Although Ethiopia has abundant land for irrigation, only a fraction of its potential land is being utilized. This study evaluates suitability of lands for irrigation using groundwater in Ethiopia using GIS-based Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques in order to enhance the country's agricultural industry. Key factors that significantly affect irrigation suitability evaluated in this study include physical land features (land use, soil, and slope), climate (rainfall and evapotranspiration), and market access (proximity to roads and access to market).

This paper aims to contribute further research on the conceptualization of agricultural multifunctionality through quantitative methods. The empirical analysis is based on a large dataset (Agrobarometre of Andalusia) consisting of self-reported measures of individual opinions on multifunctionality. Ordered probit models are proposed to analyze the extent to which individuals' perceptions of multifunctionality can be explained not only by individual and regional characteristics, but more importantly, by the preferences individuals have for a given type of agriculture.

We propose a flexible and adaptable framework to assist the quick design of models dealing with the durability of the extensive livestock systems at the territorial scale. This metamodel results from the collaborative design starting from MAS developed on 7 sites in Latin America, France and Senegal. It is composed of four packages: Agent, Community, Space and Vegetation-Herd. We illustrate these packages with examples extracted from the various models. The role of this tool is discussed in order to show its advantages and its limits

34 pp. Bookmarks supplied by UO. Includes maps and figures. Published April 10, 2006. Captured December 10, 2007.

In many regions of the world, soil erosion is one of the main land degradation processes that reduce the soil productivity by removing fertile topsoil layers, thus decreasing levels of organic matter and the nutrients. Therefore erosion researches constitute an important part of the research on the soils. The aim of this research is the determination of the relationship between land use/land cover and some erodibility indices in Madendere Watershed soils. Land use and land cover classes were generated from Geoeye-2013 image data classification.

Global environmental changes observed during recent decades are likely to have had an impact on the distribution of species. Currently, silver fir (Abies alba) is becoming established in the subalpine forests of the west central Alps at elevations higher than 2000 ma.s.l.; prior to the 1970s its upper altitudinal limit was 2000 m. Several hypotheses could explain this recent expansion of the upper tree-limit. Silver fir regeneration could be linked (1) to land-use changes or (2) to current climatic warming.

Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines.