#landuse — Public Fediverse posts

"Continued use and access to the peat swamp forest is therefore essential for people's well-being. Formalizing the customary tenure of communities that use the peatlands could contribute to their long-term protection."

Dummett et al. (2026). "How people use the peat swamp forests of the central Congo Basin" https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0489

#wetlands #peatland #peatlands #swamps #bogs #carbon #conservation #landUse #LULUCF #land #landscape #Congo #DRC #forests #fishing

#wetlands #peatland #peatlands #swamps #bogs #carbon #conservation #landUse #LULUCF #land #landscape #forests #fishing 🧵

Carbon credits as currently structured are ineffective for funding peatland restoration - but if effective, they could be actively harmful.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/25148486261437571

#wetlands #GHG #conservation #carbonCredits #rewetting #rewilding #carbon #peatland #peatlands #landuse #land #landscape #carbonOffsets #UK #Britain

”When our rewilding program started, many big corporations offered us huge amounts of money if we certified carbon credits. We consulted with communities. But our answer was that we don’t sell nature.”

#climateFinance #wetlands #rewetting #prevention #deterrence #rewilding #Finland #Karelia #peatland #restoration #landUse #peatlands #nature #carbon #carbonSinks #CDR #wildfires #offsets #carbonOffsets #communities

A status on land use change worldwide:

"The area used for growing crops grew significantly from 2001 to 2024. Temporary crops (such as wheat, rice and maize) increased by 104 million ha, or 11 percent, reaching 1 081 million ha. Permanent crops (such as cocoa, oil palm and coffee) grew by 59 million ha, reaching 194 million ha in 2024, an increase of over 43 percent."

The leaders in cropland expansion were in Africa (+78 million ha) and South America (+35 million ha).
The leaders in cropland contraction were in Northern America (−26 million ha).

https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/fbfbe167-5026-4aa1-b985-2468507d5dc1

#FAO #foodSovereignty #agriculture #crops #land #landUse #LULUCF #trade #internationalTrade #cashCrops #exports

Eager Beavers - Rodents Engineer Czech Wetland Project After Years Of Human Delay [ecosystem engineers]
--
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/beavers-save-czech-taxpayers-by-flooding-ex-army-training-site <-- shared technical media article
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver-engineered_dam_in_the_Czech_Republic <-- shared wiki technical page
--
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-fine-beavers-czech-treasury-million.html <-- shared technical article
--
https://youtu.be/GSTw8qmBP4Y?si=XK2Iy2pAltW91flj <-- shared video (Czech)
--
H/T @ScienceGirl
"We don't expect any conflict with the beaver in the next 10 years," ~ Bohumil Fiser from the Czech Nature Conservation Agency
--
“For seven years, planners struggled to complete a $1.2 million wetland restoration project in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic. The goal was to build a dam that would improve water management and bring back valuable wetland habitat, but the project remained trapped in a maze of permits and approvals.
Then a family of eight Eurasian beavers did what engineers had planned… without permits, machinery, or a budget.
The beavers built a network of dams in almost the exact area chosen for the proposed project, naturally restoring the wetland system officials had spent years trying to create. After seeing the results, authorities decided there was little point continuing with the original human-built dam.
Although some reports suggested the beavers completed the work overnight, experts say their construction likely took several weeks. The reason it seemed sudden is that the animals quietly worked away until their finished dams became impossible to miss.
Beavers are known as “ecosystem engineers” because their behaviour can reshape entire environments. By cutting trees and blocking streams, they create ponds and wetlands that support countless species, including fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals.
Their wetlands also act as natural water reservoirs, helping during droughts, reducing flood risks, filtering water, storing carbon, and keeping landscapes wetter during wildfires…
Once heavily hunted across Europe, beaver populations have been recovering thanks to conservation efforts, proving that sometimes nature can solve problems humans spend years trying to fix…"
#water #hydrology #KlabavaRiver #Czech #BrdyRegion #protected #CzechRepublic #armytraining #military #beaver #Eurasianbeavers #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #restoration #biodiversity #crayfish #wetland #ecology #benefits #Beavers #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #Agroforestry #EnvironmentalScience #Conservation #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #EcosystemEngineers #nature #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flood #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #agriculture #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #drought #wildfire #valleysreborn #slowdetermination #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #ecosystemengineers #watermanagement

