Challenges in using land use and land cover data for global change studies

Land use and land cover data play a central role in climate change assessments. These data originate from different sources and inventory techniques. Each source of land use/cover data has its own domain of applicability and quality standards. Often data are selected without explicitly considering the suitability of the data for the specific application, the bias originating from data inventory and aggregation, and the effects of the uncertainty in the data on the results of the assessment. Uncertainties due to data selection and handling can be in the same order of magnitude as uncertainties related to the representation of the processes under investigation. While acknowledging the differences in data sources and the causes of inconsistencies, several methods have been developed to optimally extract information from the data and document the uncertainties. These methods include data integration, improved validation techniques and harmonization of classification systems. Based on the data needs of global change studies and the data availability, recommendations are formulated aimed at optimal use of current data and focused efforts for additional data collection. These include: improved documentation using classification systems for land use/cover data; careful selection of data given the specific application and the use of appropriate scaling and aggregation methods. In addition, the data availability may be improved by the combination of different data sources to optimize information content while collection of additional data must focus on validation of available data sets and improved coverage of regions and land cover types with a high level of uncertainty. Specific attention in data collection should be given to the representation of land management (systems) and mosaic landscapes.     

A review of influences of land use and land cover change on ecosystems

随着人口的增长和人类社会的发展, 土地利用与土地覆盖变化已经是不可避免。土地利用与土地覆盖变化不仅对生态系统的要素、结构和功能产生深远的影响, 也会对全球变化产生反馈作用。针对土地利用与土地覆盖变化的过程、驱动机制以及在各个方面可能产生的生态环境效应的科学研究已经全面开展。该文综述了土地利用与土地覆盖变化对气候、土壤、生物地球化学循环、生物多样性以及区域生态环境等影响方面的研究进展, 并提出了相关研究的前沿方向展望。随着新技术的不断发展, 学者们将更多地侧重预测未来全球变化背景下的土地利用与土地覆盖变化趋势、合理性以及适应性, 为可持续发展提供基础资料和理论依据。     

土地利用与土地覆盖变化对生态系统的影响

随着人口的增长和人类社会的发展, 土地利用与土地覆盖变化已经是不可避免。土地利用与土地覆盖变化不仅对生态系统的要素、结构和功能产生深远的影响, 也会对全球变化产生反馈作用。针对土地利用与土地覆盖变化的过程、驱动机制以及在各个方面可能产生的生态环境效应的科学研究已经全面开展。该文综述了土地利用与土地覆盖变化对气候、土壤、生物地球化学循环、生物多样性以及区域生态环境等影响方面的研究进展, 并提出了相关研究的前沿方向展望。随着新技术的不断发展, 学者们将更多地侧重预测未来全球变化背景下的土地利用与土地覆盖变化趋势、合理性以及适应性, 为可持续发展提供基础资料和理论依据。     

Surrogate species protection in Bolivia under climate and land cover change scenarios

The Amazon rainforest covers more than 60% of Bolivia’s lowlands, providing habitat for many endemic and threatened species. Bolivia has the highest rates of deforestation of the Amazon biome, which degrades and fragments species habitat. Anthropogenic habitat changes could be exacerbated by climate change, and therefore, developing relevant strategies for biodiversity protection under global change scenarios is a necessary step in conservation planning.In this research we used multi-species umbrella concept to evaluate the degree of habitat impacts due to climate and land cover change in Bolivia. We used species distribution modeling to map three focal species (Jaguar, Lowland Tapir and Lesser Anteater) and assessed current protected area network effectiveness under future climate and land cover change scenarios for 2050.The studied focal species will lose between 70% and 83% of their ranges under future climate and land-cover change scenarios, decreasing the level of protection to 10% of their original ranges. Existing protected area network should be reconsidered to maintain current and future biodiversity habitats.     

