Cross-tabulation analysis of study tour sites and units.

GIS-based computer generated real-time landscape models, and other computer generated static images were produced and used alongside photographs in more in-depth interviews and focus groups. (Some elements of this dataset are not part of this data submission due to copyright restrictions, though images may be included in the report). The study is part of the NERC Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme. Future policies are likely to encourage more land use under energy crops: principally willow, grown as short rotation coppice, and a tall exotic grass Miscanthus. These crops will contribute to the UK's commitment to reduce CO2 emissions. However, it is not clear how decisions about appropriate areas for growing the crops, based on climate, soil and water, should be balanced against impacts on the landscape, social acceptance, biodiversity and the rural economy. This project integrated social, economic, hydrological and biodiversity studies in an interdisciplinary approach to assessing the impact of converting land to Miscanthus grass and short-rotation coppice (SRC) willows. Two contrasting farming systems were focused on: the arable-dominated East Midlands; and grassland-dominated South West England. The public attitudes questionnaire data from this study are available at the UK Data Archive under study number 6615 (see online resources). Further documentation for this study may be found through the RELU Knowledge Portal and the project's ESRC funding award web page (see online resources).

These data were generated in two mangrove socio-ecological systems in the north and south of the Red River Delta with different environmental and socio-economic histories. The research included: a) questionnaires (n=300) with households at each site to quantify household economy and adaptive capacity information and explore spatially explicit perceptions about mangrove ecosystem services; b) in-depth livelihood trajectory interviews (n=20) with households representing different adaptive capacity profiles; c) focus group discussions (n=6) to explore plausible future scenarios that impact the mangrove system with households representing different adaptive capacity profiles; and d) in-depth interviews (n=18) with key informants from relevant Ministries, local government departments and civic groups. Datasets can be used as stand-alone, yet richer analysis can be done linking the various sources of information.

Mangroves provide multiple benefits from carbon storage and shoreline protection at global and national scales, to food and energy for natural resource-dependent coastal communities at local scale. However, mangroves are coming under increasing pressure due to land use changes resulting from climate change, coastal development and aquaculture. In Vietnam the area under mangrove forest declined by 35% between 1983 and 2012, increasing vulnerability of the coast to tidal surges, hurricanes and saline intrusion as well as reducing the availability and accessibility of mangrove resources necessary to support livelihoods. Previous research in Vietnam has taken a largely technical approach to the relationship between mangrove protection, restoration and aquaculture and has not paid adequate attention to socio-economic factors. This research aims to evaluate socio-ecological resilience in Vietnamese mangroves in the Red River Delta and evaluate management options to enhance delivery of benefits and services across multiple scales, using an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates ecology; remote sensing and GIS; and social research methods on livelihoods and scenario evaluation. By doing so, this research will contribute to a) the livelihoods and resilience of mangrove dependent communities, b) the on-going delivery of ecosystem services across scales, while at the same time c) through stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange throughout, building the capacity for conservation and sustainable management of mangroves in Vietnam.

This paper presents an integrative and interdisciplinary approach to the study of ancient agricultural terraces and food production systems. Our approach consists of (1) a resource dependency theoretical framework and (2) the application of a variety of archaeological and geoscientific methods, including archaeological and geomorphological surveys, archaeological excavations, drone surveys, mapping based on satellite imagery and high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs), geographic information system (GIS) applications, soil testing, phytolith analysis, radiocarbon dating, and calculations of food supply capacity and labor requirements. We apply these to the prehispanic site of Cutamalla (3,300 m asl) in the southern Peruvian Andes, which serves as an ideal and pioneering case study. Previous research has focused primarily on the settlement of Cutamalla, particularly through large-scale archaeological excavations, but less attention has been paid to the extensive farming terraces surrounding the settlement and the close relationship between agricultural and settlement activities. By analyzing both the terrace and settlement levels, we take a new perspective and introduce the term agricultural terrace-settlement system for such complexes. Our results show that the residential occupation of Cutamalla and the use of the surrounding farming terraces coincided: the agricultural terrace-settlement system was intensively used for a relatively short period of about 200 years (~250–40 BCE) during the Formative Late Paracas and transitional Initial Nasca periods, long before the famous Inka terrace agricultural systems. There is no evidence of reoccupation of the site and subsequent reuse of the agricultural system. Our data also document the large extent of agricultural terraces around Cutamalla (221 ha) and that maize was likely a major crop grown there. Finally, we place these findings in their broader socio-economic and ecological context. Cutamalla was an important regional center and economic hub during a very dynamic period characterized by significant population growth and increased violence. Not only a more humid climate, but probably also forced collective labor were cornerstones of substantial agricultural production in Cutamalla and the region.

