Eric Lambin discusses how globalization and international trade can drive land use change in unexpected ways
Published by Generation Anthropocene, August 1, 2013.
Professor Eric Lambin started his career working with satellite images to examine patterns of land change, in addition to going into the field and talking to the farmers and locals using the land. In this podcast, he also discusses how globalization and international trade can drive land use change in unexpected ways. Additionally, Professor Lambin explains the concept of potentially arable cropland (PAC) and the relevance of “peak land” in the context of the Anthropocene, especially for policy makers.
Eric Lambin’s research is in the area of land use change. He develops integrated approaches to study human-environment interactions in land systems by linking remote sensing and socioeconomic data. This includes research to better detect subtle land changes based on time series of Earth observation satellites at multiple scales. His goal is to improve modeling of causes and impacts of deforestation, dryland degradation, agricultural intensification and conflicts between wildlife and agriculture around natural reserves. New research directions include land-use transitions – i.e., the shift from deforestation or land degradation to reforestation or land sparing for nature – and the impact of land change on vector-borne diseases.
Download this podcast here.
