Ecosystem services are the aspects of the environment utilized to produce human well-being and are key elements of landscape sustainability. Increasingly, measures of ecosystem services are being incorporated into conservation decision making. However, a framework for evaluating systematic conservation planning ranked selection scenarios with indicators of ecosystem services has not been developed. Using the Central Texas counties of Blanco, Burnet, Hays, Llano, San Saba, and Travis as a study, a suite of spatially explicit modeling tools, Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST), are used to quantify carbon storage, soil conservation, and water provision. A fourth service metric, ecosystem richness, is derived using Texas Parks and Wildlife ecological systems classification data. The values of these four services are then used to evaluate four conservation scenarios, developed in conjunction with a local conservation non-profit, Hill Country Conservancy (HCC), and derived using Marxan decision-support software. The evaluation process consists of both geographic information system (GIS) and statistical analysis. GIS based overlay analysis is used to identify areas of multiple ecosystem service overlap. Spearman correlation tables are used to test the spatial relationship among ecosystem services, as well as the relationship among each of the four conservation scenarios. Wilcox-Mann-Whitney U tests (WMW) are used to assess the statistical significance of each scenario’s ecosystem service values as compared to the values of a random control scenario. The results of this work reinforce the findings that there is often significant variability in the spatial congruence of multiple ecosystem services and their provision across a landscape. This work also supports the conclusion that the targeting of ecological phenomena for conservation concurrently targets areas supporting multiple ecosystem services. More distinctively, the results verify the capacity of ecosystem service indicators to effectively inform an iterative systematic conservation planning process. At the local landscape-scale, this work provides HCC with defensible support of their conservation decisions based not only on organizational priorities, but also on ecosystem service values. More broadly, this work provides a framework for evaluating conservation scenarios with spatially explicit values of ecosystem services which can be replicated across a wide range of project scales and objectives. / text

A sustentabilidade da paisagem trata-se de um tema central no que se refere às questões de conservação e desenvolvimento de paisagens altamente antropizadas. Está embasada nos conceitos tradicionais de desenvolvimento sustentável, que visam balancear o desenvolvimento humano com a proteção ambiental, pautada na equidade intra e extra-geração. Considera, ainda, os conceitos de bem-estar humano nesta esfera. Paralelamente, os conceitos de serviços ecossistêmicos reconhecem a dependência das atividades antrópicas e seu bem-estar à qualidade dos ecossistemas, reacendendo os debates sobre capital natural e desenvolvimento sustentável. Neste contexto, este trabalho aborda a sustentabilidade da paisagem questionando a potencialidade dos remanescentes florestais em fornecer, de maneira equilibrada, diferentes serviços ecossistêmicos na bacia do rio Corumbataí. Para isso, o trabalho foi dividido em duas etapas. A primeira buscou analisar questões de demanda e oferta por múltiplos serviços ecossistêmicos (controle de erosão, regulação hídrica, regulação microclimática, informação estética e qualidade de habitat). Isso baseado em indicadores da paisagem, como a dinâmica do uso do solo e padrões do meio físico e antrópico. A segunda investigou a viabilidade de integrar o sinergismo entre os serviços de controle de erosão e qualidade de habitat às prioridades de conservação e restauração florestal. Isso baseado no cenário atual da paisagem e por meio de diferentes simulações de incremento em 10% da cobertura florestal na paisagem, inserindo florestas nos locais de alta erodibilidade (situação criteriosa) ou de forma randômica. Os resultados demonstraram que, apesar do aumento de 60% na cobertura florestal durante os últimos 30 anos, apenas 37% das florestas possuem alto potencial para ofertar serviços ecossistêmicos e que, quando ponderadas perante as demandas da paisagem, apenas 20% das florestas encontram-se em equilíbrio. Além disso, foi verificado sinergismo entre os serviços de controle de erosão e qualidade de habitat em aproximadamente 80% da cobertura florestal. No entanto, nos cenários de restauração florestal, o sinergismo foi alcançado em todas as situações, sejam elas criteriosas ou randômicas. Deste modo, ficou evidente o limite das florestas e áreas protegidas como potenciais prestadoras de serviços ecossistêmicos na paisagem. Também ficou evidente que, em paisagens com alto grau de fragmentação e baixa proporção florestal, os processos de restauração não necessariamente devem almejar o sinergismo entre serviços ecossistêmicos. Por fim, atribui-se grande importância ao papel das áreas agrícolas e pastagens para compensar demandas, restaurar serviços ecossistêmicos, almejando, portanto, a sustentabilidade da paisagem. / Landscape sustainability is a central theme regarding conservation and development issues in highly disturbed landscapes. It is grounded in traditional concepts of sustainable development, aimed at balancing human development with environmental protection, based on intra and extra-generation equity. It also considers the human welfare concepts in this sphere. At the same time, the concepts of ecosystem services recognize the dependence of human activities and their wellbeing related to the quality of ecosystems, reigniting the debate on natural capital and sustainable development. In this context, this paper addresses the landscape sustainability questioning