下降;3）观光体验和休闲度假,是乌蒙山区各岩溶区最适宜,且最具优势和开发潜力的旅游产品;4）乌蒙山区的区位特性、开发条件和市场潜力等则明显逊色于其他相似的岩溶地区。最后,在上述分析的基础上提出了观光休闲旅游、生态旅游、科学旅游、文化旅游、探险科考等5种乌蒙山区岩溶旅游扶贫模式,并从政府、基础设施、区域旅游发展、区域协作、发展理念等方面探讨了岩溶旅游扶贫的保障机制。     

三江平原抚远县景观格局变化研究

基于RS和GIS技术,应用集成地形图与遥感影像(MSS和TM)数据,获得抚远县6期景观类型图;通过计算各景观类型的相对变化率、转入和转出贡献率,应用景观格局分析方法,对1954~2005年三江平原抚远县湿地农田化过程进行分析。结果表明,1986年以后,耕地成为抚远县面积最大的景观类型;1954~2005年,各景观类型中耕地的相对变化率最大,1995~2000年间其相对变化率达到10.50;湿地的相对变化率在1976~1986年最大,为1.31%,湿地转出变为耕地的贡献率较大,这主要是湿地大面积被开垦为耕地的结果。景观指数在过去50多年间都发生了明显变化,最大景观形状指数(LSI)出现在1995年,为36.99;最大Shannon多样性指数(SH-DI)出现在1986年,为1.45;最大斑块聚集度指数(CONTAG)和斑块指数(LPI)出现在2005年,分别为64.14和53.35;最大斑块周长—面积分维数(PAFRAC)出现在1954年,为1.54。大规模农业开发与景观指数变化规律存在密切关系。     

From pastoralism to tourism: The historical impact of changing land use practices in Namaqualand

We use the concept of ecological revolutions to explain the environmental history of Namaqualand, from the advent of pastoralism 2000 years BP, to colonial settlement in the 18th century and finally to the recent trend of de-agrarianization from the middle of the 20th century. Early traveller's records and census data are used to assess changes in the human population of the region and how this affected wildlife and agricultural practices. Pre-colonial indigenous hunter-gatherer (Bushmen) and pastoralist (Khoekhoen) populations in Namaqualand consisted of probably no more than a few thousand individuals. Over the next three centuries, the general population rose steadily to more than 65,000 people but has fallen in recent years. Wildlife appears not to have been abundant in Namaqualand's pre-colonial landscapes and large springbok ‘treks’ were probably a rare event. The number of domestic livestock in Namaqualand peaked in 1957 largely as a result of an increase in the number of sheep which have fallen steadily since this time. Crop production was absent from Namaqualand's pre-colonial landscapes but increased to cover nearly 30,000 ha in the early 1970s. The area under cultivation has declined by nearly two thirds since this time largely as a result of the large-scale abandonment of wheat farming in marginal environments. We touch on differences between the communal areas and private farms, particularly in terms of their human populations and agricultural impact on the land. Repeat landscape photographs support our main findings which suggest that both rocky, upland habitats and rivers have not been transformed substantially by land use practices in Namaqualand. Instead, sandy pediments have borne the brunt of human impacts in the region. Finally, we highlight the beginning of a new ecological revolution in Namaqualand due to changes in the global and national political economy.     

The principles in studying the natural and technogenic dynamics of Siberia's landscapes

Conceptual-methodological approaches in understanding the dynamics and tendencies of directional changes in landscapes include a universally recognized top priority approach, i.e. the functional-integration principle of temporal observations of self-regulation processes occurring in the case of an inter-component exchange of substances. Our main concern is with the migration-accumulation mechanisms of spatial differentiation of chemical elements. Experience is examined, which has been gained from experimental studies of the technogenicgeochemical transformation of landscapes under the influence of pollutants emission from industrial facilities of two types. We summarize the research results obtained according to the following pattern: monitoring, indication of disturbances, forecasting, and regulation of technogenic loads on the natural environment. On the whole, the case in point is that modern complex geography is switching over to a level of experimental investigations of the territory.     

Etna and the Perception of Volcanic Risk

Sicily's uneven geological structure is positioned within a system of tectonic plates, and its very active volcano has always made it prone to disasters. Many Sicilian cities have in fact been destroyed by natural events many times over the centuries. This can certainly be understood negatively as the destruction of entire towns, the emission of volcanic ash, and the mutation of landscapes by a terrifying force have instilled fearful memories in local populations. But from another point of view one must consider the positive elements of Etna. Its beautiful landscapes were a major attraction on the Grand Tour, and its inhabitants have long associated the volcano with the concept of rebirth and fertility. This paper analyzes two age groups of residents in the town of Nicolosi and is a small part of an ongoing research project that is much more complex, involving representative samples of the entire population of several towns around Etna.     

