Projects
Analysis of past and projected future land use change and its impact on sediment fluxes in the Rwizi catchment KU Leuven
The project aims strengthening academic research capacity at the universities of Mbarara and Gulu (Uganda) by means of the training of two researchers and several postdoctoral researchers in the field of integrated watershed management. Secondly the project will develop fundamental research on the, hitherto largely overlooked, coupling between demographic developments on the one hand, and the degradation of soil and water resources on the ...
Detection and spatial analysis of urbanization and land use change in small island states, by means of GIS and remote sensing techniques KU Leuven
This study will collect reliable longitudinal data on urbanization and land use change on Caribbean SIDS. Remote sensing procedures will be developed to detect urban growth patterns from 1980-present. Comparative research will explore the drivers and controlling factors of urban growth. Based on this, a land use change simulation model allows to develop future land use change scenario's that can be used in spatial and economic planning ...
Impacts of land use and cover change on water fluxes and soil functioning in Southern Brazil KU Leuven
The first objective of the PhD is to investigate structures of water fluxes at the landscape scale. Whether the structure or spatial distribution of water fluxes and water residence times in the system can be linkedto the spatial structure of biogeochemical processes or soil formation processes in the system will be a key question. At the landscape scale, non-invasive geophysical techniques can be used to characterize the structure of the ...
Joined-up land use strategies tackling climate change and biodiversity loss Research Institute for Nature and Forest
however require rapid, simultaneous and coordinated action by a diversity of land use decision makers. MOSAIC aims therefore to
achieve the following objectives:
1. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the motivations and drivers behind land use decisions (e.g. cultural factors, social
identities, ...
Evaluation of the land use change under the impact of socio-economic development using novel techniques and its effect on environmental services in Vietnam. KU Leuven
Impact of land use change on the migration of historical radionuclide and heavy metal contamination in riparian soils of the Grote Nete Valley KU Leuven
In the Grote Nete Valley, certain riparian areas are contaminated with radionuclides (RN) and heavy metals (HM) originating from historical contamination into the tributaries Grote Laak and Molse Nete, which occurred until the 1980’s. Currently the radiological, environmental and health risks of this soil contamination are negligible, but recent plans were proposed to change the land use of these contaminated areas (Sigmaplan). In particular, ...
Long-term assessment of land use and cover changes, land degradation and resilience in Tigray (Ethiopia) Ghent University
Land use and cover change studies do generally not go beyond the 40 years of Landsat imagery or the 60 years of aerial photography. This study, in which closely and remotely sensed imagery are used, makes a geographically explicit analysis of land degradation and resilience over 150 years, as well as future scenarios in the highlands of Tigray (Ethiopia).
Exploring Russion Agriculture's Potential for Food Production, Rural Development, Climate Mitigation and Adaptation: The Role of Land Use Changes, Technological Upgrading and Policies (ERA-FDC-Policies) KU Leuven
Widespread areas of abandoned agricultural lands are located in Russia. However, it remains largely unstudied whether abandoned lands should be recultivated to ensure stable food supply, particularly considering projections of increasing climatic ensitivity of the southern breadbasket regions in Russia. Little is also known about the potential of regions with large abandoned land areas to sequester carbon (C) in agriculture and in this way ...
Rapid land use and cover changes and the hydrogeomorphic impact in rural western Shoa (Oromya Region), as driven by the proximity of Addis Ababa city (Ethiopia) Ghent University
Addis Ababa is one of the largest cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is growing rapidly both in terms of population and economic activity. To support the urban demands, the rural hinterland of West-Shoa, located 45 km from Addis Ababa, has undergone rapid and often dramatic land use and cover modifications over the past decades. Especially, Eucalyptus trees have been massively introduced, covering 20-60% of the catchments. The general ...