This is a mixed method data collection. The study is part of the Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme.

This project integrated social, economic, hydrological and biodiversity studies in an interdisciplinary approach to assess the impacts of converting land to Miscanthus grass and short-rotation coppice (SRC) willows. The approach adopted was the Sustainability Appraisal Framework, more commonly used in land-use planning. Two contrasting farming systems were focussed on: the arable-dominated East Midlands; and grassland-dominated South West England. The multi-disciplinary team of researchers studied social acceptability of introducing SRC willows and Miscanthus grass in these areas, in addition to water-use studies, GIS-based suitability mapping, farm and regional economics studies and biodiversity impacts. Data generated include a public attitudes survey, measures of focal indicator taxa, GIS visualisations and hydrological measurements.

The analysis of public attitudes was based upon a public questionnaire survey, focus group meetings with community groups, insights from stakeholder meetings, and interviews with key industry and local government officers. In total the views of over 550 people contribute to the findings. The questionnaire survey sought to ascertain the general level of knowledge and approval of various renewable energy sources, understanding of the term biomass, and specific knowledge of Miscanthus and SRC. Photographs of the crops were used as a visual aid and to gather views on the acceptability of introducing Miscanthus and SRC into the local landscape setting. GIS-based computer generated real-time landscape models, and other computer generated static images were produced and used alongside photographs in more in-depth interviews and focus groups.

Ecology, hydrology and GIS data from this study are available at the Environmental Information Data Centre of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Further information for this study may be found through the ESRC Research Catalogue webpage: Social, Economic and Environmental Implications of Increasing Rural Land Use under Energy Crops.

Geodiversity is the variety of non-living elements like rocks, landforms, and processes in a given area, and plays an especially critical role in Antarctica. Geodiversity provides the conditions in which life can develop and underpins all ecosystems on Earth. It also provides tangible services to people (like construction materials) as well as intangible benefits (such as scientific knowledge from ice cores and artistic inspiration from glaciers). Despite its importance, Antarctic geodiversity remains under-explored, under-described, and inadequately mapped. This knowledge gap is particularly concerning given the threats posed by increasing human activity and environmental and climate change. This project uses a variety of datasets to map Antarctic geodiversity, assess its benefits to people, and help identify priority locations for conservation. Through an interdisciplinary and mixed-method approach, this research will fill a major gap in the current understanding and representations of the Antarctic. Using the McMurdo Dry Valleys as a case study, the researcher will combine geospatial data on geology, geomorphology, pedology, and hydrology to map geodiversity of the region. This project will identify sites of key geosystem services by analyzing geospatial data on placenames, scientific samples, and a web-based participatory mapping survey. The geodiversity and geosystem services data will then be overlaid and combined to identify hotspots of geo-social diversity. The resulting maps will be compared with the region's protected area boundaries to assess the fit-for-purpose of current environmental management and identify priority locations for future research and conservation. The fellow will promote Antarctic geodiversity broadly, including at UNESCO International Geodiversity Day. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

The World Natural Heritage is a rare and irreplaceable natural landscape recognized by all mankind, with outstanding significance and universal value. Among them, the World Heritage Karst sites(WHKs) holds an important position due to its special natural beauty and aesthetic value. In the field of landscape evaluation, interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary cooperation using different methods has always been a research focus. However, there is still a gap in the evaluation of natural landscape aesthetic value based on UGC(User Generated Content) data and deep learning models. This article is based on a public perspective, using social media UGC data, crawling images and texts as data sources, and combining SegFormer deep learning models, ArcGIS spatial analysis, natural Language Processing Technology (NLP) and other methods to conduct quantitative research on aesthetic value. Research has found that: (1) Huangguoshu Scenic Area has an excellent natural environment, and landscape elements with high naturalness (vegetation, water) are more attractive to tourists, with diverse landscape combinations; (2) There is no complete positive correlation between tourist sentiment bias, landscape diversity, and vegetation coverage. Emphasis is placed on the aesthetic perception path from bottom to top, from the surface to the inside. The comprehensive emotional value is 14.35, and the emotional values are all positively distributed. The distribution density and extreme value of positive emotions are greater than those of negative emotions; (3) The emotional bias of tourists is directly related to visual sensitivity, showing a synchronous trend of change. The visual sensitivity of the Great Waterfall and Dishuitan areas is relatively high, mostly at I-II level sensitivity. This method enhances the data source channel, which is conducive to obtaining the correct tourist evaluation orientation. In traditional subjective landscape evaluation, rational parameter indicators are added to reduce the probability of error, provide data support for its natural beauty description, break through the time and space limitations of aesthetic evaluation, and provide scientific reference for quantifying the aesthetic value of other heritage sites.