The current situation: from land cover to land use

The available geographical data sets refer to land cover (GLC2000 for South America and the CCAD/World Bank ecosystem map for Central America), whereas the study seeks to investigate the spatial distribution of the following broad land use classes:

1. non or very extensively used forest
   
2. grazed grasslands and pasture
   
3. cropped land
   
4. urbanised land
   
5. non-grazed grasslands and shrublands (only very extensively used, includes degraded as well as regenerating vegetation)
   
6. stable vegetated areas (vegetation on land considered to have no potential for use)
   
7. other (bare unused land)

Classes 5 to 7 are only very extensively used and their use intensity is not expected to increase. Their distinction is nevertheless important for spatial modelling purposes: surface and location of classes 6 and 7 are fixed, while the spatial location of class 5 may change.

This information is produced by regrouping land cover classes based on expert knowledge and:

• national land use maps
  
• national census data (Brazil)
  
• FAO AGP country pasture profiles
  
• national expert feedback