Converting Brazil's pastures to cropland: An alternative way to meet sugarcane demand and to spare forestlands

Brazil seeks to rapidly increase its agricultural production to meet future demands, especially for sugarcane, which is an agricultural commodity and a biofuel source. In this paper, we explore how to achieve this increase without compromising existing forestlands. We propose that it is possible to substantially expand sugarcane production in Brazil while avoiding further environmental losses and the indirect land use changes often associated with them, such as deforestation. This task could be accomplished by converting existing pasturelands with agricultural potential into cropland. A great deal of pastureland exists in Brazil. Thus, we addressed the following questions in this study: (1) where are the most suitable pasturelands for sugarcane located geographically and (2) what potential do these pasturelands have for sugarcane production regarding their physical suitability and other significant factors, such as infrastructure availability and socioeconomic factors. We conducted a land suitability analysis using a spatial location model based on multicriteria decision-making and geographic information systems (GIS) to identify the cultivated pasturelands most suitable for conversion to sugarcane production in Brazil. “What if” scenarios were built to determine how changes in the subjectively derived weights of the priority criteria would modify the spatial distribution of the suitability classes relative to the MCDA model and demonstrate the robustness of the crop suitability assessment. The most suitable pastureland areas for conversion to sugarcane production were predominantly located in Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and Pará. These zones have large contiguous areas of pasture with moderate and high agricultural potentials for sugarcane production. The total estimated area of cultivated pasturelands with moderate or high suitability for sugarcane production was 50 million hectares, which is much larger than the area currently used for sugarcane production in Brazil.     

Linking pesticides and human health: A geographic information system (GIS) and Landsat remote sensing method to estimate agricultural pesticide exposure

Accurate pesticide exposure estimation is integral to epidemiologic studies elucidating the role of pesticides in human health. Humans can be exposed to pesticides via residential proximity to agricultural pesticide applications (drift). We present an improved geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing method, the Landsat method, to estimate agricultural pesticide exposure through matching pesticide applications to crops classified from temporally concurrent Landsat satellite remote sensing images in California. The image classification method utilizes Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values in a combined maximum likelihood classification and per-field (using segments) approach. Pesticide exposure is estimated according to pesticide-treated crop fields intersecting 500 m buffers around geocoded locations (e.g., residences) in a GIS. Study results demonstrate that the Landsat method can improve GIS-based pesticide exposure estimation by matching more pesticide applications to crops (especially temporary crops) classified using temporally concurrent Landsat images compared to the standard method that relies on infrequently updated land use survey (LUS) crop data. The Landsat method can be used in epidemiologic studies to reconstruct past individual-level exposure to specific pesticides according to where individuals are located.     

Crossing-over between land cover and land use: Exploring spatially varying relationships in two large US metropolitan areas

Difficulties in identifying actual uses of land space from remote sensing-based land cover products often result in lost opportunities to enhance the capacity of applied research on human settlements. In an attempt to address these difficulties, this study investigates how land cover and land use are interrelated with each other and what determines the relationship patterns by analyzing detailed land use and land cover data for two large US metropolitan areas – the five-county Los Angeles and six-county Chicago regions – where a broad spectrum of human settlements, ranging from urban cores to less-urbanized edges, coexist. The analysis shows that the land cover-land use relationship substantially varies not only across regions but across neighborhoods within each region. Through multivariate regression, it is also found that the intraregional variation is highly associated with the neighborhood's stage of urbanization, median housing age, and other development characteristics, suggesting that the relationship pattern can largely be shaped by the history and evolution of urban design/development.     

基于批判地缘政治学视角解读经典地缘政治理论

大国间的争霸与兴衰更替,无不受地缘法则的支配。地理学者应紧跟时代的步伐,准确把握国家利益之所在,抓住机遇为民族伟大复兴做出贡献。但是,缺乏对地缘政治学的历史和哲学的批判将不能准确理解和有效实践地缘政治理论。本文简要介绍了批判地缘政治学的发展,总结了批判地缘政治学的3个特点,据此对4个经典地缘政治理论进行了解读。为了简化解读过程,首先提出了一个解读4个经典地缘政治理论的分析框架;其次根据这个分析框架重点解读了麦金德的"历史的地理枢纽";最后对4个经典地缘政治理论进行了批判性总结。通过批判性解读,得出经典地缘政治理论既有科学性一面,也有假说性和理念性的一面。经典地缘政治理论构建是基于国际地缘格局、国家利益空间分布、国家间空间冲突而构建的,并展现了理论建构者的身份,体现了地缘政治理论的历史性、社会性、情境性和地理知识—权力结构。     

Land use/land cover change detection and prediction in the north-western coastal desert of Egypt using Markov-CA

