Conceptualizing the land change transitions with a territorial approach

Humans occupy the space in different ways. The practices through which they deal with local biophysical potential to pursue their goals shape the space forming the “land”. We consider the land as the spatial entity whose character is defined by these human and natural interactions at a given time. “Land changes” occur when at least one of the following land components is modified: the shape of this spatial entity, its cover/use, the practices operated on it, its tenure or its accessibility. . Taken together several partial or individual changes may show common dynamics that can be named “land change transitions” (LCT). Intentional (i.e., planned) and unintentional changes coexist in the real world eventually driving these transitions according to local and global dynamics. Rethinking LCT is a way to address drastic and subtle land changes to understanding and steering them. Indeed, this is a twofold challenge for research. On the one hand research has to bridge the gap with the complex array of actions taking place on land, on the other hand understanding LCT requires to work across disciplinary boundaries. For that, our communication aims at conceptualizing LCT stressing out the “territory” as a relevant inter- and trans- disciplinary perspective. In this context territory is meant as the level of organisation for local actions in response to wider global drivers. We focus on rural territories – placed in-between the more permanent urban and natural areas – the spaces on Earth where probably the most important LCT are taking place. Changes of land cover (e.g., from agriculture to urban), so as of the land system structure (e.g., the increasing mix of urban and agricultural areas) or of the practices (e.g., the conversion to organic farming of producers located in peri-urban areas or their coordination with consumers’ associations) occur unevenly in space and over time, eventually making the land character evolving more rapidly than in the past and more deeply than in urban or natural areas. Undesired side- effects for these lands are widely documented in literature, such as the loss of the cultural character or the threatening of natural resources. We will discuss the relevance of a territorial approach to articulate local and global land change transitions, and to make explicit how the relations between different land users and managers with the local biophysical potential shape and can be used to design different land system architecture.