scholarly journals Tropical forest hydrology and the role of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme

1999 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bonell

Abstract. The paper outlines a perspective on tropical forest hydrology within the context of an international hydrological programme. Experience in tropical forest hydrology research in North East Australia is a focal point for comparison with international activities elsewhere. The impacts of climate variability and change are considered briefly, as well as those of reforestation of degraded land on the land use hydrology, which requires a longer term vision and support of long term experimental catchments. Sadly, too few long term experimental catchments have been maintained in the humid tropics and there have been some significant closures even of these sites in recent years. Yet the case for long-term experiments is strengthened by the problematic issue of separating anthropogenic influences (such as land use change) on the hydrology of landscapes from the effects of climate variability at a time of escalation in population and related socio-economic pressures in the humid tropics. Particular emphasis is made of the need for greater consideration for the social and cultural dimensions of forest management within forest hydrology. Furthermore, scientists must be committed to incorporating ‘societal needs' in their planning of research projects, as well as in publicizing the applications of their results, within the framework of forest-land-water policy. Alarm is expressed at the extensive disregard for the application of existing forest hydrology ‘know how' in forest-land management manipulations associated with the humid tropics.

Author(s):  
Thủy Nguyễn Thị ◽  
Anh Thế Lưu

Basaltic soil is considered as the most advantageous soil unit in comparison with other units of the Central Highlands, that distributed mainly in the plateaus of Kon Plong, Kon Ha Nung, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot, M'Drak, Dak Nong and Di  Linh - Bao Loc. Much of the basaltic soil in the Central Highlands has been used for cultivation of long-term industrial crops. Currently, due to massive forest destruction for developing long-term industrial trees in the basaltic soil in Bao Loc - Di Linh, the natural fertility of the basaltic soil has been remarkably reduced. The physical and chemical properties of the basaltic soil under different land use types have decreased sharply compared to basaltic soil under the natural forest. The average rate of decline of total organic matter content of plantation forest land is 16%, overused forest land is 44%, tea land is 46%, coffee land is 60% compared to the same soil unit under the natural forest. The cation exchange capacity (CEC), content of total nutrients and plant available nutrients under the land use types were also decreased significantly compared to the soil unit under the natural forest. The changes of physical and chemical properties of the basaltic soil with coffee cultivation was highest in comparison with other land use types. The organic matter and potassium are two limiting factors of the nutrients in the basaltic soil of the study area, especially for tea cultivation.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 279-319
Author(s):  
Clive Waddington ◽  
Peter Marshall ◽  
David G. Passmore

The Tweed Valley and its tributaries, and particularly the Milfield Basin in north Northumberland, is an area of strategic significance in the geography of the British Isles and it hosts a rich and varied multi-period archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record. This paper summarises some of the key findings for the Neolithic resulting from a long-term and in-depth landscape research project and provides a new chronological sequence for the Neolithic of the region.Attention is drawn to the discovery of what appears to be a new type of Neolithic structure associated with settlement activity hitherto unrecognised in Britain: post-built timber buildings based on a triangular arrangement of timbers. The paper then turns to a consideration of subsistence and land-use practices and the evidence for cereal agriculture from the immediate outset of the Neolithic in the region. Since 1999 many more radiocarbon measurements have become available for Neolithic activity in the area and, together with those obtained before 1999, have been recalibrated and subjected to Bayesian modelling to produce more precise estimates for Neolithic activity. Important findings include the provision of a more robust estimate for dating the onset of the Neolithic in the region, as well as establishing a chronological framework for the Neolithic–Beaker period ceramic sequence. It also reveals that the current dating available for the henge monuments indicates that this ritual complex most likely dates to the Beaker period and not to the Neolithic proper as they do in some other parts of Britain. Truly ‘Neolithic’ ceremonial monuments in the Milfield Basin remain elusive and few of the potential sites that have so far been identified have yet to be tested by excavation and scientific dating. A clear zoning of rock art is apparent, with hundreds of sites all clustered on the Fellsandstone escarpment, while a variety of Neolithic burial types is attested suggesting the region formed a meeting ground for different cultural influences.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian Kirsten ◽  
Robert Mikutta ◽  
Cordula Vogel ◽  
Aaron Thompson ◽  
Carsten W. Mueller ◽  
...  

AbstractClay minerals and pedogenic metal (oxyhydr)oxides are the most reactive soil mineral constituents controlling the long-term persistence of organic carbon (OC) in terrestrial ecosystems. However, their co-occurrence in most soils complicates direct assessment of their individual contribution to OC persistence. Making use of unique mineralogical combinations in soils located in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, we disentangled the contribution of clay-sized aluminous minerals (kaolinite, gibbsite) and pedogenic Fe (oxyhydr)oxides (predominant goethite and hematite) on OC storage and stabilization under natural forests and croplands. Topsoil samples, varying in contents but not types of aluminous clays and pedogenic Fe (oxyhydr)oxides, were identified by selective extractions, X-ray diffraction, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Associated abundance of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter (OM) was quantified by density fractionation and their changes during land-use conversion were determined as a measure of OC persistence. Additionally, we assessed the resistance of OC to chemical oxidation as well as microbial decomposition in a 50-day laboratory incubation. We found that the ratio of pedogenic Fe to aluminous clay is more consequential for OC storage and stabilization than their individual contents, despite the fact that Fe (oxyhydr)oxides generally exert a stronger impact on OC than aluminous clays. Conjunction of large amounts of Fe (oxyhydr)oxides with low aluminous clay contents caused the strongest accumulation of mineral-associated OC, a low soil respiration, high OC stability against chemical oxidation, and high OC persistence during land-use change. Our study suggests that certain mineralogical combinations in the humid tropics alleviate OM losses during land conversion because of the strong and selective mineral control on OC stabilization, particular if the weight ratio of pedogenic Fe to aluminous clay exceeds the threshold range of 0.44‒0.56.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-153
Author(s):  
Alexey Dubrovsky ◽  
Nadezhda Dobrotvorskaya ◽  
Olesya Malygina

The article is devoted to the planning of rational, environmentally sound involvement of land resources in economic development. The development of the territory of cities leads to an increase in their boundaries and the construction of residential, transport and industrial infrastructure. Agricultural and forest land categories are used. Issues of long-term planning of land use are of high relevance.The article describes the principles of formation of urban agglomerations. The problems in the development of Russian agglomerations are shown. The necessity of an optimal environmentally sound plan for the involvement of new land plots is substantiated. To solve this problem is proposed was developed by the authors of the digital spatial-temporal model of the forward planning of use of lands of the Novosibirsk agglomeration. The model is developed taking into account the design solutions Of the Institute of urban planning «Giprogor». Land ranking within the boundaries of the project area of settlement of the Novosibirsk agglomeration was made for the first time. Land ranking is a phased plan for the development of land for the construction of residential, transport, social and industrial infrastructure.


1997 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward B. Barbier ◽  
Joanne C. Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  

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