the capability of remaining forests to provide different ecosystem services in Corumbataí river basin, in a balanced way. For this, the study was divided into two stages. The first one aimed to analyze demand and supply issues for multiple ecosystem services (erosion control, water regulation, microclimate regulation, aesthetic information and habitat quality), based on landscape indicators such as land use dynamics and physical/anthropic patterns. The second one investigated the viability of integrating the synergism between erosion control and habitat quality services for forest conservation and restoration priorities, based on the current landscape and through different simulations, increasing by 10% of forest cover in the landscape setting, inserting forests in high erodibility places (careful situation) or through a random situation. The results showed that despite the increase by 60% in forest cover over the last 30 years, only 37% of the forests hold high potential to offer ecosystem services and, when weighted against the landscape demands, only 20% of the forests are in equilibrium. Furthermore, synergism was observed between the erosion control services and habitat quality in approximately 80% of forest cover. However, in forest restoration scenarios, synergism was achieved in all situations (random or careful). Thus, it was evident the limit of forests and protected areas as potential providers of ecosystem services in the landscape. It was also evident that, in highly fragmented and low forest proportion landscapes, restore processes should not necessarily aim synergism between ecosystem services. Finally, we assign great importance to the role of agricultural land and pastures to offset demands, restoring ecosystem services, aiming thus the sustainability of the landscape.

abstract: This study addresses the landscape connectivity pattern at two different scales. The county-level analysis aims to understand how urban ecosystem structure is likely to evolve in response to the proposed development plans in Maricopa County, Arizona. To identify the spatio-temporal land pattern change, six key landscape metrics were quantified in relative to the urban development scenarios based on the certainty of the proposed urban plans with different level of urban footprints. The effects of future development plans from municipalities on landscape connectivity were then analyzed in the scaled temporal and spatial frame to identify in which urban condition the connectivity value would most likely to decrease. The results demonstrated that tremendous amount of lands will be dedicated to future urbanization, and especially urban agricultural lands will be likely to be vulnerable. The metro-level analysis focuses on a group of species that represent urban desert landscape and have different degrees of fragmentation sensitivity and habitat type requirement. It hypothesizes that the urban habitat patch connectivity is impacted upon by urban density. Two underlying propositions were set: first, lower connectivity is predominant in areas with high urbanization cover; second, landscape connectivity will be impacted largely on the interfaces between urban, suburban, and rural areas. To test this, a GIS-based connectivity modeling was employed. The resultant change in connectivity values was examined for exploring the spatial relation to predefined spatial frames, such as urban, suburban, and rural zones of which boundaries were delineated by buffering method with two criteria of human population density and urban cover proportion. The study outcomes provide a practical guidance to minimize connectivity loss and degradation by informing planners with more optimal alternatives among various policy decisions and implementation. It also gives an inspiration for ecological landscape planning in urbanized or urbanizing regions which can ultimately leads urban landscape sustainability. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Environmental Design and Planning 2011

A sustentabilidade da paisagem trata-se de um tema central no que se refere às questões de conservação e desenvolvimento de paisagens altamente antropizadas. Está embasada nos conceitos tradicionais de desenvolvimento sustentável, que visam balancear o desenvolvimento humano com a proteção ambiental, pautada na equidade intra e extra-geração. Considera, ainda, os conceitos de bem-estar humano nesta esfera. Paralelamente, os conceitos de serviços ecossistêmicos reconhecem a dependência das atividades antrópicas e seu bem-estar à qualidade dos ecossistemas, reacendendo os debates sobre capital natural e desenvolvimento sustentável. Neste contexto, este trabalho aborda a sustentabilidade da paisagem questionando a potencialidade dos remanescentes florestais em fornecer, de maneira equilibrada, diferentes serviços ecossistêmicos na bacia do rio Corumbataí. Para isso, o trabalho foi dividido em duas etapas. A primeira buscou analisar questões de demanda e oferta por múltiplos serviços ecossistêmicos (controle de erosão, regulação hídrica, regulação microclimática, informação estética e qualidade de habitat). Isso baseado em indicadores da paisagem, como a dinâmica do uso do solo e padrões do meio físico e antrópico. A segunda investigou a viabilidade de integrar o sinergismo entre os serviços de controle de erosão e qualidade de habitat às prioridades de conservação e restauração florestal. Isso baseado no cenário atual da paisagem e por meio de diferentes simulações de incremento em 10% da cobertura florestal na paisagem, inserindo florestas nos locais de alta erodibilidade (situação criteriosa) ou de forma randômica. Os resultados demonstraram que, apesar do aumento de 60% na cobertura florestal durante os últimos 30 anos, apenas 37% das florestas possuem alto potencial para ofertar serviços ecossistêmicos e que, quando ponderadas perante as demandas da paisagem, apenas 20% das florestas encontram-se