Regional and Global Patterns of Population, Land Use, and Land Cover Change: An Overview of Stressors and Impacts

This paper provides an overview of land use and land cover (LULC) change and regional to global patterns of that change and responses. Human activities now dominate the Earth's global ecosystem and LULC change is one of the most pervasive and influential activities. LULC change alters nutrient cycling, hydrology, ecology, ecosystem and community functioning, species diversity, and enhances the spread of invasive species and communicable disease. Drivers of LULC change and methods of quantification are discussed. The discussion does not attempt to examine in detail the specific consequence of each potential change in land use and land cover at a global scale. Rather, it concentrates on the human drivers of land use and land cover change, regional patterns of change, and their resulting stressors and ecological impacts.