Migration of scheduled caste population in rural Bist Doab (Punjab)

Using primary data collected from 5 villages in the Bist Doab, this study analyzes migration patterns of the scheduled caste population in rural areas of this region of Punjab. During 1971-1981, the rural scheduled caste population recorded a growth rate of 28.37% as compared to the corresponding growth rate of 13.32% among the rural nonscheduled castes. The proportion of the scheduled caste population showed striking intervillage variations from 52.85% in Khark Balhra to 87.45% in Bhoyapur. It was found that the rate of in-migration of the general population was quite low; the scheduled castes were no exception. Male in-migration has been primarily due to economic reasons; female in-migration was due largely to the change of marital status. It is only in Bhoyapur that about 44% of male in-migrants came as a result of rehabilitation programs undertaken by the state government after 1947. In all the villages, the scheduled caste males have out-migrated at a far slower pace than their nonscheduled caste counterparts. Economic reasons for males and marriage for females are almost the only 2 determinants of out-migration. Scheduled caste males and females differ from each other not only in terms of their motives for migration, but also with respect to the distance of the move; compared to the short distance migration among females, males experience relatively long range migration. Scheduled caste and nonscheduled caste difference is widest in terms of gross emigration; emigration among the scheduled castes is small in volume and more recent in origin. This is directly related to their meager incomes, low literacy rates, and lack of awareness of opportunities.     

Distributional pattern of the major agricultural communities (Ahirs,Gujars, Jats and Rajputs) in their traditional abode of the northwestern Indian subcontinent

The author examines the rural spatial distribution patterns in four main agricultural communities of India and Pakistan. Using 1931 census data to project 1988 population figures, a comparison is offered among ethnic relationships, religious backgrounds, castes, and migration patterns. The current socio-political status of these agricultural populations is also discussed.     

Population growth in Uttar Pradesh since 1872

"The present paper aims to analyse district-wise decadal growth of population in Uttar Pradesh [India] since 1872. It also attempts to identify population growth regions based on a suitable statistical technique. The spatio-temporal differentials are explained by the three interacting processes of birth, death and migration."     

Literacy in India's scheduled caste population: a spatial analysis

Literacy by geographic region in India's scheduled caste population is examined, with a focus on urban-rural and sex differentials. Education, migration, religion, and economic development are considered as factors affecting literacy rates. Data are from official Indian sources for 1981.     

Suburban Food Security: Walkability and Nutritional Access in Metropolitan Detroit

This article explored the relationship between the local food environment and walkability in the socioeconomically diverse, inner-ring suburbs of metropolitan Detroit. The availability and cost differentials of food were surveyed using a modified version of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Stores (NEMS–S), and a geographic information system–based method was designed to map walkability relative to licensed food retail establishments. Results showed that minority communities lack access to fresh produce and nutritionally adequate foods, which is compounded by limited mobility. By incorporating local-based economic incentives, low-income communities can better align neighborhood goals of obtaining nutritionally adequate food (and other services) with economic opportunity.     

Population development in rural areas of the United States in the 1980s: turnaround of trends or continuity?

"The article analyses the population growth in rural counties of the U.S.A. for 1970-80 and 1980-86. The growth rates are examined on different levels of aggregation (individual counties, subregions and regions) and in relation to several possible determinants of growth. The main objective of the study is to examine whether the growth patterns in the eighties support the hypothesis of a turnaround in the population development of rural areas.... The results reveal a diversity of growth patterns and significant regional differences. Rural counties within the daily urban system of a metropolitan area have significantly higher growth rates than peripheral rural counties. The results do not support the notion of a turnaround of long established trends. The trends in the eighties bear more resemblance to traditional growth patterns of rural areas." (SUMMARY IN ENG)     

北京城市老年贫困人口识别与空间分布

随着中国老龄化程度加深和城镇化水平的提高,城市地区的老年贫困问题日渐突出。由于缺乏明确的界定和统一的标准,老年贫困人口识别的准确性不足,不同研究的结论存在很大分歧。特别是教育、健康、家庭和社会支持等因素与老年贫困的关联被忽视、贫困线的设定较为主观等问题,对厘定城市老年贫困的空间格局和制定相关政策造成很大困扰。本文通过北京市典型居住社区的实证研究对上述问题进行了探讨,首先基于老年人属性变量的因子分析构建了城市老年贫困的综合判别指标;然后通过贫困线的优化分析,估计不同类型居住社区的老年贫困比例;再以市域范围内的街道和中心城区周边的地区办事处为空间单元,对北京市城市老年贫困的空间格局进行了分析。研究结论为:① 资源、健康、独立性和性别是老年人属性差异的决定因子,其中资源因子得分综合反映了城市老年人的贫困程度。② 不同类型居住社区的城市老年贫困比例存在显著差异,根据居住社区的分布,测得北京城市老年人口的贫困比例为9.55%。③ 城市内部老年贫困的空间格局分析表明:城市老年贫困人口比例从首都功能核心区、城市功能拓展区、城乡结合部地区到外围城区顺次增加;城市老年贫困人口密度则以外围城区与首都功能核心区最高,城市功能拓展区居中,城乡结合部地区最低。这些结果为进一步制定不同地区的老年贫困对策提供了参考依据。     

