Identification of hotspots of at-risk terrestrial vertebrate species in the south-central Great Plains of North America: A tool to inform and address regional-scale conservation

Biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate, and resources for conservation efforts are limited. This is particularly problematic in the Great Plains of North America, where land-cover conversion for agriculture and energy production has reduced habitat for many species. In the U.S. portion of the Great Plains, a growing human population and a concomitant increasing need for food, fiber, and energy have caused landscape transformations that have resulted in over 700 vertebrate species currently being listed by state and federal conservation agencies as being at-risk in this region. Conservation efforts for such a large number of species will be most efficient when applied to areas with large numbers of these species, but such areas have never before been identified. We overlaid range maps created by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Gap Analysis Program for terrestrial vertebrate species to identify hotspots of high concentrations of U.S. state-defined Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN; species that have identified as being rare or otherwise vulnerable enough to warrant conservation action in a given state) in the short- and mixed-grass prairie ecoregions of the southern and central Great Plains of the United States. We identified hotspots for species currently listed as SGCN as well as those pending designation, and a combined (current and pending) group. We then used data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Protected Areas Database on land ownership and from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service on land use/land cover to quantify the types of land ownership and land use/land cover types in hotspots to give land managers necessary information to address conservation of at-risk species in the Great Plains. Sufficient data were present for examination of 289 at-risk terrestrial vertebrate species. Hotspots of these species were located mostly on state- or federally-managed land in eastern New Mexico, Colorado, and west Texas. The current hottest hotspots were associated with areas with more natural/less anthropogenic forms of land use/land cover; areas with the lowest numbers of SGCNs had proportionately more cropland and less grassland than did hotspots. Identifying regional hotspots of at-risk biodiversity, and describing land use/land cover features associated with such areas, offers an opportunity to take a multi-species approach in more precisely establishing areas of conservation concern in the U.S.     

新疆玛纳斯河流域2000-2010年土地利用/覆盖变化及影响因素

在2000年和2010年两期遥感影像解译的基础上,从土地利用类型的结构、变化速率、变化方向及土地利用程度等方面分析了玛纳斯河流域土地利用的变化特征,并分析了影响土地利用变化的主要因素及不同因素之间的交互作用。结果表明:(1)近10年来,流域土地利用程度增强,人工绿洲呈扩张趋势,耕地和城乡工矿居民用地大量增加,林地和未利用地减少;上游地区草地和冰川积雪覆盖地面积增加。(2)耕地向内部外部双向扩张,主要来源于林地、荒漠和盐碱地;新增草地以山地裸地和山前荒漠的转变为主;林地主要转变为中游的耕地和城乡工矿居民用地及上游的草地和裸地;城乡工矿居民用地的增加主要来自荒漠、耕地和林地;未利用地变化以向人工绿洲土地类型的转变为主。(3)上游土地利用变化主要受气候变化的影响,降水量增加可能是冰川积雪面积扩张的主要原因;中游人类活动密集,耕地和城乡工矿居民用地扩张,荒漠植被退化;下游受气候和人类活动共同作用,尾闾湖泊萎缩,河岸和湖周植被退化。     

深圳市大鹏半岛土地利用变化对植被覆盖动态的影响

城市化背景下的植被覆盖动态研究对于区域生态保护工作具有重要的指导意义.利用深圳市1995-2007年的遥感数据以及1996和2007年土地变更调查资料,基于归一化植被指数轨迹追踪分析和叠图代数计算方法,对大鹏半岛植被覆盖动态类型及其空间分异、土地利用变化结构和格局特征以及土地利用变化与植被覆盖动态之间的响应关系进行研究.结果表明：1995-2007年,研究区65%的地区植被覆盖发生显著改变,植被覆盖状况总体趋于好转;城市化和商品农业发展是该区土地利用动态变化的主要成因,研究时段内31%的地表发生了用地功能转变;土地利用变化是区内植被覆盖发生改变的重要成因之一,约35%的植被覆盖出现退降过程区域与土地功能转变有关;55%的用地功能转变区域因机械干扰导致植被覆盖退化,但至研究期末,大多数退化区域已经进入植被覆盖显著改善阶段.     

