Mapping past human land use using archaeological data: A new classification for global land use synthesis and data harmonization

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246662
• Publication Date: 2021-04-14T21:18:45Z
• Authors: Kathleen D. Morrison; Emily Hammer; Oliver Boles; Marco Madella; Nicola Whitehouse; Marie-Jose Gaillard; Jennifer Bates; Marc Vander Linden; Stefania Merlo; Alice Yao; Laura Popova; Austin Chad Hill; Ferran Antolin; Andrew Bauer; Stefano Biagetti; Rosie R. Bishop; Phillip Buckland; Pablo Cruz; Dagmar Dreslerová; Gerrit Dusseldorp; Erle Ellis; Dragana Filipovic; Thomas Foster; Matthew J. Hannaford; Sandy P. Harrison; Manjil Hazarika; Hajnalka Herold; Johanna Hilpert; Jed O. Kaplan; Andrea Kay; Kees Klein Goldewijk; Jan Kolář; Elizabeth Kyazike; Julian Laabs; Carla Lancelotti; Paul Lane; Dan Lawrence; Krista Lewis; Umberto Lombardo; Giulio Lucarini; Manuel Arroyo-Kalin; Rob Marchant; Francis Mayle; Meriel McClatchie; Madeleine McLeester; Scott Mooney; Magdalena Moskal-...; Vanessa Navarrete; Emmanuel Ndiema; Eduardo Góes Neves; Marek Nowak; Welmoed A. Out; Cameron Petrie; Leanne N. Phelps; Zsolt Pinke; Stéphen Rostain; Thembi Russell; Andrew Sluyter; Amy K. Styring; Eduardo Tamanaha; Evert Thomas; Selvakumar Veerasamy; Lynn Welton; Marco Zanon
• Keywords: Land Cover; Earth system science; Cadastre; Harmonization; Land information system

In the 12,000 years preceding Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant changes in land cover, plant and animal distributions, surface hydrology, biochemical cycles. Earth system models suggest that this anthropogenic cover change influenced regional global climate. However, representation of past use earth is currently oversimplified. As a result, there are large uncertainties current understanding state system. order improve variety scale impacts had on system, effort underway aggregate synthesize archaeological historical evidence systems. Here we present simple, hierarchical classification systems designed be used with data at schema codes identify practices common range systems, both implemented geospatial database. The scheme database resulted from an extensive process consultation researchers worldwide. Our deliver consistent, empirically robust for improvement models, while simultaneously allowing comparative, detailed mapping relevant needs scholars. To illustrate benefits methods use, apply it Mesopotamia Arabia 6 kya (c. 4000 BCE). will describe by Past Global Changes (PAGES) LandCover6k working group, international project comprised archaeologists, historians, geographers, paleoecologists, modelers. Beyond this, has wide utility creating language between research policy communities, linking archaeologists climate modelers, biodiversity conservation workers initiatives.