缅老泰交界地区刀耕火种农业的时空变化格局

刀耕火种农业深刻影响着东南亚地区的土地利用/土地覆被变化。研究刀耕火种农业的空间变化及其影响因素,对科学理解东南亚地区土地利用/土地覆被变化、农民生活方式变化和维持生态系统服务有重要作用。以缅老泰交界地区为研究区,运用遥感手段提取1996年、2000年、2003年和2011年四个时期刀耕火种农业的空间分布信息,并运用GeoDA空间自相关分析方法和GIS空间分析技术,分析了不同时间段刀耕火种农业的时空变化格局、刀耕火种农业面积和破碎化程度的空间自相关性,并对不同国家境内时空变化差异的原因进行了探讨。研究表明:① 缅老泰交界地区刀耕火种农业面积经历了一个小幅增加—小幅减少—大幅增加的变化过程,总体上净增加;其中,泰国清莱府分布最多,老挝波乔省增幅最大,缅甸大其力县净减少。② 缅老泰交界区刀耕火种农业斑块面积、破碎化程度空间分布均具有正相关性,刀耕火种农业面积的空间正相关性总体上有所提高,而破碎化程度的空间正相关性总体上略有降低。③ 轮歇周期、社会经济发展水平可能是不同国家境内刀耕火种农业空间变化差异的主要原因。     

重庆石碗溪小流域坡度和高程对土地利用及经济发展的影响

坡度和高程是土地资源固有的两个重要环境因子,与土地利用关系密切,尤其是在山区,坡度和高程基本上决定了土地利用的方向和方式,从而影响农业和经济的发展。石碗溪小流域面积20.73km2,为丘陵低山区。按坡度和高程对土地利用的影响程度,把坡度和高程各分为3级,即:0°～15°、15°~25°、>25°和500m以下、500~800 m、800m以上。从1:10 000地形圈上提取土地坡度和高程分级图,与土地利用现状图又叠加,获取各坡度、高程级及其土地利用类型和数据。结果表明,土地面积随坡度、海拔级的增加而加大。耕地分布在各个高程级0～15°的缓坡上,800m以上地区面积最大,果园和森林大多分布在800m以上>25°的陡坡地上。通过分析比较小流域各个行政村2002年农业总收入及种植业、林业、牧业收入与坡度和高程的关系,可以看出坡度和高程对经济发展的影响。最后,根据坡度和高程状况,结合小流域社会经济条件,提出几点建议,以其为山区小流域土地可持续利用及经济持续发展提供科学依据。     

老挝VIIRS活跃火的主要自然地理要素特征

利用美国国家航空航天局火灾信息资源管理系统（FIRMS）VIIRS V1活跃火、先进星载热发射和反射辐射仪全球数字高程模型（ASTER GDEM）、MODIS NDVI/LSWI与土地覆被数据产品（FROM-GLC）,基于GIS定量分析老挝2012—2017年从分省到国家不同空间尺度活跃火频次的动态变化,并重点分析2015厄尔尼诺年活跃火频次及其与海拔、坡度、植被-水分（NDVI ^*、LSWI）指数、土地覆被等主要自然地理要素的相关特征。结果表明：① 老挝活跃火频次呈先增后减的趋势,峰值在2015厄尔尼诺年,主要集中在上、中寮,其中琅勃拉邦、沙耶武里与沙湾拿吉三省居前三位,而万象市、塞公和赛宋本则居后三位。② 老挝2012—2017年活跃火发生频次与地形因素（海拔、坡度）的关系基本相同,活跃火集中在海拔1000 m以下、坡度小于30°的低山-丘陵区。其中,上寮活跃火集中分布在500~1000 m、10~30°的斜陡坡山地,中、下寮集中在500 m以下、2~20°的缓斜坡丘陵。③ 活跃火高度集中在旱季,以3月、4月最多,并集中分布在NDVI为0.4~0.8和LSWI为0.2~0.6的中高覆盖度植被区。④ 老挝活跃火主要发生在森林这一土地覆被类型中,且以上寮最为集中,而中寮多以农田、草地和灌丛活跃火为主。综上,基于自然地理要素的活跃火特征分析可以有效识别其发生类型,即老挝活跃火主要由刀耕火种农业所引起。     

