@article{RuppertWelpSpiesetal.2020, author = {Ruppert, Daniel and Welp, Martin and Spies, Michael and Thevs, Niels}, title = {Farmers' Perceptions of Tree Shelterbelts on Agricultural Land in Rural Kyrgyzstan}, series = {Sustainabilty}, volume = {2020}, journal = {Sustainabilty}, number = {12}, publisher = {MDPI}, issn = {2071-1050}, doi = {10.3390/su12031093}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2323}, pages = {18}, year = {2020}, abstract = {The reestablishment of agroforestry systems in Central Asia, combining crop production with protective tree shelterbelts, provides significant potential to improve farming systems. This includes increasing crop yields, additional income from timber, as well as reducing soil degradation and wind erosion. Thus, adopting shelterbelts as a form of pro-environmental behavior provides a number of socio-economic benefits, although some trade-offs need to be considered as well. This paper investigates factors that shape the perception of—and attitude towards—the establishment of tree shelterbelts by farmers in two case study regions in Kyrgyzstan. Applying a conceptual framework distinguishing between extrinsic and intrinsic factors, research methods included semi-structured interviews with farmers and local policy makers. The results show spatial differences in the perception of shelterbelts, both on the regional and on the village scale. In general, shelterbelts were negatively perceived by more than half of the farmers. The main concern raised by farmers was the shading of crops by shelterbelts, resulting in a decrease of yield. In addition, small field sizes and potential conflicts with neighbors were key concerns. Furthermore, rules set by local self-government bodies were inconsistent with the legislative framework, posing significant restrictions to the adoption of sustainable land use practices.}, language = {en} } @article{ZouDingWelpetal.2020, author = {Zou, Jie and Ding, Jianli and Welp, Martin and Huang, Shuai and Liu, Bohua}, title = {Assessing the Response of Ecosystem Water Use Efficiency to Drought During and after Drought Events across Central Asia}, series = {Sensors}, volume = {20}, journal = {Sensors}, number = {3}, publisher = {MDPI}, doi = {10.3390/s20030581}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2361}, pages = {17}, year = {2020}, abstract = {The frequency and intensity of drought are expected to increase worldwide in the future. However, it is still unclear how ecosystems respond to drought. Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) is an essential ecological index used to measure the global carbon-water cycles, and is defined as the carbon absorbed per unit of water lost by the ecosystem. In this study, we applied gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), land surface temperature (LST), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data to calculate the WUE and drought index (temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI)), all of which were retrieved from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. We compared the mean WUE across different vegetation types, drought classifications, and countries. The temporal and spatial changes in WUE and drought were analyzed. The correlation between drought and WUE was calculated and compared across different vegetation types, and the differences in WUE between drought and post-drought periods were compared. The results showed that (1) ecosystems with a low (high) productivity had a high (low) WUE, and the mean ecosystem WUE of Central Asia showed vast differences across various drought levels, countries, and vegetation types. (2) The WUE in Central Asia exhibited an increasing trend from 2000 to 2014, and Central Asia experienced both drought (from 2000 to 2010) and post-drought (from 2011 to 2014) periods. (3) The WUE showed a negative correlation with drought during the drought period, and an obvious drought legacy effect was found, in which severe drought affected the ecosystem WUE over the following two years, while a positive correlation between WUE and drought was found in the post-drought period. (4) A significant increase in ecosystem WUE was found after drought, which revealed that arid ecosystems exhibit high resilience to drought stress. Our results can provide a specific reference for understanding how ecosystems will respond to climate change.}, language = {en} } @article{ShiHalikAblizetal.2020, author = {Shi, Lei and Halik, {\"U}m{\"u}t and Abliz, Abdulla and Mamat, Zulpiya and Welp, Martin}, title = {Urban Green Space Accessibility and Distribution Equity in an Arid Oasis City: Urumqi, China}, series = {Forests}, volume = {11}, journal = {Forests}, number = {6}, publisher = {MDPI}, issn = {1999-4907}, doi = {10.3390/f11060690}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2385}, pages = {17}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Urban green space (UGS) is crucial to the healthy development of urban residents. However, UGS that is accessible can benefit residents to an even greater degree. Based on the two-step floating catchment area model (2SFCA) and the location quotient (LQ), we analyzed the changes from 1999 to 2019 in UGS walking accessibility and equity in built-up areas of Urumqi at different administrative levels, and how UGS policy affects the improvement of accessibility. The results showed that UGS accessibility and equity are not evenly distributed at different administrative levels and UGS categories. Although the overall UGS accessibility and equity has improved with policy implementation, these changes are caused by metro-level UGS construction in urban fringe areas. The improvement in UGS accessibility at the neighborhood level in densely populated areas is neglected, which leads to a mismatch between UGS construction and population distribution. In addition, the accessibility of UGS is also limited by geographical location, population density, road distribution, and water shortage in arid metropolitan Urumqi. Our research results provide a theoretical basis for Urumqi and other cities in the optimization of UGS structure and the realization of social equity.