Demographic response to rural restructuring and counterurbanisation in South Australia, 1981-1991

"Using South Australia as a case study, this paper seeks to trace and demonstrate two processes (counterurbanisation and rural restructuring) whose effects overlap to differentiate and characterise the population geography of...two zones, separated by a transition along the outer fringe of Adelaide's urban field.... In the demographic core zone [rural restructuring] has been partly offset by continued counterurbanisation, resulting in demographic mixing and rural dilution. The 1981-91 population growth in rural communities is shown to be more a function of population density at the outset of the period than of initial population size. Demographic growth...is shown to conform to a simple unidimensional scale, allowing the production of a clear, easily interpretable typology of rural demographic change with few non-conforming statistical areas. At a local level within individual rural communities, demographic decline is shown to be accompanied by increased concentration of the population into small towns, while demographic growth is associated with deconcentration."     

新疆人口变动对生态环境的未来影响趋势与协调发展对策——以塔里木河流域为例

通过对一个典型干旱区内陆河流域——新疆塔里木河流域的人口与生态环境演变之间互动机制的分析, 用系统动力学方法建立了该流域的动态仿真模型。通过模型的多方案运行, 观察未来该流域各种人口变动条件下生态环境的可能演变后果, 从而提出有利于流域生态环境的合理人口变动条件与政策, 为有关部门提供决策参考。     

CELLULOSE DECOMPOSTION IN TROPICAL PEAT SWAMPS

Given that organic soil is a complex substrate and there are many environmental factors which directly or indirectly control its decomposition processes, the use of standard substrate simplify the system in that the effect of substrate quality could be eliminated and influence of certain environmental conditions such as edaphic factors, acidity and moisture could be focused on. In addition to the forest floor, decomposition potential down the peat profile can also be examined. Cotton strip assay was used to estimate decomposition potentials in tropical peat swamp occupied by different Shorea Albida peat swamp forest communities, The 'Alan Batu' , the ' Alan Bunga' , the 'Alan Padang' and the ' mixed Alan' forest communities.Greatest decay rates on the peat surface took place during the wet period. The moist condition of the wet months appeared to favour the growth and stimulate activities of decomposer population and soil invertebrates. Generally, 50% of cotton tensile loss is achieved after four weeks     

Recent trends of population development in the French urban system

"The paper analyses the population development of French urban agglomerations of more than 50,000 inhabitants over the last three decades (1962-90). Trends of net migration, natural increase and total population change are examined with respect to different functional and structural city types. The results show changes of long established growth patterns: an overall decrease of urban growth rates in the seventies and the resurgence of the growth of the largest metropolitan areas in the eighties." (SUMMARY IN ENG)     

Grappling with Growth: Perceptions of Development and Preservation in Faster- and Slower-Growing Amenity Communities*

Amenity-rich rural communities attract tourists, retirees, second-home owners, and others whose values are often assumed to conflict with those of longtime residents. While prior research has examined attitudinal differences across types of residents, questions about the effects of community growth on residents’ attitudes remain unanswered. This study examines whether and how seasonal and permanent residents differ within and across towns experiencing different rates of growth, and the implications of differences for attitudes toward community development and preservation. Results showed that permanent residents (both short- and long-term) perceived community development initiatives as more important to maintaining future quality of life than did seasonal homeowners. Further, community growth rates had statistically significant effects: residents of slower-growth towns attributed higher importance to both development and preservation initiatives than did residents of faster-growing towns. Growth rate was thus a stronger predictor of attitudes toward both development and preservation than resident type.     

