A Conceptualized Land Use System and Data to Support Integrated Landscape Assessments in Austria

Abstract

Integrated landscape assessments allow to analyze land use systems with high temporal and spatial resolution while considering socioeconomic and biophysical aspects. The proper definition of the land use system at the landscape scale and the availability of input data are prerequisites for such assessments. We develop a conceptualized land use system including farm scale factors, socioeconomic and sociocultural factors as well as environmental factors. We research available data sources related to the land use system and tailored to integrated landscape scale assessments and identify data gaps for Austria as a case study. Finally, we discuss options to improve data availability and quality, e.g., by seeking support from stakeholders. In interdisciplinary research, it is challenging to include all factors relevant to the land use system, and hence careful selection is required according to research scope, scale, and data availability.