Eager Beavers - Rodents Engineer Czech Wetland Project After Years Of Human Delay [ecosystem engineers]
--
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/beavers-save-czech-taxpayers-by-flooding-ex-army-training-site <-- shared technical media article
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver-engineered_dam_in_the_Czech_Republic <-- shared wiki technical page
--
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-fine-beavers-czech-treasury-million.html <-- shared technical article
--
https://youtu.be/GSTw8qmBP4Y?si=XK2Iy2pAltW91flj <-- shared video (Czech)
--
H/T @ScienceGirl
"We don't expect any conflict with the beaver in the next 10 years," ~ Bohumil Fiser from the Czech Nature Conservation Agency
--
“For seven years, planners struggled to complete a $1.2 million wetland restoration project in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic. The goal was to build a dam that would improve water management and bring back valuable wetland habitat, but the project remained trapped in a maze of permits and approvals.
Then a family of eight Eurasian beavers did what engineers had planned… without permits, machinery, or a budget.
The beavers built a network of dams in almost the exact area chosen for the proposed project, naturally restoring the wetland system officials had spent years trying to create. After seeing the results, authorities decided there was little point continuing with the original human-built dam.
Although some reports suggested the beavers completed the work overnight, experts say their construction likely took several weeks. The reason it seemed sudden is that the animals quietly worked away until their finished dams became impossible to miss.
Beavers are known as “ecosystem engineers” because their behaviour can reshape entire environments. By cutting trees and blocking streams, they create ponds and wetlands that support countless species, including fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals.
Their wetlands also act as natural water reservoirs, helping during droughts, reducing flood risks, filtering water, storing carbon, and keeping landscapes wetter during wildfires…
Once heavily hunted across Europe, beaver populations have been recovering thanks to conservation efforts, proving that sometimes nature can solve problems humans spend years trying to fix…"
#water #hydrology #KlabavaRiver #Czech #BrdyRegion #protected #CzechRepublic #armytraining #military #beaver #Eurasianbeavers #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #restoration #biodiversity #crayfish #wetland #ecology #benefits #Beavers #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #Agroforestry #EnvironmentalScience #Conservation #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #EcosystemEngineers #nature #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flood #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #agriculture #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #drought #wildfire #valleysreborn #slowdetermination #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #ecosystemengineers #watermanagement

Eager Beavers - Rodents Engineer Czech Wetland Project After Years Of Human Delay [ecosystem engineers]
--
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/beavers-save-czech-taxpayers-by-flooding-ex-army-training-site <-- shared technical media article
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver-engineered_dam_in_the_Czech_Republic <-- shared wiki technical page
--
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-fine-beavers-czech-treasury-million.html <-- shared technical article
--
https://youtu.be/GSTw8qmBP4Y?si=XK2Iy2pAltW91flj <-- shared video (Czech)
--
H/T @ScienceGirl
"We don't expect any conflict with the beaver in the next 10 years," ~ Bohumil Fiser from the Czech Nature Conservation Agency
--
“For seven years, planners struggled to complete a $1.2 million wetland restoration project in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic. The goal was to build a dam that would improve water management and bring back valuable wetland habitat, but the project remained trapped in a maze of permits and approvals.
Then a family of eight Eurasian beavers did what engineers had planned… without permits, machinery, or a budget.
The beavers built a network of dams in almost the exact area chosen for the proposed project, naturally restoring the wetland system officials had spent years trying to create. After seeing the results, authorities decided there was little point continuing with the original human-built dam.
Although some reports suggested the beavers completed the work overnight, experts say their construction likely took several weeks. The reason it seemed sudden is that the animals quietly worked away until their finished dams became impossible to miss.
Beavers are known as “ecosystem engineers” because their behaviour can reshape entire environments. By cutting trees and blocking streams, they create ponds and wetlands that support countless species, including fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals.
Their wetlands also act as natural water reservoirs, helping during droughts, reducing flood risks, filtering water, storing carbon, and keeping landscapes wetter during wildfires…
Once heavily hunted across Europe, beaver populations have been recovering thanks to conservation efforts, proving that sometimes nature can solve problems humans spend years trying to fix…"
#water #hydrology #KlabavaRiver #Czech #BrdyRegion #protected #CzechRepublic #armytraining #military #beaver #Eurasianbeavers #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #restoration #biodiversity #crayfish #wetland #ecology #benefits #Beavers #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #Agroforestry #EnvironmentalScience #Conservation #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #EcosystemEngineers #nature #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flood #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #agriculture #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #drought #wildfire #valleysreborn #slowdetermination #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #ecosystemengineers #watermanagement