黄河下游河滨湿地不同草本植物群落物种多样性研究

暖温带河滨湿地植被以草本植物群落为主。以黄河下游河滨湿地的河漫滩和背河洼地的15个草本植物群落为调查对象,研究河滨湿地不同草本植物群落的组成及多样性。结果表明,15个草本植物群落中共有31科73属94种植物,包括2科蕨类植物门植物和29科被子植物门植物,其中,禾本科植物最多(12属17种);丰富度最高的是狗尾草(Setaria viridis)群落;15个草本植物群落的Shannon-wiener指数介于0.22～2.07之间,人工群落荷花(Nelumbo nucifera)的Shannon-wiener指数最低,仅0.22,而另一人工群落水稻(Oryza sativa)的Shan-non-wiener指数却最大,达到2.07;典型湿地植物群落的Pielou均匀度指数较高,如扁秆藨草(Scirpus planiculmis)、芦苇(Phragmites australis)、水烛(Typha angustifolia)群落的Pielou均匀度指数都大于0.6;Simpson多样性指数最高的是荷花群落,而最低的是水稻群落;15个群落中,多样性指数、丰富度、均匀度指数和优势度指数在各群落间存在显著的差异;河滨湿地自然草本植物群落的Shannon-wiener指数、物种丰富度、Pielou均匀度指数均高于人工草本植物群落,而Simpson多样性指数则是前者低于后者,但人工草本植物群落与自然草本植物群落间4个多样性指数的差异并不明显。     

Participatory 3-dimension mapping: A tool for encouraging multi-caste collaboration to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction

This article reflects upon the use of participatory 3-dimensional mapping (P3DM) for facilitating the collaboration of different castes in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). Unequal power relationships amongst upper and lower castes has indeed been identified has a major driver of people's vulnerability to natural hazards, including the negative effects of climate change, in Nepal and elsewhere in South Asia. However, this does not prevent the members of all these castes, including the lowest untouchables, to display significant capacities in facing these natural hazards and changes in climate patterns. It is therefore similarly important to harness those capacities and address the unequal power relationships underpinning vulnerability. Achieving these goals requires fostering dialogue amongst upper and lower castes as well as with other stakeholders of DRR and CCA, e.g. scientists, NGOs, government agencies, which often tend to work with a single caste because it is easier. P3DM provides a platform for such a dialogue as it makes the knowledge of every caste tangible and credible to others. This proves essential in both assessing and planning for reducing the risk of disasters and adapting to climate change. This article particularly documents activities conducted in a small village of the Terai plain of Nepal frequently affected by flooding.     

The cities of the RSFSR: trends and prospects of development

The relationship between function and city size in cities of the Russian part of the USSR with a population of over 100,000 is examined for the period 1939 to 1980. The results suggest that "the relationship between city growth and functional change is wavelike in nature. In the initial stages of development of a city, it is the construction and transport functions that predominate, and they are associated with high rates of population growth. Increasing functional complexity leads to slower rates of population growth. When the given city reaches a higher stage of development...it again begins to attract population, with relatively low rates of growth."     

Growth of rural population in Punjab, 1971-81

Except for the decade 1941-1951, in which Punjab's population declined because of a huge exchange of population between India and Pakistan and a large loss of life, the decade 1971-1981 was the 1st decade since 1911 to experience a deceleration in the growth rate of the rural population of Punjab, India. The deceleration was due to out-migration to urban areas. The scheduled caste population increased 28.37% between 1971 and 1981, while the nonscheduled caste population increased by only 13.32%, which was considerably below the rate of natural increase. Nonscheduled castes had experienced substantial out-migration because of 1) improved transport and communication facilities which enabled them to move to urban centers; 2) mechanization of main farming operations and easy availability of migrant laborers which lessened the need for family labor; 3) the rise of a relatively mobile younger generation with a high literacy rate; 4) rapidly decreasing land holdings which strengthened the push factor in the countryside; and 5) rising aspirations, especially among the younger generation. In 1981, Sikhs constituted 71.3% of the rural population in Punjab, followed by Hindus (26.51%), Christians (1.25%), and Muslims (.89%). From 1971-1981, Muslims experienced the greatest increase (49.29%). Sikhs grew by 20.74% and Hindus by 9.02%. The Sikhs high growth rate was due to 1) a new technique for counting religious affiliation in which all members of a household are considered the same religion as the head of household and 2) conversion of Hindus to Sikhism. Hindus had a low growth rate because 1) the new method of counting religious affiliation and 2) rural-urban migration. The area with the lowest population increase resulted from industrialists and other nonagriculturists buying farmland, causing the agriculturists to move away to less desirable land. Conclusions are 1) the sharp rural-urban division along religious lines should be lessened, 2) Sikhs' lag in urbanization and upward mobility should be decreased, and 3) nonagriculturalists should be prevented from buying farm land from peasants along main roads and around urban centers.     