2000—2015年西南地区土地利用与植被覆盖的时空变化

西南地区是我国重要的生态资源区和生态脆弱区,在国家“绿水青山”战略发展中具有重要地位。本研究基于1 km空间分辨率的土地利用数据集,结合土地利用转移矩阵,定量分析2000—2015年间西南地区土地利用变化特征及其驱动力。并基于MODIS遥感植被指数,利用像元二分模型计算西南地区植被覆盖度,分析归一化植被指数(NDVI)和植被覆盖度的变化规律。结果表明: 研究期间,西南地区的主要地类是林地、农田和草地。建设用地面积增加5874 km²,增长率为55.8%;农田面积减少最多,下降6211 km²,其次是草地,减少2099 km²。2000—2015年间,西南地区建设用地的转入面积最多,主要由农田(贡献率68.2%)、林地(贡献率19.2%)和草地(贡献率13.1%)转化而来,转化的区域多靠近城区。农田的转出面积和转出率分别为7079 km²和2.2%,占所有转出类型面积的46.0%。林地多由草地(贡献率61.8%)转化而来,转化区域多分布在贵州中南部和云南西部等地。全区NDVI和植被覆盖度均呈显著增加趋势,说明研究区整体呈变绿趋势。其中,自然植被和农田的NDVI均显著增长,建设用地扩张地区的NDVI下降,说明自然植被和农田主导了该地区植被变化。通过残差分析发现,气候变化和人类活动对研究区变绿趋势的贡献显著。     

Tree line shifts in the Swiss Alps: Climate change or land abandonment?

Questions: Did the forest area in the Swiss Alps increase between 1985 and 1997? Does the forest expansion near the tree line represent an invasion into abandoned grasslands (ingrowth) or a true upward shift of the local tree line? What land cover / land use classes did primarily regenerate to forest, and what forest structural types did primarily regenerate? And, what are possible drivers of forest regeneration in the tree line ecotone, climate and/or land use change? Location: Swiss Alps. Methods: Forest expansion was quantified using data from the repeated Swiss land use statistics GEOSTAT. A moving window algorithm was developed to distinguish between forest ingrowth and upward shift. To test a possible climate change influence, the resulting upward shifts were compared to a potential regional tree line. Results: A significant increase of forest cover was found between 1650 m and 2450 m. Above 1650 m, 10% of the new forest areas were identified as true upward shifts whereas 90% represented ingrowth, and we identified both land use and climate change as likely drivers. Most upward shift activities were found to occur within a band of 300 m below the potential regional tree line, indicating land use as the most likely driver. Only 4% of the upward shifts were identified to rise above the potential regional tree line, thus indicating climate change. Conclusions: Land abandonment was the most dominant driver for the establishment of new forest areas, even at the tree line ecotone. However, a small fraction of upwards shift can be attributed to the recent climate warming, a fraction that is likely to increase further if climate continues to warm, and with a longer time‐span between warming and measurement of forest cover.     