Eager Beavers - Rodents Engineer Czech Wetland Project After Years Of Human Delay [ecosystem engineers]
--
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/beavers-save-czech-taxpayers-by-flooding-ex-army-training-site <-- shared technical media article
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver-engineered_dam_in_the_Czech_Republic <-- shared wiki technical page
--
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-fine-beavers-czech-treasury-million.html <-- shared technical article
--
https://youtu.be/GSTw8qmBP4Y?si=XK2Iy2pAltW91flj <-- shared video (Czech)
--
H/T @ScienceGirl
"We don't expect any conflict with the beaver in the next 10 years," ~ Bohumil Fiser from the Czech Nature Conservation Agency
--
“For seven years, planners struggled to complete a $1.2 million wetland restoration project in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic. The goal was to build a dam that would improve water management and bring back valuable wetland habitat, but the project remained trapped in a maze of permits and approvals.
Then a family of eight Eurasian beavers did what engineers had planned… without permits, machinery, or a budget.
The beavers built a network of dams in almost the exact area chosen for the proposed project, naturally restoring the wetland system officials had spent years trying to create. After seeing the results, authorities decided there was little point continuing with the original human-built dam.
Although some reports suggested the beavers completed the work overnight, experts say their construction likely took several weeks. The reason it seemed sudden is that the animals quietly worked away until their finished dams became impossible to miss.
Beavers are known as “ecosystem engineers” because their behaviour can reshape entire environments. By cutting trees and blocking streams, they create ponds and wetlands that support countless species, including fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals.
Their wetlands also act as natural water reservoirs, helping during droughts, reducing flood risks, filtering water, storing carbon, and keeping landscapes wetter during wildfires…
Once heavily hunted across Europe, beaver populations have been recovering thanks to conservation efforts, proving that sometimes nature can solve problems humans spend years trying to fix…"
#water #hydrology #KlabavaRiver #Czech #BrdyRegion #protected #CzechRepublic #armytraining #military #beaver #Eurasianbeavers #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #restoration #biodiversity #crayfish #wetland #ecology #benefits #Beavers #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #Agroforestry #EnvironmentalScience #Conservation #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #EcosystemEngineers #nature #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flood #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #agriculture #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #drought #wildfire #valleysreborn #slowdetermination #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #ecosystemengineers #watermanagement

Eager Beavers - Rodents Engineer Czech Wetland Project After Years Of Human Delay [ecosystem engineers]
--
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/beavers-save-czech-taxpayers-by-flooding-ex-army-training-site <-- shared technical media article
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver-engineered_dam_in_the_Czech_Republic <-- shared wiki technical page
--
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-fine-beavers-czech-treasury-million.html <-- shared technical article
--
https://youtu.be/GSTw8qmBP4Y?si=XK2Iy2pAltW91flj <-- shared video (Czech)
--
H/T @ScienceGirl
"We don't expect any conflict with the beaver in the next 10 years," ~ Bohumil Fiser from the Czech Nature Conservation Agency
--
“For seven years, planners struggled to complete a $1.2 million wetland restoration project in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic. The goal was to build a dam that would improve water management and bring back valuable wetland habitat, but the project remained trapped in a maze of permits and approvals.
Then a family of eight Eurasian beavers did what engineers had planned… without permits, machinery, or a budget.
The beavers built a network of dams in almost the exact area chosen for the proposed project, naturally restoring the wetland system officials had spent years trying to create. After seeing the results, authorities decided there was little point continuing with the original human-built dam.
Although some reports suggested the beavers completed the work overnight, experts say their construction likely took several weeks. The reason it seemed sudden is that the animals quietly worked away until their finished dams became impossible to miss.
Beavers are known as “ecosystem engineers” because their behaviour can reshape entire environments. By cutting trees and blocking streams, they create ponds and wetlands that support countless species, including fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals.
Their wetlands also act as natural water reservoirs, helping during droughts, reducing flood risks, filtering water, storing carbon, and keeping landscapes wetter during wildfires…
Once heavily hunted across Europe, beaver populations have been recovering thanks to conservation efforts, proving that sometimes nature can solve problems humans spend years trying to fix…"
#water #hydrology #KlabavaRiver #Czech #BrdyRegion #protected #CzechRepublic #armytraining #military #beaver #Eurasianbeavers #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #restoration #biodiversity #crayfish #wetland #ecology #benefits #Beavers #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #Agroforestry #EnvironmentalScience #Conservation #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #EcosystemEngineers #nature #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flood #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #agriculture #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #drought #wildfire #valleysreborn #slowdetermination #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #ecosystemengineers #watermanagement

Optical, Radar, And Hybrid Indices To Detect Farming Practices In Europe
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2026.115553 <-- shared paper
--
“HIGHLIGHTS:
• [they] compare[d] Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 time series to detect farming practices.
• HyBRIS index is introduced, temporally weighting BSI and VH/VV into a daily index.
• Time-series minima and maxima are used to predict sowing, harvest, and tillage.
• Validation is performed across several years, crop types, and European locations.
• Phenology detection is improved compared to HRL-Cropland.
ABSTRACT: Arable farming practices dictate both crop cycles and soil dynamics, and are central to agriculture's environmental impact and its mitigation. Sowing and harvesting mark the beginning and end of the growing season, while tillage modifies soil structure during the dormant period. Although well-established methods exist for delineating the growing season using phenology and optical data, the detection of farming practices, particularly tillage, remains underexplored. This study investigates the strengths of radar and optical data to retrieve sowing, harvest, and tillage dates at the field level, and proposes a novel Hybrid Bare Soil Radar Index (HyBRIS). Based on Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2, HyBRIS merges optical and radar data into a single index using a temporally weighted mean. Local minima and maxima of the time series are used to detect farming practices across European sites. Validation is carried out against a reference dataset comprising 238 fields in 11 EU countries, including 462 sowing, 374 harvest, and 388 tillage events covering more than 40 crop types over 8 years. Compared to the Copernicus High Resolution Layer Croplands product (HRL-Cropland), the proposed method based on HyBRIS time series improved sowing and harvest dates detection (MAE 26 and 23 days, respectively). Additionally, this method enabled tillage dates estimation during dormant periods (MAE = 28 days), but tended to overestimate the number of tillage events (producer's accuracy = 97%, user's accuracy = 70%). Incorporating soil moisture data is advised for reducing false positives. The results highlight the potential of optical, radar, and hybrid indices for monitoring agricultural management and supporting environmental stewardship…”
#Sowing #Harvest #tillage #tillagedetection #cropland #CroplandManagement #remotesensing #earthobservation #sentinel #Copernicus #cropland #satellite #optical #radar #sensor #landuse #landcover #landsurface #phenology #agricultural #monitoring #GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #arable #farming #agriculture #soil #substrate #environment #sustainability #environmentalstewardship #growingseason #Europe #region #model #modeling

