Global Land Programme
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| Global Land Programme | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Land Programme |
| Formation | 2013 |
| Predecessor | International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, International Human Dimensions Programme |
| Type | Research programme |
| Region served | Global |
| Parent organization | Future Earth |
Global Land Programme The Global Land Programme is an international research coordination initiative addressing land systems, sustainability, and human-environment interactions. It brings together researchers, institutions, and policy actors to study land-use change, ecosystem services, food security, climate interactions, and urbanization across multiple scales. The programme liaises with scientific assessments, policy forums, and funding agencies to translate land-system science into actionable knowledge.
Overview
The programme convenes networks of investigators from institutions such as Future Earth, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, International Council for Science, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to integrate land-system science with assessments by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and Convention on Biological Diversity. It synthesizes knowledge across disciplinary hubs exemplified by collaborations with Wageningen University, University of Oxford, Stanford University, University of Minnesota, and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Regional engagement links to networks including African Academy of Sciences, China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, Latin American Network of Environmental Scientists, European Commission Joint Research Centre, and Asian Development Bank.
History and Development
The programme emerged from restructuring of global change research after coordination by International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and International Human Dimensions Programme culminated in the creation of Future Earth and the formal launch of the Global Land Programme in 2013. Early activities built on legacy projects such as the Land Use and Land Cover Change research network, collaborations with the International Livestock Research Institute, and input from synthesis groups linked to the Global Land Project (2004–2013). Founding workshops convened experts from United Nations University, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research – Oslo, and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Subsequent strategic frameworks were influenced by outcomes from the Rio+20 Conference and policy agendas set at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties meetings.
Objectives and Research Themes
Core objectives include advancing understanding of land-system dynamics, informing sustainable development pathways, and supporting implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Research themes span land-use change and biodiversity in relation to the Convention on Biological Diversity, food systems linked to International Fund for Agricultural Development priorities, carbon sequestration relevant to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change mitigation scenarios, urban expansion intersecting with UN-Habitat agendas, and adaptation linked to United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Themes emphasize cross-scale processes, telecoupling studied with tools developed at institutions like National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency, socio-ecological modeling advanced at International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and Stockholm Resilience Centre, and knowledge co-production with stakeholders including World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Green Climate Fund.
Governance and Partnerships
The programme is governed through steering committees and scientific advisory boards drawing members from universities such as University of Leeds, University of Cape Town, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, and research centers including International Food Policy Research Institute, CIFOR-ICRAF (Center for International Forestry Research – World Agroforestry), and Beijing Normal University. Partnerships extend to intergovernmental bodies like United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and philanthropic actors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, while coordination mechanisms work with networks including Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, Future Earth Knowledge-Action Networks, and Earth System Science Partnership. Governance structures emphasize links with assessment platforms such as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and science-policy interfaces like Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Major Projects and Initiatives
Major initiatives include global land-change syntheses, remote-sensing observatories in collaboration with European Space Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, scenario development exercises aligned with Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and Representative Concentration Pathways, and regional case studies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America involving partners like International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, CIMMYT, International Rice Research Institute, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), and South African National Biodiversity Institute. Flagship activities have linked to the Global Land Project legacy synthesis, the development of land-system archetypes with Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and data integration initiatives with Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Group on Earth Observations, and WorldClim.
Funding and Institutional Support
Funding streams derive from national research councils such as the Natural Environment Research Council (UK), National Science Foundation (US), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, regional funds from the European Commission, and foundations including the Wellcome Trust and Rockefeller Foundation. Institutional support emerges from host universities and research institutes including Columbia University, University of Queensland, CSIRO, and Max Planck Society. Collaborative grants have involved multilateral lenders like World Bank and philanthropic consortia coordinating investments in land-system science and capacity-building programs with UNEP and FAO.
Impact and Criticism
The programme has influenced assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and informed policy dialogues at UNFCCC COP meetings and Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations, while contributing datasets used by NASA, European Space Agency, and national ministries of environment and agriculture. Criticisms include debates over representation of Global South researchers raised by networks such as African Academy of Sciences and Latin American Network of Environmental Scientists, concerns about integration of Indigenous knowledge highlighted by United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and disputes about funding priorities echoed in forums with International Development Research Centre and Overseas Development Institute. Methodological critiques have targeted scenario framing influenced by Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and scale mismatches examined by scholars from Stockholm Resilience Centre and International Institute for Environment and Development.