滇南热带雨林区土地利用/覆盖变化分析--以西双版纳勐仑地区为例

根据1988年和2003年两期卫星遥感影像的解译结果,采用GIS空间分析技术,对以勐仑为代表的滇南热带雨林区的土地利用/覆盖变化(LUCC)规律及趋势进行了研究,初步探讨了其驱动力机制和环境资源效应.结果表明,15 a间该区土地利用/覆盖状况发生了很大变化,橡胶园以604.12 hm2/a的平均速度递增,而有林地则以431.17 hm2/a的平均速度递减.橡胶园取代有林地成为优势的土地利用/覆盖类型,耕地也有较大幅度减少.结合地形因子进一步分析发现,变化最为强烈的区域正处于热带雨林适宜分布的海拔范围(900 m以下),橡胶园的增加与有林地和轮歇地的减少在15°～25°坡度范围内最大,灌木林在陡坡地带有明显增加;在北向坡,有林地减少和橡胶园增加的幅度均大于其他坡向.上述变化导致了有林地的破碎化和生态环境综合服务功能的下降,反映出地形等自然条件是该区LUCC的限制因子,受市场和政策影响的人类活动在此基础上对其起着显著的驱动作用.土地利用/趋势指数结合未来10 a的驱动力变化分析表明,目前该区土地利用/覆盖变化仍处于活跃的态势.     

基于GIS和RUSLE的滇西北山区土壤侵蚀空间特征分析——以云南省丽江县为例

土壤侵蚀空间分布特征,是进行土壤侵蚀防治规划、实践的重要基础与依据。研究以云南省丽江县为例,应用RUSLE估算了县域土壤侵蚀量,并基于G IS的空间统计分析功能,分析了土壤侵蚀在海拔、坡度与土地利用类型等方面的空间分布特征。结果表明,全县平均土壤侵蚀模数为52.50 t/(hm2.a),属于强度侵蚀,县域东部的金沙江沿岸、3 500~6 000 m高程带、25°~90°坡度带,以及裸地与荒草地、旱地等不同类型区域是研究区土壤侵蚀治理的重点地区。     

基于GIS的兴宁市油茶种植适宜性评价

为探讨气候、地形、土壤条件等对兴宁市油茶种植生态适宜度的影响,提高兴宁市油茶种植生态区划的精细化程度,文章基于油茶生长对环境条件的需求,在充分分析兴宁市气候、地形、土壤条件的基础上,提出油茶种植综合区划指标为：4个气象因子（10―12月平均温度、1月平均气温、7月平均气温、8―9月平均降雨量）、3个地形因子（海拔高度、坡度、坡向）、3个土壤因子（有机质、pH值、全氮）;采用层次分析法和加权指数求和法,建立油茶种植的综合区划评估模型;基于GIS技术开展兴宁市油菜种植适宜性精细化区划。结果表明：兴宁市油茶适宜种植区主要分布在北部和东部海拔在100~500 m的地区,约占全市总面积的37%,较适宜区主要分布在海拔高度在500~800 m的低山区,约占全市总面积的44.2%,不适宜区主要分布在海拔≥800 m的山区和海拔≤100 m的中部地区,约占全市总面积的18.8%。     