}, language = {en} } @article{YuChenDisseetal.2020, author = {Yu, Yang and Chen, Xi and Disse, Markus and Cyffka, Bernd and Lei, Jiaqiang and Zhang, Haiyan and Brieden, Andreas and Welp, Martin and Abuduwaili, Jilili and Li, Yaoming and Zeng, Fanjiang and Gui, Dongwei and Thevs, Niels and Ta, Zhijie and Gao, Xin and Pi, Yuanyue and Yu, Xiang and Sun, Lingxiao and Yu, Ruide}, title = {Climate change in Central Asia: Sino-German cooperative research findings}, series = {Science Bulletin}, volume = {65}, journal = {Science Bulletin}, number = {9}, publisher = {Elsevier}, issn = {2095-9273}, doi = {10.1016/j.scib.2020.02.008}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5419}, pages = {689 -- 692}, year = {2020}, language = {en} } @article{SunYuLietal.2020, author = {Sun, Lingxiao and Yu, Xiang and Li, Boshan and Zhang, Haiyan and Sha, Dong and Wang, Yao and Lei, Jiaqiang and Yu, Yang and Welp, Martin and Yu, Ruide}, title = {Coupling analysis of the major impact on sustainable development of the typical arid region of Turpan in Northwest China}, series = {Regional Sustainability}, volume = {1}, journal = {Regional Sustainability}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, issn = {2666-660X}, doi = {10.1016/j.regsus.2020.08.002}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5420}, pages = {48 -- 58}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Analyzing the sustainable development of a given region can provide an important reference and guide for future orientation. The study selects Turpan (including Gaochang District, Shanshan County, and Toksun County) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of Northwest China as the study area and first investigates the essence of regional sustainable development. Based on the relevant data of the population, economy, and environment of Turpan from 2002 to 2018, we constructed an evaluation index system for three dimensions, namely, the population, economy, and environment, and analyzed them systematically. Specifically, we quantitatively calculated the comprehensive evaluation index, coupling degree, and coupling coordination degree of the sustainable development system of the study area. The study finds that Turpan has on some dimensions become increasingly sustainable, especially the economic development level has improved. The results show that the coupling coordination degree has increased from 0.3692 to 0.8894 during the period 2002-2018, which reflects the actual situation of Turpan and indicates that the proposed analysis method can effectively measure and evaluate the level of sustainable development in this region. Moreover, the study also puts forward main functional zoning of Turpan (i.e., Gaochang District as an optimized development zone, Shanshan County as a major agricultural production zone, and Toksun County as a key ecological function zone) and regional planning principles based on the population, economic, and environmental coupling analysis for the three jurisdictions in Turpan.}, language = {en} } @article{ZouDingWelpetal.2020, author = {Zou, Jie and Ding, Jianli and Welp, Martin and Huang, Shuai and Liu, Bohua}, title = {Using MODIS data to analyse the ecosystem water use efficiency spatial-temporal variations across Central Asia from 2000 to 2014}, series = {Environmental Research}, journal = {Environmental Research}, number = {182}, publisher = {Elsevier}, issn = {0013-9351}, doi = {10.1016/j.envres.2019.108985}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5435}, year = {2020}, abstract = {It is important to understand the carbon-water cycle, which accurately reflects the temporal and spatial variabilities in ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE). In this study, the Mann-Kendall (MK) test was used to study the variabilities in the spatial patterns of the gross primary production (GPP), evapotranspiration and WUE across Central Asia [the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XJ) in China (CHN), Kazakhstan (KAZ), Turkmenistan (TKM), Uzbekistan (UZB), Kyrgyzstan (KGZ), and Tajikistan (TJK)] from 2000 to 2014. We compared the change results by country, land cover type, population density, and human influence. In addition, the results of GPP, evapotranspiration (ET), and WUE parameter tests were combined and classified to analyse the causes of the changes in WUE. The results showed that (1) the time series of GPP, ET and WUE exhibited no significant changes. The spatial distribution of the WUE exhibited significant increases in the northern part of KAZ, the Ili Valley and the alpine region in KGZ and exhibited decreases in south Xinjiang and the irrigated area of UZB. (2) The main land cover types that exhibited changes in WUE were farmlands and grasslands, and areas with a medium population density exhibited large WUE changes. (3) The increased WUE resulted from an increased GPP and decreased ET. The increased GPP was because of increased precipitation and the Green for Grain Project, and the decreased ET was due to the response of vegetation to drought stress; the decreased WUE was mainly caused by changes in the crops planted and unreasonable water use practices in the irrigated agricultural areas in Central Asia. This study, which is based on the variabilities in WUE spatial patterns, should provide a theoretical basis for ecosystems in arid land areas.}, language = {en} }