The aim of this study is to analyze Saudi Arabia's economic transformation, emphasizing the period from 1990 to 2022 and considering the implementation of Vision 2030. Land use, energy consumption, and economic growth are evaluated through the use of a nonlinear ARDL model. Based on the findings, the Saudi economy has shifted from relieving heavily on oil revenues to diversification and sustainability. The economy has been positively impacted by sustainable land use practices and a reduction in nonrenewable energy consumption since Vision 2030, which highlights the early successes of diversification efforts. The study demonstrates a strong link between energy efficiency enhancements and economic performance, highlighting the economic benefits of ongoing energy reforms. However, the Saudi economy's sensitivity to oil prices persists, albeit with a diminished impact post-Vision 2030. The research emphasizes the importance of strategic land management and investment in energy-efficient technologies to foster a resilient and diversified economic structure.
{"title":"The Nexus Between Intensive Land Utilization, Energy Efficiency, and Economic Growth: Application of Advanced Econometric Approaches","authors":"Rida Waheed, Ghazala Aziz, Mohd Saeed Khan","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5491","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5491","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this study is to analyze Saudi Arabia's economic transformation, emphasizing the period from 1990 to 2022 and considering the implementation of Vision 2030. Land use, energy consumption, and economic growth are evaluated through the use of a nonlinear ARDL model. Based on the findings, the Saudi economy has shifted from relieving heavily on oil revenues to diversification and sustainability. The economy has been positively impacted by sustainable land use practices and a reduction in nonrenewable energy consumption since Vision 2030, which highlights the early successes of diversification efforts. The study demonstrates a strong link between energy efficiency enhancements and economic performance, highlighting the economic benefits of ongoing energy reforms. However, the Saudi economy's sensitivity to oil prices persists, albeit with a diminished impact post-Vision 2030. The research emphasizes the importance of strategic land management and investment in energy-efficient technologies to foster a resilient and diversified economic structure.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143435505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhihui Tu, QingAn Huang, Xin Zhao, Kamel Si Mohammed, Abdelmohsen A. Nassani
This study analyzes factors driving land degradation in China from 1996 to 2023, focusing on gross regional product, rural population, coal consumption, and wastewater generation. Using a quantile control random forest model, the findings reveal that economic growth significantly accelerates land degradation, while population, coal consumption, and wastewater management are critical but partially mitigable drivers. Environmental policies implemented post-2018, particularly following the Paris Agreement, have notably reduced degradation rates. This research provides a novel application of the quantile control random forest model to analyze long-term land degradation dynamics, offering precise insights into variable impacts across degradation levels. Additionally, it contributes to understanding the effectiveness of post-2018 environmental policies in mitigating degradation, aligning with global sustainability goals. The study highlights the need for sustainable land use, cleaner energy adoption, and enhanced wastewater management. Future research should explore localized data and broader variables for a deeper understanding of degradation dynamics.
{"title":"Investigate the Factors of Land Degradation in Chinese Provinces: An Application of Index Formation and Random Forest","authors":"Zhihui Tu, QingAn Huang, Xin Zhao, Kamel Si Mohammed, Abdelmohsen A. Nassani","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5517","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5517","url":null,"abstract":"This study analyzes factors driving land degradation in China from 1996 to 2023, focusing on gross regional product, rural population, coal consumption, and wastewater generation. Using a quantile control random forest model, the findings reveal that economic growth significantly accelerates land degradation, while population, coal consumption, and wastewater management are critical but partially mitigable drivers. Environmental policies implemented post-2018, particularly following the Paris Agreement, have notably reduced degradation rates. This research provides a novel application of the quantile control random forest model to analyze long-term land degradation dynamics, offering precise insights into variable impacts across degradation levels. Additionally, it contributes to understanding the effectiveness of post-2018 environmental policies in mitigating degradation, aligning with global sustainability goals. The study highlights the need for sustainable land use, cleaner energy adoption, and enhanced wastewater management. Future research should explore localized data and broader variables for a deeper understanding of degradation dynamics.