基于沉积物理化性质的雅鲁藏布江中游粉尘物源研究

物源是风沙研究的主要内容.雅鲁藏布江中游风沙区是西藏自治区的主要沙丘分布区和受风沙灾害影响的主要区域.但目前对该地区沙尘物源的研究甚少,从而限制了我们对该地区风沙地貌形成演化过程、防沙治沙工程合理布局和沙尘暴预报预警工作的开展.沉积物理化性质是沉积物物源判别的主要证据.为此,收集了雅鲁藏布江中游河岸、河漫滩、河漫滩沙丘...     

Assessing the natural component of the external load due to organic matter and biogenic elements on the water bodies in Northwestern Russia

We suggest the method to calculate the natural component of the external loads due to organic matter and biogenic elements on the unexplored lakes using the removal rate moduli for these elements, and indices of the lakes’ specific catchments. The schematic map has been generated for the distribution of natural moduli of removal on the catchment of the Gulf of Finland. We calculated the external natural loads for 94 lakes in landscapes with a high percentage of lakes.     

Residents’ urbanized landscape preferences in rural areas reveal the importance of naturalness-livability contrast

Journal of Geographical Sciences - Urbanization has caused significant landscape changes in rural areas, leading to the emergence of urbanized landscapes (ULs), which have been generally criticized...     

Landscape regularities of human colonization of the Tuva territory in the Scythian time (8<Superscript>th</Superscript>–3<Superscript>rd</Superscript> centuries B. C.)

We discuss the issues related to the human colonization of the Tuva landscapes in the Scythian time. An analysis is made of the spatial and landscape confinedness of archaeological sites having regard to the Late-Holocene rhythms of climate change in the mountains. For the historical-landscape analysis the MapInfo 12.0 GIS technologies were used in compiling the landscape map of the Tyva Republic, the scheme of physical-geographical regionalization and the schematic map of spatial distribution of archaeological sites from the Scythian time. The then most developed landscapes include the steppe mountain-valley and forest-steppe low- and mid-mountain landscapes, which was associated with the main economic sector, namely nomadic stockbreeding. The culture of the Scythian time existed under a colder and more humid climate than at present. An increase in humidity in originally dry areas led to an increase in steppe vegetation productivity growing in depressions and on slopes of mountain ranges. These factors created favorable conditions for the development of nomadic stockbreeding. A spatial analysis of the distribution of archaeological sites in the physical-geographical provinces of Tuva intimates that depression landscapes were colonized mostly in the Scythian time. The Tuvinian depression province (the archaeologically richest area of Tuva) and the Ubsunur depression account for 52 and 21% of the sites, respectively. The mountain landscapes were colonized to a considerably lesser extent; the largest number of sites are located in the Western-Tuva mountain province. In the Scythian time, the cores of development of the Tuva territory were represented by the intermontane depressions (Tuvinian and Ubsunur), the connections between which were provided by a small number of large valleys and mountain passes.     

Landscape Mapping Using GIS and Google Earth Data

The process of laboratory compilation of the natural landscape chorological map of one of the uluses (administrative districts) of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic is presented at a scale of 1:2 500 000. The GIS tools were used to reference thematic cartographic documents to the topographic base of the ulus containing contour lines, elevations and the main river network. The final river network is drawn on the basis of other data sources. A significant role in the subsequent map compilation stages was played by data from the Google Earth website: 2D and 3D images were used to identify floodplains. Units of glacial landforms of foothill areas and the main types of geological and geomorphological units of the ulus were determined using both published data sources and the Google Earth imagery. The map of natural vegetation has been compiled having regard to the humidity conditions and the vertical zonation of the climate and soils. The digital map layers in GIS were gradually combined into the synthetic natural landscape map of the ulus, and the identified natural landscape units were also incorporated into the regional classification of the landscapes of Siberia. It is established that the hierarchical system of natural landscapes of the ulus differentiates three levels of classification: high (the landscapes are differentiated with respect to their geographical location into the landscapes of lowlands and high mountains), intermediate (the differentiation of the landscapes with respect to the genesis and topography dissection in a relevant climatic zone) and low (the natural landscapes are determined by a combination of vegetation covering the type of soil that developed on a given geological substrate).