Detecting land-use change has become of concern to environmentalists, conservationists and land use planners due to its impact on natural ecosystems. We studied land use/land cover (LULC) changes in part of the northwestern desert of Egypt and used the Markov-CA integrated approach to predict future changes. We mapped the LULC distribution of the desert landscape for 1988, 1999, and 2011. Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 data and ancillary data were classified using the random forests approach. The technique produced LULC maps with an overall accuracy of more than 90%. Analysis of LULC classes from the three dates revealed that the study area was subjected to three different stages of modification, each dominated by different land uses. The use of a spatially explicit land use change modeling approach, such as Markov-CA approach, provides ways for projecting different future scenarios. Markov-CA was used to predict land use change in 2011 and project changes in 2023 by extrapolating current trends. The technique was successful in predicting LULC distribution in 2011 and the results were comparable to the actual LULC for 2011. The projected LULC for 2023 revealed more urbanization of the landscape with potential expansion in the croplands westward and northward, an increase in quarries, and growth in residential centers. The outcomes can help management activities directed toward protection of wildlife in the area. The study can also be used as a guide to other studies aiming at projecting changes in arid areas experiencing similar land use changes.     

东北区耕地利用系统安全格局模拟及其阈值的确定

耕地利用系统安全是保护耕地健康和保障粮食安全的基础。以东北区黑龙江省巴彦县为研究区,运用Matlab编程,应用改进的神经网络模式识别模型,模拟研究区2016年和2021年耕地利用系统安全格局。基于突变理论,采用蝴蝶突变模型确定耕地利用系统安全阈值范围。结果表明:1影响耕地利用系统安全的空间因子,在一定程度上对研究区耕地利用系统安全格局的演变产生极大的影响;各类土地利用类型的数量增减及空间分布均会对耕地利用系统安全格局的变化产生一定影响。2 1976-2011年,耕地利用系统安全格局发生了显著变化,按照当前发展状况,2011-2021年,耕地面积和建设用地面积的变化呈现互反性,建设用地及其他农用地的增加均以牺牲耕地为代价,未达到保护耕地的目的。3耕地利用系统安全状态划分为安全状态、临界状态和危险状态三种;安全状态阈值范围为[-1,-0.2),临界状态阈值范围为[-0.2,0.2),危险状态阈值范围为[0.2,1]。4按照当前的发展态势,若不采取适当措施,耕地利用系统安全将向危险状态突变,耕地利用系统安全问题日益严峻。     

少数民族地区古城镇城址空间分布关系与地形特征研究——以湘西老司城遗址为例

少数民族地区古城镇城址空间分布关系对现今城镇化研究有一定的启示作用。选取湘西土家族老司城遗址作为研究对象,采用GIS技术对老司城遗址的城址空间分布关系及其主要地形因子做了定量研究,并在此基础上进行了定性研究。老司城遗址选址考虑山地地形特征,建筑尽量不破坏自然景观,注重融入自然环境,集约利用资源,是山地生态城镇的典范。     

陂塘景观研究进展与评述

快速城市化背景下,陂塘等小型半自然、人工水体正在大量消失。在综述国内外研究基础上,阐述了陂塘的相关定义、陂塘景观特征及其测度,指出陂塘景观是人们在农耕过程、土地开发过程中充分利用本地的水土资源,应对外部水环境的变化所形成的"水适应性景观"。陂塘景观具有雨洪滞蓄、旱涝调节、水质净化及生物多样性保护等重要的生态功能。在不同发展阶段下,陂塘景观应对的问题不同,景观特征有所差异,演变的总体趋势是从农业时代的水利乡土景观到工业化和城市化带来的破坏,再走向生态自觉下的多功能生态景观;变化趋势也说明了陂塘景观在上述多种生态功能方面的重要潜力。陂塘景观的保护与利用应当建立在对陂塘景观的综合评价的基础之上。最后,对将来可能的研究方向如陂塘景观的特征与功能、历史文化与社会价值、综合评价与应用研究等进行了展望。     

容积率地价修正系数实证研究

以66个城市容积率地价修正系数为样本,以容积率比值和地价修正系数的关系为基础,对样本容积率地价修正系数进行归纳分析。部分样本存在标准容积率设定不规范、地价修正系数表现形式不科学、修正系数上限过低等问题。提出了编制容积率地价修正系数应注意的问题,并建议修订《城镇土地估价规程》(GB/T 18508—2014),在其中增加标准容积率设定方法、容积率地价修正系数编制方法等内容,增强《城镇土地估价规程》的指导作用,提高容积率地价修正系数的科学性和实用性。     

异质性农户土地流转的决定性因素与政策建议

建立异质性农户土地流转行为的理论分析基础,利用Logistic回归分析方法和河南省调查数据,明确农户土地流转决策的影响因素。研究结果表明:农村信贷市场约束是纯农户、以农业收入为主的农户转入土地的需求不足的重要原因;规避就业风险和争夺土地租金是非农户和以非农业收入为主的农户转出土地的供给不足的主要原因;土地控制权偏好与生存预期造成中年、老年农户竭力排斥土地流转;农村土地流转不活跃的决定性因素是国家保护农业与有效管理兼业农户、非农户的责任缺位。