Mapping Land System Archetypes to Understand Drivers of Ecosystem Service Risks

Abstract

Land system archetypes are unique patterns of land-use intensity within prevailing environmental and socio-economic conditions that occur repeatedly across the terrestrial surface of the earth. Which ecosystem services are addressed? Food provisioning, crop production. What is the research question addressed? Which are the archetypical patterns in global land systems? What insights do land system archetypes provide into potential drivers of and impacts on ecosystem services? Which method has been applied? Self-organising maps applied to more than 30 land system indicators. What is the main result? The results identify land systems with risks to food provisioning due to soil erosion and regions with potential to increase crop production and resilience in terms of food security. What is concluded, recommended? Mapping global land systems archetypes allow providing science-based recommendations for regions with certain land-use types on how to avoid or mitigate negative consequences of land use. It represents a first step towards better understanding the spatial patterns of human-environment interactions and the environmental and social drivers of ecosystem service risks.