445,953 research outputs found
Conceptualizing the land change transitions with a territorial approach
No full textHumans occupy the space in different ways. The practices through which they deal with local
biophysical potential to pursue their goals shape the space forming the “land”. We consider the land as
the spatial entity whose character is defined by these human and natural interactions at a given time.
“Land changes” occur when at least one of the following land components is modified: the shape of this
spatial entity, its cover/use, the practices operated on it, its tenure or its accessibility. . Taken together
several partial or individual changes may show common dynamics that can be named “land change
transitions” (LCT). Intentional (i.e., planned) and unintentional changes coexist in the real world
eventually driving these transitions according to local and global dynamics. Rethinking LCT is a way to
address drastic and subtle land changes to understanding and steering them. Indeed, this is a twofold
challenge for research. On the one hand research has to bridge the gap with the complex array of actions
taking place on land, on the other hand understanding LCT requires to work across disciplinary
boundaries. For that, our communication aims at conceptualizing LCT stressing out the “territory” as a
relevant inter- and trans- disciplinary perspective. In this context territory is meant as the level of
organisation for local actions in response to wider global drivers. We focus on rural territories – placed
in-between the more permanent urban and natural areas – the spaces on Earth where probably the most
important LCT are taking place. Changes of land cover (e.g., from agriculture to urban), so as of the land
system structure (e.g., the increasing mix of urban and agricultural areas) or of the practices (e.g., the
conversion to organic farming of producers located in peri-urban areas or their coordination with
consumers’ associations) occur unevenly in space and over time, eventually making the land character
evolving more rapidly than in the past and more deeply than in urban or natural areas. Undesired side-
effects for these lands are widely documented in literature, such as the loss of the cultural character or
the threatening of natural resources. We will discuss the relevance of a territorial approach to articulate
local and global land change transitions, and to make explicit how the relations between different land
users and managers with the local biophysical potential shape and can be used to design different land
system architecture
Patent 87, Volume 40-A
No full textThis document was issued to the Houston & Texas Central Railroad Company as the final instrument in the land grant process, assigning ownership to the railroad company for 640 acres in Tom Green County, section 21, block 20, as described in the patent. O. Henry wrote a fictional account of illegal proceedings concerning a land certificate, Bexar Scrip 2692, in the short story "Bexar Scrip 2692.” This is the patent that ultimately gave land ownership to the railroad via that certificate
Roads, lands, markets, and deforestation : a spatial model of land use in Belize
Get PDFRural roads promote economic development but also facilitate deforestation. To explore the tradeoffs between development and environmental damage posed by road building, the authors develop and estimate a spatially explicit model of land use. This model takes into account location and land characteristics and predicts land use at each point on the landscape. They find that: (a) market access and distance to roads strongly affect the probability of agricultural use, especially for commercial agriculture; (b) high slopes, poor drainage, and low soil fertility discourage both commercial and semi subsistence agriculture; and (c) semi-subsistence agriculture is especially sensitive to soil acidity and lack nitrogen (confirming anthropological findings that subsistence farmers are shrewd judges of soil). Spatially explicit models are analytically powerful because they exploit rich spatial variation in causal variables, including the precise siting of roads. They are useful for policy because they can pinpoint threats to particular critical habitats and watersheds. This model is a descendant of the venerable von Thunen model. It assumes that land will tend to be devoted to its highest-value use, taking into account tenure and other constraints. The value of a plot for a particular use depends on the land's physical productivity for that use and the farmgate prices of relevant inputs and outputs. A reduced-form, multinomial logit specification of this model calculates implicit values of land in alternative uses as a function of land location and characteristics. The resulting equations can then be used for prediction or analysis. The model was applied to cross-sectional data for 1989-92 for Belize, a forested country currently experiencing rapid expansion of both subsistence and commercial agriculture. A geographic information system was used to manage the spatial data and extract variables based on the three kilometer sample grid. Three land uses were distinguished:"natural"vegetation, comprising forests, woodlands, wetlands, and savanna; semi-subsistence agriculture, comprising traditional milpa (slash-and-burn) cultivation and other nonmechanized cultivation of annual crops; and commercial agriculture, consisting mainly of sugarcane, pasture, citrus, and mechanized production of corn and kidney beans. Two dimensions of distance to market were distinguished: the distance from each sample point to the road, and on-road travel time to the nearest town. Data on a wide variety of land and soil characteristics were also used.Wetlands,Water Conservation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Climate Change,Land Use and Policies,Forestry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Climate Change,Energy and Environment,Wetlands
Map of the State of Florida showing the progress of the surveys accompanying annual report of Commissioner Genl. Land Office.
