Welcome to the IAMO Land Systems Group
The overall goal of the Land Systems Group is to advance the understanding of terrestrial social-ecological systems where humans interact with the environment through land use. We analyze the multiple repercussions of the changes in land use on human welfare, food production, carbon dynamics, and biodiversity, as well as the effects of socioecological changes on land use. We approach these issues through quantitative and qualitative assessments alike and combine approaches from social and natural sciences at different spatial scales.
Specifically, we work with spatially explicit methods that include econometric modeling, quantitative geography, crop growth modeling, remote sensing, data mining, and simulation modeling. The current geographic focus of the research group are the countries of the former Soviet Union, China, and Southeast Asia.
News
18 May 2024
Deforestation Frontiers in Gran Chaco: Future Scenarios Highlight Urgent Need for Sustainable Land-Use Policies
Commodity agriculture spreads into tropical dry forests, eroding their ecological and social integrity. We studied historic land-system change and future scenarios for the South American Gran Chaco. Findings highlight urgent conservation planning to…
06 May 2024
Exploring the Interplay between Crop Rotational Diversity and Landscape Complexity
Using interpretable machine learning methods, we studied the relationship between crop rotation diversity, and landscape diversity including biophysical characteristics in Northeastern Germany. We reveal a spatial trade-off between crop rotations and…
15 April 2024
New study reveals extent of abandoned croplands along the front line in Ukraine
Using satellite imagery we estimated the extent of abandoned croplands on both sides of the front line following the invasion of Russia into Ukraine. The total area of abandoned Ukrainian cropland is around 13,900 km2, of which 8,000 km2 (57 percent)…