Land cover studies around the world vary greatly both temporally and spatially. For example, in the Sahel region of West Africa scientists are monitoring, mapping and quantifying changes in natural resources through the use of land cover changes.

The European Environmental Agency produced a land cover database – CORINE - for the 25 EC Member States and other European countries and includes 44 land cover and land use classifications. The Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF), which is housed at the University of Maryland, also provides earth science data and products. The GLCF develop and distribute land cover data with emphasis on determining where, how much and why land cover changes around the world. The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) provides a quantitive understanding of the Earth’s past climate and environment, while the Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) project is a program element of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP). Please explore these and other global land cover study links and discover what other types of global land cover activities are taking place throughout the world.

International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) Global 1km land cover dataset