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Topical Advisory Panel Member Solicited Papers Series: Land Use Changes...
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Topical Advisory Panel Member Solicited Papers Series: Land Use Changes in Rural Areas

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 7484

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marta Gallardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED), Paseo de la Senda del Rey 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: land use change; land use scenarios; land use planning; urban and rural dynamics; education for sustainable development
Dr. Julio Fernandez Portela

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geograph, Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: rural geography; agrarian landscapes; wine landscape; changes of the territory; geohistorical sources; geodemography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. David Cocero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED), Paseo de la Senda del Rey 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: geographic information systems; remote sensing; land use changes; urban growth; forest fires
Dr. Lara Vilar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geology, Geography and Environment Sciences, University of Alcalá, 19001 Guadalajara, Spain
Interests: geographical information systems and technologies; natural risks; land use/cover and climate change scenarios; statistical and spatial modeling; socio-economics; didactics; education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rural landscapes have registered large land use and land cover changes related with economic and agricultural policies, changes in the food systems, technology, demographic losses, or human-nature processes such as land degradation, water scarcity or climate change. The causes and consequences of past and future land use dynamics in rural areas are very different depending on the geographical location and the driving factors that are influencing these changes.

This Special Issue seeks to showcase innovative methodologies using land use change models for investigating and explaining land change dynamics in rural areas and to explore and identify how researchers in different disciplines can learn from one another to develop understanding of rural land use patterns and processes taking place in different geographical areas and the implications these changes may have locally and globally. It will emphasize multidisciplinary dialogue between researchers using land use change models in human and physical geography, hydrology, ecology, economics, agricultural sciences, alternative histories, sociology, and others.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Land change dynamics and patterns in rural landscapes, presenting and visualizing change, multi-scale analysis, comparative techniques, narrative methods, and more.
  • Urban-rural interactions and conflicts with focus on their causes and impacts in rural areas, at global, regional and local scales.
  • Rural land management and governance linked with land use changes.
  • Land use processes such as deforestation, farmland abandonment, urban sprawl in rural areas, agriculture intensification, rewilding, among others, and their driving factors.
  • Direct and indirect consequences of land use changes in rural socioecological systems.
  • Land use scenarios in rural landscapes related with water scarcity, land degradation, changes in the food systems, depopulation dynamics, multifunctional land use systems, rural development policies, etc.
  • Land use modelling advances, including new ways of representing rural trade-offs.
  • Innovation of computational, conceptual, analytical, participatory or epistemological advances in land use modeling and its application in rural lands.

Dr. Marta Gallardo
Dr. Julio Fernandez Portela
Dr. David Cocero
Dr. Lara Vilar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • land change
  • land use modelling
  • rural dynamics
  • rural spatial planning
  • rural land management
  • cultural landscapes
  • sustainable farming
  • sustainable rural development
  • depopulation

