Land | Special Issue : Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning

Research

15 pages, 3153 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Is the Abandonment of Organic Grassland a Threat to Alpine Insect Diversity?

by Raja Imran Hussain, Daniela Ablinger, Walter Starz, Jürgen Kurt Friedel and Thomas Frank

Land 2023, 12(4), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040867 - 11 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1744

Land abandonment is a multifaceted, nonlinear, worldwide phenomenon that is influenced by a variety of factors and opinions. The goal of this study was to understand the significance of land abandonment for true bugs and syrphids in three grassland management regimes that includes [...] Read more.

Land abandonment is a multifaceted, nonlinear, worldwide phenomenon that is influenced by a variety of factors and opinions. The goal of this study was to understand the significance of land abandonment for true bugs and syrphids in three grassland management regimes that includes abandoned, intensive, and extensive alpine organic grasslands. In 2021 and 2022, we sampled true bugs and syrphids by applying observation plot and sweep netting sampling methods. Extensive grasslands had significantly higher true bug and syrphid abundance compared to abandoned grasslands. However, no difference of species richness was found in studied grassland regimes. Large numbers of unique species (25.5% true bugs and 21.5% syrphids) only occurred in the abandoned grasslands but not in intensive and extensive grasslands. Similarly, true bug assemblages in abandoned grasslands differed significantly from assemblages in intensive and extensive grasslands. We found that extensive grassland can manage to increase true bugs and syrphid abundance. Likewise, undisturbed abandoned grassland is not a threat to insect diversity, and supports the survival of more unique true bug and syrphid species. A mosaic landscape consisting of abandoned grassland along with grassland having different, mainly extensive, management intensity could be an ideal arrangement for alpine biodiversity conservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning)

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22 pages, 4998 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Effect of Soil Erosion in Abandoned Agricultural Areas: The Case of NE Area of Basilicata Region (Southern Italy)

by Valentina Santarsiero, Antonio Lanorte, Gabriele Nolè, Giuseppe Cillis, Biagio Tucci and Beniamino Murgante

Land 2023, 12(3), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030645 - 9 Mar 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2640

Abstract

Land abandonment is among the most complex la nd use change processes driven by a multiplicity of anthropogenic and natural factors, such as agricultural over-exploitation, implementation of agricultural policies, socio-economic and climatic aspects. Therefore, it is necessary to deepen the effects of land [...] Read more.

Land abandonment is among the most complex la nd use change processes driven by a multiplicity of anthropogenic and natural factors, such as agricultural over-exploitation, implementation of agricultural policies, socio-economic and climatic aspects. Therefore, it is necessary to deepen the effects of land abandonment based on methodologies that are as multidisciplinary as possible. Environmental and social problems related to abandonment include soil erosion and environmental degradation. Approaches combining GIS (Geographic Information System), remote sensing, and image analysis techniques allow for assessments and predictions based on integrating theoretical models with advanced geospatial and geostatistical models. One of the most widely used models for soil erosion estimation is the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The present work developed a model using remote sensing and GIS tools to investigate some factors of the RUSLE equation to evaluate the adverse effects of soil erosion in areas covered by arable crops and subsequently abandoned. To identify potentially degraded areas, two factors of the RUSLE were related: the C Factor describing the vegetation cover of the soil and the A Factor representing the amount of potential soil erosion. Through statistical correlation analysis with the RUSLE factors, based on the deviations from the average erosion values and mapping of the areas of vegetation degradation relating to arable land, the areas identified and mapped are susceptible to soil degradation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning)

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23 pages, 2597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Management Policy of Farmers’ Cultivated Land Abandonment Behavior Based on Evolutionary Game and Simulation Analysis

by Qianru Chen, Hualin Xie and Qunli Zhai

Land 2022, 11(3), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11030336 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2137

Abstract

Agricultural land abandonment is a complex, multidimensional, and nonlinear global phenomenon driven by multiple factors and has contrasting impacts on agrobiodiversity, the environment, and society. Appropriate management strategies on abandoned cultivated land are helpful in maintaining food and ecological security. However, there are [...] Read more.