em equilíbrio. Além disso, foi verificado sinergismo entre os serviços de controle de erosão e qualidade de habitat em aproximadamente 80% da cobertura florestal. No entanto, nos cenários de restauração florestal, o sinergismo foi alcançado em todas as situações, sejam elas criteriosas ou randômicas. Deste modo, ficou evidente o limite das florestas e áreas protegidas como potenciais prestadoras de serviços ecossistêmicos na paisagem. Também ficou evidente que, em paisagens com alto grau de fragmentação e baixa proporção florestal, os processos de restauração não necessariamente devem almejar o sinergismo entre serviços ecossistêmicos. Por fim, atribui-se grande importância ao papel das áreas agrícolas e pastagens para compensar demandas, restaurar serviços ecossistêmicos, almejando, portanto, a sustentabilidade da paisagem. / Landscape sustainability is a central theme regarding conservation and development issues in highly disturbed landscapes. It is grounded in traditional concepts of sustainable development, aimed at balancing human development with environmental protection, based on intra and extra-generation equity. It also considers the human welfare concepts in this sphere. At the same time, the concepts of ecosystem services recognize the dependence of human activities and their wellbeing related to the quality of ecosystems, reigniting the debate on natural capital and sustainable development. In this context, this paper addresses the landscape sustainability questioning the capability of remaining forests to provide different ecosystem services in Corumbataí river basin, in a balanced way. For this, the study was divided into two stages. The first one aimed to analyze demand and supply issues for multiple ecosystem services (erosion control, water regulation, microclimate regulation, aesthetic information and habitat quality), based on landscape indicators such as land use dynamics and physical/anthropic patterns. The second one investigated the viability of integrating the synergism between erosion control and habitat quality services for forest conservation and restoration priorities, based on the current landscape and through different simulations, increasing by 10% of forest cover in the landscape setting, inserting forests in high erodibility places (careful situation) or through a random situation. The results showed that despite the increase by 60% in forest cover over the last 30 years, only 37% of the forests hold high potential to offer ecosystem services and, when weighted against the landscape demands, only 20% of the forests are in equilibrium. Furthermore, synergism was observed between the erosion control services and habitat quality in approximately 80% of forest cover. However, in forest restoration scenarios, synergism was achieved in all situations (random or careful). Thus, it was evident the limit of forests and protected areas as potential providers of ecosystem services in the landscape. It was also evident that, in highly fragmented and low forest proportion landscapes, restore processes should not necessarily aim synergism between ecosystem services. Finally, we assign great importance to the role of agricultural land and pastures to offset demands, restoring ecosystem services, aiming thus the sustainability of the landscape.

abstract: The science community has made efforts for over a half century to address sustainable development, which gave birth to sustainability science at the turn of the twenty-first century. Along with the development of sustainability science during the past two decades, a landscape sustainability science (LSS) perspective has been emerging. As interests in LSS continue to grow rapidly, scholars are wondering what LSS is about and how LSS fits into sustainability science, while practitioners are asking how LSS actually contributes to sustainability in the real world. To help address these questions, this dissertation research aims to explore the currently underused problem-driven, diagnostic approach to enhancing landscape sustainability through an empirical example of urbanization-associated farmland loss (UAFL). Based mainly on multimethod analysis of bibliographic information, the dissertation explores conceptual issues such as how sustainability science differs from conventional sustainable development research, and how the past, present, and future research needs of LSS evolve. It also includes two empirical studies diagnosing the issue of urban expansion and the related food security concern in the context of China, and proposes a different problem framing for farmland preservation such that stakeholders can be more effectively mobilized. The most important findings are: (1) Sustainability science is not “old wine in a new bottle,” and in particular, is featured by its complex human-environment systems perspective and value-laden transdisciplinary perspective. (2) LSS has become a vibrant emerging field since 2004-2006 with over three-decade’s intellectual accumulation deeply rooted in landscape ecology, yet LSS has to further embrace the two featured perspectives of sustainability science and to conduct more problem-driven, diagnostic studies of concrete landscape-relevant sustainability concerns. (3) Farmland preservationists’ existing problem framing of UAFL is inappropriate for its invalid causal attribution (i.e., urban expansion is responsible for farmland loss; farmland loss is responsible for decreasing grain production; and decreasing grain production instead of increasing grain demand is responsible for grain self-insufficiency); the real problem with UAFL is social injustice due to collective action dilemma in preserving farmland for regional and global food sufficiency. The present research provides broad implications for landscape scientists, the sustainability research community, and UAFL stakeholders. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2020