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

33 pages, 3356 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of a Great Agrovoltaic Implementation in an Isle Using SWOT and TOWS Matrices: Case Study of Gran Canaria Island (Spain)
by Antonio Pulido-Alonso, José C. Quintana-Suárez, Enrique Rosales-Asensio, José J. Feo-García and Néstor R. Florido-Suárez
Land 2024, 13(12), 2043; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122043 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 638
Abstract
Nowadays, we are heading towards global decarbonisation, with each sector involved contributing partial solutions to the problem, without realising that an overall vision is necessary. Photovoltaics emerged as a technology that requires a lot of surface area, which is why it has been [...] Read more.
Nowadays, we are heading towards global decarbonisation, with each sector involved contributing partial solutions to the problem, without realising that an overall vision is necessary. Photovoltaics emerged as a technology that requires a lot of surface area, which is why it has been integrated into buildings and other human infrastructures (BPVI). The effects of the implementation of AVS on an island have been analysed, observing the territory’s energy use, population, and social and topographical realities, collecting all the peculiarities that could be affected by a massive implementation of this technology. The method to be followed is a SWOT and TOWS analysis, widely employed in all types of scientific studies. The increase in the island’s resilience has been assessed, as has its decreasing its dependence on the outside. In this case, it has been observed that conventional PV is currently being installed on agricultural land to decarbonise electricity production, which mostly relies on oil and does not consider that the island is a territory with a high food dependence on the outside; a high unemployment rate; a high factor of soil desertification, meaning fires are frequent; a high rate of abandonment of agricultural land; and a shortage of flat land. Therefore, we affirm that the island’s carbon footprint will increase by not taking all these factors into account. In addition to punishing the local economy by destroying fertile soil, local food and jobs, the current method of energy production increases the need for subsidies to import food products from abroad. In addition, we claim that the use of AVS reduces the water needs of the crop, which is relevant on an island with great water scarcity. It is concluded that 11 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals would be improved with the use of agrovoltaic technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Member Solicited Papers Series: Land Use Changes in Rural Areas)
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24 pages, 780 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Impact of Land Certification on Centralized Transfer in Rural China: The Roles of Timing, Inequality, and Governance
by Lan Pan, Haoran Wan and Xufeng Cui
Land 2024, 13(12), 2022; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122022 - 27 Nov 2024
Viewed by 522
Abstract
The existing studies have primarily discussed the impact of land certification on farmers’ land transfer behaviors, neglecting its potential for centralized transfer under the orientation of optimizing land utilization and allocation efficiency. This study employed the Probit model, Propensity Score Matching method, and [...] Read more.
The existing studies have primarily discussed the impact of land certification on farmers’ land transfer behaviors, neglecting its potential for centralized transfer under the orientation of optimizing land utilization and allocation efficiency. This study employed the Probit model, Propensity Score Matching method, and IV-Probit model to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of land certification on centralized transfer based on the China Land Economic Survey data, especially emphasizing the roles of timing, inequality, and governance. Among transfer-out households, land certification increases the likelihood of farmers adopting centralized transfer rather than decentralized transfer. After considering the differential influence exerted by the timing of certification, the earlier the households obtain the land contract management certificates, the greater the positive impact. This phenomenon can be explained from the dual perspectives of economy and governance, including rural industrial development and rural governance performance. In the heterogeneity analysis, we focused on land inequality, farmers’ risk preference, and village governance teams’ capacity. Land certification mainly benefits farmers facing weak land inequality or low-risk preference, as well as those in villages with highly educated cadres. In the new round of land certification program, our findings provide new insights for continuously optimizing land utilization and allocation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Member Solicited Papers Series: Land Use Changes in Rural Areas)
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27 pages, 15718 KiB  
Article
Continuity and Change in the Ricote Valley Region (Southeastern Spain): An Integrated Analysis of Socio-Demographic, Territorial and Landscape Transformations
by Rubén Giménez-García, Ramón García-Marín and José Molina-Ruiz
Land 2024, 13(11), 1958; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111958 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1022
Abstract
Historically, the Ricote Valley Region (Region of Murcia) has based its economic development on traditional agriculture based on the exploitation of water resources for the cultivation of citrus and fruit trees. Since the middle of the last century, industrial and service development, urban [...] Read more.
Historically, the Ricote Valley Region (Region of Murcia) has based its economic development on traditional agriculture based on the exploitation of water resources for the cultivation of citrus and fruit trees. Since the middle of the last century, industrial and service development, urban attraction and agricultural policies have generated a multitude of social, population and territorial transformations in this geographical area. The Ricote Valley Region has suffered an unprecedented demographic decline, making it one of the areas with the greatest depopulation problem in SE Spain. The demographic emptying of this region brings with it other associated problems, such as the abandonment of the land and traditional farming systems, with the consequent change in land use. This work aims to analyse both the demographic transition experienced by this Murcian region, the changes in land use/land cover generated and the possible relationship between both phenomena. In order to address these objectives, the methodology and sources used have been diverse. In this regard, population dynamics have been assessed by analysing the evolution experienced by different demographic indicators whose information has been obtained from the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) and the Murcia Regional Statistics Centre (MRSC). In turn, the transformations of the territorial surface have been obtained by comparing the representation of land cover/use present in the years 1990 and 2018 by means of georeferenced spatial information elaborated by the Corine Land Cover project (CLC). The results obtained show that, despite the fact that the region as a whole has experienced a positive population evolution, three of the seven municipalities that comprise it have been suffering the most significant depopulation process in their history for decades. In addition, the analysis of changes in land cover/land use revealed that 27.5% of the territory of the region has been transformed over the last 30 years, with a significant increase in permanently irrigated land. Finally, the correlation of information derived from the two proposed objectives shows a significant relationship between demographic evolution and the degree of territorial transformation suffered by each of the municipalities studied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Member Solicited Papers Series: Land Use Changes in Rural Areas)