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143435506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conversion of shallow- to deep-rooted plants greatly alters the water–carbon–nitrogen coupling relationship in the deep soil, but has not been fully explored because of the difficulty and one-variable-at-a-time method in sample collection. This study aims to understand the effects of conversion of farmland (F) to apple orchards on deep soil water (SW)–carbon–nitrogen coupling in the loess covered region. We collected soil samples and determined SW, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil total nitrogen (STN) contents and other soil indicators (pH, ammonium nitrate nitrogen, and soil texture) within 0–20 m under F and apple orchards with trees of different stand ages (years of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 24; abbreviated as A5, A10, A15, A20, and A24, respectively) in China's Loess Plateau. We used the partial least squares structural equation to ascertain the influence of vegetation and edaphic factors on the water–carbon–nitrogen coupling relationship. The mean SW contents in old orchards (A15, A20, and A24) decreased by 14%–22% compared to those of F, A5, and A10. The contents of SOC showed insignificant differences between F and apple orchards (p > 0.05). While nitrate nitrogen (NO3−N) content in F was significantly lower than that in apple orchards (p < 0.01), no significant difference was identified in STN. Under F and apple orchards, the relative benefits of water storage were higher than those of carbon and nitrogen in 0–5 m. However, within 5–20 m, the water-dominated benefits under F shifted to nitrogen- and carbon-dominated benefits under orchards due to large water deficit caused by the planation of apple trees. Furthermore, the fertilization-induced changes in soil properties dominated the water–carbon–nitrogen coupling processes within 0–5 m, while root density and soil texture had significant impacts on the coupling processes below 5 m. This indicates that the deep soil carbon and nitrogen fixation is at the expense of water consumption. This study provides valuable information for agricultural land management in arid regions with degraded soil quality and deep unsaturated zones.
{"title":"Conversion of Farmland to Apple Orchards Modifies Water–Carbon–Nitrogen Trade-Offs in Deep Loess Deposits","authors":"Zhuohang Jin, Wangjia Ji, Ruifeng Li, Zhi Li","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5495","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5495","url":null,"abstract":"Conversion of shallow- to deep-rooted plants greatly alters the water–carbon–nitrogen coupling relationship in the deep soil, but has not been fully explored because of the difficulty and one-variable-at-a-time method in sample collection. This study aims to understand the effects of conversion of farmland (F) to apple orchards on deep soil water (SW)–carbon–nitrogen coupling in the loess covered region. We collected soil samples and determined SW, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil total nitrogen (STN) contents and other soil indicators (pH, ammonium nitrate nitrogen, and soil texture) within 0–20 m under F and apple orchards with trees of different stand ages (years of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 24; abbreviated as A5, A10, A15, A20, and A24, respectively) in China's Loess Plateau. We used the partial least squares structural equation to ascertain the influence of vegetation and edaphic factors on the water–carbon–nitrogen coupling relationship. The mean SW contents in old orchards (A15, A20, and A24) decreased by 14%–22% compared to those of F, A5, and A10. The contents of SOC showed insignificant differences between F and apple orchards (<i>p > 0.05</i>). While nitrate nitrogen (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup><span></span>N) content in F was significantly lower than that in apple orchards (<i>p</i> < 0.01), no significant difference was identified in STN. Under F and apple orchards, the relative benefits of water storage were higher than those of carbon and nitrogen in 0–5 m. However, within 5–20 m, the water-dominated benefits under F shifted to nitrogen- and carbon-dominated benefits under orchards due to large water deficit caused by the planation of apple trees. Furthermore, the fertilization-induced changes in soil properties dominated the water–carbon–nitrogen coupling processes within 0–5 m, while root density and soil texture had significant impacts on the coupling processes below 5 m. This indicates that the deep soil carbon and nitrogen fixation is at the expense of water consumption. This study provides valuable information for agricultural land management in arid regions with degraded soil quality and deep unsaturated zones.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143427290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cai Jin, Chuanjuan Chen, Jing Hu, Tianyu Chen, He Yang
Neglecting integrated management may exacerbate the imbalance between the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) in transboundary watersheds. Although management strategies such as payments for watershed services (PWS) have been implemented to mitigate the externalities and imbalance of ESs, the complexity of transboundary watersheds is often underestimated, diminishing their effectiveness. This study proposed a comprehensive transboundary framework to assess the dynamics of recreational service supply and demand in China's Xin'an River, identifying the driving factors. Results showed that: (1) the supply growth rate of recreational services in upstream (50.5%) was higher than that in downstream (8.4%) during the study period; (2) demand in the upstream was lower than that in the downstream. This observation was corroborated through choice experiments; (3) recreational services exhibited a significant supply–demand imbalance with 74.5% oversupplied. These results suggest that environmental externalities are not fully internalized, especially in upstream areas; (4) the study identified road accessibility, land degradation, and demand preferences as key driving factors. These insights offer a new perspective on the internalization of PWS and can inform the development of policies for transboundary region‐integrated management.