基于RS和GIS的西双版纳土地覆被动态变化

人口增加、经济发展导致滇南热带地区西双版纳土地利用/土地覆被发生显著变化,这些变化对该区的生态环境及生物多样性保护有着重要影响。基于RS和GIS方法,通过对1976、1988和2003年三个时期遥感影像解译分析,试图了解西双版纳近27 a间土地利用/土地覆被时空变化特征及影响因素。结果表明,近27 a间有林地在西双版纳分布最广、占绝对优势,其中以亚热带常绿阔叶林面积最大;但在研究时段内,有林地面积不断减少、呈现破碎化,尤其是热带季节雨林、山地雨林面积减少最为明显和破碎化最为严重。相应,橡胶园、灌木林面积不断扩大并聚集成片,其中橡胶园在1988~2003年间是面积增长最快、最多的地类,其面积扩张主要来源于对热带季节雨林的砍伐。轮歇地面积在1976~1988年是所有地类中增长最快、最多的,在1988~2003年由于向橡胶园转变而大幅度减小。粗放式的刀耕火种和橡胶种植园的不断扩大是主导本区土地利用/土地覆被变化的主要因素,土地利用变化导致了本区生态环境的退化和生物多样性的丢失。     

岳西县土壤侵蚀空间分布与环境因子的关系

以岳西县2004年TM影像为数据源,通过目视解译的方法,得到2004年土壤侵蚀强度矢量图。利用Arc-GIS软件,将土壤侵蚀图与不同的环境因子图进行叠加分析,探讨了岳西县2004年土壤侵蚀空间分布与环境因子的关系。结果表明:从土壤侵蚀与土壤类型的关系看,土壤侵蚀主要发生在麻石黄棕壤、黄棕壤性麻石土及麻石棕壤上。从不同土地利用方式看,侵蚀土壤主要发生在有林地、灌木林、水田、高覆盖草地地区。从土壤侵蚀与坡度的关系看,土壤侵蚀主要发生在3°～25°的坡度上,尤其在8°～25°坡度上居多。从土壤侵蚀与坡向的关系看,山地的北坡、西南坡、西坡及西北坡容易发生土壤侵蚀。从土壤侵蚀与海拔的关系看,200～1000 m地区土壤侵蚀比较显著,尤其500～1000 m的地区土壤侵蚀发生量多。     

新石器时代晚期华北地区耕地重建

全新世以来农业的起源使全球人类活动日益加剧,而新石器时代晚期（在中国大约距今7 ka—5 ka）农业发展正处于从刀耕火种向耒耜翻耕过渡阶段,由此被认为是人类活动改变自然植被的关键时期。中国华北地区丰富的考古遗迹记录了该时期人类活动的状况。基于已发现和挖掘的考古资料,运用考古学关联建模方法推算出新石器时代晚期华北地区各聚落遗址的人口规模与耕地面积,并在此基础上重建了耕地空间分布格局。结果显示：① 新石器时代晚期华北地区的人口规模至少为50.61×10 ⁴人。其中,河南地区人口最多,约为30.46×10 ⁴人,山东地区约13.72×10 ⁴人,河北地区约6.43×10 ⁴人。② 耕地面积至少约102.22×10 ⁴ hm2,约是现代耕地的4.6%,整个华北地区垦殖率达到1.99%。河南地区耕地面积最大,约为61.52×10 ⁴ hm2,垦殖率达3.68%;山东地区次之,约为27.72×10 ⁴ hm2,垦殖率为1.75%;河北地区最少,约为12.98×10 ⁴ hm2,垦殖率为0.69%。③ 遗址周围3 km范围内是个体聚落耕地的主要分布区,约占总耕地面积的83.43%。④ 在地形分布上,63.36%的耕地分布在低海拔的平原和台地,仅2.43%分布在海拔1000 m以上的地区。就耕地分布的坡度而言,81.55%的耕地分布在坡度小于2°的地区;16.61%的耕地介于2°~6°的缓坡地区;6°~15°的坡地地区仅占耕地的1.84%。     

岷江上游气候立体分布特征

通过对岷江上游的气候要素的时空间分布特征进行分析,得出:岷江上游的气候干、雨季分明;气温与海拔高度的相关关系为2 500 m以下呈现负相关,而2 500 m以上呈现正相关;降水随高度增加呈增加趋势;而农田蒸散量和干燥度均与海拔高度呈负相关关系。高海拔地区凉爽而湿润,其限制因子主要是热量;而中低海拔地区温暖而干旱,主要限制因子是水分。通过回归分析,得出了岷江上游主要气象要素与海拔高度的关系。认为在岷江上游地区,开展生态恢复,应具体分析光热水状况,在不同海拔地区,针对不同的气候条件,采用相应的植物来进行生态恢复,以取得良好的生态和经济效应。     

