Land-use and land-cover changes are affected by agricultural (food, fiber, bio-energy, forest, etc.) demand and trade, population growth and consumption patterns, urbanization and economic development, science and technology, and other factors. The combination of climate and land-use change may have profound effects on national, regional and global human supporting capacities.

Land use and land cover change research at LUC targets scientific underpinning for land-use decisionmaking and projections of future land use. It includes land use change scenario development and detailed understanding of the direct impacts of land-use and land-cover change on ecosystems biodiversity, renewable water resources, carbon cycles as well as food security and bio-energy requirements. Research focuses on specific questions at national, regional and global levels as follows:

• Land and water resources potentials and limitations
• Food security and poverty
• Bio-energy production
• Biodiversity
• Climate-related processes that affect land-use change
• Integrated land use change policy analysis
• Adaptation to climate change.

Historical land use (animation)

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