articleProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesFeb 7, 2022HYBRID OA

Ten facts about land systems for sustainability

PMPatrick MeyfroidtADAriane de BremondCMCasey M. RyanEAEmma ArcherRARichard Aspinall

Fund for Scientific Research · UCLouvain · +52 more institutions

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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…

Citation impact

412
total citations
FWCI
42.80
Percentile
100%
References
196
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Authors

50

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Sustainability
  • Environmental resource management
  • Environmental planning
  • Business
  • Computer science
  • Geography
  • Environmental science
  • Ecology
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