Improved land tenure not the driver of economic development in a Vietnamese community

During the restructuring of the Vietnamese economy in 1986, the Communist party of Vietnam (CPV) took the decision to leave central planning and build a market economy in Vietnam. In order to promote rural development and deal with deforestation, poverty and declining agricultural profitability, the government implemented the forestland allocation policies (FLA) and started a process of decentralization. This research note examines the impact of FLA policies on the agricultural practices of an upland community in central Vietnam and discusses the effects of increased tenure security. It is shown that the promotion of a sedentary production system has altered the sustainability of swidden agriculture leading to declining profitability and that a transition towards new crops and specialized crop cultivation has compensated for the loss. Furthermore, it is argued that the FLA policies have increased the villagers’ incentive to invest, their access to credit and the forest area of the village, but that the CPV has been the main driver of these changes rather than the increased tenure security.     

西双版纳热带山地利用过程中的土壤退化

土壤养分和土壤微生物生长代谢水平的衰退是热带山地退化的重要表现形式。二者的变化基本是一致的。即从热带雨林→33a次生林→6a轮歇地→4a轮歇地→旱谷地→橡胶林→荒草坡呈降低趋势；相对于热带雨林而言，不同利用方式土壤微生物和土壤养分状况均有不同程度的下降，且随退化程度增高减幅增大，土壤微生物衰减的速率比土壤养分的衰减更快。说明山地的退化严重影响着土壤微生物的生长代谢水平以及它们之间的协同作用，从而影响土壤碳氮循环代谢途径。降低土壤肥力水平。     

Detecting and mapping annual newly-burned plots (NBP) of swiddening using historical Landsat data in Montane Mainland Southeast Asia (MMSEA) during 1988–2016