{"title":"Advancing Integrated Transboundary Watershed Management Through Recreational Services Assessment: A Supply and Demand Framework Analysis","authors":"Cai Jin, Chuanjuan Chen, Jing Hu, Tianyu Chen, He Yang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5518","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5518","url":null,"abstract":"Neglecting integrated management may exacerbate the imbalance between the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) in transboundary watersheds. Although management strategies such as payments for watershed services (PWS) have been implemented to mitigate the externalities and imbalance of ESs, the complexity of transboundary watersheds is often underestimated, diminishing their effectiveness. This study proposed a comprehensive transboundary framework to assess the dynamics of recreational service supply and demand in China's Xin'an River, identifying the driving factors. Results showed that: (1) the supply growth rate of recreational services in upstream (50.5%) was higher than that in downstream (8.4%) during the study period; (2) demand in the upstream was lower than that in the downstream. This observation was corroborated through choice experiments; (3) recreational services exhibited a significant supply–demand imbalance with 74.5% oversupplied. These results suggest that environmental externalities are not fully internalized, especially in upstream areas; (4) the study identified road accessibility, land degradation, and demand preferences as key driving factors. These insights offer a new perspective on the internalization of PWS and can inform the development of policies for transboundary region‐integrated management.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143417452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guangyu Wang, Xiaofeng Tang, Qingwei Zhang, Bingcong Li, Ming Li
Soil organic matter (SOM) was the primary component of the global terrestrial carbon sink. Soil enzymes were important drivers of soil metabolism facilitating the materials cycling and the energy flow in soils. However, the relationship between soil enzymes and SOM composition in various land use types had not been clearly understood. In the current study, pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py‐GC/MS) was used to analyze the SOM composition of three land use types (grassland, forest, and cropland) and the relationship between soil enzyme activity and SOM composition in the upper watershed of Danjiangkou Reservoir in China. The activity of C‐cycling enzymes glucosidase, cellobiose glycosidase, xylosidase, P‐cycling enzyme alkaline phosphatase, and N‐cycling enzyme leucine aminopeptidase in grassland was the highest but the activity of S‐cycling enzyme methylumbelliferryl sulfate potassium salt was lowest in grassland. The activity of N‐cycling enzyme leucine aminopeptidase was the highest in forest. Aliphatic (23.1%–25.1%), N‐compounds (16.69%–21.17%), and aromatic (11.76%–12.61%) were the most abundant SOM components in the three land use types and the complexity of SOM molecular network in forest was the highest. Additionally, all the C‐cycling enzymes and N‐cycling enzyme acetylglucosaminidase were significantly positively related to the proportion of N‐compounds and polysaccharides but significantly negatively related to the proportion of terpenoids. Our study emphasized that land use significantly affected soil enzyme activities and SOM composition and further revealed that the difference in the activity of C‐cycling and N‐cycling enzymes in various land uses was probably related to the proportion of nitrogen‐containing compounds, polysaccharides, and terpenoids in SOM.
