Land-use/cover changes are driven by a multitude of interdependent processes involving natural and anthropogenic forcing. Analysis of these complex processes requires spatially explicit data and integrated approaches that pose a number of methodological challenges. These include the consistent representation of spatial and temporal heterogeneities of a variety of human characteristics and environmental determinants.

A key research objective of the LUC Program is to develop improved and new tools and databases, with the aim of providing a spatially detailed understanding of alternative land and rural development options and strategies, against the background of global change.

While spatially explicit modeling significantly increases the burdens associated with data collection, verification and compilation, model estimation and analysis, our experience has been that spatial richness facilitates and fosters inter-disciplinary collaboration and can provide a mutually beneficial basis for linking case studies and regional analyses to provide relevant policy advise.

Methodological work in LUC is motivated by the requirements of ecological-economic regional and global analyses, necessitating tight and consistent integration of several steps:

• spatially detailed resource appraisals;
• upscaling of geographic databases and integration of scales for representation in economic decision models;
• dynamic projection of land cover changes and sequential downscaling of economic activities to spatial land units; and
• quantification of environmental impacts.

Responsible for this page: Elisabeth Kawczynski
Last updated: 24 Feb 2011