Mediterranean Land Systems Spatial Distribution

They provide services to a large and growing population in a region that is among the most vulnerable to future global change. The spatial extent and distribution of Mediterranean land systems was, until now, unknown.

We present a new, expert-based classification of Mediterranean land systems, representing landscapes as integrated social-ecological systems. We combined data on land cover, management intensity and livestock available on the European and global scale in a geographic information system based approach. We put special emphasis on agro-silvo-pastoral mosaic systems: multifunctional Mediterranean landscapes hosting different human activities that are not represented in common land cover maps.The resulting land systems typology can be used to prioritize and protect landscapes of high cultural and environmental significance.