{"title":"The Relationship Between Soil Organic Matter Composition and Soil Enzymes Activities in Various Land Use Types in the Upper Watershed of Danjiangkou Reservoir in China","authors":"Guangyu Wang, Xiaofeng Tang, Qingwei Zhang, Bingcong Li, Ming Li","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5516","url":null,"abstract":"Soil organic matter (SOM) was the primary component of the global terrestrial carbon sink. Soil enzymes were important drivers of soil metabolism facilitating the materials cycling and the energy flow in soils. However, the relationship between soil enzymes and SOM composition in various land use types had not been clearly understood. In the current study, pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py‐GC/MS) was used to analyze the SOM composition of three land use types (grassland, forest, and cropland) and the relationship between soil enzyme activity and SOM composition in the upper watershed of Danjiangkou Reservoir in China. The activity of C‐cycling enzymes glucosidase, cellobiose glycosidase, xylosidase, P‐cycling enzyme alkaline phosphatase, and N‐cycling enzyme leucine aminopeptidase in grassland was the highest but the activity of S‐cycling enzyme methylumbelliferryl sulfate potassium salt was lowest in grassland. The activity of N‐cycling enzyme leucine aminopeptidase was the highest in forest. Aliphatic (23.1%–25.1%), N‐compounds (16.69%–21.17%), and aromatic (11.76%–12.61%) were the most abundant SOM components in the three land use types and the complexity of SOM molecular network in forest was the highest. Additionally, all the C‐cycling enzymes and N‐cycling enzyme acetylglucosaminidase were significantly positively related to the proportion of N‐compounds and polysaccharides but significantly negatively related to the proportion of terpenoids. Our study emphasized that land use significantly affected soil enzyme activities and SOM composition and further revealed that the difference in the activity of C‐cycling and N‐cycling enzymes in various land uses was probably related to the proportion of nitrogen‐containing compounds, polysaccharides, and terpenoids in SOM.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"84 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143417453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mengqi Chang, Shengsheng Xiao, Fangchao Wang, Hongguang Liu, Haijin Zheng, Yunhua Liao, Fusheng Chen, G. Geoff Wang
Microbial residue carbon (MRC) is an important source of soil organic carbon (SOC) and plays a vital role in the accumulation and retention of SOC. Vegetation restoration is an effective strategy for restoring degraded lands. However, there are no studies on how the MRC in a profile changes with vegetation restoration. We evaluated MRC (using amino sugars) accumulation and its contribution to SOC at different soil depths (0–20, 20–50, and 50–100 cm) during vegetation restoration in a severely eroded forest (CK), a restored forest (ecological restoration management), an orchard (development management pattern), and a secondary forest (ideal control). Microbial biomarkers were extracted from the soil profiles and used to measure microbial diversity and microbial community composition (using 16S rRNA). Vegetation restoration, soil depth, and their interaction with each other significantly affected the MRC, fungal residue carbon (FRC), and bacterial residue carbon (BRC) contents. The MRC content tended to increase across the four vegetation restoration patterns in the following order: CK (323.25 mg kg−1) < orchard (1035.67 mg kg−1) < restored forest (2919.01 mg kg−1) < secondary forest (6556.72 mg kg−1). Furthermore, the contribution of MRC to SOC increased with increasing soil depth in the restored forest. The contributions of total MRC to the SOC content varied from 13.12% to 71.88%. The rapid accumulation of MRC was substantially influenced by the SOC content, total nitrogen content, soil pH, bacterial and fungal diversity, and bacterial and fungal phyla. In conclusion, the patterns of vegetation restoration and soil depth play important roles in the accumulation of soil MRC in red soil erosion areas. These findings are pivotal for improving our mechanistic understanding of the microbial regulation of SOC preservation during vegetation restoration of a degraded ecosystem.
