Land degradation is one of the severe environmental problems in China. In order to combat land degradation, a soil conservation program was introduced since 2000 to reduce soil erosion by converting slope-cultivated land into forestry and pasture. This paper represents the first systematic attempt to investigate the impact of the soil conservation program on land degradation in the loess platea...

Forests are a critical component of the planet’s ecosystem. Unfortunately, there has been significant degradation in forest cover over recent decades as a result of logging, conversion to crop, plantation, and pasture land, or disasters (natural or man made) such as forest fires, floods, and hurricanes. As a result, significant attention is being given to the sustainable use of forests. A key t...

In the present study it was evaluated density of recruits in an area previously occupied by Urochloa brizantha pasture undergoing forest restoration and a Semideciduous Forest. Was effect available light on biomass exotic grass, investigated associations recruit with soil variables understory availability. The seed rain both areas also evaluated. U. positively associated and, negative associati...

In order to quantify real time pasture biomass from SAR image, regression model between ground measurements of biomass and ENVISAT ASAR backscattering coefficient should be built up. An important prerequisite of valid and accurate regression model is accurate grass backscattering coefficient which, however, cannot be obtained when there is speckle. Speckle noise is the best known problem of SAR...

Although seasonal and temporal variations in evapotranspiration (ET) in Amazonia have been studied based upon flux-tower data and coarse resolution satellite-based models, ET dynamics over human-impacted landscapes are highly uncertain in this region. In this study, we estimate ET rates from critical land cover types over highly fragmented landscapes in the southern Amazon and characterize the ...

In Maranhão State, Brazil, soils are naturally acidic, nutrient-deficient, and prone to cohesion erosion. Removing the natural cover establish pastures causes physical, chemical, biological changes in soil. Therefore, this study aimed evaluate contents stocks of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), particle-size fractions soil organic matter (SOM) with different years recovery, compare them a secondary fo...

This paper examines changes in carbon (C) pools associated with land-use, synthesizing data from two experiments dealing with different aspects of tree plantation establishment in Central Panamá. First, we analysed soil profiles in a grazed pasture and an adjacent 5-year-old teak (Tectona grandis) plantation. There were small differences in soil C mass in the top 10 cm of the pasture and the pl...

Twenty-three kiwi were radio-tracked for 16-116 weeks in a Northland reserve. Eighty-three percent of the kiwi made use of the numerous forest remnants scattered over farmland outside the reserve. All remnants isolated by up to 80 m of pasture were used by kiwi. The maximum distance kiwi walked between forest remnants was 330 m. Longer migrations of up to 1.2 km from the reserve were made by ki...