”When our rewilding program started, many big corporations offered us huge amounts of money if we certified carbon credits. We consulted with communities. But our answer was that we don’t sell nature.”

https://e360.yale.edu/features/tero-mustonen-interview?_hsenc=p2anqtz-8qjorrtilmbt14nt4u5r0mw9f2x-hsqsmrt7jgbvhkaktea_1-bgyaitudxi1aluczlc_w

#wetlands #rewetting #prevention #deterrence #rewilding #Finland #Karelia #peatland #restoration #landUse

The #EnvironmentalCost of #ArtificialIntelligence: #Carbon, #Water, and #LandFootprints

#AI’s rapid growth drives huge energy, water, and land use, raising environmental and equity challenges across its global infrastructure.

Date Published 3 Jun 2026

UNU-INWEH Report: Aczel, M., Chamanara, S., Matin, M., Farsi, A., Marwala, T., Madani, K. (2026).

"This report, Environmental Cost of Artificial Intelligence: Carbon, Water and Land Footprints, by the #UnitedNationsUniversity Institute for Water, Environment and Health ( #UNU - #INWEH ) on its 30th anniversary, examines one of the most underexplored consequences of AI’s rapid expansion: the environmental footprints of the energy required to power it. As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in economies, public services, research, communication, and everyday life, it depends on a growing physical infrastructure of #datacenters, advanced #chips, #CoolingSystems, #ElectricityGrids, #WaterResources, land, and #CriticalMineral supply chains. The report shows that AI is not only a digital technology, but also a material system with measurable #EnvironmentalCosts.

"The report moves beyond a carbon-only lens by quantifying the carbon, water, and land footprints associated with the electricity used to train, deploy, and operate AI systems at scale. Its central finding is that AI’s environmental costs depend not only on how much electricity is used, but also on where that electricity is generated and which energy sources power it. Every kilowatt-hour used by AI carries carbon, water, and land implications, and these footprints do not always move in the same direction: low-carbon electricity is not automatically low-water or low-land. The report also shows that AI’s footprint is shaped by both major infrastructure trends, including the rapid growth of data centers, and everyday use patterns, including model choice, output length, modality, and the growing use of text, image, and video generation.

"Importantly, the report frames AI’s environmental footprint as a governance and justice challenge, not only a technical problem. The benefits of AI often flow across borders and sectors, while the environmental burdens of data center siting, electricity demand, water withdrawals, #LandUse, MineralExtraction, and #EWaste can be concentrated in specific communities and regions. To address these risks, the report calls for a responsible AI ecosystem grounded in transparency, efficiency by design, equity and #EnvironmentalJustice, lifecycle responsibility, global cooperation, and sustainable use. By making AI’s carbon, water, and land footprints visible and comparable, the report provides a practical basis for integrating AI into energy, climate, water, and land-use planning, ensuring that innovation advances without shifting environmental costs onto vulnerable communities."

Download PDF:
https://unu.edu/inweh/collection/environmental-cost-of-AIs-Enrgy-Use-Carbon-water-and-land-footprints

#AIBoom #Electricity #Hyperscale #BigTech #BigData #CarbonFootprint #EnvironmentalRacism #EnvironmentalDegradation #NoisePollution #LightPollution #WaterIsLife #AIAgents #BotTraffic #GreenSpaces #Farmland #Prairies #Woodland #TechGiants #ProtectNature #NoDatacenters #EnergyConsumption #USPol #WorldPol #Datacentres
#DatacenterMoratoriums

"The authors report that the occurrence of extensive deforestation in tandem with climate change will cause the remaining rainforest to lose resilience at global-warming levels of or slightly higher than 1.5 °C — rather than 4 °C — above pre-industrial levels".

