Envisioning Present and Future Land-Use Change under Varying Ecological Regimes and Their Influence on Landscape Stability

Abstract

Climate change plays an important role in shaping ecological stability of landscape systems. Increasing weather fluctuations such as droughts threaten the ecological stability of natural and anthropogenic landscapes. Uncertainty exists regarding the validity of traditional landscape assessment schemes under climate change. This commentary debates the main factors that threaten ecological stability, discussing basic approaches to interpret landscape functioning. To address this pivotal issue, the intimate linkage between ecological stability and landscape diversity is explored, considering different approaches to landscape stability assessment. The impact of land-use changes on landscape stability is finally discussed. Assessment methodologies and indicators are reviewed and grouped into homogeneous classes based on a specific nomenclature of stability aspects which include landscape composition, fragmentation and connectivity, thermodynamic and functional issues, biodiversity, soil degradation, and ecological disturbance. By considering land-use change as one of the most important factors underlying climate change, individual components of landscape stability are finally delineated and commented upon. In this regard, specific trajectories of land-use change (including agricultural intensification, land abandonment, and urbanization) are investigated for their effects on ecological stability. A better understanding of land-use impacts on landscape stability is crucial for a better knowledge of processes leading to land degradation.

Changes in landscape composition and configuration in the Beressa watershed, Blue Nile basin of Ethiopian Highlands: historical and future exploration

“…The ongoing expansion of human settlement affects both ecosystem functionality and landscape stability through a reduction in water and sediment retention and the loss of local biodiversity and regional climatic regulation. Similarly, an increase in the amount of area under cultivation can weaken the functionality, stability and biodiversity of ecosystems, as well as negatively impacting water regimes, soil quality and erosion rates ( Prokopov et al., 2019 ). The popularity and associated rate of expansion of plantation areas (particularly those consisting of E ucalyptus species), is high in Ethiopia.…”

“…This adversely affects the region's hydrological balance, leading to a depletion in soil nutrients, loss of soil and biodiversity, all of which impact functionality of an ecosystem ( Minta et al., 2018 ). The change of important natural land covers alters natural habitats composition and configuration could therefore threaten ecological stability ( Prokopov et al., 2019 ).…”

Define–Investigate–Estimate–Map (DIEM) Framework for Modeling Habitat Threats

“…The mercurial and multidisciplinary nature of habitat threats gives them a complex character. In general, this character leads to multiple ways of perceiving and quantifying them, and depends on the threat's characteristics and the technique on which it focuses [9]. Studies have characterized existing perceived threats by using weights, the range of the threat, and the manner of impact (Table S1 in the Supplementary Materials).…”

“…Although "habitat threat" is broadly described as all stressors that put habitats at risk, it is a mercurial concept that is multidisciplinary in nature. Generally, mercurial concepts adapt to the context, geography, and spatial and temporal scale at which they are applied [8], and the multidisciplinary nature of concepts involves many aspects and principles from both the ecological and social perspectives [9]. To the best knowledge of the authors, the term "habitat threat" is not well defined in the literature, as shown in our literature review of habitat-threat definitions in Table 1.…”

Long-term tendencies in climate change of the Urals due to global warming

“…Numerous studies show that agriculture is significantly affected by ongoing climate change. Global warming significantly affects the agro-climatic potential of agroecosystems [5][6], the phytosanitary state of agrophytocenoses [7][8][9], the physical and agrochemical properties of the soil [10][11][12][13], the efficiency of fertilizers [14], and the stability of agricultural production [15][16][17]. Global climate change can have a multidirectional impact on agricultural production, and therefore falls within the sphere of interests of agricultural science.…”