Land system science for global environmental change and sustainability: Advances, challenges, and future directions

Land System Science (LSS) has evolved as a core interdisciplinary field within human-environment system research, with a particular focus on land use and land cover change (LUCC). This article reviews the emergence of LSS, explores its roles in social-ecological research on global environmental change and sustainability, and discusses its challenges and future directions. We develop a conceptual framework that highlights the role of LSS in informing sustainable land management and assessing its impacts on interrelated social-ecological goals (sustainability, resilience, and quality of life, including wellbeing) for transformative planning and governance. To ensure the continued progress of the field and its ability to address evolving global challenges, LSS needs to better implement a systems-based approach through novel methodological developments, deepen the understanding of LUCC complexities, emphasize strong sustainability, bridge global-local gaps, and enhance the science-policy interface. In addition, while LSS is inherently interdisciplinary, its progress requires further broadening and deepening of collaboration and integration among contributing disciplines.