Landscape Structure and Elements, an Example

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Figure 01, Green Patches complete of Shrubs, Ground Covers, and Trees (credit image, AGME)

Insight
The landscape structure and elements, which has been described from the given article (Richard T.T. Forman; Michael Godron; 1981) as a wide area referring to a cluster of interesting strands that is similar to the ecosystem being formed by the two mechanisms and they are operating together to its specific boundary as a geomorphological process as well as the specific disturbances of the stand components. Moreover, the Patch Corridor Matrix model is used as an exercise in identifying the spatial components of the landscape and its elements as prescribed in this article towards urban greening policy application in the country as an example, resulting in a progressive and developed nations within the GCC region.
Conceptual Observation
Qatar landscape in today's generation, nevertheless, can be categorized as one of the richest countries in the world using an innovative type of modernization with the help of advanced technology being applied in the desert landscape following the urban greening policy in the land. This is one of the green initiatives by the government itself throughout the built-up environmental projects being implemented as part of the infrastructure development in the country within their economic landscape vision and tourist spot as a whole. However, Qatar is a desert landscape by default naturally as an example, and with the principle of urban greening becomes one of their mandated environmental policies by providing an imported mechanism incorporating planting of trees, shrubs and ground cover on all landscape structure to sustain the country’s vision and needs for their future generation, a well as beautification as a factor and what we’ve known climate change mitigation by protecting the environment, and hence, a sustainable quality life environment not only for the Qatari’s citizens but also for the migrant's citizens in the country.
System Process and Applications
The landscape irrigation system being provided is to irrigate trees, shrubs and ground covers and that was designed based on the recently applied technology whereas the processed water being supplied and used for continuous water irrigation of the whole green areas designed and allocated in the whole country. The water irrigation process comes from the collected sewerage in the urban cities via sewerage piping network, but some places are being collected by the designated sewerage trucks and after all, they delivered directly either from Doha Sewage Treatment or Al Dhakira Sewage Treatment Plants as you can see in Figure 02, whereas the sewerage water is being processed according to the magnitude of water treatment level for the water irrigation system. The author was also involved in the design projects for the Two Sewerage Process Plants during his employment at ARCADIS/Hyder. Overall, the product is recycled and re-uses treated sewage effluent water, and again, sometimes, the processed water is called as greywater in the application of green building, which means undrinkable but for the purpose of using the processed water to the building toilet water flushing, landscape irrigation and for the district cooling water circulation; in such a way the application of energy conservation towards green building.

Figure 02, Sewerage Treatment Plants (a) Doha West, (b) Al Dhakira (credit, ARCADIS/Hyder)

The two-sewage water process plants (Figure 02) are known as Qatar ASHGHAL’s Al Mearad Doha West Sewage Treatment Plant Project, a 22.2 Hectares (0.222 Sq Km) Sewage Treatment Plant Facilities, which can treat and delivered up to 104,500m3/day of wastewater; and Al Dhakira Sewage Treatment Plant Project, a 25 Hectares (0.25 Sq Km) Sewage Treatment Plant Facilities, which can treat and delivered up to 56,000 tons of wastewater per day for the country respectively.
Patch Corridor Matrix Model
As with the given exercise and herewith shown in Figure 03 and Figure 05, the application as well as Figure 08 and Figure 09 examples, however, Patch Corridor Matrix model is being identified to be used in identifying the spatial components of the landscape and its elements as prescribed in the image presented in Figure 05, “Doha Urban Partly Landscape Map.” Although the image captured with the author has covered is unusual as it was in the real structured form. Nevertheless, the application of urban greening policy is essential and most likely as it gives challenges in the present case of a desert environment not only in Doha but you can notice also what the UAE government did in Abu Dhabi, which the author appreciate their amazing urban greening program. Moreover, just to give some facts from Wiens 1976 and 1989, Wiens and Milne 1989, and I quoted that the Patches are dynamic and occur on a variety of spatial and temporal scales, from an organism-centered perspective, vary as a function of each animal’s perceptions; and “A landscape does not contain a single patch mosaic but contains a hierarchy of patch mosaics across a range of scales like from an organism-centered perspective, the smallest scale at which an organism perceives and responds to patch structure is its gain,” (Kotliar and Weins 1990).
Figure 03, Google Map Image for the Selected Location in the Country (rvgomeseria)

However, with the continuous growing economic landscape development in the country, the population growth keeps changing drastically every year resulting in the expansion of human settlement built-up areas as shown in the landscape proportion graph summary (Figure 04) as a self-explanatory example of photo images (Figure 03 and Figure 06) and evidently part of the country's growing city’s urbanization.
Moreover, in the application with their greening policy initiative towards Qatar’s National Vision 2030, which the author made impressed with the Four-Pillars and quoted as “The State of Qatar seeks to preserve and protect its unique environment and nurture the abundance of nature granted by God. Accordingly, the development will be carried out with responsibility and respect, balancing the needs of economic growth and social development with the conditions for environmental protection.” Nonetheless, the country’s vision towards its landscape structure has been summarized into Four-Pillars with human development, social development, environmental development, and economic development.