{"title":"Dual Effects of Vegetation Restoration Patterns and Soil Depth on the Soil Microbial Residue Carbon Accumulation in a Red Soil Erosion Area of Southern China","authors":"Mengqi Chang, Shengsheng Xiao, Fangchao Wang, Hongguang Liu, Haijin Zheng, Yunhua Liao, Fusheng Chen, G. Geoff Wang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5482","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5482","url":null,"abstract":"Microbial residue carbon (MRC) is an important source of soil organic carbon (SOC) and plays a vital role in the accumulation and retention of SOC. Vegetation restoration is an effective strategy for restoring degraded lands. However, there are no studies on how the MRC in a profile changes with vegetation restoration. We evaluated MRC (using amino sugars) accumulation and its contribution to SOC at different soil depths (0–20, 20–50, and 50–100 cm) during vegetation restoration in a severely eroded forest (CK), a restored forest (ecological restoration management), an orchard (development management pattern), and a secondary forest (ideal control). Microbial biomarkers were extracted from the soil profiles and used to measure microbial diversity and microbial community composition (using 16S rRNA). Vegetation restoration, soil depth, and their interaction with each other significantly affected the MRC, fungal residue carbon (FRC), and bacterial residue carbon (BRC) contents. The MRC content tended to increase across the four vegetation restoration patterns in the following order: CK (323.25 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) < orchard (1035.67 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) < restored forest (2919.01 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) < secondary forest (6556.72 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>). Furthermore, the contribution of MRC to SOC increased with increasing soil depth in the restored forest. The contributions of total MRC to the SOC content varied from 13.12% to 71.88%. The rapid accumulation of MRC was substantially influenced by the SOC content, total nitrogen content, soil pH, bacterial and fungal diversity, and bacterial and fungal phyla. In conclusion, the patterns of vegetation restoration and soil depth play important roles in the accumulation of soil MRC in red soil erosion areas. These findings are pivotal for improving our mechanistic understanding of the microbial regulation of SOC preservation during vegetation restoration of a degraded ecosystem.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143417155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
To improve the efficiency of soil management and the identification of polluted areas to apply joint measurement technique including soil magnetometry (following the ISO 21226:2019 standard) and portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF). The measurements were conducted in two forest areas of the Silesian region (South Poland) with similar geological background, soil types and geomorphology, affected by different pollution sources. The results obtained using three pXRF measurements procedures (field measurement, laboratory measurement of fresh and dry samples) were verified in a chemical laboratory (ICP-OES technique with aqua regia). Based on the results, the most reliable values were obtained when using air-dried, sieved and homogenised soil samples. Field measurements were characterised by low measurement repeatability because of the heterogeneity of the measured soil surface (high porosity, variable granulation, high content of organic matter) and the high litter moisture. When determining the concentration levels of Co, Mn, Pb, V and Zn in dry samples, the values measured by pXRF were comparable to those obtained via ICP-OES. In the case of As, the average values were 50% higher than those determined via ICP-OES, whereas the Cr and Ni concentrations were underestimated. The Spearman's rank correlation between magnetic susceptibility and the concentrations of Pb, Zn, As (rs = 0.84, 0.88, 0.85, respectively) as well as the pollution load index (PLI), were sufficiently high to apply the soil magnetometry method on both tested sites. However, in the site affected by magnetic particles from one dominant pollution source, the correlation values were significantly higher than those in the site with overlapping emission sources (urban and industrial sources).
{"title":"Combination of Portable X-Ray Fluorescence With Soil Magnetometry as an Effective Tool for Distinguish Different Pollution Sources","authors":"Tadeusz Magiera, Marcin Szuszkiewicz","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5515","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5515","url":null,"abstract":"To improve the efficiency of soil management and the identification of polluted areas to apply joint measurement technique including soil magnetometry (following the ISO 21226:2019 standard) and portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF). The measurements were conducted in two forest areas of the Silesian region (South Poland) with similar geological background, soil types and geomorphology, affected by different pollution sources. The results obtained using three pXRF measurements procedures (field measurement, laboratory measurement of fresh and dry samples) were verified in a chemical laboratory (ICP-OES technique with <i>aqua regia</i>). Based on the results, the most reliable values were obtained when using air-dried, sieved and homogenised soil samples. Field measurements were characterised by low measurement repeatability because of the heterogeneity of the measured soil surface (high porosity, variable granulation, high content of organic matter) and the high litter moisture. When determining the concentration levels of Co, Mn, Pb, V and Zn in dry samples, the values measured