No peace for the forest: Rapid,widespread land changes in the Andes-Amazon region following the Colombian civil war

Negative environmental impacts of violent conflict have been observed worldwide. Whether or not active global conflicts are declining in number remains hotly debated, the number of countries entering post-conflict periods is on the rise, and the impact of this transition on land cover changes remains poorly understood. In Colombia, though large-scale armed conflict has concluded, the post-conflict period represents an ongoing threat to forest conservation, putting at risk commitments to meet global conservation goals and even those stipulated in the peace accord. This paper aims to assess land cover change associated with the Colombian conflict in the Andes-Amazon region between 1988 and 2019. First, we use the Landsat archive to map land cover and characterize the spatial patterns of change at the regional level. Second, to empirically identify the effect of conflict on land cover change, we employ a difference-in-difference approach using local conflict events data. During conflict (1988–2011), land cover in the Andes-Amazon remained relatively stable, however during the post-conflict period (2012–2019), the conversion from forest to agriculture increased by 40%. We find that forest cover surrounding conflict events (1 km radius) decreased significantly, on average by ~ 19% during conflict, which accelerated to ~ 30% in the post-conflict period. Similarly, agriculture expansion is most substantial during the post-conflict period, but exclusively in municipalities with population below the 50th percentile. Landscape metrics show that in peripheral municipalities (<50th), agriculture occurs in clumped distributions during the conflict period. Meanwhile, during the post-conflict period, this expansion happens more quickly, with significantly greater agricultural patch sizes than during the conflict period. We conclude that a slow implementation of conservation governance, the emergence of illegal land markets, and illicit land uses (i.e., coca and illegal cattle ranching) may accelerate land cover change in the coming years.     

Protected areas as a double edge sword: An analysis of factors driving urbanisation in their surroundings

Protected areas (PAs) are the most effective tools to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services. They have proven to be effective in stopping extensive land use conversion in well-conserved terrestrial ecosystems. However, land cover changes around PAs threaten biodiversity and ecosystem services within their limits and reduce ecological connectivity. In this study, we analysed the urban sprawls on the boundaries of 159 PAs (national, regional, and natural parks) in Spain, using 2.5 and 5 km non-protected buffer zones from 1990 to 2018. We clustered PAs based on biophysical and socio-economic characteristics and modelled urban sprawl in different buffers and periods. Hierarchical clustering revealed three groups of PAs: (a) proximate urban parks, (b) mountainous parks, and (c) parks in the Madrid autonomous region. We found that urbanisation in the surroundings of PAs in Spain has nearly doubled since 1990. General linear models explained a significant proportion of the urbanisation trends observed, with the number of municipalities in the boundary of the PA, the distance to a main road, and the distance to a big city acting as the most important drivers of urban sprawl. Our results also show that some PAs exert significant effects on urbanisation trends in their surroundings through the park-view effect. Finally, we highlight three coexisting phenomena that might explain the observed urban sprawl processes: (a) PAs attracting urbanisation in their surroundings due to the park-view effect, (b) PAs as a deterrent for urban sprawl within their limits, and (c) PAs occupying residual areas among previously urbanised lands.     

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.     

The use of landscape evolution models in mining rehabilitation design

Landscape evolution models can be useful tools for the evaluation of rehabilitation designs for post-mining landscapes. When calibrated for the erodible material, landscape evolution models can predict sediment loss over entire landscapes (i.e. tonnes/hectare/year), method of erosion (i.e. slope wash, gullying) and also where on a hillslope erosion is likely to occur. The models provide the ability to examine simple hillslopes through to complex whole landscapes. These models can also be used for a probabilistic risk assessment of rehabilitation design for high-risk situations such as tailings dams. Importantly, unlike other erosion models they allow the eroded landscape to be visualised. This paper outlines the capabilities of the SIBERIA landscape evolution model for the rehabilitation of mining landscapes and proposes a probabilistic approach for risk assessment and site stability.     