Wunderling, N., Sakschewski, B., Rockström, J. et al. "Deforestation-induced drying lowers Amazon climate threshold." (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10456-0

#droughts #deforestation #landGrab #landUse #landUseChange #forests #forest #carbon #carbonSinks #carbonSink #footprint #Brazil #beef #cattle #Amazon #Amazonia #climateChange

"Cascading transition risks towards degraded ecosystems in the #Amazon biome[:] The large majority of the simulated transitions is caused by spatial knock-on effects from increasing drought intensities, leading to long-ranging and self-propelling cascades on scales of hundreds to thousands of kilometres."

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10456-0

#droughts #deforestation #landGrab #landUse #landUseChange #forests #forest #carbon #carbonSinks #carbonSink #footprint #Brazil #Mercosur #beef #cattle #Amazonia

Detecting Land Use And Land Cover Changes And Quantifying Soil Erosion And Sediment Export Using GIS And Remote Sensing In The GERD Catchment, Ethiopia
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2026.100657 <-- shared paper
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https://infonile.org/en/2023/05/battling-for-survival-along-the-warming-source-of-the-blue-nile/ <-- shared technical media article
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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65241-7_4 <-- shared technical book chapter
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https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8121020 <-- shared 2016 paper
--
#landuse #landcover #RUSLE #model #soil #erosion #sedimentation #GERD #catchment #NorthAfrica #Ethiopia #AbbayBasin #sustainability #landmanagement #agriculture #farmland #foodsecurity #water #hydrogology #reservior #watermanagement #watersecurity #waterresources #catchment #GrandEthiopianRenaissanceDam #BlueNile #hydrography #impoundment #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #thematic #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #landsat #elevation #DEM #CHIRPS #rainfall #precipitation #LULC #AI #forest #grazing #grassland #field #crops #cropland #waterbodies #urban #biophysical #risk #hazard #mitigation #soilquality

Remote Sensing And Process Attribution Uncertainties In The Dharali Event [Himalayas, India]
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00211-w <-- shared paper review
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00191-x <-- shared paper that was reviewed
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nhres.2025.11.001 <-- related shared paper
--
#Dharali #disaster #BhagirathiBasin #India #NorthernIndia #Himalayas #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #satellite #imagery #earthobservation #trigger #risk #hazard #damage #infrastructure #mountain #geomorphology #glacier #glacial #debrisflow #publicsafety #landuse #paraglacial #rainfall #precipitation #extremeweather #massmovement #landslide #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #Bhagirathi #River #water #hydrology #icepatchcollapse

What Shapes Earthquake Risk In Bangladesh? Geospatial Insights From Physical And Social Factors Using A Spatial Meta-Regression Approach
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s41748-026-01089-4 <-- shared paper
--
#EarthquakeRisk #GIS #Bangladesh #DisasterManagement #SEAsia #GIS #spatial #mapping #risk #hazard #earthquake #naturalhazard #urban #rural #infrastructure #publicsafety #model #modeling #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #geomorphology #geology #tectonics #social #cultural #demographics #fault #faulting #factoranalysis #seismichazard #model #modeling #socioeconomics #geophysics #remotesensing #geostatistics #landuse #framework #magnitude #engineering #buildingcode #mitigation #zoning #development #growth #vulnerability

Drivers Of Forest Disturbance In Southeast Asia [incl. spatial analysis]
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2026.105220 <-- shared paper 🔗
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https://github.com/shijuanchen/SEA_forest_dis <-- shared GitHub ‘data repository 🔗
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #forest #vegetation #Forestdisturbance #Forestdegradation #Deforestation #remotesensing #SoutheastAsia #Asia #tropicalforests #timeseriesanalysis #geostatistics #disturbance #clearing #planting #agriculture #earthobservation #imagery #CCDC #changedetection #landcover #landuse #change #plantation #cultivation #slashandburn #planning #mitigation #catalogue #conservation #management #landmanagement #machinelearning #imageanalysis #AI

State of Public Outdoor Access Report 2026 [New Zealand]
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https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/our-work/publications/state-of-public-access <-- shared report
--
"This inaugural State of Public Outdoor Access Report, which provides a comprehensive snapshot of public access to the outdoors across Aotearoa..."
--
#spatial #mapping #pocketmaps #app #parcels #catalogue #easement #comprise #cadastre #outdooraccess #PublicLand #PrivateLand #accomodation #NewZealand #recreation #landuse #landtypes #outdoorspaces #access #legislation #framework #reserves #authority #paperroads #cycleways #bicycle #hunting #fishing #coast #coastal #mountains #commission #reporting #government #tangatawhenua #indigenous #firstnation #maori #localcouncils #communitygroups #landowners #publicaccess #education #environment #restoration #support #respect #landrights #walkways #tramping #trails #hiking #camping #services #land
@HerengaāNukuAotearoa | #HerengaāNukuAotearoa | #OutdoorAccessCommission