A framework for the identification of hotspots of climate change risk for mammals

As rates of global warming increase rapidly, identifying species at risk of decline due to climate impacts and the factors affecting this risk have become key challenges in ecology and conservation biology. Here, we present a framework for assessing three components of climate‐related risk for species: vulnerability, exposure and hazard. We used the relationship between the observed response of species to climate change and a set of intrinsic traits (e.g. weaning age) and extrinsic factors (e.g. precipitation seasonality within a species geographic range) to predict, respectively, the vulnerability and exposure of all data‐sufficient terrestrial non‐volant mammals (3,953 species). Combining this information with hazard (the magnitude of projected climate change within a species geographic range), we identified global hotspots of species at risk from climate change that includes the western Amazon basin, south‐western Kenya, north‐eastern Tanzania, north‐eastern South Africa, Yunnan province in China, and mountain chains in Papua‐New Guinea. Our framework identifies priority areas for monitoring climate change effects on species and directing climate mitigation actions for biodiversity.     

土地利用/覆盖变化对中国不同季节气温的影响

近几十年中国地区土地利用/覆盖变化(LUCC)较大,在区域气候模拟中尤其需要使用更加准确的土地利用/覆盖数据。基于模式原有的USGS和新开发的LUC90两种土地利用/覆盖资料,利用区域环境集成模拟系统(RIEMS2.0)分别进行连续10a模拟,分析LUCC对中国不同季节气温的影响。结果表明:1)采用LUC90资料后,中国及东北、华北、华南夏季平均气温增加,但只有东北模拟与观测值的偏差减小,且通过显著性检验(P0.01)。中国及东北、华南冬季平均气温增加,并且模拟与观测值的偏差减少。中国及华北和华南对冬季气温年际变率的模拟改善好于夏季。2)土地利用/覆盖变化通过影响潜热通量的变化和净吸收辐射通量的变化来影响不同季节气温的变化。冬季净辐射通量变化对气温变化的贡献较夏季大,而夏季潜热通量变化对气温变化的贡献较冬季大。雨养农田转变森林、草地、灌溉农田过程造成通量变化,其对气温变化的影响也存在不同分区季节的差异。     

The role of protected areas in land use/land cover change and the carbon cycle in the conterminous United States

Protected areas (PAs) cover about 22% of the conterminous United States. Understanding their role on historical land use and land cover change (LULCC) and on the carbon cycle is essential to provide guidance for environmental policies. In this study, we compiled historical LULCC and PAs data to explore these interactions within the terrestrial ecosystem model (TEM). We found that intensive LULCC occurred in the conterminous United States from 1700 to 2005. More than 3 million km² of forest, grassland and shrublands were converted into agricultural lands, which caused 10,607 Tg C release from land ecosystems to atmosphere. PAs had experienced little LULCC as they were generally established in the 20th century after most of the agricultural expansion had occurred. PAs initially acted as a carbon source due to land use legacies, but their accumulated carbon budget switched to a carbon sink in the 1960s, sequestering an estimated 1,642 Tg C over 1700–2005, or 13.4% of carbon losses in non‐PAs. We also find that PAs maintain larger carbon stocks and continue sequestering carbon in recent years (2001–2005), but at a lower rate due to increased heterotrophic respiration as well as lower productivity associated to aging ecosystems. It is essential to continue efforts to maintain resilient, biodiverse ecosystems and avoid large‐scale disturbances that would release large amounts of carbon in PAs.     

气候与土地利用变化下宁夏清水河流域径流模拟

气候和土地利用变化是影响水资源变化最直接的因素。应用SWAT模型对干旱半干旱区小流域宁夏清水河流域径流进行多情景模拟预测,以历史气候要素变化趋势和CA-Markov模型分别设置未来气候和土地利用变化情景,以决定系数R2和Nash-Sutcliffe模型效率系数Ens(Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient)来衡量模拟值与实测值之间的拟合度,并评价模型在清水河流域的适用性。结果表明,韩府湾站在校准期和验证期的R~2分别为0.80和0.71,Ens分别为0.77和0.69,泉眼山站在校准期和验证期的R2分别为0.66和0.63,Ens分别为0.62和0.56,表明构建的SWAT模型可以用于清水河流域的径流模拟。对未来气候和土地利用变化情景下径流的模拟结果显示,径流变化主要由降水变化主导,降水减少和气温升高的综合作用对流域径流变化影响最为显著;由于耕地和建设用地的增加,未来3种土地利用情景下流域径流量将均会呈现明显增加变化。与2010年相比,到2020年,自然增长情景流域径流将增加17.04%,林地保护情景径流将增加14.44%,规划情景径流将增加13.98%;综合降水、气温和土地利用的结合变化情景显示,未来流域径流将会有不同程度的下降,规划情景和气候变化的结合情景的径流下降最为明显,而有意增大林地和加强生态保护的林地保护情景对减缓流域径流下降具有一定作用。在气候变化的大背景下,根据水资源利用管理目标,可通过调整流域管理措施,特别是土地利用变化和改善区域小气候来减缓气候变化对流域水资源的负面效果,以此来改善流域径流和生态环境状况。     