Assessing the social context of wildfire-affected areas. The case of mainland Portugal

Wildfires cause different impacts, depending on the conditions and resilience level of the exposed communities. Wildfire occurrence in mainland Portugal was assessed with regard to socioeconomic and demographic parameters, to identify the most distinctive conditions of fire-affected areas, without implying the existence of causal relationships. The latest population and agriculture census data were used to retrieve conditions at the civil parish level, regarding demographic patterns, social and labor conditions, physical structures and agricultural activities. To identify differences between parishes, two groups were created with the communities that showed the highest and lowest 20% of wildfire incidence between 2007 and 2014, separately for density of fire events and for burned area. A stepwise approach based on classification trees and random Forest methods was applied to identify the best discriminant variables between the groups. First, irrelevant variables were removed by an interactive process based on misclassification rates. The second step used random Forest analysis to the remaining variables to evaluate their importance in distinguishing the groups. In the final step, cluster analysis was applied to test the correspondence between the clusters created with the selected variables and the initial groups. Results showed that parishes with higher fire density have higher population density, higher proportion of young and educated people, larger families and more overcrowded buildings. On the contrary, parishes with larger burned area are less populated, less attractive to foreigners, have a higher proportion of elderly people, more degraded housing conditions and agricultural activities, visible in the density of sheep and goat and pastures, are still relevant. The cluster analysis demonstrated a better performance of the model for wildfire density, revealing a strong association with socioeconomic dynamics with an agreement above 0.85, much higher than for burned areas which is 0.29. Overall, the spatial distribution of wildfire impacts is framed by societal settings and particular conditions must be further understood to improve the coping capacity of affected communities.     

中国人口地理研究进展

1978年以来是中国人口地理学复兴和发展时期。中国人口地理学工作者消化吸收西方经典人口学理论,讨论中国人口容量问题,认识到中国人口总量即将达到增长极限,强调控制人口总量、努力发展生产和转变生存方式是解决人口问题的关键。针对资源短缺和环境污染问题,提出了创建第四产业,实施环境抚育,推动劳动力就业,降低环境污染的策略。针对民生问题,提出深入开展微观社会调查,主动再造跨尺度的社区制度,推进对人口行为的尺度综合和文化自觉。针对中国人口快速转变和人口结构问题,提出了人口均衡发展理论。针对国土空间开发格局问题,提出了区域发展均衡模型,强调通过产业转移、人口流动、转移支付等手段,形成相对均衡的区域发展格局。针对区域人口发展不平衡问题,提出了人口发展功能分区指标和分区模型,初步实现了视野综合化、指标定量化、分析模型化,将人口地理学研究推向新高度。未来中国人口地理学研究,一要围绕人口普查和人口业务数据库,建设分布式人口地理信息系统,推动人口专题数据和人口计量模型共享,巩固和发展人口地理学定量化研究之特色;二要加强不同尺度的社区微观调查,主动调控人口快速转变情景下的社区行为,提高对人口地理学定量研究结果的理解和解释;三要加强国际人口情报交流,把握各国人口演化趋势,从经济全球化的分工合作体系的视角,合理配置中国劳动力资源和人才资源。中国人口地理学应坚持走跨学科的发展道路,努力在世界人口之巅辛勤耕耘,为国家发展、学科建设做出应有的贡献。     

Growth of India's scheduled caste population, 1971-81: a spatial analysis

The author analyzes the spatial distribution and the rapid growth rate of India's scheduled caste population since 1971 and finds that "there are wide regional disparities in their rates of population growth. Areas with relatively high growth rates are associated with (i) accelerated process of urbanisation and industrialisation, (ii) expansion in mining activity, and (iii) intensification and commercialisation of agricultural development based on irrigation. By contrast, areas experiencing low rates of growth are associated with (i) continuing high mortality rate, and (ii) net out-migration arising from scarcity of resources, acute poverty and subjection to deprivations...."     

塔里木河上游胡杨群落及种群特征分析

基于样地调查方法对塔里木河上游阿拉尔、新其满、英巴扎断面河岸胡杨群落特征及胡杨种群结构与侧枝生长量进行了研究和分析。结果表明:①塔里木河上游河岸胡杨群落物种组成较简单,共有16种植物,分属10科16属,其中乔木1种、灌木和草本分别为6种和9种。3个断面发现的物种种数分别为6种、8种和12种,共有种为胡杨(Populus euphratica)、多枝柽柳(Tamarix ramosissma)和铃铛刺(Halimodendron halodendron)。②各断面胡杨群落物种多样性指数较低,物种丰富度指数、Simpson指数和Shannon-Winner指数大小顺序为英巴扎,新其满,阿拉尔。③胡杨种群主要以幼龄个体为主,种群树高、胸径为底宽上窄增长型结构。④1998—2002年各断面胡杨枝轮生长量波动较大,2003—2007年生长量呈下降趋势。