Introducing landscape accuracy metric for spatial performance evaluation of land use/land cover change models

Performance evaluation is a critical step for land use/land cover (LULC) change modelling. It can be conducted through pixel quantity and its geographical location according to majority of current approaches. It is hence important to know to what extent spatial patterns of a given landscape are properly replicated in simulated LULC maps. Therefore, a new validation metric, named as landscape accuracy metric (LAM), is introduced by inspiration from landscape ecology. Unlike pixel quantity validation metrics, model performance is measured by LAM through quantifying spatial patterns including structure, composition and configuration attributes. The functionality of LAM was studied to assess the performance of the built-up change simulation under historical, ecological and stochastic scenarios, applying Cellular Automata Markov model. LAM is a flexible measure such that modellers can apply this metric through adding or eliminating various metrics of their interest in a selective manner and under different environmental circumstances.     

Using geomorphic understanding of catchment-scale process relationships to support the management of river futures: Macaé Basin,Brazil

Impacts of colonial settlement upon catchment-scale fluvial geomorphic relationships are reported for a relatively small catchment in northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Structural controls have induced the type and patterns of rivers in Macaé Basin. Fault block activity has resulted in steep, incised headwater streams above the escarpment. Confined and partly confined rivers in mid-catchment reaches of the rounded foothills have limited potential for geomorphic adjustment. Fluvial, estuarine and marine sediments in low relief landscapes of the lowland plain have supported the development of meandering sand bed rivers, with many cut-and-fill (intact valley fill) deposits in tributary systems. Indigenous people exerted relatively minor, localized impacts upon the geomorphology of this river system. Portuguese settlement since the sixteenth century brought about clearance of much of the Atlantic Forest of lowland reaches, and subsequent establishment of sugar cane and coffee plantations. Lowland reaches were channelized from the 1940s-1980s for flood protection and to support the expansion of pastoral agriculture. Significant adjustments have occurred to these geomorphologically sensitive reaches. In contrast, although rivers in the rounded foothills were impacted by forest clearance, the limited availability of sediment stores along these reaches has limited the extent of geomorphic responses to human disturbance. Relatively inaccessible upland reaches were even less impacted, and are now major conservation areas. Building on principles of the River Styles framework, catchment-scale evolutionary trajectories of rivers in the Macaé Basin are assessed based on analysis of patterns of river types, their capacity for adjustment and connectivity relationships, and responses to disturbance events. From this, three future scenarios of prospective evolutionary traits are developed: a ‘steady as she goes’ scenario, an optimistic (effective, proactive management) scenario, and a ‘doomsday’ scenario.     

1996—2015年纽约湾区生态系统服务对景观格局变化的响应

生态系统服务价值对景观格局演变的响应研究已成为地理学、生态学等领域的研究热点。以纽约湾区为研究区,利用1996—2015年土地覆被数据和数字高程数据,采用生态系统服务价值当量估算法、景观格局指数、空间自相关分析等方法,分析1996—2015年湾区景观格局的时空演变规律,定量评估研究区生态系统服务价值,探讨纽约湾区生态系统服务价值对景观格局变化的响应。结果表明：①纽约湾区景观以林地和建设用地为主,其整体变化幅度较小,20年间湿地面积减少约10.94%,而建设用地增长幅度较高,约25.91%。②纽约湾区1996—2015年间ESV总量呈逐步减少,20年间共减少57.83亿元,2000—2005年间下降幅度较大约1.69%。③湾区ESV空间异质性较强,不同地区ESV增减所对应的土地利用转移各有差异。湾区南部热点区多出现湿地增加,而北部则以水域、草地增加为主。湾区西部冷点区多为湿地转林地的现象,而中部冷点区则以建设用地增加为主。④除建设用地外,湾区其余地类均呈现人为干预越少,景观结合度、聚集度越高,越有利于提升湾区整体的生态系统服务价值的规律。⑤纽约湾区ESV强度与土地利用程度（La）的空间关联性较弱,且湾区生态环境质量逐年下降。研究结果希望对世界级大湾区环境资源利用率的提升研究具有借鉴意义。     

Assessing linkages between ecosystem services,land-use and well-being in an agroforestry landscape using public participation GIS