晋北地区土地利用覆被格局的演变与模拟

区域土地利用覆被变化及未来发展情景对区域土地管理和可持续发展具有重要意义。以地处农牧交错带、土地利用覆被变化剧烈的晋北地区为研究区,获取其2010、2015年的土地利用覆被(Land use/land cover,LULC)数据,选取高程、人口、经济、气温、降水等9种影响因素作为驱动因子,采用CLUE-S模型拟合研究区2015年的土地覆被格局并判断拟合精度,在此基础上,分别设置了3种社会经济发展情景,模拟这些情景下研究区2020年的土地利用覆被格局演变。结果表明:1)晋北地区土地利用覆被以耕地、林地和草地为主,各类型土地主要呈西北斜向的条带状分布;2)Logistic回归模型可以很好地提取LULC与驱动因子之间的关系,反映不同的驱动因素对不同的土地利用类型分布格局的影响效果及程度;3)CLUE-S模型在晋北地区土地利用覆被格局的拟合上有较好的精度,模拟Kappa系数值达0.89,表明该模型能够很好地模拟晋北地区的土地利用覆被;4)情景模拟结果表明,研究区生态保护情景(c)下的土地利用覆被格局明显优于维持现状情景(a)和经济优先情景(b),建议在未来土地开发利用过程中,应当减缓工矿用地增...     

Mapping environments at risk under different global climate change scenarios

All global circulation models based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios project profound changes, but there is no consensus on how to map their environmental consequences. Our multivariate representation of environmental space combines stable topographic and edaphic attributes with dynamic climatic attributes. We divide that environmental space into 500 unique domains and map their current locations and their projected locations in 2100 under contrasting emissions scenarios. The environmental domains found across half the study area today disappear under the higher emissions scenario, but persist somewhere in it under the lower emissions scenario. Locations affected least and those affected most under each scenario are mapped. This provides an explicit framework for designing conservation networks to include both areas at least risk (potential refugia) and areas at greatest risk, where novel communities may form and where sentinel ecosystems can be monitored for signs of stress.     

30% land conservation and climate action reduces tropical extinction risk by more than 50%

Limiting climate change to less than 2°C is the focus of international policy under the climate convention (UNFCCC), and is essential to preventing extinctions, a focus of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The post-2020 biodiversity framework drafted by the CBD proposes conserving 30% of both land and oceans by 2030. However, the combined impact on extinction risk of species from limiting climate change and increasing the extent of protected and conserved areas has not been assessed. Here we create conservation spatial plans to minimize extinction risk in the tropics using data on 289 219 species and modeling two future greenhouse gas concentration pathways (RCP2.6 and 8.5) while varying the extent of terrestrial protected land and conserved areas from <17% to 50%. We find that limiting climate change to 2°C and conserving 30% of terrestrial area could more than halve aggregate extinction risk compared with uncontrolled climate change and no increase in conserved area.     

