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The Effects of Land Cover Change on Sustainability: Human Security and Environmental Change in Semi-arid Ecosystems

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Social-Ecological Systems (SES)

Abstract

The links between Environmental Change (EC), seen as a destabilizing interference in the ecosystems’ equilibrium, on the one hand, and the outbreak of violent conflicts, on the other, remain ambiguous and very complex. Till now, there is a gap in the researches that focus on the intersections between EC and human security based on Land Use/Land Cover (LU/LC) changes. Therefore, this study will examine the interplay between environmental factors, LU/LC, and conflict in South Kordofan of Sudan. Satellite data and high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) were used to address the LC changes in the study area over the past three decades (1984–2014). Furthermore, household survey, group discussions and key informants techniques were applied. The qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to analyze the socio-economic data. Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) based on a developed model of integrated multi-features was utilized. The study showed that the pressures imposed resulted in the complex of spatial and temporal interactions within topographical systems at South Kordofan, where it has led both to a new rapidity and depth in rural transformation and a significant impact on urban areas as well. More information exchange is needed to inform actors and decision makers regarding capacity gaps and knowledge to address the EC.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Taisser H. H. Deafalla & Elmar Csaplovics

  2. Faculty of Architecture, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

    Osman Elkhair

  3. Faculty of Environmental Sciences, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Mustafa M. El Abbas

  4. Faculty of Forestry, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

    Mustafa M. El Abbas

Authors
  1. Taisser H. H. Deafalla
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  2. Elmar Csaplovics
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  3. Osman Elkhair
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  4. Mustafa M. El Abbas
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Law, Economics and Social Science of Agadir, Center for Environment, Human Security & Governance (CERES), Université Ibn Zohr, Agadir, Morocco

    Mohamed Behnassi

  2. JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Tokyo & Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Himangana Gupta

  3. College of Law, Economics and Social Science of Casablanca, University of Hassan II Casablanca, Rabat, Morocco

    Mahjoub El Haiba

  4. NTPC School of Business, NOIDA, India

    Gopichandran Ramachandran

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Deafalla, T.H.H., Csaplovics, E., Elkhair, O., El Abbas, M.M. (2021). The Effects of Land Cover Change on Sustainability: Human Security and Environmental Change in Semi-arid Ecosystems. In: Behnassi, M., Gupta, H., El Haiba, M., Ramachandran, G. (eds) Social-Ecological Systems (SES). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76247-6_7

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