Land systems constitute the terrestrial component of the Earth system and encompass all processes and activities related to the human use of land, including socioeconomic, technological and organizational investments and arrangements, as well as the benefits gained from land and the unintended social and ecological outcomes of societal activities.
Land provides vital resources to society, such as food, fuel, fibres and many other ecosystem services that support production functions, regulate risks of natural hazards, or provide cultural and spiritual services.
By using the land, society alters and modifies the quantity and quality of the provision of these services.
The aggregate impact of many local land system changes has far reaching consequences for the Earth System, that feedback on ecosystem services, human well-being and decision making.
The Global Land Programme (GLP) of Future Earth is an interdisciplinary community of science and practice fostering the study of land systems and the co-design of solutions for global sustainability.