多气候情景下中国森林火灾风险评估

森林火灾风险主要取决于致灾因子、承灾体以及防灾减灾能力,综合评估和预测森林火灾风险是制定科学的林火管理政策的基础.本文基于经典自然灾害风险模型和可获取数据构建森林火灾风险评估模型与指标体系,评估过去和未来的森林火灾风险.未来气候情景数据包括RCP 2.6、RCP 4.5、RCP 6.0和RCP 8.5下5个全球气候模式(GFDL-ESM2M、HadGEM2-ES、IPSL-CM5A-LR、 MIROC-ESM-CHEM和NorESM1-M)日值数据.根据最高温度、最小相对湿度、平均风速和每日降水量分别计算1987—2050年历史观测数据和未来气候情景下各格点每日火险天气指数系统中各个指数.结果表明: 1987—2010年,森林火灾风险高和很高的区域分别占21.2%和6.2%,主要分布在大兴安岭和长白山地区、云南大部分区域和南方零散分布的区域.森林火灾可能性高和很高的区域主要分布在东北和西南地区,分别占森林面积的13.1%和4.0%.与观测时段相比,2021—2050年RCP 2.6、RCP 4.5、RCP 6.0和RCP 8.5情景下森林火灾可能性高和很高的区域分别增加0.6%、5.5%、2.3%和3.5%,华北地区增幅明显.气候变化引起的森林火灾高风险区域有些增加,RCP 8.5情景下增幅最明显(+1.6%).     

Projecting impacts of global climate and land‐use scenarios on plant biodiversity using compositional‐turnover modelling

Nations have committed to ambitious conservation targets in response to accelerating rates of global biodiversity loss. Anticipating future impacts is essential to inform policy decisions for achieving these targets, but predictions need to be of sufficiently high spatial resolution to forecast the local effects of global change. As part of the intercomparison of biodiversity and ecosystem services models of the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, we present a fine‐resolution assessment of trends in the persistence of global plant biodiversity. We coupled generalized dissimilarity models, fitted to >52 million records of >254 thousand plant species, with the species–area relationship, to estimate the effect of land‐use and climate change on global biodiversity persistence. We estimated that the number of plant species committed to extinction over the long term has increased by 60% globally between 1900 and 2015 (from ~10,000 to ~16,000). This number is projected to decrease slightly by 2050 under the most optimistic scenario of land‐use change and to substantially increase (to ~18,000) under the most pessimistic scenario. This means that, in the absence of climate change, scenarios of sustainable socio‐economic development can potentially bring extinction risk back to pre‐2000 levels. Alarmingly, under all scenarios, the additional impact from climate change might largely surpass that of land‐use change. In this case, the estimated number of species committed to extinction increases by 3.7–4.5 times compared to land‐use‐only projections. African regions (especially central and southern) are expected to suffer some of the highest impacts into the future, while biodiversity decline in Southeast Asia (which has previously been among the highest globally) is projected to slow down. Our results suggest that environmentally sustainable land‐use planning alone might not be sufficient to prevent potentially dramatic biodiversity loss, unless a stabilization of climate to pre‐industrial times is observed.     

Adaptation of global land use and management intensity to changes in climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide

Land use contributes to environmental change, but is also influenced by such changes. Climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels’ changes alter agricultural crop productivity, plant water requirements and irrigation water availability. The global food system needs to respond and adapt to these changes, for example, by altering agricultural practices, including the crop types or intensity of management, or shifting cultivated areas within and between countries. As impacts and associated adaptation responses are spatially specific, understanding the land use adaptation to environmental changes requires crop productivity representations that capture spatial variations. The impact of variation in management practices, including fertiliser and irrigation rates, also needs to be considered. To date, models of global land use have selected agricultural expansion or intensification levels using relatively aggregate spatial representations, typically at a regional level, that are not able to characterise the details of these spatially differentiated responses. Here, we show results from a novel global modelling approach using more detailed biophysically derived yield responses to inputs with greater spatial specificity than previously possible. The approach couples a dynamic global vegetative model (LPJ‐GUESS) with a new land use and food system model (PLUMv2), with results benchmarked against historical land use change from 1970. Land use outcomes to 2100 were explored, suggesting that increased intensity of climate forcing reduces the inputs required for food production, due to the fertilisation and enhanced water use efficiency effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, but requiring substantial shifts in the global and local patterns of production. The results suggest that adaptation in the global agriculture and food system has substantial capacity to diminish the negative impacts and gain greater benefits from positive outcomes of climate change. Consequently, agricultural expansion and intensification may be lower than found in previous studies where spatial details and processes consideration were more constrained.     

