Tradeoffanalysis of the pork supply and food security under the influence of African swine fever and the COVID-19 outbreak in China

China is the world’s largest consumer of pork and grains.However,African swine fever(ASF)and the COVID-19 outbreak have greatly impacted the pork supply and food security in China.How can food security and the pork supply be ensured under the dual impacts of COVID-19 and ASF?This is a major problem to be urgently solved by the Chinese government.This study indicated that the main pork production and sales areas in China were separated,which reflected the spatial imbalance between the supply and demand.The total area of suitable selected sites for pig farms in China is 21.5 million ha.If only the areas with levels of high and moderate suitability are considered as potential sites for pig farms,the potential pork production can reach 56.1 million tons in China,which is slightly lower than demand.Due to the impact of the ASF epidemic,the food consumed by pigs has been reduced by 34.7 million tons.However,with increasing pork productivity in the future,the self-sufficiency rate of grains may further decline.On the premise that the quality of people’s life is not affected,the diversification of meat supply channels should be realized in an orderly and sustainable way,which might alleviate the pressure on food supply.This study provides a theoretical reference for the spatiotemporal layout of the swine industry and addresses the issue of food security in China under the influence of ASF and the COVID-19 outbreak.

An Assessment of Authorized Car Wash Site Suitability Using a GIS-Based Modeling in Khartoum City, Sudan

The goal of this study is to assess the ability of existing car washing stations in Khartoum City using an ArcMap suitability modeling tool. Methods: In Khartoum, an increasing number of vehicle wash stations were opened every day. The main criteria are street, the slope, the hospitals, the police station, and the school, which have been used to build a model of suitability based on weight overlay in ArcGIS 10.4. The findings revealed two evaluation tendencies. One tendency involves business centers that are located on main roads but are adjacent to residential areas, while another involves business centers that have rezoned residential plots without consideration for ideal site requirements for the environment. There are locations that would be appropriate for vehicle wash centers, according to the final suitability map. On a scale of 1 to 5, less than 30% of the study area is considered suitable for a new car wash regarding class 5. On the other hand, significant areas are available for car wash development in the second value of suitability 4, but as second-ranked suitability. The assessment was accomplished by comparing the final suitability map of car washing centers to the layers which represented them.

Daylighting the Role of Soil Ecosystem Services (SoESs) for Climate Change Adaptation

Soil plays a critical role in providing various Ecosystem Services (ESs) that are beneficial to humanity. Services such as clean air, water, and food production are directly or indirectly provided through soils. The soil ecosystem is considered as the most important Carbon (C) sink in terrestrial systems, and human activities, particularly land use, impact ESs and increase carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Mapping ESs and assessing the risks associated with climate-related hydro-meteorological hazards and soil degradation can contribute to making spatial decisions for planning more climate-resilient. Indeed, strategies based on soil ecosystem services provide valuable insight for enhancing the resilience of spatial decision-making in adapting to climate change. The aim of this article is to illuminate the significance of SoES in the spatial planning decision-making for better integration and adaptation into climate change adaptation policies as a decision support tool. In this regard, ESs related to climate change were highlighted and mapped, and their suitability for settlement development decisions and relation with ESs’ integrity were assessed through weighted multi-criteria analysis, while discussing the contributions of this process to climate change adaptation. Incorporating Social-Ecological Systems (SoESs) factors into suitability analysis is crucial for comprehensive urban planning, particularly in the context of climate change adaptation and environmental protection. In this study, two settlement suitability analyses were conducted. The first analysis considered various factors, such as land use, soil classification, DEM (Digital Elevation Model), and slope. The second analysis utilized weighted climate-related SoES indicators, including soil depth, soil carbon sequestration capacity, soil loss, flood risk, temperature, and precipitation. The results revealed that the SoES-based suitability analysis was more stringent in identifying suitable areas for urban development and offered a more holistic perspective for urban planners.

Ecological planning of land use in the central area of Tianjin,China

This paper is attempted to develop a set of suitable principles and methodologies for urban ecological planning of land use,to analyze the ecological suitability of different kinds of land use patterns of Tianjin City, to help local decision makers to work out concrete ecological strategies for promoting a sound development of the city and for improving the life quality of the citizens, and to provide the decision makers with a new approach for solving the environmental problems brought about by the improper mixture of industry and residence.

Spatial Identification of Potential Dump Disposal Sites for Effective Waste Management in the Sunyani Municipality, Ghana

One daunting task faced by waste managers is to appropriately identify safe sites for waste disposal and this study combined expert knowledge, field observations and GIS-based modelbuilder to model and identify suitable dumpsites. Overview of the study area confirmed the random siting of dumpsites that poses threat to environmental safety. Land use and land cover classification produced an overall accuracy of 81.97% with kappa coefficient = 0.78, which was employed in the suitability search criteria. Other key derived parameters vital for safe dumpsite locations were distances to catchment > 100 m, distances to water bodies > 100 m, soil characteristics—clayey, topology (slope of 2 and 4) and geology—Granitoids. The weightings (%) obtained for the key parameters were: water = 32, connection to catchment area = 28, topology = 23, soil = 10 and geology = 7. The exclusion criteria and suitability analysis, based on assigned suitable values from the key weighted parameters in the modelbuilder, produced a map of potential waste disposal sites rating them as most suitable, suitable and less suitable for the Sunyani Municipality. The model for the site identification could be used as a guideline to provide first and quick impression on potential waste disposal sites for stakeholders in waste management. The suitable sites give an indicator for sites with the least possible environmental impact. The study however recommends that for specific locations, further in-depth research be done to suit site-specific conditions in order to improve accuracy.

Development of a brownfield inventory for prioritizing funding outreach in Tucson,Arizona

Fear of liability from the 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation,and Liability Act(CERCLA or Superfund)has prompted developers to build preferentially upon undeveloped green space rather than potentially contaminated former industrial sites,leading to urban sprawl in the suburban areas while blighted properties in the urban core remain vacant.A brownfield is defined as a property in which the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance or contaminant poses a barrier to development.Agencies often create brownfield inventories by performing a site suitability analysis,using distinguishing features such as ecolo-gically and culturally significant areas or neighborhoods that need revitalizing.Pima County,Arizona and the Sonora Environmental Research Institute,Inc.(SERI)developed a brownfield inventory of the large,industrial area directly to the west of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.Because the brownfield target area has few residential neighborhoods and lacks the distinguish-ing features usually used in a brownfield site suitability analysis,the county and SERI used the official tax assessor database and 11 federal,state and county environmental databases to develop a brownfield inventory.The goal of the project was to prioritize properties that stood to benefit from the grant funding.The final brownfield inventory contained 531 parcels.