Swidden agriculture is by far the dominant land use system in the uplands of Southeast Asia (SEA), as well as other tropical regions, which plays an important role in the implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) of United Nations. To our knowledge, the long-term inter-annual area of newly burned plots (NBP) of swidden agriculture in mainland Southeast Asia is still not available, let alone in the whole tropics. With the strengthening regional geo-economic cooperation in SEA, swidden agriculture has experienced and/or is still experiencing extensive and drastic transformations into other diverse market-oriented land use types since the 1990s. In this study, high-level surface reflectance products of Landsat 4/5/7/8 family sensors including Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Operational Land Imager (OLI) acquired in March, April and May of each year between 1988 and 2016 were firstly utilized to detect and monitor the extent and area of NBP of swidden agriculture with multiple thresholds of four commonly-used vegetation indices, namely the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), in combination with local phenological features of swiddening and topographical data. The results showed that: (1) an annual average of 6.08×10⁴ km² of NBP of swidden agriculture, or 3.15% of the total land area of MSEA, were estimated in the past nearly three decades. (2) Annual NBP were primarily distributed in four major geomorphic units including the Central Range of Hills, Northern Mountainous Region, Western Myanmar Hills, and Annamite Chain. (3) A decadal average analysis indicated that the NBP of swidden agriculture opened year by year declined as a whole, especially after 2010, merely with an average of 5.23×10⁴ km². (4) The top ten provincial administrative units in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, which consistently accounted for over 90% of the newly opened swiddens of each country, showed distinct fluctuations in using slash-and-burn practices in the last decades. The Landsat-based (30 m) reconstructed 29-year longitudinal updated maps (including extent and area) of the NBP of swidden agriculture may contribute to REDD and local livelihood related studies in Continental Southeast Asia. Our study further demonstrated that the multiple vegetative indices thresholds approach holds great potential in detecting swidden agriculture in tropical mountainous regions.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviewed in this article: Geographical Aspects of Health and Disease in India . Rais Akhtar and A.T.A. Learmonth , eds . Antarctic Treaty System: An Assessment . Proceedings of a Workshop at Beardmore South Field Camp, Antarctica. American Electoral Mosaics . J. Clark Archer and Fred M. Shelley . Kompas op Suidwes-Afrika/Namibie . W.S. Barnard , ed . Jerusalem in the 19th Century: The Old City . Yehoshua Ben -Arieh . The World as a Total System . Kenneth E. Boulding . A Social History of Housing 1815–1985, Second Ed . John Burnett . Human Migration . W.A.V. Clark . Regional Population Projection Models . Andrei Rogers . The State of Population Theory: Forward from Malthus . David Coleman and Roger Schofield , eds . Imagining Tomorrow: History, Technology and the American Future . Joseph C. Corn , ed. Swidden Agriculture in Indonesia: The Subsistence Strategies of the Kalimantan Kantú . Michael R. Dove . Glacial Geologic Processes . David Drewry . Physics of Desertification . Farouk El -Baz and M.H.A. Hassan , eds . Housing the Homeless . Jon Erickson and Charles Wilhelm , eds . Settlement Patterns in Missouri: A Study of Population Origins, with a Wall Map . Russel L. Gerlach . Desert Development: Man and Technology in Sparselands . Yehuda Gradus , ed . Nuclear Winter. The Evidence and Risks . Owen Greene , Ian Percival and Irene Ridge . The Take-off of Suburbia and the Crisis of the Central City . Günter Heinritz and Elisabeth Lichtenberger , eds . Regional Input-Output Analysis . Geoffrey J. D. Hewings . Spatial Transportation Modeling . Christian Werner . The Atlas of Georgia . Thomas W. Hodler and Howard A. Schretter , eds . Latin America. 5th ed . Preston E. James and C.W. Minkel . Applied Remote Sensing . C.P. Lo . Localities, Class, and Gender . The Lancaster Regionalism Group . Urban Social Movements: The City after Castells . Stuart Lowe . Politics and Method . Doreen Massey and Richard Meegan , eds . Land Use . A. S. Mather . The Kingdom of Coal . Donald L. Miller and Richard E. Sharpless . The Presidio and Militia on the Northern Frontier of New Spain, A Documentary History, Vol. 1: 1570–1700 . Thomas H. Naylor and Charles W. Polzer , S.J., comps . and eds . Nuclear Power: Siting and Safety . Stan Openshaw . The Central African Republic: The Continent's Hidden Heart . Thomas O'Toole . Environmental and Dynamic Geomorphology . Márton Pécsi , ed . Remote Sensing Principles and Interpretation . Floyd F. Sabins , Jr . Acid Rain and Friendly Neighbors: The Policy Dispute between Canada and the United States . Jurgen Schmandt and Hilliard Roderick , eds . Earth's Changing Surface: An Introduction to Geomorphology . M.J. Selby . International Migration: The Female Experience . Rita J. Simon and Caroline B. Brettell , eds . On Geography and Its History . D.R. Stoddart . Transportation Networks: A Quantitative Approach . D. Teodorovic . Processes in Physical Geography . R.D. Thompson , A.M. Mannion , C.W. Mitchell , M. Parry , J.R.G. Townshend . Imaging Radar for Resources Surveys . J.W. Trevett . Dominance and Affection: The Making of Pets . Yi -Fu Tuan . Capturing the Horizon. The Historical Geography of Transportation since the Transportation Revolution of the Sixteenth Century . James E. Vance , Jr . Nations at Risk: The Impact of the Computer Revolution . Edward Yourdon .     

Symposium On Sediment Storage In Rivers And Estuaries

Book Reviewed in this article:

Geographical Aspects of Health and Disease in India. Rais Akhtarand A.T.A. Learmonth, eds.

Antarctic Treaty System: An Assessment. Proceedings of a Workshop at Beardmore South Field Camp, Antarctica.

American Electoral Mosaics. J. Clark Archerand Fred M. Shelley.

