Sustainable land uses

1. Introduction

The age of materialism and economic expansionism has produced land use changes in a number of ways over most of the world. The manufacture of products output and residues of various compositions are end up in the land. The modern metropolitan environment tends to be less healthy, less safe, and less emotionally secure. Such environment poses an uncertainty to future generations. 

2. The problem: Impact and change

A measure of land degradation, known as potential direct instrumental value (PDIV), represents the capacity for a piece of land and the supply of direct benefit from that land to humans, such as agriculture, forestry, industry and medicinal production (Daily 1995). 

In tropical region human activities are main causes for huge part of the land degradation. Such as shift-cultivation, mining, farming steep slopes, over grazing and improper management activities. There are some specific factors and characters identified in the land degradation. 

Water is the main reason for the land degeneration: This is the most distribution factor in East Asia land degeneration. It affects 83 million hectare and 25 percentage of total agricultural land area. The productivity of the soil is lost because of water logging or induction of land surface. 

Decline in the land fertility: Decreases in the soil organic matter and loses of nutrients leads to infertility of soil. High utility rate of chemical fertilizers and improper land practices are the main reasons that contribute the land degradation. Over grazing removes too much of the soil protective cover vegetation covers.

Salinization: Increasing rate of soil salinization is another factor that can cause land degradation. Irregular irrigation water management, sea water intrusion, excess use of ground water and construction of river dams are the main factors.  

Improper land use: In developing countries, rapidly – increasing populations usually migrate to upland to occupy forests or range of land. Most migrants use the land without using proper conservation methods. This kind of cultivation repeated by farmers at hillsides until the land loses its productivity capacity. 

Resource extraction and depletion: Underground mining is another factor that can cause land depletion. Globally, about two – thirds of hard coal production comes from underground mines. It caused to reduction of water table in groundwater.  

Urbanization: Human activities are continually modifying the landscape, creating urban areas, roads, airports, pits, ponds, spoil heaps, terraces, cuttings, canals, reservoirs and areas of subsidence. The rapid increasing population has demand on available living space. Land resources of the urban areas are degraded due to indiscriminate solid wastes and waste water dumping. 

3. The importance of sustainable land use

When we use the resources, we must consider our future generations need as well. We must seek to extend the availability of these resources through conservation, substitution, reuse and recycling. Renewable resources and non-renewable resources contain different management style. Land is one of the renewable resources. But people not able to wait for long enough time to that depleted resource become replenished. Therefore renewable resource management and practices need guiding principle of sustainable development. It means utilized the Earth resources in a way of meet current needs without degrading ecosystems and ensure the future availability of those resources. Harmony with nature by doing things in ‘nature’s way’ and preventing damage to the Earth’s environmental support system is important for sustainable development. 

In order to support the idea of sustainable land use, a global change of attitude needs to be adopted. Sustainable land use means manage the land assets in a way that benefit to local economy, restores soil nutrients through organic measures and tree roots. Sustainable land use management need the development of accurate definitions, practices, and policies to construct the disciplines. 

Understanding the land carrying capability is important factor for making decisions about activities for the sustain land uses. Land capability is the ability of the land to sustain a certain type of land use without causing permanent damage. When assessing land capability focus on specific features such as soil depth, stability and fertility, topography, erosion risk and stream proximity are concerned. Important point in land capability is to identify the differences between different parts of the land. This will help to decide which parts give more productivity and determine the type of land uses without compromising long term sustainability. This management strategy can help to make decisions and take actions according economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.  

4. Sustainable land use practices

4.1. Biological methods

(i) Agroforestry:

This is one of the important developments in forest management. There are three components to the sustainable agroforestry. It includes intention, intensity, integration, and interactivity. Intention means intentionally created and designed the trees, crops, livestock, and shrubs in the most favourable way to achieve the highest benefits and yield. Intensity means managed the agro forestry practices and process intensively and preserve the basic function of production and protection. It includes thinning, fertilization, irrigation and cultivation practices. Integration intended combined all individuals’ components and brought into a single unit. Interactivity described that managed and utilized the agro forestry components in active fashion and the same time balancing the benefits of conservation and ecology.  

