Land cover is the physical cover on the Earth’s surface, while land use refers to the arrangements, activities and inputs that people undertake in a certain land cover. Land use/cover changes (LUCC) not only record the spatiotemporal process of the Earth’s surface but also reflect the modification of anthropogenic activities on nature. As the benefits human obtain from the natural systems, ecosystem services (ESs) become the bridge to link ecosystem processes and human well-being. LUCC has a close relationship with ESs and sustainability. Rational land use often maintains and improves ESs, and further enhance sustainability. On the contrary, irrational land use usually results in deceases in ESs, and impede sustainability. In other words, the linkages between LUCC, ESs and sustainability provide an unique perspective to understand the coupled human-nature system. Recently, LUCC has exerted profound impacts on ESs and sustainability from a local scale to a global scale. Thus, understanding these linkages at different scales emerges as one of the academic frontiers in earth science.
This research topic will focus on the theoretical development and place-based practical application that promote the understanding of the linkages between LUCC, ESs and sustainability at different scales. It will also provide an open platform dedicated to couple human and nature system to promote sustainability, aiming at encouraging and strengthening transdisciplinary research between human and nature sciences.
This research topic welcomes submissions including (but not limited to) the following issues:
(1) LUCC detection and modelling
(2) The impacts of LUCC on ESs
(3) The linkage between LUCC, ESs and human well-being
(4) Nature-based solutions of the land system design for carbon neutrality and sustainability
Land cover is the physical cover on the Earth’s surface, while land use refers to the arrangements, activities and inputs that people undertake in a certain land cover. Land use/cover changes (LUCC) not only record the spatiotemporal process of the Earth’s surface but also reflect the modification of anthropogenic activities on nature. As the benefits human obtain from the natural systems, ecosystem services (ESs) become the bridge to link ecosystem processes and human well-being. LUCC has a close relationship with ESs and sustainability. Rational land use often maintains and improves ESs, and further enhance sustainability. On the contrary, irrational land use usually results in deceases in ESs, and impede sustainability. In other words, the linkages between LUCC, ESs and sustainability provide an unique perspective to understand the coupled human-nature system. Recently, LUCC has exerted profound impacts on ESs and sustainability from a local scale to a global scale. Thus, understanding these linkages at different scales emerges as one of the academic frontiers in earth science.
This research topic will focus on the theoretical development and place-based practical application that promote the understanding of the linkages between LUCC, ESs and sustainability at different scales. It will also provide an open platform dedicated to couple human and nature system to promote sustainability, aiming at encouraging and strengthening transdisciplinary research between human and nature sciences.
This research topic welcomes submissions including (but not limited to) the following issues:
(1) LUCC detection and modelling
(2) The impacts of LUCC on ESs
(3) The linkage between LUCC, ESs and human well-being
(4) Nature-based solutions of the land system design for carbon neutrality and sustainability