Agricultural land abandonment is a complex, multidimensional, and nonlinear global phenomenon driven by multiple factors and has contrasting impacts on agrobiodiversity, the environment, and society. Appropriate management strategies on abandoned cultivated land are helpful in maintaining food and ecological security. However, there are few studies on the management of cultivated land abandonment from the perspective of stakeholders. Based on the stakeholder perspective and focusing on the two main modes of farmland abandonment management, namely, “transfer-oriented management” and “condition-improved management”, this study constructs two evolutionary game models to analyze the interest conflicts, decision-making behaviors and interest game foci of different subjects in the two management modes. Simulation analysis is conducted to verify the equilibrium results of the evolutionary game to find the key problems in abandonment management and put forward corresponding management policies. This study reveals the internal mechanism of abandonment management, thus providing a theoretical basis for the classified management of abandoned cultivated land. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning)

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16 pages, 1423 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Land Use Demands for the CLUE-S Spatiotemporal Model in an Agroforestry Perspective

by Georgios Mamanis, Michael Vrahnakis, Dimitrios Chouvardas, Stamatia Nasiakou and Vassiliki Kleftoyanni

Land 2021, 10(10), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10101097 - 16 Oct 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3320

Abstract

Rural landscape evolution models are used as tools for the analysis of the causes and impact of land use changes on landscapes. The CLUE-S (the Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at Small regional extent) model was developed to simulate the changes [...] Read more.

Rural landscape evolution models are used as tools for the analysis of the causes and impact of land use changes on landscapes. The CLUE-S (the Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at Small regional extent) model was developed to simulate the changes in current land use, by using quantitative relationships between land uses and driving factors combined with a dynamic modeling of land use competition. One of the modules that build the “CLUE-S” is the non-spatial subset of the model that calculates the temporal evolution of the land use/cover under several socio-economic scenarios. The purpose of this research was to estimate the demands of land use in the area of Mouzaki, Thessaly plain, Greece with the ultimate goal of using them in the non-spatial module of the CLUE-S to predict the evolution of land uses in year 2040. These estimations are the quantitative prediction of the spatial change for all land use types at the aggregate level. Three models of forecasting the future land cover in the area were simulated, in order to obtain a clear view of the different land uses in the future. We distinguished three model-scenarios for calculating the demand-forecasts: (a) business as usual (BAU) scenario, that deals with a linear projection of the current land use demands, (b) rapid economic development (RED) scenario, and (c) ecological land protection (ELP) scenario. In the BAU scenario the land use demands for the year 2040 were calculated using linear interpolation utilizing historical data from 1960 to 2020. In the RED scenario, the demands were calculated by maximizing the economic benefit of land uses, and in the ELP scenario the demands were calculated by maximizing the environmental benefit of land uses. Furthermore, a multi-criteria analysis was performed to find the trade-offs between economic benefit maximization and environmental benefit optimization. It was found that the agricultural lands reach their maximum area under the RED scenario, while reaching their lower bound for the ELP scenario. The same goes for agroforestry systems. The grasslands reach their lower bound under the ELP scenario, while they achieve a higher value under the RED scenario. Concerning the silvopastoral woodlands, although an increase is foreseen under the BAU scenario, it appears that they reach their lower bound in the other two scenarios, RED and ELP. Forests receive intermediate values and cover a larger area under the ELP scenario compared with the RED scenario. The expected forest cover under the BAU scenario is higher. Moreover, sparse and dense shrublands receive their lower bound for both optimization scenarios, while the settlements reach the upper bound for the RED scenario and the lower one under the ELP scenario. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning)

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19 pages, 3431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Could Land Abandonment with Human Intervention Benefit Cropland Restoration? From the Perspective of Soil Microbiota

by Guangyu Li, Tingting He, Maoxin Zhang and Cifang Wu

Land 2021, 10(10), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10101049 - 6 Oct 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1982

Abstract

Although agricultural land abandonment (LA) is accompanied by land degradation, it could be considered a kind of self-rehabilitation. Studies have shown that long-term LA has profound ecological and environmental benefits, whereas few studies have compared LA with human intervention (HI), which involves planting [...] Read more.

Although agricultural land abandonment (LA) is accompanied by land degradation, it could be considered a kind of self-rehabilitation. Studies have shown that long-term LA has profound ecological and environmental benefits, whereas few studies have compared LA with human intervention (HI), which involves planting and fertilization in agroecosystem restoration. Here, we established four different scenarios based on local livestock husbandry, including LA without HI, LA with slight human intervention (HIS), medium human intervention (HIM), and intensive human intervention (HII). LA experiments were conducted for 3 years and repeatedly sampled three times. The soil bacterial and fungal communities were determined to present the ecological impacts. In this study, LA and HIS could save soil inorganic carbon and total calcium (Ca) contents and benefit soil mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. LA and HIM benefited some microbial communities associated with complicated organic compounds. Human interference methods did not significantly increase soil nutrients after 3 years of farmland abandonment. However, indigenous vegetation increased the risk of plant diseases based on soil microbial communities. Forage grass may control the risk, and HIS was a cost-effective scenario in our study. Moreover, we should maintain a cautious attitude toward HII to prevent excessive intervention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning)

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17 pages, 2021 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of Determinants of Farmland Abandonment and Its Data Problems

by Shinichi Kitano

Land 2021, 10(6), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10060596 - 4 Jun 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3073

Abstract

Abandoned farmland is particularly problematic in developed countries where agriculture has a comparative disadvantage in terms of effective use of land resources invested over time. While many studies have estimated the causes of these problems, few have discussed in detail the impact of [...] Read more.

