Carly Cipolla ATOC 4800 Final Project Land use change Carly Cipolla ATOC 4800 Final Project

Overview Background Information Game Time Land Use Change (LUC) Definition Examples Policy Implementation Game Time

Land Use Change (LUC) Did you know? The climate response to land use change may even exceed the contribution from increasing greenhouse gases from energy production and transportation LUC refers to conversion or modification of vegetation, changes on biodiversity, soil quality, runoff, erosion, sedimentation or land productivity LUC is more likely to be observed on regional scales Natural variability in our climate is too large and masks most signs of early LUC affects on a global scale

Examples LUC is when a natural landscape is altered to use for other purposes: agricultural, grazing pasture, urban area, etc. Land Surface Temperature (LST) has seen higher rates in urbanized areas Can also be seen as an Urban Heat Island (UHI) because of the great increases in radiative absorption in such a small area Forms of LUC in the Amazon are: -Deforestation for pasture for livestock -Cutting and burning forest to convert forest into crops for family farming -Deployment of grain crops by large agro-industry companies

Policy Implementation Tradeoff between environmental conservation and economic growth in certain regions For example, Brazil Governments should increase enforcement of illegal deforestation and, at the same time, promote economic incentives toward forest conservation Placing a value on an ecological asset and its ecosystem services can also serve to guide policy makers in making tough trade-off decisions in our resource constrained world

Jeopardy Acronyms Policy $100 $100 $100 $ B $200 $200 $200 O $300 $300 Example of Land Changes Acronyms Consequences Policy $100 $100 $100 $ B $200 $200 $200 O $300 $300 $300 N $400 $400 $400 U S

Example of Land Changes - $100 An Example of a LUC in an urban setting? Acceptable answers around expansion of urban environments, such as; roads, buildings, alteration in vegetation, etc.

Example of Land Changes - $200 An Example of a LUC in a rainforest setting? Deforestation!

Example of Land Changes - $300 An Example of a LUC in an agricultural setting? Ridding lands of natural forest or grassland for growing crops or grazing cattle

Example of Land Changes - $400 On a scale from global to city level, where would LUC have the largest impact on an area? Regionally

Acronyms - $100 GHG Green House Gases

Acronyms - $200 UHI Urban Heat Island

Acronyms - $300 LULC Land Use Land Change

Acronyms - $400 LST Land Surface Temperature

Consequences - $100 LUC affects on albedo in an urbanized environment? Albedo (reflectivity) of land decreases, meaning more radiation is absorbed

Consequences - $200 Possible consequences on ecosystems affected by LUC in forested environments? Smaller habitats, warming environment from increased absorption, change in weather patterns from changes in fluxes, etc.

Consequences - $300 What is a an issue of applying policy to issues such as LUC on an economic scale? It is very hard to place a value on natural environments, but is necessary in putting together a policy that can be accepted and applied throughout the region

Consequences - $400 How might natural variability play a role in masking LUC impacts? Natural variability is so large that is masks the early signs of LUC consequences on a global scale

Policy – BONUS Discussion What policies or programs would you recommend to decrease the negative impacts of LUC in urban, rural, or forested environments?

Current Policies / Programs Urban Sustainable Development: state of society where living conditions and resource use continue to meet human needs without undermining the integrity and stability of the natural systems. Smart Growth Theory: concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl Deforestation Prevention Policies REDD+ (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation): management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries Supporting certified goods (Rainforest Alliance): conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods Agricultural Land Use Change Agroforestry: intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits Agricultural Smart Growth Plan (Example from NJ): The concept that there is a way to balance the need for development with the desire to maintain a high quality of life