基于长时间序列landsat数据的科尔沁沙地土地利用演变分析

以科尔沁沙地沙丘-草甸过渡带区域主要土地覆被类型为研究对象,以1987-2017年多时相Landsat TM/OLI遥感影像解译分类为基础,参考生态学植被演替研究方法,系统分析研究区30年来的土地利用/覆被动态演变规律,研究结果表明：（1）决策树法在复杂下垫面不同覆被类型的同步识别效果较好,所有影像分类精度均达到88%以上,分类效果较好,其中2017年分类精度最高为95.24%,达到了分类研究的要求;（2）研究区存在着"半灌丛-草甸地-灌丛"的植被结构特征,且整体表现为"南进北退"的变化趋势。结合土地利用动态度分析结果表明人类活动干涉下,研究区整体上遵循了半干旱区植被条件改善的一般规律,侧面反映该研究区域生态环境的持续不稳定性和脆弱性;（3）研究区覆被类型发生变化的总面积达到2623.59 hm²,总变化强度为63.76%。其中正向演替的比例为52.61%,以半灌丛面积的持续减小与沙地草甸面积的持续扩张为主要变化特征。但同时,半灌丛转为沙地的面积为184.95 hm²,表明以放牧为主的研究区同时发生着局部的逆行演变;（4）质心迁移结果反映了1987-2017年间,除人为影响较大的林地、草地以及耕地向北迁移外,其他植被类型的质心都有很明显的南迁,主要植被类型重心迁移距离依次由大到小为耕地 > 半灌丛 > 灌丛 > 沙地草甸 > 湿地草甸 > 林地。研究通过记录科尔沁沙地连续扩展的时空模式,展示了遥感-生态和时间序列影像在30 m分辨率下跟踪土地利用/覆被变化的潜力,为提高干旱半干旱区土地利用情况的动态监测效率,开展土地利用/覆被动态演变研究提供参考。     

Across the grain: Multi-scale map comparison and land change assessment

Changes in the spatial distribution of land cover and land use can have significant impacts on ecological processes at multiple scales; estimating these changes provides critical data for both monitoring and understanding land-use effects on these processes. One approach to mapping landcover changes, particularly useful over longer periods of time, is comparison of existing landcover maps, (post-classification change analysis). The accuracy of these maps is often unknown and varies depending on data sources and interpretation techniques; therefore, separating change on the ground from differences attributable to sensors and methods is both critical and problematic. Through a novel map comparison method applying major axis regression at multiple spatial grains of analysis, this study partitioned accuracy into components of bias and precision in comparing maps, which aided selection of an optimal analytical grain size. Comparisons between contemporaneous maps showed the magnitude and distribution of error alone, while between-period analyses indicated both cumulative map error and change on the ground. These methods enable exploration of the nature of error and identification of differences between maps, while accounting for the imprecision and bias inherent in the source documents. Mapping landcover change delineates landscapes under recent disturbance pressure, and these measures are more effective as performance indicators for broad-scale evaluation of natural heritage policies and habitat restoration initiatives when error in the data is identified and accounted for.     

新疆焉耆盆地人类活动与气候变化的效应机制

通过对新疆焉耆盆地及其周边近40a(1973—2014)的气候变化趋势检测、LUCC和生物量估算,探讨气候变化和人类活动的生态效应机制,研究区域陆地生态系统演变及其归因。分析结果表明:(1)焉耆盆地山区和平原区降水变化都有明显的突变点,并呈现增加趋势,蒸发量在山区减少,在平原区波动性减少趋势;(2)LUCC分析表明,山区裸地面积减少5.40%,冰川面积减少3.36%,高地植被面积增加8.76%;同时平原区天然绿洲面积增加1.96%,沙漠面积减少1.62%,水域面积减少1.30%,人工绿洲面积增加15.41%,湿地面积增加1.27%;(3)山区陆地生态系统对区域气候变化非常敏感,其中降水变化是决定山区地表植被生存状态和分布的重要因素;(4)人类活动的推动作用和有益气候变化的支撑是绿洲平原区生态系统好转的原因,其中人口急剧增加和社会经济快速发展,导致绿洲平原区生态系统结构及其时空分布的主要因素。焉耆盆地及其周围区域陆地生态系统的演变对气候变化和人类活动有明显的时空尺度效应,其反应程度各不相同。     

Optimal conservation planning of multiple hydrological ecosystem services under land use and climate changes in Teshio river watershed,northernmost of Japan