by pXRF were comparable to those obtained via ICP-OES. In the case of As, the average values were 50% higher than those determined via ICP-OES, whereas the Cr and Ni concentrations were underestimated. The Spearman's rank correlation between magnetic susceptibility and the concentrations of Pb, Zn, As (rs = 0.84, 0.88, 0.85, respectively) as well as the pollution load index (PLI), were sufficiently high to apply the soil magnetometry method on both tested sites. However, in the site affected by magnetic particles from one dominant pollution source, the correlation values were significantly higher than those in the site with overlapping emission sources (urban and industrial sources).","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143401500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Active ecological restoration of Mediterranean semi‐natural grasslands faces challenges such as limited seed dispersal and poor establishment of dominant perennial species. The aim of our study was therefore to test different seedling type along a gradient of nature‐based solutions including a commercial seed mixture with seeds of regional provenance, hay transfer, and seeds from ant refuse piles both harvested in neighboring non‐degraded grassland. The primary objective was to compare these three mixtures ex situ, in a greenhouse, in order to distinguish the effects of each sowing treatment under controlled common conditions with the same experiment conducted in situ across four sites in the Crau Plain (Southern France). Using a set of soil rehabilitation treatments, we compare alluvial quarries backfilled with former grassland or orchard soils, abandoned orchards treated with normal or deep plowing, and the reference grassland. In the short term (6 months), results already differed significantly between in situ and ex situ experiments. Ex situ, the commercial mixture showed significantly higher density than the other treatments and a high species richness. On the other hand, in situ, sowing from hay transfer and ant refuse piles displayed higher species richness, with a composition more similar to the reference grassland, while the commercial mixture remained similar to controls. These results underline the predominant impact of habitat conditions in constrained ecosystems, highlighting the importance of increasing the use of more nature‐based solutions such as hay transfer or ant refuse piles spreading to maximize grassland restoration success.
{"title":"Nature‐Based Solutions Increase Sowing Success for Mediterranean Grassland Restoration: A First Short‐Term In Situ and Ex Situ Comparison","authors":"Léa Saby, Christel Vidaller, Hervé Ramone, Thierry Dutoit","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5500","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5500","url":null,"abstract":"Active ecological restoration of Mediterranean semi‐natural grasslands faces challenges such as limited seed dispersal and poor establishment of dominant perennial species. The aim of our study was therefore to test different seedling type along a gradient of nature‐based solutions including a commercial seed mixture with seeds of regional provenance, hay transfer, and seeds from ant refuse piles both harvested in neighboring non‐degraded grassland. The primary objective was to compare these three mixtures ex situ, in a greenhouse, in order to distinguish the effects of each sowing treatment under controlled common conditions with the same experiment conducted in situ across four sites in the Crau Plain (Southern France). Using a set of soil rehabilitation treatments, we compare alluvial quarries backfilled with former grassland or orchard soils, abandoned orchards treated with normal or deep plowing, and the reference grassland. In the short term (6 months), results already differed significantly between in situ and ex situ experiments. Ex situ, the commercial mixture showed significantly higher density than the other treatments and a high species richness. On the other hand, in situ, sowing from hay transfer and ant refuse piles displayed higher species richness, with a composition more similar to the reference grassland, while the commercial mixture remained similar to controls. These results underline the predominant impact of habitat conditions in constrained ecosystems, highlighting the importance of increasing the use of more nature‐based solutions such as hay transfer or ant refuse piles spreading to maximize grassland restoration success.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143401209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Understanding the complex connections between land utilization, economic activity, technological development, and carbon emissions will be essential as the world struggles to address climate change and the resulting environmental problems. For empirical analysis, we have used pooled mean group (PMG) and Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQR) to precisely capture the details of these relationships across various quantiles. The study uses a balanced panel dataset from 1980 to 2019 that includes 10 emerging nations which are common in G20 and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and China. The study discovers an environmental Kuznets curve with an inverted U form, highlighting the complex link between economic development and environmental degradation in emerging countries. The study also clarifies how internet use, foreign direct investment, and renewable energy (REN) affect environmental consequences at different quantiles. Moreover, the findings confirm the adverse impact of carbon emission, FDI, and REN on land degradation. The findings have implications for sustainable development policy, highlighting the necessity of customized approaches for the distinct contexts and levels of development of every nation.
