Land use scenario simulation of mountainous districts based on Dinamica EGO model

Mountainous area makes up 22% of global land, and rational land use in this area is important for sustainable development. Mentougou district has been positioned as an ecological conservation development zone of Beijing and significant land use changes have taken place since 2004. With the combination of GIS and Dinamica EGO(Environment for Geoprocessing Objects) model, the quantitative structure and spatial distribution of land use in Mentougou from 2006 to 2014 are analyzed in this paper. Considering topography has influence on the action mode of driving factors, the research area is divided into two parts based on elevation, mountainous area above 300 m, plain and shallow mountainous area below 300 m. Based on cellular automata theory, the probability of land use change is calculated by Weights of Evidence method and the spatial distribution of land use is simulated by means of two complementary spatial transition functions: Expander and Patcher. Land use pattern of Menougou in 2030 for three kinds of scenarios: trend development, rapid development and ecological protection are simulated. The comparison shows that the trend development scenario is more reasonable based on social, economic and environmental considerations and other scenarios provide a reference for improving irrational land use.

Properties and Characterization of Two Clays Raw Material from Mountain District (West of Côte d’Ivoire) for Use in Low-Carbon Cements

This work was devoted to the study of the physico-chemical properties of two clay minerals from the Mountain District (West Côte d'Ivoire) referenced ME1 and ME2. These samples were characterized by the experimental techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared spectroscopy (IR), Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), Differential Thermal Analysis and Thermogravimetry (DTA-TG), Brunauer, Emett and Teller method (BET), laser particle size analysis and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The main results of these analyses reveal that the two clay samples mainly contain quartz (52.91% for ME1 and 51.72% for ME2), kaolinite (36.60% for ME1 and 41.6% for ME2) and associated phases, namely goethite and hematite (13.47% for ME1 and 11.00% for ME2). The specific surface values obtained for samples ME1 and ME2 are 34.78 m2/g and 29.18 m2/g respectively. The results obtained show that the samples studied belong to the kaolinite family. After calcination, they could have good pozzolanic activity and therefore be used in the manufacture of low-carbon cements.

A Study on the Counter Measures for Eco-friendly Land Use Model in Mountainous Area——a Case of Qianjiang District of Chongqing Municipality

Accompanying the development of social economy,the land use model of mountainous area,typically eco-weak area,is changing gradually. Here the establishment of eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,will pioneer the model of sustainable development in that area. Concerning Qianjiang District of Chongqing Municipality,huge change of land use model,mainly embodied in the unceasing increase of construction land and gradual decrease of agricultural use land,has taken place in recent years. To explore the eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,Qianjiang District was chosen as the study object in the present study. Via analyzing the changes in land use model,we found that related eco-environment restrictive factors mainly regional climatic change,soil texture,hydrological environment as well as soil erosion and land degradation,etc. And based on these results,we further analyzed the effect of land use change on eco-environment and the factors restricting the maintenance of eco-environment and regional development,finally put forward the counter measures for balancing land use and co-environment in mountainous area. The results will be important for the development of social economy and eco-system construction in Qianjiang District.

Spatial Layout of Mountainous Elderly Residential Districts

Taking the planning of elderly building for example, this paper explored the spatial layout, entrance/exit design, road space design and landscape design of the elderly residential districts against the background of population aging and increasing demands of ecological residence. In addition, the paper tried to fully use outstanding natural environment in mountainous areas to plan the elderly community, and integrate the characteristics of mountainous community planning and elderly buildings.

Ethnocultural heritage of the North-Eastern Caucasus as a factor of eco-tourism development

The North-East Caucasus is a multi-ethnic mountain macroregion with a rich cultural heritage,insufficiently studied in the context of the ecotourism development.To fill this gap and identify promising directions of environmentally safe forms of tourism,the author used in-depth review of modern literature to investigate the features of ecological tourism and the problems of preserving ethno-cultural heritage,and used historical and comparative-geographical methods to analyze the development of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the North-Eastern Caucasus in different historical periods and to identify the geographical peculiarities of the distribution of historical and cultural monuments(tower buildings),pilgrimage sites and centers of traditional crafts and trades.As part of the planned expeditions,the author personally visited some historical monuments and handicraft centers for a deeper study of ethno-cultural heritage.The cartographic method made it possible to visualize the results.The results of the research show that the ethnocultural heritage of the North-East Caucasus is formed by material(historical and cultural monuments)and immaterial elements of culture(language,customs,traditions,ethnic identification)of those peoples,who live here.The ethnocultural heritage is considered as the most important factor in the development of the tourism industry.It is revealed that this region has a large potential for development in various areas of eco-tourism.The highest concentration of religious buildings focused in mountainous areas.Medieval tower structures were erected in mountainous and high-altitude areas.From ancient times to the present day there have been preserved various types of crafts and trades(pottery,metalworking,burka making,jewelry making,carpet weaving,gold embroidery,wood and stone carving,etc.),which can become objects of ecotourism.The ethnocultural heritage of the North-East Caucasus needs to be preserved and protected.To solve this problem,the author recommends to focus on a balanced combination of traditions and innovations in this industry,also considering the current state and development of the tourism industry in the country and in the world.The research highlights that the development of scientific approaches to plan and manage tourism development can contribute to the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of indigenous peoples.This is a complex and labour-intensive task,but its solution will have a multiplier effect in the social sphere,in economic development and in environmental security,which is in line with the principles and concept of sustainable development.