Figure 04, Landscape Proportion Graph Summary (rvgomeseria)
Figure 05, Patch Mosaic Model for the Selected Location (rvgomeseria)
Figure 06, West Bay Urbanized Possibilism Elements (credit, Dutourdumonde-Alamy Stock Photo)

The landscape elements used based on the Google Map Image (Figure 03) with the Patch Mosaic Model (Figure 05) presented as such: A patch of Human Settlement; a patch of landscape-shrubs, ground covers & trees; and the corridors for the main road, secondary road, and tertiary road. Unknowingly, the arrangement of elements affects the ecological components of the environment specifically on the movement of organisms, matter, and energy.  “Interactions and Dynamic of spatial heterogeneity, spatial and temporal interactions and exchanges across heterogeneous landscape influences of spatial heterogeneity on the biotic and abiotic process and management of spatial heterogeneity” (Wu, 2013); the increased the population lead to an increase in housing demand that causes deterioration of the urban environment as well as a mitigating measure in the climate-responsive urban design and planning process (Yang et al, 2018). Moreover, with the urban greening policy being held in the country is a priority as progressively covers in every infrastructure landscape structure development project.
Figure 07, Mangrove Tree Planting towards Greening Biodiversity Preservation (credit, lauallemagne)

The initiative of planting mangroves along the coastline as an example is an essential part of protecting the coastal areas that may be having waves and floods just in case, but these also serve as a breeding ground of some marine and brackish water species (Florida Museum, n.d.); and most patches of mangrove areas are planted throughout Qatar as an integral for their oil and gas explorations in mitigating C02, which is not shown in the map provided in Figure 05, Doha Urban Landscape Map. The mangrove is located mostly in Al Thakira, the northern part of Doha and as one of the oldest landscapes in greening biodiversity preservation, which is popular with all visitors for fishing and birdwatching spots.

Figure 08, Along C-Ring Road with green patches complete of shrubs, ground covers, and trees around (rvgomeseria)
Figure 09, Doha West Bay with green patches complete of shrubs, ground covers, and trees around (rvgomeseria)