Kompas op Suidwes-Afrika/Namibie. W.S. Barnard, ed.

Jerusalem in the 19th Century: The Old City. Yehoshua Ben-Arieh.

The World as a Total System. Kenneth E. Boulding.

A Social History of Housing 1815–1985, Second Ed. John Burnett.

Human Migration. W.A.V. Clark.

Regional Population Projection Models. Andrei Rogers.

The State of Population Theory: Forward from Malthus. David Colemanand Roger Schofield, eds.

Imagining Tomorrow: History, Technology and the American Future. Joseph C. Corn, ed.

Swidden Agriculture in Indonesia: The Subsistence Strategies of the Kalimantan Kantú. Michael R. Dove.

Glacial Geologic Processes. David Drewry.

Physics of Desertification. Farouk El-Bazand M.H.A. Hassan, eds.

Housing the Homeless. Jon Ericksonand Charles Wilhelm, eds.

Settlement Patterns in Missouri: A Study of Population Origins, with a Wall Map. Russel L. Gerlach.

Desert Development: Man and Technology in Sparselands. Yehuda Gradus, ed.

Nuclear Winter. The Evidence and Risks. Owen Greene, Ian Percivaland Irene Ridge.

The Take-off of Suburbia and the Crisis of the Central City. Günter Heinritzand Elisabeth Lichtenberger, eds.

Regional Input-Output Analysis. Geoffrey J. D. Hewings.

Spatial Transportation Modeling. Christian Werner.

The Atlas of Georgia. Thomas W. Hodlerand Howard A. Schretter, eds.

Latin America. 5th ed. Preston E. Jamesand C.W. Minkel.

Applied Remote Sensing. C.P. Lo.

Localities, Class, and Gender. The Lancaster Regionalism Group.

Urban Social Movements: The City after Castells. Stuart Lowe.

Politics and Method. Doreen Masseyand Richard Meegan, eds.

Land Use. A. S. Mather.

The Kingdom of Coal. Donald L. Millerand Richard E. Sharpless.

The Presidio and Militia on the Northern Frontier of New Spain, A Documentary History, Vol. 1: 1570–1700. Thomas H. Naylorand Charles W. Polzer, S.J., comps. andeds.

Nuclear Power: Siting and Safety. Stan Openshaw.

The Central African Republic: The Continent's Hidden Heart. Thomas O'Toole.

Environmental and Dynamic Geomorphology. Márton Pécsi, ed.

Remote Sensing Principles and Interpretation. Floyd F. Sabins, Jr.

Acid Rain and Friendly Neighbors: The Policy Dispute between Canada and the United States. Jurgen Schmandtand Hilliard Roderick, eds.

Earth's Changing Surface: An Introduction to Geomorphology. M.J. Selby.

International Migration: The Female Experience. Rita J. Simonand Caroline B. Brettell, eds.

On Geography and Its History. D.R. Stoddart.

Transportation Networks: A Quantitative Approach. D. Teodorovic.

Processes in Physical Geography. R.D. Thompson, A.M. Mannion, C.W. Mitchell, M. Parry, J.R.G. Townshend.

Imaging Radar for Resources Surveys. J.W. Trevett.

Dominance and Affection: The Making of Pets. Yi-Fu Tuan.

Capturing the Horizon. The Historical Geography of Transportation since the Transportation Revolution of the Sixteenth Century. James E. Vance, Jr.

Nations at Risk: The Impact of the Computer Revolution. Edward Yourdon.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviewed in this article: Development and Environment in Peninsular Malaysia . S. Robert Aiken, Colin H. Leigh, Thomas R. Leinbach, Michael R. Moss. The Rural-Urban Fringe: Canadian Perspectives . Ken B. Beesley and Lorne H. Russwurm, eds. Women and Development . Lourdes Benería, ed. The Border that Joins: Mexican Migrants and U.S. Responsibility . Peter G. Brown and Henry Shue, eds. Cities of the World: World Regional Urban Development . Stanley D. Brunn and Jack L. Williams, eds. Time Resources, Society, and Ecology: On the Capacity for Human Interaction in Space and Time (Vol. I, Preindustrial Societies). Tommy Carlstein. Urban Geography . David Clark. Spanish City Planning in North America . Dora P. Crouch, Daniel J. Garr, and Axel I. Mundigo. Not On Our Street: Community Attitudes to Mental Health Care . M. J. Dear and S. M. Taylor Unequal growth: Urban and Regional Employment Change in the U.K. Stephen Fothergill and Graham Gudgin. Agricultural Land in an Urban Society . Owen J. Furuseth and John T. Pierce. The Petroleum Industry in Oil-Importing Developing Countries . Fariborz Ghadar. Historical Understanding in Geography, An Idealist Approach . Leonard Guelke. Regional Planning in Europe . R. Hudson and J. R. Lewis, eds. Remote Sensing for Resource Management . Chris J. Johannsen and James L. Sanders, eds. Geography and The State . R. J. Johnston. Texas Graveyards: a Cultural Legacy . Tlrry G. Jordan. The Politics of Location: An Introduction . Andrew Kirby. A Social Geography of the City . David Ley. Energy and the Future . Douglas MacLean and Peter Brown, eds. The Natural Environment of Newfoundland Past and Present . A. G. Macpherson and J. B. Macpherson, eds. Tourism: Economic, Physical and Social Impacts . Alister Mathieson and Geoffrey Wall. Railroads and Land Grant Policy: A Study in Government Intervention . Lloyd J. Mercer. Progress in Rural Geography . Michael Pacione, ed. Progress in Urban Geography . Michael Pacione, ed. Models of Spatial Inequality: Settlement Patterns in Historical Archaeology . Robert Paynter. Natural Hazard Risk Assessment and Public Policy, Anticipating the Unexpected . William J. Petak and Arthur A. Atkisson. The Nature of Geomorphology . Alistair F. Pitty. Regional Conflict and National Policy . Kent A. Price Women and Spatial Change: Learning Resources for Social Science Courses . Arlene C. Rengert and Janice J. Monk, eds. Urban and Regional Analysis for Development Planning . Richard Rhoda. Rivers: Form and Process in Alluvial Channels . Keith Richards. This Remarkable Continent: An Atlas of United States and Canadian Society and Culture . John F. Rooney, Jr., Wilbur Zelinsky, and Dean R. Louder, gen. eds. The Origins of Open-Field Agriculture . Trevor Rowley, ed. Residential Location Determinants of the Older Population . Gundars Rudzitis. Borderland Sourcebook: A Guide to the Literature on Northern Mexico and the American Southwest . Ellwyn R. Stoddard, Richard L. Nostrand, and Jonathan P. West, eds. Arctic and Antarctic . David Sugden. Tall Timbers Ecology and Management Conference, February 22–24, 1979, Proceedings No. 16 . Graphic Communication and Design in Contemporary Cartography (Progress in Contemporary Cartography , Vol. II). D. R. Fraser Taylor, ed. Living with Energy Shortfall: A Future for American Towns and Cities . Jon Van Til. The United States: Habitation of Hope . J. Wreford Watson. Air Photo Interpretation for Archaeologists . D. R. Wilson. Urban and Rural Change in West Germany . Trevor Wild, ed. Population and Resources . Harry Robinson.