Preface

The concept of "land use" refers to humanity's manipulation of the natural environment in the quest for survival. It encompasses socioeconomic, political, and technological activities or decisions that affect the use of land. In this endeavor, several factors have contributed to land use changes that threaten the earth's environment and the survival of humanity. The factors include demographic pressures that lead to overuse and misuse of land resources including urban sprawl and destruction of watersheds; ignorance of the workings of nature that manifest in global warming, air pollution, and ozone layer depletion; tragedy of the commons, which results in overuse and misuse of land resources that are communally owned; humanity's misapprehension of being above rather than part of nature resulting in poor valuation and misuse of land resources; consumerism culture that drives rich nations to overuse or misuse land resources; and poverty that results in irrational exploitation or use of land resources in developing countries. In response, the concept of sustainable development is seen as the antidote to this trend. It involves the application of thoughtful intervention strategies to meet the land resource needs of humanity both in the short and long term without placing life on earth in jeopardy.

Against this background, this book discusses aspects of land use change and sustainability in ways that may generate research ideas. It brings together discussions from leading researchers and scholars in the field of land use change and sustainability from five different countries including the USA, Ethiopia, Guyana, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Based on empirical research and case studies, the book is divided into two sections. The first section is subdivided into four chapters and discusses such issues as land use sustainability in the Northern Great Plains of the USA; effects of rural land use and tenure on sustainable management of mangroves in Corentyne, Guyana; the property formation process in peri-urban areas of Ethiopia; and the effects of green energy production on farmlands in the Yulin County of Taiwan. The second section of the book is divided into two chapters and discusses cases pertaining to land use mapping and sustainability including land cover/land use mapping using soft computing techniques with optimized features; and applying systems analysis to evaluate Jelutung as an option for sustainable use of peat lands in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.

As noted in previous volumes, this book must be seen as a wide brush stroke pointing the way to matters regarding land use change and sustainability because it does not cover every important issue in the discipline. Its strength lies in the fact that it is insightful, thought provoking, concise, and easy to understand. It serves as an important reference material on land use change and sustainability.

> **Seth Appiah-Opoku, Ph.D.** Member, American Institute of Certified Planners, Geography Department, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

**1**

Section 1

Land Use Change and

Sustainability

Section 1