Most anthropogenic activities impacted on water quality and quantity, and further impacted on ecosystem services (ESs) in watershed are related to land use and climate changes those may cause losses of ecosystem functions. Effective information regarding ESs and their optimal priority conservation planning responded to land use and climate changes provide useful support for diverse stakeholders in ESs planning, management and policies. This study integrated the approach of spatially explicit ESs (water yield, inorganic nutrient, organic nutrient and sediment retentions) by using hydrology and material flow model (Soil and Water Assessment Tools, SWAT model) into systematic conservation of hydrological ESs according to land use and climate changes in Teshio watershed located in the north of Hokkaido, Japan. We investigated the spatial patterns and the hotspots of ESs changes to determine the spatial pattern of changes in systematic conservation optimal area of ES protection in terms of ESs protection targets. Under the land use and climate change scenarios, the forest land use significantly affected on the water yield, sediment, organic-Nitrogen (N) and organic-Phosphorous (P) retentions. The agricultural land (paddy and farmland fields) impacted on the inorganic-N and inorganic-P retentions. We applied the systematic conservation model (MARXAN model) to optimize the area for management of hydrological ESs satisfied the protection targets (30% and 50% of potential maximum ESs values among all scenarios) in all and individual ecosystem services, respectively. The simulated results indicated that the areas of spatial optimal ESs protection for all hydrological ESs were totally different from those for individual ESs. For bundles of ESs, the optimal priority conservation areas concentrated in southwest, north, and southeast of this watershed, which are related to land use, topography and climate driving factors. These places could guarantee ESs sustainability from both environmental protection and agricultural development standpoints. The priority conservation area turned more compact under climate change because the increased precipitation and temperature increased ESs amount. For individual ESs, the optimal priority conservation areas of water yield, sediment retention and organic nutrient retention were traded off against those of inorganic nutrient retention (lower Jaccard's indexes and negative correlations of selection times). Especially, the negative correlation of selection times increased as the conservation target increased from 30% to 50%. The proposed approach provided useful information for assessing the responses of ESs and systematic conservation optimal planning to the land use and climate changes. The systematic conservation optimal areas of hydrological ESs provided an effective trade-off tool between environmental protection (sediment and organic nutrient retentions) and economic development (water yield and inorganic nutrient retention).     

Landslides and Their Contribution to Land‐cover Change in the Mountains of Mexico and Central America1

Landsliding is a natural process influencing montane ecosystems, particularly in areas with elevated rainfall and seismic activity. Yet, to date, little effort has been made to quantify the contribution of this process to land‐cover change. Focusing on the mountains of Mexico and Central America (M‐CA), we estimated the contribution of landsliding to land‐cover change at two scales. At the scale of M‐CA, we classified the terrain into major landforms and entered in a GIS historical data on earthquake‐ and rainfall‐triggered landslides. At the scale of the Sierra de Las Minas of Guatemala, we investigated Landsat TM data to map rainfall‐triggered landslides. During the past 110 yr, >136,200 ha of land in the mountains of M‐CA have been affected by landslides, which translates into disturbance rates exceeding 0.317 percent/century. In Sierra de Las Minas, rainfall associated with hurricane Mitch affected 1765 ha of forest, or equivalently, landslides triggered by storms of this magnitude transformed between 0.196 (return time of 500 yr) and 1.290 (return time of 75 yr) percent of forest/century. Although landsliding results in smaller rates of land‐cover change than deforestation, we hypothesize that it has a stronger impact on ecosystems, both in qualitative and quantitative terms, given its influence on vegetation and soil. Moreover, interactions between landsliding and deforestation may be altering the expression of this complex process such that the few protected areas in the mountains of M‐CA may represent the only possibility for the conservation of this process.     