Results and Discussions
Moreover, in addition to the urban greening policy being discussed hereof, an author’s article published, which can be read in the known CEAIndia ViewPoint Journal (September 2018 Edition) entitled; “Energy Conservation for Utilities Means Sustainability;” that can be retrieved from Academia.
The author’s article provided is aligning with the ViewPoint Journal theme;” Built Environment – Energy Conservation for Utilities.” However, with the energy conservation using the recent technology applicability and keeping environmental sustainability in mind can lead to the main goal of today’s competitive landscape in the desert landscape to a sustainable environment. The intent is to help the world in conserving the environment in mitigating climate change as well and at the same time, the purpose will create revenue from the innovative works. And aside from the Energy Conservation, the combined MEP and utility designs have focused on reducing carbon dioxide emissions through system selection, maximizing the system and equipment efficiency and exploiting renewable energy resources. Sustainability is thus, inherent in the theme of Energy Conservation for Utilities for the environment.
Moreover, patches are composed of communities or species assemblages surrounded by a coupled matrix with a dissimilar community structure or composition (Forman & Godron, 1981) and whatever may form can be referred to Figure 03 as an example. This article topic is heading about the landscape structure and elements that had been shown in the provided figures above as an example of this article and in spite of the city’s urbanization, urban greening still the mandate element being covered patches & corridors.
Although, we have found 39.40% over 100% occupied built-up area as described in Figure 04 with residential, commercial and services, and mixed urban or built-up land, however, the surrounded community structures are full of green with shrubs, ground covers, and trees or that can be rated to 6.0% of the built-up development which is allocated in the landscape greening planning.
Similar to the open space area with 25.30% are composed of combined patches like beaches, sandy areas, bare exposed areas, transitional and mixed barren areas in the desert landscape with an Arabian settlement, trees, and mixed desert shrubs or 2.53% overall occupied with the desert green plants scattered, which is referring to as the natural plants covered in the area.
About 22.40% estimated in the transportation area, which can be said as the human-altered environment as shown in Figure 01 with green patches complete of shrubs, ground covers, and trees as shown shreds of evidence in Figure 07 and Figure 08; and within those areas inside the West Bay, Doha, as shown in Figure 06 and Figure 09, are well planned with landscape greening plants. It is about 15% or 3.72% of the built-up development is allocated in landscape greening planning.
The recreation and the agricultural areas are fundamentally composed of trees, shrubs, ground covers and vegetated farms of about 10.50%, which has been managed by the government in delivering irrigation systems from the recycled TSE water throughout the country’s landscape structured formed.
Conclusion
As defined, the patch mosaic model which can be called patch, corridor, and matrix (PCM) are the major elements of the structured landscape model that has been implemented that includes urban greening within the environment. Moreover, based on the landscape ecology, the structured landscape consists of four important dynamic elements and they are the patches, corridors, matrix, and ecotone or edge.
The landscape matrix becomes high fragmented due to anthropogenic activities, which is referring to all the disturbances due to the construction activities or the human-altered landscape happening in the desert ecosystem as it affects the landscape processes. However, coherent environmental planning has to take place incorporating corridors, which are observed to be linear as part of the landscape elements based on either structure or function towards urban greening in the built-up areas. And as part of the discussion, Figure 05, of the patch mosaic model can also be said as an ecotone element whereas the areas of transition happened between the ecological units that occur at multiple spatial scales. Accordingly, this usually shows a diversity or boundary types that range from natural to human-generated boundaries (Kark, 2013) of figures above for all the transitions through the city’s urbanization.
Recommendations
The structured landscape consists of an essential four dynamic elements with patch, corridors, matrix, and ecotone or edge; however, the application must always with the provisional research through environmental impact assessment (EIA) coherently defined environmental law compliance towards the ecological aspect of developing as well as incorporating and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requirements, whereas in any form of disturbance or human-altered landscape must enhance the environmental ecosystem in following such:
SDG No 6, Clean Water and Sanitation;
“Protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems is essential;”
SDG No 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure;
“Promoting sustainable industries, and investing in scientific research and innovation, are all important ways to facilitate sustainable development;”
SDG No 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities;
“It involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces and improving urban planning and management;” 
SDG No 13, Climate Action;
“Integrate disaster risk measures, sustainable natural resource management, and human security into national development strategies with strong political will and that will increased investment, and using existing technology;”  and
SDG No 15, Life on land;
“An urgent action must be taken to reduce the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity which are part of our common heritage and support global food and water security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and peace and security.”
With all these mentioned UNDP's Sustainable Development Goals, hence, Qatar developmental process and advocacy are for long term sustainability initiatives, adaptation and mitigating climate change within the ecosystem. And because of the successful transformation following human-altered landscapes in the desert environment (Gomeseria, 2020), the structured landscape model will benefit all Qatari citizens and the migrant’s citizens working and living in the country sustainably. Not only for the urban greening policy that will sustain a sustainable environment, but providing mass transportation means connectivity between townships.
Statement of Authorship
The author has developed and conducted all necessary literature research in completing this article composition with the prepared conceptual framework, identifying thematic points on all cases, formulated recommendations, and undertook the write-up as a part-time work to complete this paper.
Write-Up References can be Read from this Links;
Gomeseria, R. V. (2020, January 11). Landscape Structure and Elements, an Example. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/D6QPW
Gomeseria, RV; (2020, January); "Landscape Structure and Elements, an Example;” Retrieved from; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338536460_Landscape_Structure_and_Elements_an_Example
https://www.academia.edu/41597386/_Landscape_Structure_and_Elements_An_Example_
Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), Professional Engineer (PE, PEng, PME - India/Qatar/UK/Phils), Chartered Building Engineer (CBuildE), Chartered Engineer (CEng - India/UK), ASEAN Engineer, ACPE, and IntPE (APEC). Working on great Engineering Designs, Project Management, Construction Project Management / Supervisions in an industrial building built environment sectors for 20 years with exposure to Executive and Middle Management Positions. Highly Motivated, Career Achiever and Working with Passion, Team Leader, Technical Excellent in Solving Complexes Issues and intensive hands-on Civil/Sanitary, Utilities, and Infrastructure/Building Services Environmental Engineering Designs Management, Constructions Project Management, and Project Supervisions in 15-years onwards in the Middle East Region and 7- years in the Philippines of Varying Iconic Project Scales. One of the author's Rank 1 and Top 1% in Academia / Research Gate Writer. Article Writer & Contributor of CEAI ViewPoint Journal / Durreesamin Journal / EPH Journal / LinkedIn Publishing Platform. Artist-Painter/Sculptor; Musical Composition, Blogger. University of the Philippines (UPOU) Alumnus / Graduate Student.

Comments

  1. Ronald Valledor Gomeseria, PhDFebruary 14, 2020 at 12:30 PM

    To cite this blog / article paper; Gomeseria, R. V. (2020, January 11). Landscape Structure and Elements, an Example. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/D6QPW

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