Land change is a cause and consequence of global environmental change. Changes in land use and land cover considerably alter the Earth’s energy balance and biogeochemical cycles, which contributes to climate change and—in turn—affects land surface properties and the provision of ecosystem services. However, quantification of global land change is lacking. Here we analyse 35 years’ worth of satellite data and provide a comprehensive record of global land-change dynamics during the period 1982–2016. We show that—contrary to the prevailing view that forest area has declined globally—tree cover has increased by 2.24 million km2 (+7.1% relative to the 1982 level).
Technology Partners: MimirTech
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/global-land-change-1982-2016
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/xiao-peng-song
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/matthew-c-hansen
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/stephen-v-stehman-et-al
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/nature
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/land-use
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/land-resources
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/asia
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/deforestation
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/agriculture
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/climate-change
[12] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/remote-sensing
[13] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/ecosystem-services
