The underpinnings of land‐use history: three centuries of global gridded land‐use transitions, wood‐harvest activity, and resulting secondary lands

TLDR

Human land‑use activities shape Earth system processes, yet detailed historical patterns are largely unknown; prior global studies have mainly mapped agricultural spatial patterns. The study aims to deliver the first global gridded estimates of land‑use transitions, wood harvesting, and secondary lands from 1700 to 2000. These estimates are derived by compiling annual land‑use conversion, wood harvest, and secondary land data into a global gridded framework covering three centuries. The analysis reveals that 42–68 % of the land surface experienced land‑use activities during 1700–2000, with secondary land expanding by 10–44 million km²—about half forested—primarily driven by wood harvest and shifting cultivation (70–90 %), while permanent abandonment and relocation contributed the remainder.

Abstract

Abstract To accurately assess the impacts of human land use on the Earth system, information is needed on the current and historical patterns of land‐use activities. Previous global studies have focused on developing reconstructions of the spatial patterns of agriculture. Here, we provide the first global gridded estimates of the underlying land conversions (land‐use transitions), wood harvesting, and resulting secondary lands annually, for the period 1700–2000. Using data‐based historical cases, our results suggest that 42–68% of the land surface was impacted by land‐use activities (crop, pasture, wood harvest) during this period, some multiple times. Secondary land area increased 10–44 × 10 6 km 2 ; about half of this was forested. Wood harvest and shifting cultivation generated 70–90% of the secondary land by 2000; permanent abandonment and relocation of agricultural land accounted for the rest. This study provides important new estimates of globally gridded land‐use activities for studies attempting to assess the consequences of anthropogenic changes to the Earth's surface over time.