While a number of studies have applied public participation GIS (PPGIS) approaches to the spatial assessment of ecosystem services, few have considered the associations between the spatial distribution of ecosystem services and the context-specific nature of self-reported well-being. In this study, we engage the general public to identify and map a range of ecosystem services that originate in place-based, local knowledge and explore the context-dependent nature of subjective well-being. We conducted a PPGIS survey with 219 local residents in a Spanish agroforestry (dehesa) landscapes and analysed the spatial patterns of mapped ecosystem services, their relation to land cover, protected area and common land patterns. In addition, we explored the landscape values contributing to people’s well-being; and the relationships between ecosystem services in different land covers, landscape values and socio-demographic characteristics. A mosaic of landscape types (i.e., the landscape) provided more ecosystem services (especially cultural and provisioning) to people compared with the individual land system of agroforestry. However, land tenure and public access significantly guided the spatial practices and values of the people beyond the preferred landscape types. The contribution of the landscape to well-being is largely related to values based on interactions among people and the landscape, as tranquillity/relaxation and people-people interactions such as being with family and friends. We discuss the specific contribution of agroforestry landscapes to the provision of ecosystem services and human well-being. We conclude that the integration of the applied methods of social-cultural assessment on the one hand links to ecosystem services frameworks but on the other hand represents a more holistic conceptualisation of people’s benefits from landscapes.     

Changes in crop type distribution in Zhangye City of the Heihe River Basin,China

With rapid economic development in China, crops have undergone remarkable changes in both their type and spatial pattern. Timely and accurate information of crop type distribution will help government and agricultural producers quickly understand regional agricultural production conditions to better facilitate appropriate adjustments in planting patterns and policies. Another benefit of acquiring such knowledge of crops is that it should enhance regional agricultural competitiveness, optimize resource allocations, and further guarantee national food security. Towards this end, and using the Zhangye City in the Heihe River Basin as a study area, the present research elaborated upon a methodology to classify crop type distribution based on multi-temporal Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (TM/ETM+) images. Using this methodology we achieved the spatial distributions of crop types in Zhangye City in 2007 and 2012, and analyzed changes in their distributions over this period. In addition, some landscape indices were calculated to clarify the landscape pattern of crops. The crop conversion potentials in 2017 were modeled using four conversion sub-models of the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network. Generally, the overall accuracy of crop classification in Zhangye was high, at 89.38%. From 2007 to 2012, the cultivated land area in Zhangye increased from 463.81 × 10³ ha to 493.89 × 10³ ha. The sowing area of corn and oilseed rape increased by 39.21 × 10³ ha and 5.99 × 10³ ha, respectively, while for wheat and barley the sowing area decreased by 3.61 × 10³ ha and 9.14 × 10³ ha, respectively. Considering other crop types as a group, their sowing area decreased by only 2.37 × 10³ ha. The increase in corn sowing area mainly came from the conversion of other crops to corn, which accounted for 43.09% of its total sowing area in 2012. Furthermore, corn and oilseed rape showed a tendency of intensive sowing, whereas for wheat and barley the tendency was towards scattered sowing. For the future, corn has high conversion potential in Linze and Gaotai counties of Zhangye, while wheat, barley and oilseed rape have high conversion potentials in Minle and Shandan counties.     

Landscape Reconstruction and Recreation of Damaged Land in Opencast Coal Mine: A Review

Land resources in opencast coal mine are excavated and occupied during the process of mining. Severe soil compaction resulted from heavy machinery lead to a series of consequences: vegetation cannot grow normally, loss of soil and water take place constantly, and landscape is damaged. Therefore, for the future development of reclamation and ecological restoration in opencast coal mine, it has become one major task to carry out the reconstruction of damaged landscape. According to the damage characteristics of land landscape in mining area, this paper summarized the data acquisition methods of damaged land landscape in this field, including remote sensing, GPS RTK, UAV, 3D laser scanning. Fractal and landscape index methods reflecting landscape were also reviewed. Besides, landscape remodeling and reconstruction theories were concluded, which include landscape ecology, microtopography and imitated-nature landform. Base on the above mentioned, it was found out that the UAV, 3D laser scanning technologies and fractal characterization method were rarely applied. In order to provide theoretical guidance and scientific basis for improving the effect of damaged landscape reconstruction and recreation in opencast coal mine, future research should be targeted on strengthening technology, deepening the fractal theory, creating landscape planning and technology system of damaged land.