Abandoned farmland is particularly problematic in developed countries where agriculture has a comparative disadvantage in terms of effective use of land resources invested over time. While many studies have estimated the causes of these problems, few have discussed in detail the impact of data characteristics and accuracy on the estimation results. In this study, issues related to the underlying data and the estimation of the determinants of farmland abandonment were examined. Most previous studies on farmland abandonment in Japan have used census data as the basis of their analyses. However, census data are recorded subjectively by farmers. To address this, surveys of abandoned farmland are being conducted by a third party, and the results are compiled into a geographic information system (GIS) database. Two types of datasets (subjective census data and objective GIS data) were examined for their estimation performance. Although the two sets of data are correlated, there are considerable differences between them. Subjective variables are compatible with subjective data, and objective variables are compatible with objective data (meaning that parameters are easily identified). Original data for analysis, such as policy variables, are compatible with objective data. In policy evaluation research, attention should be paid to objective data collection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning)

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18 pages, 7007 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparing Hydric Erosion Soil Loss Models in Rainy Mountainous and Dry Flat Regions in Portugal

by Lia Duarte, Mário Cunha and Ana Cláudia Teodoro

Land 2021, 10(6), 554; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10060554 - 25 May 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2549

Abstract

Soil erosion is a severe and complex issue in the agriculture area. The main objective of this study was to assess the soil loss in two regions, testing different methodologies and combining different factors of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) based [...] Read more.

Soil erosion is a severe and complex issue in the agriculture area. The main objective of this study was to assess the soil loss in two regions, testing different methodologies and combining different factors of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) based on Geographical Information Systems (GIS). To provide the methodologies to other users, a GIS open-source application was developed. The RUSLE equation was applied with the variation of some factors that compose it, namely the slope length and slope steepness (LS) factor and practices factor (P), but also with the use of different sources of information. Eight different erosion models (M1 to M8) were applied to the two regions with different ecological conditions: Montalegre (rainy-mountainous) and Alentejo (dry-flat), both in Portugal, to compare them and to evaluate the soil loss for 3 potential erosion levels: 0–25, 25–50 and >50 ton/ha·year. Regarding the methodologies, in both regions the behavior is similar, indicating that the M5 and M6 methodologies can be more conservative than the others (M1, M2, M3, M4 and M8), which present very consistent values in all classes of soil loss and for both regions. All methodologies were implemented in a GIS application, which is free and available under QGIS software. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning)

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14 pages, 4507 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Land Consolidation Reduce the Soil Erosion of Agricultural Land in Hilly Areas? Evidence from Lishui District, Nanjing City

by Yanyuan Zhang, Cong Xu and Min Xia

Land 2021, 10(5), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10050502 - 8 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2320

Abstract

The hilly areas of China have experienced soil erosion and are also typical land consolidation (LC) regions. Using the RUSLE model and the multiple regression model, this study evaluated the soil erosion of agricultural land and assessed the effects of LC on soil [...] Read more.

The hilly areas of China have experienced soil erosion and are also typical land consolidation (LC) regions. Using the RUSLE model and the multiple regression model, this study evaluated the soil erosion of agricultural land and assessed the effects of LC on soil erosion in Lishui District, a typical district in the Ning-Zhen-Yang hilly area. The soil erosion of agricultural land ranged from 0 to 385.77 t·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹ with spatial heterogeneity due to the topography, land cover, and vegetation cover. Overall, carrying out LC reduced soil erosion due to the construction of protection forests, farmland shelterbelts, and different kinds of land engineering. Furthermore, the different types of LC had different impacts on soil erosion, where farmland consolidation resulted in more serious soil erosion than land development. Nevertheless, the potential risks brought by LC to soil erosion reduction could not be overlooked, and more attention should be paid to ecological environment protection during the process of LC. This study presents findings regarding the positive impacts and potential risks of LC for soil erosion reduction in agricultural land in hilly areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Abandonment: Positive and Negative Effects on Soil Quality, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Functioning)

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