Reclaiming Degraded Rainforest: A Spatial Evaluation of Gains and Losses in Subtropical Eastern Australia to Inform Future Investment in Restoration

Forest restoration is expected to play a pivotal role in reducing extinctions driven by deforestation and climate change over the next century. However, spatial and temporal patterns of restoration (both passive and active) are likely to be highly variable depending on degree of land use change as well as levels of forest and soil degradation and residual vegetation. Uncertainties regarding the spatial and temporal reinstatement of forest on degraded land make it difficult to determine where future investment in active restoration should be targeted. We used satellite data to quantify change in the extent and foliage projection cover (FPC) of woody vegetation returning to land previously cleared of subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia. We show a modest recovery of woody vegetation but document high variability in this trend between local areas, expanding by over 5% in some situations but declining by up to 2% in others over the last decade (1999–2009 period). This was accompanied by minor change in average FPC (?0.2 to 4.2%). Overall, decadal expansion in woody vegetation was most apparent in local areas with intermediate levels of existing forest reestablishment and was most likely to occur on steep terrain near existing vegetation. These results provide a valuable first evaluation of where restoration is occurring and the likely time frame required to meet conservation objectives under a business as usual scenario. This knowledge enables returns from current investment to be quantified and can be used to better allocate funds for restoration in the future.     

Extreme land-cover and biodiversity change as an outcome of land abandonment on a Mediterranean island (eastern Adriatic)

Understanding land abandonment and the resulting changes in land cover provides data for suitable reaction to habitat and species losses this process brings. This study aimed to define land-cover types and their biodiversity, record spatio-temporal changes and detect the trajectories and magnitude of these changes. The study was conducted on the island of Molat in the eastern Adriatic Sea. Land cover was defined for different years (1910, 1959, 1986, 2006) using remote sensing and recent vegetation sampling. The obtained land-cover maps were used for spatio-temporal analysis of land-cover change. Open vegetation units of rocky grassland, mesophilous grasslands and farm land dominated in 1910, covering 90% of the island. The observed changes occurred in trajectories through semi-open towards closed vegetation. In 2006, closed vegetation dominated, covering approximately 70% of the island area. The overall land-cover change was extreme, occurring over 90% of the island surface. Biodiversity analysis was related to the present land-cover types and change trajectories, and showed a considerable decline of species richness towards closed vegetation types. All observed changes were correlated to island depopulation and land abandonment. Re-population and encouragement of agro-pastoral activities should reduce habitat and species loss in the process of secondary succession.     

An Untidy Cover: Invasion of Bracken Fern in the Shifting Cultivation Systems of Southern Yucatán, Mexico

In land change science studies, a cover type is defined by land surface attributes, specifically including the types of vegetation, topography and human structures, which makes it difficult to characterize land cover as discrete classes. One of the challenges in characterizing a land-cover type is to distinguish variability within the class from actual land-cover transformation. The spread of plant invasions in tropical systems is affected by seasonal variations and disturbances such as agricultural activities and fires, making it difficult to determine the spread through thematic classifications. In this paper, we estimate the changes in spatial extent and seasonal variation of bracken fern invasion in Southern Yucatán from 1989 to 2005 by using a linear mixture model (LMM), a widely used method in the classification of remotely sensed data. The results show an increase in areas affected by bracken from 40 km² in 1989 to almost 80 km² in 2000. Lower estimates of the invasion resulted from data acquired at the end of the dry season (March–May), when bracken mixes with secondary vegetation or is removed by fires. The accuracy of the maps is estimated through the use of sketch maps of farmer's parcels and field data collected from 2000 to 2001. Understanding the spatial distribution and annual variability of bracken fern cover in the region is critical to determining the relation between disturbances such as fire and forest recovery. Using LMM may enhance this understanding by giving a more accurate picture of the extent and distribution of bracken fern invasion.
Abstract in Spanish is available at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/btp     

