Browsing by Subject "Land cover change"
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Item An analysis of forest change : a case study of the Chocó-Andean conservation corridor in the Upper Guayllabamba Watershed, Ecuador(2010-05) Gordon, Jessica Danielle; Young, Kenneth R.; Richardson, Richard H.Deforestation in the tropics is considered to be a primary cause for worldwide loss of biological diversity. Future land use decisions have the potential to escalate or ameliorate this global problem. The goal of this research is to present a case study of an analysis of forest change within the Chocó-Andean Conservation Corridor in the Upper Guayllabamba Watershed in Northwestern Ecuador. Fieldwork, remote sensing, and a Geographic Information System (GIS) were used to analyze land use/land cover changes within the corridor. Change detection from 1986 to 2001 using Landsat imagery confirmed that forests were rapidly being converted to other land covers, but patterns of deforestation rates varied dramatically for different types of forests. The average annual rate of overall loss of forest was 2.7% for lower montane forest, 1.7% for mid-slope cloud forest 2.1% for upper montane forest, and 2.0% for riparian forests. The patterns of deforestation also varied based on scales of analysis. For example, the overall loss of forest within the southern portion of the Chocó-Andean Conservation Corridor occurred at an average rate of 1.3% per year, while the overall annual rate of forest loss within particular sub-watersheds varied from 0.2%-3.1% and the annual average rate of overall forest loss surrounding particular communities ranged from 0.3%-3.3%. Fifty interviews were conducted in 2003 in seven communities within the conservation corridor to determine local perspectives of current land use practices, past land use trends, and future land use goals; regional changes in the forest; and opinions of local conservation projects. An intriguing finding of the study is that remote sensing in isolation of fieldwork would have provided incomplete or misleading results. For example, the community that had the most deforestation between 1986 and 2001 was the community where the conservation projects were actually the most successful, based upon local resident opinion. This report asserts that a holistic approach to conservation is needed to reconcile environmental and socio-cultural needs in order to maintain and improve forest habitat and hydrologic connectivity at multiple spatial scales (including community-level, watershed, and regional) by extending conservation efforts beyond protected areas and utilizing a basin-scale perspective to make land use decisions that maintain biodiversity and promote watershed protection.Item Exploring the effects of local development regulations on ecological landscape structure(Texas A&M University, 2005-08-29) Kim, Jin KiAn ecological approach to land-use planning is essential to maintain the long-term sustainability of ecosystem benefits, services, and resources. Concern about environmental quality and the long-term livability of urban areas is now a driving force in urban planning and design. The interrelated issues of growth management, smart growth, sustainable development, and new urbanism are topics in the most vibrant discussions at all levels of planning and landscape architecture. Within this context, this study starts from the interest in the ecological planning and management in urban areas, especially related to the issue of local development regulation and guidelines. Landscape regulations have come into existence recently in communities across the nation and these regulations vary from one region to another and from one community to another. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between ecological landscape structure and local development regulations over time. Comparison analysis was conducted between two areas that had similar pre-development ecological conditions but were developed under vastly different regulatory environments. The Woodlands (regulated to protect ecological condition) and the North Houston area (which followed traditional subdivision regulations) were examined at three different developmental time periods: predevelopment, early development (after 10 years), and matured development (after 30 years). Aerial photos of each site from the three time periods were classified into forested and non-forested classes and the landscape structure was quantified with a number of landscape metrics related to fragmentation??an indicator of habitat degradation. Two factors, the ecological approach to landscape planning and the adoption of more restrictive landscape regulations and guidelines, are discussed on the premise that they exert influence in developing and maintaining the long-term sustainability of ecosystems. In conclusion, this study provides the quantified landscape configuration and composition of the effects of development regulations on landscape structure. The ecologically planned community shows a less fragmented forest pattern and more restrictive development guidelines result in more ecologically structured environments. Understanding how elements of local development regulations affect ecological landscape patterns is important for landscape architects, planners, and administrators because it can lead to better strategies for planning and designing sustainable communities.