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviewed in this article: Geography and the Third World. International Seminar, 14–18 May 1980, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia . Ishmail Ahmad and Jamaluddin Md Jahi, eds. The Growth Dilemma: Residents' Views and Local Population Change in the United States . Mark Baldassare. Sport and Place: A Geography of Sport in England, Scotland & Wales . John Bale. The Deindustrialization of America: Plant Closings, Community Abandonment, and the Dismantling of Basic Industry . Barry Bluestone and Bennett Harrison. Selected Essays 1963–1975: Carl O. Sauer . Bob Callahen, ed. Housing and Planning in the Countryside . G. Clark. Conflict, Politics and the Urban Scene . Kevin R. Cox and R. J. Johnston, eds. Thematic Maps: Their Design and Production . David J. Cuff and Mark T. Mattson. Wine: A Geographic Appreciation . Harm Jan de Blij. USSR in Maps . J. C. Dewdney. Political Geography: A Contemporary Perspective . Ramesh D. Dikshit. Rethinking Human Adaptation . Rada Dyson-Hudson and Michael A. Little, eds. Sacred Sands: The Struggle for Community in the indiana Dunes . J. Ronald Engel. Geography of the Biosphere . A. Furley and Walter W. Newey. Disaster and Reconstruction . Robert Geipel. Glasgow: The Making of a City . Andrew Gibb. Design for Arid Regions . Giden S. Golany, ed. Urbanization and Cancer Mortality: The United States Experience, 1950–1975 . Michael R. Greenberg. Geology in the Nineteenth Century: Changing Views of a Changing World . Mott T. Greene. Colonización y Destrucción de Bosques en Panamá . Stanley Heckadon Moreno and Alberto McKay, eds. Urban Geography: A First Approach . David T. Herbert and Colin J. Thomas. The Visual and Spatial Structure of Landscapes . Tadahiko Higuchi. Climate from Tree Rings . M. K. Hughes, P. M. Kelly, J. R. Pilcher, and V. C. LaMarche, Jr., eds. The structure of Nineteenth Century Cities . James H. Johnson and Colin G. Pooley, eds. The American Planner: Biographies and Recollections . Donald A. Krueckeberg, ed. Urban Land Policy For the 1980s, the Message for State and Local Government . George Lefcoe, ed. Regional Planning: Evolution, Crisis and Prospects . Gill C. Lim, ed. Relevance and Ethics In Geography . Bruce Mitchell and Dianne Draper. China: The Geography of Development and Modernization . Clifton W. Pannell and Laurence J. C. MA. The Urban Retailing System . Robert B. Potter. Hants. Nonconventional Energy Resources . Philip R. Pryde. Caribbean Migrants: Environment and Human Survival on St. Kitts and Nevis . Bonham C. Richardson. Population and Resources . Harry Robinson. East Los Angeles: History of A Barrio . Ricardo Romo. Integrated Impact Assessment . Frederick A. Rossini and Alan L. Porter, eds. Environmental Aesthetics: Essays in Interpretation . Barry Sadler and Allen Carlson, eds. Earthwatch . Charles Sheffield. Field Techniques and Research Methods in Geography . Robert H. Stoddard. Haiti: Land of Poverty . Robert J. Tata. Weathering and Erosion: Sources and Methods in Geography . Stephen T. Trudgill. Once Beneath the Forest. Prehistoric Terracing in the Río Bec Region of the Maya Lowlands . B. L. Turner, II. The Historical Geography of Scotland since 1707 . David Turnock.     

PRODUCTIVITY OF AMERICAN PH.D.-GRANTING DEPARTMENTS OF GEOGRAPHY

Reviews of geographic software in this article:

DEMO-GRAPHICS: WORLD POPULATIONS AND PROJECTIONS.

ESP

GAUSS.

CEMODEL S. Damus

LIMDEP. William H. Greene

MICROSTAT 4.1

OTIS

PCIPS. (Personal Computer Image Processing System). H.J. Meyers and R. Bernstein.

REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF TIME SERIES (RATS)

SPSS/PC+

URBAN DATA MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (UDMS)     

Deserts and Aeolian Desertification in China: Book review and some thoughts

Desertification is a global phenomenon that affects about two billion people. It occurs in arid zones where the annual precipitation is below 400 mm, partic- ularly in the marginal areas of the world＇s largest deserts. It is a result of water and wind erosion, over- grazing, global warm-ing, improper soil cultivation, and increased pressure ot population growth, and it causes degradation of soil and natural and agricultural vegetation. The direct result is less food for people and livestock, which influences pop- ulation and animal husbandry fluctuations. Despite ef- forts to combat and reduce desertification, the affected areas are annually increasing.