鄱阳湖流域不同土地覆被碳水利用效率时空变化及其与气候因子的相关性

鄱阳湖流域作为较突出的碳汇功能区,深入掌握不同土地覆被碳素利用率（CUE）和水分利用效率（WUE）的时空分异规律及其对气候因子的响应,对明确气候变化背景下该流域生态功能和碳水循环有重要意义。利用MODIS数据产品,结合流域土地利用和气象监测数据,辅以趋势分析和相关分析等方法研究了2000-2014年鄱阳湖流域不同土地利用类型CUE和WUE的时空变化特征,并探讨了其与降水、气温和日照时数的相关性。结果表明：1）鄱阳湖流域CUE和WUE多年平均值分别为0.458和0.682 gC/kgH₂O,不同土地利用类型的CUE大小依次为草地 > 水田 > 其他林地 > 旱地 > 疏林地 > 灌木林 > 有林地,WUE大小依次为有林地 > 灌木林 > 旱地 > 疏林地 > 水田 > 其他林地 > 草地;2）鄱阳湖流域CUE、WUE在研究时段内均呈微弱下降趋势,各土地利用类型CUE和WUE则表现出较大的年际波动,且年际变化趋势率具有高度的相似性,其中林地各类型下降趋势最大,其次是旱地和水田,草地最小;3）降水是影响鄱阳湖流域土地覆被碳水利用效率变化的关键因素,其他因子与CUE和WUE的相关性均不显著,不同覆被CUE和WUE对气温、降水和日照时数的响应程度存在较大差异。     

Potential impacts of future land use and climate change on the Red List status of the Proteaceae in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa

Using spatial predictions of future threats to biodiversity, we assessed for the first time the relative potential impacts of future land use and climate change on the threat status of plant species. We thus estimated how many taxa could be affected by future threats that are usually not included in current IUCN Red List assessments. Here, we computed the Red List status including future threats of 227 Proteaceae taxa endemic to the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, and compared this with their Red List status excluding future threats. We developed eight different land use and climate change scenarios for the year 2020, providing a range of best‐ to worst‐case scenarios. Four scenarios include only the effects of future land use change, while the other four also include the impacts of projected anthropogenic climate change (HadCM2 IS92a GGa), using niche‐based models. Up to a third of the 227 Proteaceae taxa are uplisted (become more threatened) by up to three threat categories if future threats as predicted for 2020 are included, and the proportion of threatened Proteaceae taxa rises on average by 9% (range 2–16%), depending on the scenario. With increasing severity of the scenarios, the proportion of Critically Endangered taxa increases from about 1% to 7% and almost 2% of the 227 Proteaceae taxa become Extinct because of climate change. Overall, climate change has the most severe effects on the Proteaceae, but land use change also severely affects some taxa. Most of the threatened taxa occur in low‐lying coastal areas, but the proportion of threatened taxa changes considerably in inland mountain areas if future threats are included. Our approach gives important insights into how, where and when future threats could affect species persistence and can in a sense be seen as a test of the value of planned interventions for conservation.     

The fate of European breeding birds under climate,land‐use and dispersal scenarios

Many species have already shifted their distributions in response to recent climate change. Here, we aimed at predicting the future breeding distributions of European birds under climate, land‐use, and dispersal scenarios. We predicted current and future distributions of 409 species within an ensemble forecast framework using seven species distribution models (SDMs), five climate scenarios and three emission and land‐use scenarios. We then compared results from SDMs using climate‐only variables, habitat‐only variables or both climate and habitat variables. In order to account for a species’ dispersal abilities, we used natal dispersal estimates and developed a probabilistic method that produced a dispersal scenario intermediate between the null and full dispersal scenarios generally considered in such studies. We then compared results from all scenarios in terms of future predicted range changes, range shifts, and variations in species richness. Modeling accuracy was better with climate‐only variables than with habitat‐only variables, and better with both climate and habitat variables. Habitat models predicted smaller range shifts and smaller variations in range size and species richness than climate models. Using both climate and habitat variables, it was predicted that the range of 71% of the species would decrease by 2050, with a 335 km median shift. Predicted variations in species richness showed large decreases in the southern regions of Europe, as well as increases, mainly in Scandinavia and northern Russia. The partial dispersal scenario was significantly different from the full dispersal scenario for 25% of the species, resulting in the local reduction of the future predicted species richness of up to 10%. We concluded that the breeding range of most European birds will decrease in spite of dispersal abilities close to a full dispersal hypothesis, and that given the contrasted predictions obtained when modeling climate change only and land‐use change only, both scenarios must be taken into consideration.     

