Focus on land use cover changes and environmental impacts in South/Southeast Asia

Abstract

Understanding the impacts of land use cover changes (LUCC) on the environment is one of the most important scientific challenges in global change research. LUCC is one of the critical drivers of environmental change in South/Southeast Asia. Several studies suggest that LUCC in these countries is driven by population growth and economic development. In the region, LUCC is manifested in a variety of phenomena such as urban expansion, agricultural land loss, land abandonment, deforestation, logging, reforestation, etc. Documenting the LUCC and associated impacts gain significance as the results can aid improved land management. This editorial provides a summary and discussion of the nine different articles of the Focus issue, focusing on ground-based measurements, remote sensing, and modeling to quantify LUCC impacts. The results will be useful to academics, practitioners, government, and policymakers to quantify and address sustainable LUCC issues in South/Southeast Asian countries. The published papers add significant new science to the existing literature.

Keywords

• land use cover changes
• population growth
• urban expansion
• agricultural land loss
• deforestation
• land abandonment