A Land Systems Science Framework for Bridging Land System Architecture and Landscape Ecology: A Case Study from the Southern High Plains

Abstract

Abstract:Resource-use decisions affect the ecological and human components of the coupled human and natural system (CHANS), but a critique of some frameworks is that they do not address the complexity and tradeoffs within and between the two systems. Land system architecture (LA) was suggested to account for these tradeoffs at multiple levels/scales. LA and landscape ecology (LE) focus on landscape structure (i.e., composition and configuration of land-use and land-cover change [LULCC]) and the processes (social-ecological) resulting from and shaping LULCC. Drawing on mixed-methods research in the Southern Great Plains, we develop a framework that incorporates LA, LE, and governance theory. Public land and water are commons resources threatened by overuse, degradation, and climate change. Resource use is exacerbated by public land and water policies at the state-and local-levels. Our framework provides a foundation for investigating the mechanisms of land systems science (LSS) couplings across multiple levels/scales to understand how and why governance impacts human LULCC decisions (LA) and how those LULCC patterns influence, and are influenced by, the underlying ecological processes (LE). This framework provides a mechanism for investigating the feedbacks between and among the different system components in a CHANS that subsequently impact future human design decisions.

Conceptual framework and uncertainty analysis for large-scale, species-agnostic modelling of landscape connectivity across Alberta, Canada

“…Land systems also offer solutions to global change through adaptation and mitigation and can play a key role in achieving a sustainable future for Earth. Recent studies propose to incorporate landscape ecology issues when designing land systems to understand how and why governance impacts human land change decisions and how those land change patterns influence, and are affected by, the underlying ecological processes (e.g., 70 ). Species-agnostic connectivity modelling based on human modification provides a powerful tool in evaluating the effect of human decisions and actions on multi-level ecological processes and dynamics and simulating the effect of alternative future scenarios.…”

Cultural Evolution of Sustainable Behaviors: Pro-environmental Tipping Points in an Agent-Based Model

“…3 Dynamical systems approaches to human behavior are readily available in the fields of ecological psychology 1,3,35 and (radical) embodied cognitive science. 3 Moreover, dynamical systems approaches to studying or modeling systemic change 12 and coupled human-nature systems 60 have been recently proposed in the context of socio-ecological systems theories. However, ecological psychology and cognitive science in particular have traditionally struggled with taking into account the social dimension.…”

Changes in landscape composition and configuration in the Beressa watershed, Blue Nile basin of Ethiopian Highlands: historical and future exploration

“…For centuries, mankind has altered natural environment to meet their demand for resources ( Berihun et al., 2019 ). Landscape dynamics is a complex part of land use, and landscape structural changes can be determined using land use/land cover (LULC) data ( Vadjunec et al., 2018 ). LULC change detection is an important tool to identify geographical dynamics and its association with human activities.…”