Sentinel-2 Based Estimates Of Rangeland Fractional Cover And Canopy Gap Class For The Western United States
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-06160-9 <-- shared paper
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https://rangelands.app/products/rap10m/ <-- shared 10 metre Range Analysis platform overview
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[aside & totally anecdotal - I have ridden on the road in that last picture - near Sheridan, WY]
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #fedscience #fedservice #feddata #opendata #usecase #publicgood #rangeland #ecosystems #monitoring #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #US #USA #vegetation #satellite #remotesensing #earthobservation #Sentenial #Sentenial2 #canopy #fractionalcover #canopygap #landcover #landuse #grass #pinyon #juniper #opendata #raster #USWest #WesternStates #landsurface #tools #fielddata #model #modeling #BLM #USDA #statistics #geostatistics #RangelandAnalysisPlatform
@USDA @BLM

Thirty Years Of The U.S. National Land Cover Database [NLCD] - Impacts And Future Direction
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https://doi.org/10.14358/PERS.25-00121R2 <-- shared paper
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https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/annual-national-land-cover-database <-- shared #USGS Annual National Land Cover Database (open data)
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https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/annual-national-land-cover-database <-- get the open NLCD data
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #history #continuity #improvement #LandCover #Landuse #change #Landsat #NLCD #NationalLandCoverDatabase #earthobservation #remotesensing #landchange #monitoring #fedscience #publicgood #fedopendata #opendata #history #fedservice #MRLCC #USA #download #impervious #surface #forestcanopy #mosaics #accuracy #deeplearning #AI #research #landmanagement #agriculture #water #hydrology #cropland #biodiversity #conservation #urban #planning #publichealth #naturalhazard #assesment #risk #hazard #mitigation #national #nation #multiple #usecase
#USGS | #EROS

Spectrum Of The Lakes - Using Satellite Remote Sensing To Unveil Water Color In Minnesota's Sentinel Lakes For Water Quality Monitoring
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https://doi.org/10.1080/20442041.2025.2509528 <-- shared paper
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https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fisheries/slice/index.html <-- shared DNR Sentinel Lakes monitoring programs
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#Satellite #RemoteSensing #hydrology #water #WaterColour #WaterQuality #Chromaticity #SentinelLakes #ecoregion #Minnesota #earthobservation #GIS #spatial #mapping #MidWest #US #waterresources #ecology #ecosystems #watersecurity #Landsat #OLI #surface #lake #waterbody #reflectance #tropic #wavelength #vegetation #catchments #vegetation #MDVW #forests #agriculture #farming #landuse #landcover #management #monitoring #protection

Barriers To Quantifying Human Alterations Of Global Floodplains And How We Can Overcome Them
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100433 <-- shared paper
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#floodplains #floodplain #development #alterations #flood #flooding #risk #hazard #management #planning #humanimpacts #mitigation #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #landuse #spatialanalysis #monitoring #mitigation #humanimpacts #riverine #watersecurity #population #foodsecurity #waterquality #waterresources #degradation #damage #infrastructure #loss #cost #economics #extremeweather #climatechange #waterstorage #groundwater #watershed #water #hydrology #hydrography #naturaldisaster #spatiotemporal

A New Tool To Characterise The Socio-Environmental Dimensions Of Urban Rivers: Urban River Socio-Environmental Index
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2025.105388 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #EnvironmentalEvaluation #SocioEcosystem #SocialConnectivity #UrbanRiver #Indicators #RiverRestoration #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #water #hydrology #urban #stream #ecosystem #cities #residents #community #nature #humanimpacts #artifical #engineered #URBS #watershed #drainage #management #restoration #geomorphology #hydrogeomorphology #ecology #urbansprawl #interdisciplinary #biophysical #social #community #France #Paris #MorbrasRiver #macroinvertebrates #riparian #vegetation #reaches #typology #landscape #landuse #landcover #variety #blandscaping

Planning for cities with linear skylines

Shown below are some of the cities around the globe that have linear skylines. While these can be visually impressive, especially when set as a backdrop against the coastline or mountains, they also can be challenging from a planning and infrastructure perspective, unless they are adapted properly to address this unique urban landform.

Bear in mind, that linear skylines are not just a coastal or narrow valley phenomenon. Las Vegas is perfect example of an inland city with a very linear skyline that resulted in part due to how the city developed as a desert oasis along a single major corridor. Other examples may result from topographic settings like narrow mountain valleys, river valleys, peninsulas, or islands.

The length of linear skylines can tend to dissuade walking, as the distances between sites can be intimidating. Furthermore, if the focus is too concentrated, primary streets that run the length of the skyline, such as the Las Vegas Strip, can become overwhelmed by traffic and people.

That is why it is important to have viable and efficient alternatives — light rail, buses, bicycling routes, trollies, or as Las Vegas has developed, a monorail line. Safe crossings of busy thoroughfares is also needed. As the image are shows, overpasses or tunnels for pedestrians may be necessary. Otherwise, crosswalks must be set up to allow time for safe movement across the avenues.

