Human transformations of ecosystems and landscapes are the largest source of change on Earth, and impact the abil­ity of the biosphere to sustain life. Intensification and diversifica­tion of land use and advances in technology have led to rapid changes in biogeochemical cycles, hydrological pro­cesses and the dynamics of landscapes. Changes in land use and management affect the states, properties and functions of ecosystems, which in turn, affect the provision of ecosys­tem services and hence human well-being. Links between decision making, ecosystem services and global environmental change define important feedbacks from coupled human-environment activities at the local and regional scale, and to and from the global scale. The Global Land Project is IGBP´s core project on land systems that emerged from the former LUCC and GCTE. GLP was launched in 2005 and is co-sponsored by the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP).

 

GLP Goal

The goal of GLP is to measure, model and understand the coupled human-environmental system.