Roger Sayre, PhD Senior Scientist for Ecosystems Land Change Science Program U.S. Geological Survey and GEO Task Lead GI-14 Commonalities in Global Land Cover Datasets – Crosswalking at the Biome Level Global Land Cover Harmonization Side Event GEO XII Plenary and Ministerial Meeting Mexico City, 9 NOV

Harmonization in Global Land Cover 1.Classification (Thematic) Resolution  Differences in number and types of classes  Land cover vs land use  Fitness for use as proxies (hazards, ecosystems, productivity, land conversions, etc.) 2.Spatial and Temporal Resolution  Low-res  Moderate-res  Hi-res 3.User Community Needs vs. Provider Mandates  Biodiversity and Ecosystems  Climate Change  Water  Agriculture  Hazards  Oceans

Example – Global Ecosystem Accounting GI-14: Global Ecosystem Classification and Mapping Develop a standardized, robust, and practical global ecosystems classification and map for the planet’s terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.

Land Cover is an Element of Ecosystems Land Cover Lithology Landform Bioclimate Global Ecosystems

Land Cover is a Proxy for Ecosystems Land Cover Lithology Landform Bioclimate Global Ecosystems

The UN SEEA Ecosystem Accounting Types Urban and Developed Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland Permanent Crops and Plantations Agricultural Mosaics Pastures and Natural Grasslands Forest Tree Cover Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland Sparsely Vegetated Areas Natural Vegetation Mosaics Barren Land Permanent Snow and Glaciers Wetlands Inland Water Bodies Coastal Water Bodies Sea

The UN SEEA Ecosystem Accounting Types Urban and Developed Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland Permanent Crops and Plantations Agricultural Mosaics Pastures and Natural Grasslands Forest Tree Cover Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland Sparsely Vegetated Areas Natural Vegetation Mosaics Barren Land Permanent Snow and Glaciers Wetlands Inland Water Bodies Coastal Water Bodies Sea Q: What are these? A: Biome-level reporting classes, representing mega- scale ecosystems

Harmonization Through Crosswalking Examples – GEO Ecosystems Urban and Developed Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland Permanent Crops and Plantations Agricultural Mosaics Pastures and Natural Grasslands Forest Tree Cover Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland Sparsely Vegetated Areas Natural Vegetation Mosaics Barren Land Permanent Snow and Glaciers Wetlands Inland Water Bodies Coastal Water Bodies Sea Warm Wet Hills on Metamorphic Rock with Mostly Deciduous Forest

Crosswalking Examples – GEO Ecosystems Urban and Developed Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland Permanent Crops and Plantations Agricultural Mosaics Pastures and Natural Grasslands Forest Tree Cover Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland Sparsely Vegetated Areas Natural Vegetation Mosaics Barren Land Permanent Snow and Glaciers Wetlands Inland Water Bodies Coastal Water Bodies Sea Warm Wet Hills on Metamorphic Rock with Mostly Deciduous Forest Cold Dry Plains on Unconsolidated Sediments with Shrublands

Crosswalking – ESA Global Land Cover Urban and Developed Rainfed Herbaceous Cropland Irrigated Herbaceous Cropland Permanent Crops and Plantations Agricultural Mosaics Pastures and Natural Grasslands Forest Tree Cover Shrubland, Bushland, and Heathland Sparsely Vegetated Areas Natural Vegetation Mosaics Barren Land Permanent Snow and Glaciers Wetlands Inland Water Bodies Coastal Water Bodies Sea Rainfed Croplands Forest or Shrubland, Closed (>40%), Broadleaved, Permanently Flooded, Saline or Brackish Water ?

For this application, global ecosystem accounting, global land cover harmonization may mean: 1.Agreement on the best set of biome classes to be used  Existing SEEA Ecosystem Types or  WWF Major Habitat Types (16 classes)  NatureServe World Formation Classes (18)  FAO Global Ecological Zones (20)  Box and Fujiwara (2005) World Terrestrial Biomes (15)  others 2.Agreement by global land cover data providers to crosswalk existing classes to the desired set of biomes  Crosswalk criteria only, vs.  Additional attribute included in data provision

Global Land Cover Harmonization – For What? 1.Application-specific (e.g. ecosystem accounting, remote sensing for essential biodiversity variables (RS4EBV), etc.) 2.GEO/GEOSS SBAs and Tasks  Biodiversity and Ecosystems Sustainability  Disaster Resilience  Energy and Mineral Resource Management  Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture  Infrastructure and Transportation Management  Public Health Surveillance  Sustainable Urban Development  Water Resources Management 3. SDGs