In some ways, a linear design can be efficient when it comes to utilities, because they can be focused in a narrower area. However, they must constructed of sufficient size and scale to handle the concentrated needs for water, sewer, electricity, gas, etc. Otherwise, the streets and roads may be constantly torn up to increase capacity. Utility managers will also need to address verticality of the service area, to assure water pressure and other services are maintained at their highest levels.

Another important factor to consider is public safety, particularly from fire-fighting and emergency response standpoints. By their very nature, linear skylines tend to be more dense and as a result taller. This is very evident from the photos provided below. How public safety services address the inherently denser and taller structures is critically important for assuring public safety is always a top priority for avoiding potential tragedies.

Another factor to consider for tourist-oriented linear skyline is the variations between on and off-season. Any and all planning efforts will need to take this into account as the extent of impacts can fluctuate greatly over a calendar year.

What is likely to be the most linear (and perhaps vertical) skyline of them all is the controversial 106 mile long, new city of Neom being constructed in Saudi Arabia (see images above and below. How this project will eventually turn out and whether it will achieve the stated goals of livability and sustainability remains to be seen. If it is successful, it may be a defining development for the future. Otherwise, it could be a precautionary tale to avoid excepting very specialized circumstances.

As has been noted throughout this post, linear skylines can have their challenges. How effectively these are addressed will help determine whether or not the infrastructure and services can meet the concentrated demand. At the same time, the opportunities are not quite as apparent. To this retired planner, ambitious individual developments that are overly lengthy or excessively vertical may not achieve their “lofty” goals. Similarly, it remains to be seen how efficient and effective such a narrow, dense and lengthy urban form can be.

Peace!

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Las Vegas, Nevada – centered along the Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard)

Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia and other beachfront cities – centered along the beachfront

Balneário Camboriú, Brazil

Miami Beach, Florida

Daytona Beach

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Ocean City, Maryland

Cancun, Mexico

Grand Rapids, Michigan – the tallest buildings are centered along the Grand River

Pikeville, Kentucky – a very unique linear “semi-circle” in the Appalachian Mountains.

Danang, Vietnam – concentrated along both the river and along the coastline at My Khe Beach

#BalneárioCamboriú #Cancun #cities #coastlines #Danang #DaytonaBeach #downtown #geography #GrandRapids #history #landUse #LasVegas #linearSkylines #MiamiBeach #Neom #OceanCity #Pikeville #planning #skylines #SurfersParadise #topography #transit #transportation #travel #valleys #VirginiaBeach #walking #Yanjing

My thoughts on 'Neoliberal peri‐urban economies and the predicament of dairy farmers: a case study of the Illawarra region, New South Wales' (Ren Hu & Nicholas J. Gill, 2022).

This paper includes a very thorough literary review and insights into the perceptions and experiences of Illawara dairy farmers as the region is urbanised.

The paper is perhaps worth a read if you are concerned with land-use issues in rural communities.

https://joesilver.micro.blog/2025/03/25/my-commentary-on-the-paper.html

#Agriculture #UrbanPlanning #LandUse #Neolibralism #LandUseConflict #Illawara #AcademicCommunity

(4/x) Vast areas of good US cropland are used to grow animal feed (#corn #alfalfa #hay #sorghum), not crops to directly nourish humans. Also globally a lot of prime #farmland no longer produces human food directly, raising #foodsecurity concerns: https://drawdown.org/insights/greenwashing-and-denial-wont-solve-beefs-enormous-climate-problems #landuse

The system that moves #water around the #Earth is off balance for the first time in human history

The #WaterCycle refers to the complex system by which water moves around the Earth.

By Laura Paddison, CNN
Published Oct 17, 2024

"Humanity has thrown the global water cycle off balance 'for the first time in human history,' fueling a growing water disaster that will wreak havoc on economies, #FoodProduction and lives, according to a landmark new report.

"Decades of destructive #LandUse and #WaterMismanagement have collided with the human-caused #ClimateCrisis to put 'unprecedented stress' on the global water cycle, said the report published Wednesday by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, a group of international leaders and experts.

"The water cycle refers to the complex system by which water moves around the Earth. Water evaporates from the ground — including from lakes, rivers and plants — and rises into the atmosphere, forming large rivers of water vapor able to travel long distances, before cooling, condensing and eventually falling back to the ground as rain or snow.

"Disruptions to the water cycle are already causing suffering. Nearly 3 billion people face #WaterScarcity. #Crops are shriveling and cities are sinking as the groundwater beneath them dries out.

"The consequences will be even more catastrophic without urgent action. The water crisis threatens more than 50% of global food production and risks shaving an average of 8% off countries’ GDPs by 2050, with much higher losses of up to 15% projected in low-income countries, the report found.

'“For the first time in human history, we are pushing the global water cycle out of balance,' said Johan Rockström, co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water and a report author. '#Precipitation, the source of all #freshwater, can no longer be relied upon.'