No full text"Department of the Interior General Land Office, October 2d 1866, Jos. S. Nelson, Commissioner."; "Lith. of J. Bien, 24 Vesey Street, NY."; "Sen. ex. doc. no. 1, 2nd sess., 36 Cong."; Senate executive document (United States. Congress. Senate) ; 36th Congress, 2nd session, no. 1.; Although identified as a document of the 36th Congress, this is an error as that Congress adjourned in 1861
The changing face of the Constantia Valley a temporal study of land use change in a heritage landscape
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.The study of land use change and urban morphology requires a multi-layered approach. Case studies are needed to gain an understanding of the local factors that are driving land use change and forming urban landscapes. This study will provide a temporal perspective on land use change in the Constantia Valley, a high income suburb on the outskirts of Cape Town. It will contextualise the efforts to conserve its heritage and, furthermore, attempt to explain the factors underlying the observed changes in the urban form. This study, through the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and a series of interviews, examines how and why the urban form of the Constantia Valley has changed. Finally, based on the findings the possible future urban form of Constantia will be considered
Future land-use change in the Netherlands: an analysis based on a chain of models
Get PDFAnalyses of the impact of European policies on agricultural change are most often based on agricultural sector models. Such models have their limitations: they cannot specify the interaction between agriculture and the rest of the economy, and their spatial dimension is usually limited. Land use simulation models, on the other hand, usually depend on other models for assessing the demand for land. The consistency of those models with the assumptions and databases of the land use model is often not examined. This article reports on a research project where the links between a macroeconomic model, an agricultural sector model and a land use model were explicitly explored in order to arrive at a consistent model chain. This integrated framework was put to the test by applying it to two contrasting scenarios, which compare impact on agricultural incomes, land use and land management.land use, CAP, agricultural policy analyses, Netherlands, Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,
INDIGENOUS LAND TENURE AND LAND USE IN ALASKA: COMMUNITY IMPACTS OF THE ALASKA NATIVE CLAIMS SETTLEMENT ACT
Get PDFThrough the utilization of qualitative methods such as archival analysis, semi-structured interviewing, comparative and extended case studies, and observation, this paper closely examines two related Alaska Native communities. Our purpose is to document the impact of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) on land tenure, land use, and community structure. In all, 41 interviews were conducted, focusing on the following issues: (1) the role of the tribal government in relation to the regional and village corporate structure; (2) the recent changes in traditional land uses; and (3) how group decisions are made regarding land management and distribution of resources. By locating ANCSA within a broader context of economic, political, and cultural globalization that seeks to substitute traditional collective rights in land with individual tenure in a "free market" economy, the findings of this research may carefully and cautiously be applied beyond North America to other indigenous-state struggles regarding control of land and resources.United States. -- [Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act], Indians of North America -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Alaska, Land tenure -- Law and legislation -- Alaska, Indians of North America -- Alaska -- Claims, Indians of North America -- Land tenure -- Alaska, Indians of North America -- Alaska -- Government relations -- History, Land Economics/Use,
Scaling up sustainable land management and restoration of degraded land
No full textWith current rates of land degradation reaching
ten to twelve million ha per year, there is an
urgent need to scale up and out successful,
profitable and resource-efficient sustainable
land management practices to maintain the
health and resilience of the land that humans
depend on. As much as 500 million out of
two billion ha of degraded land, mainly in
developing countries, have restoration potential,
offering an immediate target for restoration
and rehabilitation initiatives.1
In the past,
piecemeal approaches to achieving sustainable
land management have had limited impact.
To achieve the ambitious goals of alleviating
poverty, securing food and water supplies,
and protecting the natural resource base, we
need to recognize the inter-connectedness of
the factors driving land degradation, so that
solutions can be taken to scale, transforming
management practices for millions of land users.
An analysis of the critical barriers and incentives
to achieve scaling up suggests that the most
appropriate options should be selected through
the involvement of stakeholders at all levels,
from local to national and international. New
incentives for land managers as well as the
public and private sectors are required to achieve
a land degradation-neutral world
Cadastral reform of indigenous land information and environmental sustainability in New Zealand
No full textNew Zealand’s cadastral system has come under scrutiny in recent years, A sharp rise in the number of land claims by the country’s indigenous Maori, accompanied by historic environmental legislation, have prompted milk for cadastral reform. Although no consensus has yet emerged among experts about future cadastral reforms, land information mangers and Maori leaders generally concede the need for the overhaul of current land information management practices. However, any future reforms will have to reconcile seemingly incompatible goals, by being legally sound, culturally appropriate, and environmentally sustainable. Most of the land in New Zealand is subject to legislation enacted within the past decade, which incorporates concern for the issues of sustainability, as well as the Maori’s cultural values and ancestral rights. The presence of this legislation, and a growing capacity among Maori to be involved, both mean that Maori concepts of land management and sustainability are receiving increasing attention in New Zealand, and are likely to influence the shape of future cadastral reforms for Maori lands
Land rights: A postcolonial revolution in land title
No full textThis chapter describes legal changes in the planning environment precipitated by the statutory land restitution mechanisms, wthichat have very significantly redistributed property in land in Australia. The chapter traces the social, political and legal and historical developments of the land restitution era (comprising the period in which statutory land rights were introduced); describes the legal mechanisms for granting Indigenous peoples rights to own, control and manage land; and discusses the main effects of land rights on the country’s land use and management institutions. Two legislative regimes are considered in detail, those of the Northern Territory and New South Wales.No Full Tex
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