不同土地利用/覆被情景下生态系统减轻水库泥沙淤积的服务能力与经济价值模拟

以ArcGIS9.2为平台,构建了生态系统减轻水库泥沙淤积服务物质量和价值量评估模型.整合2000年的相关数据将此模型应用于二滩水库,并模拟了10种不同土地利用/覆被情景下集水区生态系统该项服务的能力和在水库使用年限内服务总价值的响应.结果表明:2000年,二滩水库集水区土壤保持量12.1亿t·a-1,高值区分布于雅砻江干流和支流水网附近.泥沙输移比在河道附近和水库周边较高.水库周边是最为主要的保沙区.水库使用年限内,集水区对于减轻二滩水库泥沙淤积服务总价值27.53亿元.集水区内不同结构类型的土地利用/覆被情景对保沙能力所产生的影响各异,模拟保沙量符合林地＞草地＞裸地＞农田规律,农田保沙能力最弱,是二滩水库最为主要的产沙源.     

Predicted declines in suitable habitat for greater one‐horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) under future climate and land use change scenarios

Rapidly changing climate is likely to modify the spatial distribution of both flora and fauna. Land use change continues to alter the availability and quality of habitat and further intensifies the effects of climate change on wildlife species. We used an ensemble modeling approach to predict changes in habitat suitability for an iconic wildlife species, greater one‐horned rhinoceros due to the combined effects of climate and land use changes. We compiled an extensive database on current rhinoceros distribution and selected nine ecologically meaningful environmental variables for developing ensemble models of habitat suitability using ten different species distribution modeling algorithms in the BIOMOD2 R package; and we did this under current climatic conditions and then projected them onto two possible climate change scenarios (SSP1‐2.6 and SSP5‐8.5) and two different time frames (2050 and 2070). Out of ten algorithms, random forest performed the best, and five environmental variables—distance from grasslands, mean temperature of driest quarter, distance from wetlands, annual precipitation, and slope, contributed the most in the model. The ensemble model estimated the current suitable habitat of rhinoceros to be 2610 km², about 1.77% of the total area of Nepal. The future habitat suitability under the lowest and highest emission scenarios was estimated to be: (1) 2325 and 1904 km² in 2050; and (2) 2287 and 1686 km² in 2070, respectively. Our results suggest that over one‐third of the current rhinoceros habitat would become unsuitable within a period of 50 years, with the predicted declines being influenced to a greater degree by climatic changes than land use changes. We have recommended several measures to moderate these impacts, including relocation of the proposed Nijgad International Airport given that a considerable portion of potential rhinoceros habitat will be lost if the airport is constructed on the currently proposed site.     

A continent under stress: interactions, feedbacks and risks associated with impact of modified land cover on Australia's climate

Global climate change is the major and most urgent global environmental issue. Australia is already experiencing climate change as evidenced by higher temperatures and more frequent and severe droughts. These impacts are compounded by increasing land use pressures on natural resources and native ecosystems. This paper provides a synthesis of the interactions, feedbacks and risks of natural climate variability, climate change and land use/land cover change (LUCC) impacting on the Australian continent and how they vary regionally. We review evidence of climate change and underlying processes resulting from interactions between global warming caused by increased concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases and modification of the land surface. The consequences of ignoring the effect of LUCC on current and future droughts in Australia could have catastrophic consequences for the nation's environment, economy and communities. We highlight the need for more integrated, long-term and adaptive policies and regional natural resource management strategies that restore the beneficial feedbacks between native vegetation cover and local-regional climate, to help ameliorate the impact of global warming.