Agro forestry has many benefits. It is one of the effective way that lead sustainable land use practices. In Sri Lanka home gardens are traditional forms of agro-forestry. This method conserves soil particularly it have great impact on sloping areas. 

(ii) A forestation:

This is the one of the effective approach to protect the land resources and prevent the land from degradation. This method includes higher edge terrace forestation, narrow terrace forestation, horizontal ditch forestation and pit forestation in steeper slopes. In china this method is usually follow in some areas that experienced impact of erosion. It can prevent the land slides. 

(iii) Increase ground vegetation cover:

If we plant permanent vegetation between bodies of water and cropland, it will benefit to land through reducing the pollution, stabilizing the water banks and improve the habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial life. Maintain groundcover above 80 percentages is to prevent the soil erosion and help to protect soil structure. It reduce the rainfall runoff and protect soil moisture through retain. 

In south Wales, they are practicing variety of methods which lead to sustainability land use for grazing. They increase perennial plants in permanent pastures. Perennial pastures are deep-rooted and provide yearlong ground cover and offer higher pasture yields. It reduces groundwater recharge and salinity. 

(iii) SALT method (Slope agricultural Land technology):

This is the one of the less expensive method that protects the slope land due to agricultural practices. It main aim is maintain sustainability of land resources. Easy to applied in many areas. It helps to reduce the soil erosion and increase the soil fertility. This is the one of the method that combines production method and biological erosion control methods. This method utilize for multipurpose. This method gives success in Philippines.  

(iv) Rotational cropping system:

Under rotational cropping land can recover and reach a given stage of re-growth before the next planting. Rotational cropping increase production and balancing the sustain use of land. 

4.2. Engineering methods

(i) Contour pluming:

Engineering techniques, the first and basic is to adapt cultivation to the contours of the land. When cultivated in slope cultivation should follow the contour of the land. Contour pluming is a first step towards to keeping soil from washing downhill. 

(ii) Terracing: 

This method applies in greater slopes and the higher soil erosion areas. This is the supplemented to contour cultivation. A channel forms usually maintained in sod behind the terrace. This help to diverted excess water into ditches or channels that permit adequate drainage. 

 (iii) Urban ecosystem with nature:

Urban landscapes with nature may be essential for an ecologically sustainable. Recently some cities and specific areas are constructing with landscape mosaic of urban, agricultural and natural ecosystems. It provided direct opportunities of sustainable use of land. Ensuring that natural ecosystem is a part of urban landscapes or finding a way to restore green areas. This approach increases the people awareness of natural ecosystem and provides direct contact with nature. This manner prevents the destruction and improves environmental support system that a part of sustainable use of land practices. The residential areas of some cities in Southern California contained this system.

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4.3. Contribution of Participation

Government, Institutional and people participation:

National government, institutions, local residents, recreational users and environmentalists ensures the land that landscape will retain a sustainable representation of natural ecosystems for future generation.

Malaysian government and timber industry have tried to make sustainable forestry in many ways. Allowing only selective cutting methods, restricting the use of bulldozers and other heavy destructive machinery and spend the money for improving national park and other protected areas. Although encourages the village forestry, urban forestry and forest recreation. 

Community gardening is the one way to increase people participation. They can value fresh foods that a garden provides and gardening put them into touch with ecosystems in numerous ways. Organic gardening increases the awareness of sustainable use of land. 

Government should educated their citizens about environmental issues and provide educational, material assistance to follow a path to sustain land uses. Individuals can teach their neighbours about sustainable development and encourage their participation in setting land uses practices in a sustainable way for their future. 

References

1.     William m. Marsh (1991); Landscape planning – Environmental applications; John wiley & sons, Inc; USA

2. Gerald G Marten (2001); human ecology – basic concepts for sustainable development; Earthscan publications Ltd

3.      David Waugh (2003); The New Wider World; Nelson Thornes; U.K

4.      S. Antony Norbert (2007); An introduction to Environmental Geography; Kumaran Book House; SriLanka

5.      David D. Kemp (2004); Exploring Environmental Issues (An integrated approach); Routledge; London

6.      http://www.juglans.org/the-importance-of-sustainable-land-use.php

7.       http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/1030.htm

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