Volume 1 Issue 3 (2025)

The influence of the Water Table (WT) and the capillary fringe plays a critical role in soil water dynamics, affecting plant‑available water, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and Land Surface Temperature (LST). This study examined the functioning of the aquifer–soil–plant–atmosphere system such as transpiration, evaporation, plant root water uptake and capillarity to assess how the WT and the capillary fringe affect LST. Field measurements were integrated with satellite data, including WT depth, precipitation records, and satellite‑derived products such as LST, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and potential evapotranspiration from reanalysis data (ERA5‑Ag). The research was conducted in a shallow aquifer within the Salado River watershed, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, over the period 2007–2023. Results revealed a strong inverse relationship (R² = 0.74) between the WT and LST. This relationship was modeled using an equation valid during the summer months, when atmospheric demand is high and soils are dry. The approach was validated using measurements from nearby piezometers, yielding a bias of −0.17 m and a root mean square deviation (RMSD) of 0.44 m. Satellite‑derived LST was shown to effectively reflect the influence of the WT on plant transpiration under water‑stressed conditions. By isolating the effect of evaporation, this method offers a novel means of indirectly assessing the hydrogeological status of shallow aquifers.

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This study examines the contribution of key factors that limit land accessibility in Akure. A survey design method was used for data collection via building enumeration and a structured questionnaire survey on residents within the three zones in the city. A sample size of 7% was adopted, which amounts to a total of 422 sampled respondents, while descriptive statistics and a Likert scale were used to process the set objectives. Findings from the study revealed that socio-economic attributes of residents were significant predictors limiting land accessibility in Akure. Findings on critical land parameters examined in the three zones observed in the city indicate that availability and affordability have high mean values of 4.50, 4.40 and 3.25, tenure security has 4.29, 4.05 and 4.48, ease of transaction has moderate mean scores of 3.38, 3.54 and 3.02, land market policy has 3.12, 3.11 and 3.65, location has mean value of 4.31, 4.29 and 4.39 while land price speculation has 4.25, 4.17 and 4.23 mean value contributions to land accessibility challenges in Akure. Thus, the study recommends: (i) implementation of sound land tenure policy frameworks to land accessibility, (ii) empowering productive age group with land discounted prices and housing finance subsidies, (iii) regional redistribution of infrastructure and social facilities to reduce pressure on existing urban lands, (iv) review of land market policy to curb informal land transactions, (v) effective collaboration among stakeholders in land administration, and (vi) adopting GIS techniques for effective monitoring of land utilization in promoting sustainable urban land use and management in Akure.

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Protected areas are vital for biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services, including recreation and tourism. However, while on-site ecological impacts are well-documented, the land-use footprint of protected area recreation extends well beyond protected boundaries. This paper conceptualizes the extended land-use footprint, defined as the total area of land both directly and indirectly required to sustain recreational activities linked to protected areas. It encompasses off-site impacts arising throughout the visitor journey and associated supply chains, including transportation infrastructure and energy use, accommodation and ancillary services, food production, equipment manufacturing, and waste management. Collectively, these processes contribute to land-use change, habitat fragmentation, and resource depletion at multiple spatial scales, from local to global. Methodologically, the study applies a multi-scalar analytical framework that integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Input-Output Analysis (IOA), and spatially explicit modelling to capture both proximate and distant effects. This synthesis demonstrates that existing management paradigms often neglect these externalized costs, thereby underestimating the full ecological burden of recreation. The paper advances a conceptual and methodological foundation for assessing and mitigating these off-site impacts, emphasizing the importance of data integration, standardized indicators, and cross-sectoral policy coherence.

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Protected landscapes have traditionally been designed as ecological sanctuaries, yet the question of whose interests they ultimately serve remains unresolved. This paper rethinks recreational planning through a justice-centered lens that integrates land rights, rural revitalization, and ecological integrity. Drawing from comparative experiences across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America, it examines how access, benefit-sharing, and governance shape both human and environmental outcomes. The analysis challenges exclusionary fortress conservation models that privilege biodiversity at the expense of community rights and introduces the Justice–Recreation–Ecology (JRE) framework as a holistic alternative. The JRE framework situates justice as the ethical foundation, recreation as the social mediator, and ecology as the biophysical boundary for sustainable landscape governance. To operationalize this, the study develops measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across justice (participation, benefit retention, recognition of indigenous knowledge), recreation (visitor satisfaction, equitable access, and digital inclusion), and ecology (biodiversity intactness, restoration area, and ecosystem stability). It also explores the transformative potential of land informatization tools like GIS, remote sensing, and blockchain for transparent, participatory, and accountable monitoring. By embedding distributive, procedural, and recognition justice into recreational planning, the paper demonstrates that inclusive stewardship can simultaneously sustain biodiversity, empower communities, and revitalize rural economies. Consequently, reimagining protected landscapes through justice-oriented recreational planning transforms them from exclusionary spaces into shared socio-ecological commons capable of nurturing both resilience and belonging.

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This study evaluated the concentration of selected heavy metals (Pb, As, Zn, Cu, Hg) in soils along two major highways, Owerri–Aba and Owerri–Okigwe, and a non-highway control site at Egbeada in Imo State, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm, and at distances of 0–50 m and 50–100 m from the road. Laboratory analyses were conducted at the Soil Science Department Laboratory of the Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Owerri, to determine both physical (particle size distribution, bulk density, porosity, moisture content) and chemical (pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable bases, cation exchange capacity) properties, alongside heavy metal concentrations using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Results indicated higher concentrations of heavy metals along highways compared to the control site, with Zn showing the highest levels and Hg the lowest. Concentrations decreased with increasing distance from the road and with soil depth. Positive correlations were observed between heavy metal content and parameters such as moisture content, bulk density, and cation exchange capacity, while negative correlations were found with organic carbon, available phosphorus, total nitrogen, sand, and clay content. The concentrations of certain metals along highways exceeded WHO permissible limits, indicating potential environmental and public health risks.

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