基于土地覆盖和NDVI变化的拉萨河流域生境质量评估

气候变化和人类活动导致的土地覆盖和植被变化都会对生境质量产生影响。青藏高原是众多珍稀高原动植物的栖息地,具有重要的生物多样性维持价值。拉萨河流域是青藏高原经济最发达、人口最密集的核心地区,人类活动对生境质量带来的胁迫和压力持续增加。为揭示近些年来土地覆盖和植被变化对拉萨河流域生境质量的影响,选择生长季NDVI作为植被变化的指示因子,通过对不同植被类型各年份的生境适宜度进行修正,利用In VEST模型评估了拉萨河流域1990—2015年的生境质量时空变化。研究结果表明,1990—2015年拉萨河流域土地覆盖变化整体相对较小,其中人工表面和湿地面积增幅相对较大,分别为82.65%和32.40%;土地覆盖变化的转移方向主要为稀疏草地转化为草原和草甸、耕地转化为人工表面以及冰川/积雪转化为荒地。植被变化方面,1990—2000年,除流域中上游的裸岩、裸土地区和念青唐古拉山地区外,流域NDVI整体有较显著上升;而2000年以后略有下降。从生境质量的空间分布来看,高质量生境主要分布在流域下游、念青唐古拉山南侧河谷地区以及拉萨河源头等地区,低质量生境主要分布在拉萨市市辖区及周边、林周县县城及周边,以及流域中上游的荒地等地区。从时间变化上来看,1990—2000年,拉萨河流域整体生境质量指数从0.51上升到0.57; 2010年和2015年整体生境质量指数分别为0.56和0.55,较2000年略有下降。相比于土地覆盖变化,NDVI对生境质量变化的影响更为显著。     

Suitability index for restoration in landscapes: An alternative proposal for restoration projects

Forest fragmentation constitutes one of the main consequences of land cover change worldwide. Through this process gaps in habitat coverage are created and the ability of populations in the remaining fragments to maintain themselves is put in doubt. Hence, two options need to be considered: conserving the remaining forest fragments, and restoring habitat in some deforested patches with the aim of reestablishing the connections among the fragments. We established a mathematical index (SIR) that describes the suitability of individual habitat patches for restoration within a landscape. The index considers classes of distances among fragments and categories of habitat quality in the areas surrounding the fragments to assess habitat quality in terms of probability of dispersal and survival of propagules (especially seeds and cutting). In the present study, we created detailed maps depicting SIR values for two periods (1988 and 2011) for Sorocaba region (São Paulo State, Brazil). We derived land cover maps from satellite images for the two years of our study, and then surveyed the transition of land cover categories and landscape metrics between years. A model for the SIR was created using a map of distance classes among fragments and also a map of habitat quality established according to each land cover category. For both 1988 and 2011, pasture was the predominant land cover category. The main land cover transitions were from pasture to urban (10.6%) and from pasture to forest fragments (13.4%). Although the land cover class “wood sites” increased, the data of SIR revealed that the areas of habitat categorized as excellent and good both decreased, while habitat classes categorized as poor and very poor increased. Our model has the potential to be applied to other regions where the forest is fragmented. Hence, local policy makers will be able to use this model to determine local patches of high value for conservation and also the most ideal locations for restoration projects.     

Mapping and monitoring of coastal wetlands of Çukurova Delta in the Eastern Mediterranean region

The aim of this research was to link vegetation characteristics, such as spatial and temporal distribution, and environmental variables, with land cover information derived from remotely sensed satellite images of the Eastern Mediterranean coastal wetlands of Turkey. The research method was based on (i) recording land cover characteristics by means of a vegetation indicator, and (ii) classifying and mapping coastal wetlands utilizing a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) image of Çukurova Deltas in Turkey. Vegetation characteristics of various habitats, such as sand dunes, salt marshes, salty plains and afforestation areas, were identified by field surveys. A Landsat TM image of 4 July 1993 was pre-processed and then classified using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) algorithm and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). As a result of this supervised classification, the land cover types were classified with a largest accuracy of 90.2% by ANN. The classified satellite sensor imagery was linked to vegetation and bird census data, which were available through literature in a Geographical Information System (GIS) environment to determine the spatial distribution of plant and bird biodiversity in this coastal wetland. The resulting data provide an important baseline for further investigations such as monitoring, change detections and designing conservation policies in this coastal ecosystem.     

Mountain vegetation change quantification using surface landscape metrics in Lancang watershed,China

Land cover and vegetation change are among the most important aspects of environmental change. Vegetation change can be quantified by landscape pattern indices (LPI). Landscape indices are routinely calculated using planar land use/land cover (LU/LC) maps, obtained by the projection of a non-flat landscape surface into a two-dimensional Cartesian space. Especially in mountainous areas, quantification on planar maps can lead to underestimation of vegetation and land cover changes. Hoechstetter et al. (2008) developed a method to compute LPIs in a surface structure by calculating landscape patch surface area and surface perimeter from digital elevation models (DEM). As yet there have been no applications of these surface landscape indices on land use/land cover and vegetation change quantification. The objectives of this study are to (1) choose a LPI method (surface metrics pattern analysis or common planimetric metrics pattern analysis) for vegetation change quantification; and (2) employ the selected surface LPI method to assess vegetation pattern change in two mountainous areas of the Lancang watershed, Yunnan Province, China. The results show that the surface approach to estimate changes of class area (CA), mean patch area (MPA), and mean Euclidean Near-Neighbor distance (MENN) may obtain more accurate results for quantifying vegetation change in steep mountain areas. Forest fragmentation increased significantly over time in the two different mountainous study areas. The patches of two land cover classes, (i) agricultural land and (ii) low density forest and tall shrubs, became more aggregated in the northern (temperate) study area. In the southern (tropical) study area, rubber plantations increased considerably in size and became more aggregated.     

Nesting distribution of vultures in relation to land use in Swaziland

Three species of vulture (African White-backed, White-headed and Lappet-faced) breed in Swaziland, all of which are threatened within the country. Vulture nests were surveyed using a fix-winged aircraft in low-lying savannas of Swaziland. Nesting was observed in three land use categories: (1) unprotected government cattle ranches, (2) protected cattle ranches, and (3) conservation areas. A total of 248 nests was recorded, of which 240 belonged to the African White-backed Vulture. Nesting densities were highest in conservation areas, an order of magnitude lower on protected cattle ranches and negligible on government ranches. Nests of White-headed Vultures and Lappet-faced Vultures were exclusively located in conservation areas. Nesting densities of African White-backed Vultures in some conservation areas exceeded 260 nests/100 km², which are the highest known densities of this species anywhere in Africa. Nests were almost exclusively located in riparian vegetation, but at Hlane National Park a large proportion of nests were placed in open woodland, possibly as a result of an influx of vultures from adjoining agricultural lands that have only been transformed in recent decades. Where elephants were present in conservation areas, vultures did not nest within their enclosures. The location and density of vulture nests may possibly be used as an indicator of pressure on biological resources in low-lying savannas of Swaziland.     

Impact of land use changes on mountain vegetation

Abstract. In this study the impact of land use changes on vegetation in the sub‐alpine‐alpine belt is analysed. The study sites (4.7 km²) are located in the Passeier Valley (South Tyrol, Italy), at an elevation of 1500–2300 m a.s.l. The whole study area was used for hay‐making ca. 60 yr ago. Today, part of the meadows are more intensively used, while other parts have been converted to pasture or have been abandoned. We analysed the reasons for these land use changes and the effects on vegetation with a Geographical Information System and geostatistical analysis. The result of these analyses are: (1) Current land use is mainly controlled by the degree of accessibility for vehicles. Accessible areas are being used more and more intensively, while poorly accessible areas are being abandoned or used as pasture. (2) Current vegetation is highly determined by current land use. Particular vegetation units can be assigned to each form of land use. (3) Succession starts immediately after abandonment. Depending on altitude, succession proceeds at different speeds and with different numbers of stages. Hence the type of vegetation indicates the time passed since abandonment. (4) Land use changes lead to characteristic changes in vegetation; they are considered to be the most important driving force for vegetation change. (5) Measures of intensification and abandonment of extensively used areas both lead to a decrease in the number of species.