"The report differentiates between '#BlueWater,' the liquid water in #lakes, #rivers and #aquifers, and '#GreenWater,' the moisture stored in #soils and #plants.

"While the supply of green water has long been overlooked, it is just as important to the water cycle, the report says, as it returns to the atmosphere when plants release water vapor, generating about half of all rainfall over land.

"Disruptions to the water cycle are 'deeply intertwined' with climate change, the report found.

"A stable supply of green water is vital for supporting vegetation that can store planet-heating #carbon. But the damage humans inflict, including destroying #wetlands and tearing down #forests, is depleting these carbon sinks and accelerating #GlobalWarming. In turn, climate change-fueled heat is drying out landscapes, reducing moisture and increasing [#wildfire] risk.

"The crisis is made more urgent by the huge need for water. The report calculates that, on average, people need a minimum of about 4,000 liters (just over 1,000 gallons) a day to lead a 'dignified life,' far above the 50 to 100 liters the United Nations says is needed for basic needs, and more than most regions will be able to provide from local sources.

"Richard Allan, a climate science professor at Reading University, England, said the report 'paints a grim picture of human-caused disruption to the global water cycle, the most precious natural resource that ultimately sustains our livelihoods.'

"Human activities 'are altering the fabric of our land and the air above which is warming the climate, intensifying both wet and dry extremes, and sending wind and rainfall patterns out of kilter,' added Allan, who was not involved in the report.

"The crisis can only be addressed through better management of natural resources and massive cuts in planet-heating pollution, he told CNN.
"The report’s authors say world governments must recognize the water cycle as a '#CommonGood' and address it collectively. Countries are dependent on each other, not only through lakes and rivers that span borders, but also because of water in the atmosphere, which can travel huge distances — meaning decisions made in one country can disrupt rainfall in another.

"The report calls for a 'fundamental regearing of where water sits in economies,' including better pricing to discourage wastefulness and the tendency to plant water-thirsty crops and facilities, such as #DataCenters, in water-stressed regions."

Read more:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/climate/the-system-that-moves-water-around-the-earth-is-off-balance-for-the-first-time-in-human-history/1704688

#WaterIsLife #ClimateCatastrophe #AI #WaterUsage #Cryptocurrency #Climate #Weather #WorldWeather

The fires of human-caused climate disruption are raging though California right now

"For millions of years the world’s tallest trees (Giant sequoias) have graced California peaks and coastlines, growing through centuries of changes."

"But those landscapes have seen significant shifts over the past century and the forests have suffered. Spurred by the climate crisis, devastating droughts and scorching temperatures have added new stressors for the redwoods, particularly the famous giant sequoias, which now struggle to bounce back after big wildfires."

"Part of the problem stems from California’s gold rush era, when settlers descended with an overzealous appetite for good timber, cutting down much of the old-growth forests. They also suppressed indigenous land management techniques, which included setting “healthy” fires that cleared out the forest. A century of fire suppression created an overabundance of vegetation that set the stage for larger, more catastrophic blazes."
>>
#SettlerSocieties #fires #trees #LandUse #NativeForests #FossilFuels #ExtremeHeat #climate #bushfires #FirstNationsPeoples

New NIOO publication: Distance decay effects predominantly shape #spider but not #carabid community composition in #cropfields in north-western Europe. #biodiversity #landuse #landscape #naturalenemies #carbon
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2024.05.002

New NIOO publication: Distance decay effects predominantly shape #spider but not #carabid community composition in #cropfields in north-western Europe. #biodiversity #landuse #landscape #naturalenemies #carbon
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2024.05.002

New NIOO publication: Distance decay effects predominantly shape #spider but not #carabid community composition in #cropfields in north-western Europe. #biodiversity #landuse #landscape #naturalenemies #carbon
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2024.05.002

New NIOO publication: Distance decay effects predominantly shape #spider but not #carabid community composition in #cropfields in north-western Europe. #biodiversity #landuse #landscape #naturalenemies #carbon
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2024.05.002

#Ireland: To achieve net zero GHG #emissions, high rates of #afforestation, soil #rewetting, and #cattle destocking are needed. Technical #abatement cannot substitute these actions. #NetZero requires transforming the land sector: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01275-0 #agriculture #landuse

Proud to announce I will be hosting a session on #LandUseConflicts at this year's #EUGEO conference in Barcelona, together with my colleague Dr. Larissa Koch. 🥳

The #CallForPapers is open until March 31st: https://www.eugeobcn23.eu/sessions/?id=1209
Would appreciate some sharing - looking forward to exciting contributions!

@geography @politicalscience @sociology #conflict #landuse #ConflictManagement

77% of farmland is associated with animals, including grazing and growing crops for animal feed, despite animals only providing 18% of global calories. OWID

#Farming #Agriculture #LandUse #WaterExtraction #BiodiversityLoss #ClimateChange #Extinctions