{"title":"Exploring the Role of Land Utilization, Renewable Energy, and ICT to Counter the Environmental Emission: A Panel Study of Selected G20 and OECD Countries","authors":"Majid Ibrahim Alsaggaf","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5458","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5458","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the complex connections between land utilization, economic activity, technological development, and carbon emissions will be essential as the world struggles to address climate change and the resulting environmental problems. For empirical analysis, we have used pooled mean group (PMG) and Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQR) to precisely capture the details of these relationships across various quantiles. The study uses a balanced panel dataset from 1980 to 2019 that includes 10 emerging nations which are common in G20 and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and China. The study discovers an environmental Kuznets curve with an inverted U form, highlighting the complex link between economic development and environmental degradation in emerging countries. The study also clarifies how internet use, foreign direct investment, and renewable energy (REN) affect environmental consequences at different quantiles. Moreover, the findings confirm the adverse impact of carbon emission, FDI, and REN on land degradation. The findings have implications for sustainable development policy, highlighting the necessity of customized approaches for the distinct contexts and levels of development of every nation.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143393767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Accurately and efficiently identifying the vegetation disturbance ranges in surface coal mines is of great significance for determining the scope of land degradation and mitigating land degradation. The objective of this article is to propose an automated method for identifying disturbance ranges of surface coal mines on vegetation based on the fitting of NDVI spatial trajectory (called Disran_SpaTFit). The process of the proposed method includes preparing the NDVI spatial trajectory dataset, designing the curve conceptual function model, fitting the spatial trajectory, and selecting the optimal model to identify disturbance ranges. With the Shendong coal base in China as the study area, the mining disturbance ranges of 106 surface coal mines were automatically identified. The results show that: (1) The accuracy of the automated identification of mining disturbance distances was 91.1%, with a mean absolute error of 109 m. (2) Disran_SpaTFit is widely applicable to various heterogeneous coal mines. 96.62% of the NDVI spatial trajectories (1229 out of 1272 in total) were confirmed to match one of the four curve models designed in Disran_SpaTFit. (3) The ranges of mining disturbance in the 106 surface mines exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity across different directions and extend a certain distance away from the open-cut area. (4) Disran_SpaTFit is able to accurately identify the ranges of mining disturbances for different years, covering the changes before and during mining activities. The results in this article demonstrate that the proposed Disran_SpaTFit provides an effective tool for identifying disturbance ranges of various surface coal mines, which is of importance for ecological assessment and restoration management in mining areas.
{"title":"An Automated Identification Method of Disturbance Ranges of Surface Coal Mines on Vegetation Based on the Fitting of NDVI Spatial Trajectory","authors":"Chuanying Peng, Quansheng Li, Jun Li, Hui Kang, Chengye Zhang, Jiahao Tang, Bikram Banerjee","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5508","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5508","url":null,"abstract":"Accurately and efficiently identifying the vegetation disturbance ranges in surface coal mines is of great significance for determining the scope of land degradation and mitigating land degradation. The objective of this article is to propose an automated method for identifying disturbance ranges of surface coal mines on vegetation based on the fitting of NDVI spatial trajectory (called Disran_SpaTFit). The process of the proposed method includes preparing the NDVI spatial trajectory dataset, designing the curve conceptual function model, fitting the spatial trajectory, and selecting the optimal model to identify disturbance ranges. With the Shendong coal base in China as the study area, the mining disturbance ranges of 106 surface coal mines were automatically identified. The results show that: (1) The accuracy of the automated identification of mining disturbance distances was 91.1%, with a mean absolute error of 109 m. (2) Disran_SpaTFit is widely applicable to various heterogeneous coal mines. 96.62% of the NDVI spatial trajectories (1229 out of 1272 in total) were confirmed to match one of the four curve models designed in Disran_SpaTFit. (3) The ranges of mining disturbance in the 106 surface mines exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity across different directions and extend a certain distance away from the open-cut area. (4) Disran_SpaTFit is able to accurately identify the ranges of mining disturbances for different years, covering the changes before and during mining activities. The results in this article demonstrate that the proposed Disran_SpaTFit provides an effective tool for identifying disturbance ranges of various surface coal mines, which is of importance for ecological assessment and restoration management in mining areas.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"200 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143393368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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