The Global Land Programme (GLP): A key global research network of the Future Earth Initiative for Global Sustainability

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

Land is at the nexus of addressing crucial societal and environmental problems. The choices that societies make about land use globally are closely linked to societal well-being. As an international network, Global Land Programme (GLP), is uniquely positioned to address these grand challenges through removing barriers, engaging all stakeholders, and identifying solutions developed through collaborative mission-driven science processes. GLP brings land system scientists together from around the globe to tackle broad questions, enabling engaged collaboration across the international science community and advancing specific cutting-edge research questions and synthesis activities; new products, tools, and data; and societally relevant solutions with transformative benefits for societies worldwide. Capacity building efforts will catalyze a more diverse, globally competitive workforce in land system science and their contributions to global change research, and connection to policy and practitioner communities in the pursuit of answers multiplies the likelihood of impact. GLP will engage with interested parties and decisionmakers to understand their knowledge needs to solve what the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has framed as priority research and information needs for addressing the challenges of global change, generating actionable knowledge in support of sustainability transformations in land systems. The mission of GLP entails bridging scientific innovation with societal relevance and employs place-based research to feed synthesis-understandings of the patterns and processes of global change and related debates in global policy settings. Within this overall strategic setting of the GLP, the International Programme Office (IPO) will enable: 1) Setting agendas and facilitating synthesis in Land Systems Science (LSS); 2) Production of cutting-edge LSS worldwide; 3) Inform and support science-based policy on land; and 4) Building capacity of the LSS community to deliver inclusive, solutions-oriented science. GLP researchers-members, individually and collectively, have a twofold task in the achievement of these objectives. First, they will further develop the methodological core competencies of modeling, monitoring, and case study research and synthesis. Second, through the GLP ‘bodies’ (e.g., working groups, nodal offices, early career network) members will innovate in knowledge-building, engaging with non-scientific stakeholders to maximize effectiveness toward sustainable land systems. Integrating early career scientists into our training and workforce development offerings from the beginning, and through provision of ongoing mentoring and laddering, GLP will generate strong participation of young scholars from the Global South and marginalized communities of the Global North. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.