GLP (Global Land Programme)

GLP (Global Land Programme)
Name	Global Land Programme
Abbreviation	GLP
Formation	2012
Type	Research programme
Region served	Global
Parent organization	Future Earth

GLP (Global Land Programme) is an international research programme focused on land systems, land use change, and socio-environmental interactions that integrates studies across disciplines and scales. It connects researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to address sustainability challenges affecting land tenure, agriculture, urbanization, and biodiversity conservation. The programme interacts with major science bodies and multilateral processes to translate scientific knowledge into policy-relevant guidance.

Overview

GLP convenes scholars and institutions to study interactions among land-cover change, land-use change, and social-ecological systems affecting resilience, ecosystem services, and rural-urban transformations. It links networks such as Future Earth, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to produce integrative assessments. The programme emphasizes cross-scale synthesis drawing on case studies from regions including Amazon Rainforest, Sahel (region), Southeast Asia, and European Union nations to inform decision-making in forums such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, and Sustainable Development Goals processes.

History and Development

GLP emerged from earlier global change initiatives and international assessments following dialogues at meetings involving International Council for Science, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Wageningen University and Research, and national research agencies in the late 2000s. Formalization occurred alongside the formation of Future Earth and building on legacy efforts like the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the International Human Dimensions Programme. Early workshops and synthesis reports incorporated contributions from researchers affiliated with University of Oxford, University of Copenhagen, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration teams focusing on land-change science. Milestones include major synthesis publications, collaborative projects with the World Bank, and inputs to intergovernmental assessments led by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Governance and Organizational Structure

The programme operates through a steering committee, science committee, and national and regional nodes that coordinate activities with partners such as Future Earth, International Science Council, and academic institutions including Columbia University, University of Cape Town, and University of São Paulo. Its secretariat collaborates with funding agencies like European Commission, National Science Foundation (United States), and philanthropic organizations including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. GLP governance frameworks adopt principles from transdisciplinary models used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and World Health Organization expert panels, ensuring stakeholder engagement across United Nations processes and regional policy bodies such as the African Union and European Commission.

Research Themes and Priorities

Priority topics include land-use change drivers, land-climate feedbacks, land governance, food security, landscape restoration, and urban-rural linkages. Research agendas draw on conceptual frameworks from studies conducted at Wageningen University and Research, University of Melbourne, and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and methodological advances in remote sensing from European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Thematic workstreams align with global assessment cycles of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, policy processes of Convention on Biological Diversity, and implementation pathways for the Sustainable Development Goals such as SDG 2 and SDG 15.

Major Projects and Initiatives

GLP coordinates flagship initiatives addressing land degradation neutrality, sustainable agriculture transitions, and urban expansion including partnerships with Global Environment Facility, World Bank, and regional programs like Africa Land Policy Initiative. Notable activities have included global synthesis assessments, scenario development co-produced with IPBES, and capacity-building networks linking universities such as University of Nairobi, University of Buenos Aires, and Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Project outputs inform restoration efforts under initiatives like the Bonn Challenge and monitoring frameworks aligned with the New York Declaration on Forests.

Collaborations and Partnerships

The programme maintains active collaborations with multilateral organizations such as United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Development Programme, and research consortia including Earth System Science Partnership and regional networks in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Partnerships with policy platforms such as Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, and foundations enable applied research in land governance, tenure reform, and climate-smart agriculture. GLP also engages with scientific journals like Nature, Science, and Global Environmental Change to disseminate findings.

Impact and Policy Influence

Outputs from the programme have contributed to policy dialogues on land-use planning, restoration commitments, and metrics for deforestation and degradation used by institutions such as World Bank, European Commission, and national ministries of environment and agriculture including in Brazil, China, India, and South Africa. Its synthesis work has been cited in assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, informing international targets and national strategies for resilience, carbon sequestration, and sustainable development. The programme’s research has supported implementation of voluntary commitments like the Bonn Challenge and contributed evidence used by donors including Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund.

Category:Environmental research organizations Category:Earth system science