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Meyfroidt P, de Bremond A, Ryan CM, Archer E, Aspinall R, Chhabra A, Camara G, Corbera E, DeFries R, Díaz S, Dong J, Ellis EC, Erb KH, Fisher JA, Garrett RD, Golubiewski NE, Grau HR, Grove JM, Haberl H, Heinimann A, Hostert P, Jobbágy EG, Kerr S, Kuemmerle T, Lambin EF, Lavorel S, Lele S, Mertz O, Messerli P, Metternicht G, Munroe DK, Nagendra H, Nielsen JØ, Ojima DS, Parker DC, Pascual U, Porter JR, Ramankutty N, Reenberg A, Roy Chowdhury R, Seto KC, Seufert V, Shibata H, Thomson A, Turner BL, Urabe J, Veldkamp T, Verburg PH, Zeleke G, Zu Ermgassen EKHJ. Ten facts about land systems for sustainability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2109217118. [PMID: 35131937 PMCID: PMC8851509 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109217118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Land use is central to addressing sustainability issues, including biodiversity conservation, climate change, food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable energy. In this paper, we synthesize knowledge accumulated in land system science, the integrated study of terrestrial social-ecological systems, into 10 hard truths that have strong, general, empirical support. These facts help to explain the challenges of achieving sustainability in land use and thus also point toward solutions. The 10 facts are as follows: 1) Meanings and values of land are socially constructed and contested; 2) land systems exhibit complex behaviors with abrupt, hard-to-predict changes; 3) irreversible changes and path dependence are common features of land systems; 4) some land uses have a small footprint but very large impacts; 5) drivers and impacts of land-use change are globally interconnected and spill over to distant locations; 6) humanity lives on a used planet where all land provides benefits to societies; 7) land-use change usually entails trade-offs between different benefits-"win-wins" are thus rare; 8) land tenure and land-use claims are often unclear, overlapping, and contested; 9) the benefits and burdens from land are unequally distributed; and 10) land users have multiple, sometimes conflicting, ideas of what social and environmental justice entails. The facts have implications for governance, but do not provide fixed answers. Instead they constitute a set of core principles which can guide scientists, policy makers, and practitioners toward meeting sustainability challenges in land use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Meyfroidt
- Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium;
- Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique F.R.S.-FNRS, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ariane de Bremond
- Centre for Environment and Development, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Casey M Ryan
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom;
| | - Emma Archer
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Richard Aspinall
- Independent Scholar, James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland
| | - Abha Chhabra
- Space Applications Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, Ahmedabad 380015, India
| | - Gilberto Camara
- Earth Observation Directorate, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos, SP 12227-010, Brazil
| | - Esteve Corbera
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Department of Geography, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona 08010, Spain
| | - Ruth DeFries
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
| | - Sandra Díaz
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Jinwei Dong
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Erle C Ellis
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
| | - Karl-Heinz Erb
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Janet A Fisher
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nancy E Golubiewski
- Joint Evidence, Data, and Insights Division, Ministry for the Environment, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - H Ricardo Grau
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Yerba Buena, Tucumán 4107, Argentina
| | - J Morgan Grove
- Baltimore Urban Field Station, USDA Forest Service, Baltimore, MD 21228
| | - Helmut Haberl
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Heinimann
- Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern, 3011 Bern, Switzerland
- Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Hostert
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Esteban G Jobbágy
- Grupo de Estudios Ambientales, Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, 5700 San Luis, Argentina
| | - Suzi Kerr
- Economics and Global Climate Cooperation, Environmental Defense Fund, New York, NY 10010
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Eric F Lambin
- Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Sandra Lavorel
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Sharachandra Lele
- Centre for Environment & Development, ATREE, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560064, India
- Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune 411008, India
| | - Ole Mertz
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Peter Messerli
- Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern, 3011 Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Geography, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Graciela Metternicht
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Darla K Munroe
- Department of Geography, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43202
| | - Harini Nagendra
- School of Development, Azim Premji University 562125 Karnataka, India
| | - Jonas Østergaard Nielsen
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dennis S Ojima
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
- Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Dawn Cassandra Parker
- School of Planning, Faculty of the Environment, Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1
| | - Unai Pascual
- Centre for Environment and Development, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Basque Centre for Climate Change, BC3 48940 Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - John R Porter
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark
| | - Navin Ramankutty
- Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Anette Reenberg
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | | | - Karen C Seto
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Verena Seufert
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Sustainable Use of Natural Resources (430c), Institute of Social Sciences in Agriculture, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Hideaki Shibata
- Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, 060-0809 Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Allison Thomson
- Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, Washington, DC 20002
| | - Billie L Turner
- School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281
- School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281
- Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281
| | - Jotaro Urabe
- Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan
| | - Tom Veldkamp
- Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, Enschede 7522 NB, The Netherlands
| | - Peter H Verburg
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gete Zeleke
- Water and Land Resource Centre, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Erasmus K H J Zu Ermgassen
- Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique F.R.S.-FNRS, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
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Erb KH, Haberl H, Jepsen MR, Kuemmerle T, Lindner M, Müller D, Verburg PH, Reenberg A. A conceptual framework for analysing and measuring land-use intensity. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2013; 5:464-470. [PMID: 24143156 PMCID: PMC3798045 DOI: 10.1016/j.cosust.2013.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 07/18/2013] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Large knowledge gaps currently exist that limit our ability to understand and characterise dynamics and patterns of land-use intensity: in particular, a comprehensive conceptual framework and a system of measurement are lacking. This situation hampers the development of a sound understanding of the mechanisms, determinants, and constraints underlying changes in land-use intensity. On the basis of a review of approaches for studying land-use intensity, we propose a conceptual framework to quantify and analyse land-use intensity. This framework integrates three dimensions: (a) input intensity, (b) output intensity, and (c) the associated system-level impacts of land-based production (e.g. changes in carbon storage or biodiversity). The systematic development of indicators across these dimensions would provide opportunities for the systematic analyses of the trade-offs, synergies and opportunity costs of land-use intensification strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl-Heinz Erb
- Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt, Wien, Graz, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmut Haberl
- Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt, Wien, Graz, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Rudbeck Jepsen
- Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Oster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Department of Geography, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Earth System Analysis, Telegraphenberg A 31, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Marcus Lindner
- European Forest Institute, Torikatu 34, 80100 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Daniel Müller
- Department of Geography, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Peter H Verburg
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anette Reenberg
- Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Oster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Kuemmerle T, Erb K, Meyfroidt P, Müller D, Verburg PH, Estel S, Haberl H, Hostert P, Jepsen MR, Kastner T, Levers C, Lindner M, Plutzar C, Verkerk PJ, van der Zanden EH, Reenberg A. Challenges and opportunities in mapping land use intensity globally. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2013; 5:484-493. [PMID: 24143157 PMCID: PMC3798043 DOI: 10.1016/j.cosust.2013.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Future increases in land-based production will need to focus more on sustainably intensifying existing production systems. Unfortunately, our understanding of the global patterns of land use intensity is weak, partly because land use intensity is a complex, multidimensional term, and partly because we lack appropriate datasets to assess land use intensity across broad geographic extents. Here, we review the state of the art regarding approaches for mapping land use intensity and provide a comprehensive overview of available global-scale datasets on land use intensity. We also outline major challenges and opportunities for mapping land use intensity for cropland, grazing, and forestry systems, and identify key issues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department, Humboldt-University Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, 14412 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Karlheinz Erb
- Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt, Wien, Graz, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Patrick Meyfroidt
- Georges Lemaitre Earth and Climate Research Center, Earth and Life Institute, F.R.S-FNRS & Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Daniel Müller
- Geography Department, Humboldt-University Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Peter H Verburg
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Amsterdam Global Change Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stephan Estel
- Geography Department, Humboldt-University Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Helmut Haberl
- Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt, Wien, Graz, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Patrick Hostert
- Geography Department, Humboldt-University Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin R. Jepsen
- Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Kastner
- Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt, Wien, Graz, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Levers
- Geography Department, Humboldt-University Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus Lindner
- European Forest Institute (EFI), Sustainability and Climate Change Programme, Torikatu 34, 80100 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Christoph Plutzar
- Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt, Wien, Graz, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Pieter Johannes Verkerk
- European Forest Institute (EFI), Sustainability and Climate Change Programme, Torikatu 34, 80100 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Emma H van der Zanden
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Amsterdam Global Change Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anette Reenberg
- Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Haberl H, Sprinz D, Bonazountas M, Cocco P, Desaubies Y, Henze M, Hertel O, Johnson RK, Kastrup U, Laconte P, Lange E, Novak P, Paavola J, Reenberg A, van den Hove S, Vermeire T, Wadhams P, Searchinger T. Correcting a fundamental error in greenhouse gas accounting related to bioenergy. Energy Policy 2012; 45-222:18-23. [PMID: 23576835 PMCID: PMC3617913 DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2012] [Accepted: 02/20/2012] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Many international policies encourage a switch from fossil fuels to bioenergy based on the premise that its use would not result in carbon accumulation in the atmosphere. Frequently cited bioenergy goals would at least double the present global human use of plant material, the production of which already requires the dedication of roughly 75% of vegetated lands and more than 70% of water withdrawals. However, burning biomass for energy provision increases the amount of carbon in the air just like burning coal, oil or gas if harvesting the biomass decreases the amount of carbon stored in plants and soils, or reduces carbon sequestration. Neglecting this fact results in an accounting error that could be corrected by considering that only the use of 'additional biomass' - biomass from additional plant growth or biomass that would decompose rapidly if not used for bioenergy - can reduce carbon emissions. Failure to correct this accounting flaw will likely have substantial adverse consequences. The article presents recommendations for correcting greenhouse gas accounts related to bioenergy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Haberl
- Institute of Social Ecology, Alpen-Adria Universitaet Klagenfurt, Wien, Graz, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +43 1 5224000 406; fax: +43 1 5224000 477.
| | - Detlef Sprinz
- PIK-Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, PO Box 60 12 03, D-14412 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Marc Bonazountas
- National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 5, 15780 Zografos, Greece
| | - Pierluigi Cocco
- Department of Public Health, University of Cagliari, Asse Didattico — Policlinico Universitario SS 554, Km 4.500 09042 Monserrato (Cagliari), Italy
| | - Yves Desaubies
- Mersea Conseil, Consultance Scientifique et Technique 3, avenue de Kerdivichen 29280, Locmaria – Plouzané, France
| | - Mogens Henze
- Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental Engineering, Miljoevej B113 – room 115/222, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ole Hertel
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, P.O. Box 358, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Richard K. Johnson
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7050, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ulrike Kastrup
- focus Terra-Earth Science Research & Information Centre, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Eckart Lange
- Department of Landscape, The University of Sheffield, Arts Tower, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2 TN, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Novak
- Faculty for High Technologies and Systems, Na Loko 2, 8000 Novo mesto, Slovenia
| | - Jouni Paavola
- Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Anette Reenberg
- Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen Øster Volgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | | | - Theo Vermeire
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, PO Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Wadhams
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP), University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, United Kingdom
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