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19 pages, 36239 KiB  
Article
Evolution and Transformation Analysis of Land-use in Mountainous “Granary”—Evidence from Typical Basin in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwest China
by Mei Chen, Yangbing Li, Yiyi Zhang, Limin Yu and Linyu Yang
Land 2024, 13(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010004 - 19 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1358
Abstract
Intermountain basins are the granaries of the karst mountains of southwest China. Revealing the process and trend of land-use transformation in typical mountainous “granaries” is of great significance to optimizing land-use, food security, and rural revitalization in the karst mountains of southwest China. [...] Read more.
Intermountain basins are the granaries of the karst mountains of southwest China. Revealing the process and trend of land-use transformation in typical mountainous “granaries” is of great significance to optimizing land-use, food security, and rural revitalization in the karst mountains of southwest China. Lianjiang basin in Huishui County is the largest in Guizhou Province of southwest China, and a typical mountainous “granary” is used as a case study area. Based on seven periods of high-definition remote sensing images from 1966 to 2020 and on-the-spot investigation, we adopt the analysis methods of landscape pattern, moving window, and buffer zone and conduct an in-depth study on the spatial evolution of land-use and the land-use transformation law of the typical “granaries” of karst mountainous areas in southwest China from the perspectives of changes in the quantity of land-use, changes in the types of land-use, and changes in the landscape pattern. The results showed that the transformation of land-use in the basin was mainly manifested in the transformation of the function of cultivated land and the diversification of the function of cultivated land. The landscape pattern of the basin was gradually transformed from traditional rural landscape to modern agricultural landscape. The gradient effect of land-use evolution and transformation in the study basin was obvious. Traffic, location, and land resources significantly affect land-use transformation in the basin. Based on the above analysis, this paper proposes that the “granary” basins in karst mountainous areas should optimize the land-use of the basin by the trade-off between regional socio-economic development, ecological protection, and food security. The results of this paper provide a reference for land-use optimization and rural development in the granary-type basins and other similar areas in the karst mountains of southwest China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Member Solicited Papers Series: Land Use Changes in Rural Areas)
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15 pages, 6915 KiB  
Article
Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Depopulated Areas of Mediterranean Europe: A Case Study in Two Inland Provinces of Spain
by Marta Gallardo, Julio Fernández-Portela, David Cocero and Lara Vilar
Land 2023, 12(11), 1967; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12111967 - 25 Oct 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1764
Abstract
Depopulation often leads to the abandonment of agricultural land and the resulting process of afforestation and reforestation. In this paper, we study the land use changes between 2000 and 2018 in two Spanish provinces, Soria and Teruel. The provinces chosen as case studies [...] Read more.
Depopulation often leads to the abandonment of agricultural land and the resulting process of afforestation and reforestation. In this paper, we study the land use changes between 2000 and 2018 in two Spanish provinces, Soria and Teruel. The provinces chosen as case studies are of particular interest because they have some of the lowest population densities in Europe and continue to suffer depopulation processes that have been ongoing since the mid-20th century. The reasons for this are not immediately clear given that unlike other European regions with similar population density values, for example in Northern Scandinavia, they are not exposed to extreme climatic conditions, nor are they located in isolated mountain regions. Using the CORINE Land Cover database, we observed that in both provinces, there has been an expansion in shrub and forest land uses and a decline in agriculture due largely to the fact that certain areas have been abandoned by their inhabitants, although in other parts of these provinces, the amount of land used for agriculture has increased. Urban growth over this period has been minimal. In the coming years, it seems likely that the population of these areas will continue to fall, given that the policies carried out over decades to try to revert this trend have not been successful. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Member Solicited Papers Series: Land Use Changes in Rural Areas)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Changes in land use due to the development of photovoltaic solar energy in the Region of Murcia (Spain)
Authors: Ramón Martínez-Medina; Encarnación Gil-Meseguer; José María Gómez-Espín
Affiliation: University of Córdoba, Spain
Abstract: In recent years, the energy policies of both Spain and the European Union have pursued the development of renewable energies, including solar power. Photovoltaic energy systems installed on bodies of water do not alter existing land uses, but ground-mounted solar energy installations do bring about such changes. The Region of Murcia is located in the south-eastern quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula. It has over 3400 hours of sunshine per year, meaning that solar energy installations and the transformation of solar power into electricity can be more productive. As a result, the land occupied by photovoltaic solar farms has increased at the expense of irrigated and rain-fed rural areas along with scrubland. High energy prices have also led to self-consumption measures, with solar panels being installed on the roofs of industrial buildings, floating panels in irrigation reservoirs, photovoltaic solar farms associated with desalination and lift irrigation pumps and pressure required by localised irrigation, etc.

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