Dear Colleagues,

The growth in demand for natural resources, particularly by urbanites, is undoubtedly a matter that needs urgent solutions. This problem is exacerbated by a growing population projected up to 9 billion, coupled with an accelerated rural-to-urban migration. Indeed, natural resource exploitation is crucial to sustain human activities, but the consequential environmental burden exerted by anthropogenic pressure is an issue that cannot be neglected any longer. This augmented pressure affects atmosphere, water, and land systems. Concerning land use systems, the anthropogenic burden can be characterized as the environment-degrading land use dynamics that depauperate the natural base and ecosystem services, such as vegetation loss, land use fragmentation, agricultural shift, and finally frantic urban expansion and sprawl. This aspect of the human/environment interaction can be characterized as a paradox of development: on the one hand, there is an increasing demand for natural resources to support humanity, and on the other hand, there is a need to improve the Earth’s resilience by alleviating the stress on the natural environment caused by humanity’s needs. The rate at which the natural environment is being depleted has indeed gone well beyond what planet Earth’s resilience capabilities can regenerate. Therefore, addressing the mitigation of the burden of human activities on the environment is paramount for the persistence of many species (including humans) and for the protection of many ecosystems. However, as Johan Rockstrom reminds us, human development also provided us with improvements in scientific knowledge that enable the possibility of recognizing the problem, diagnosing the causes, designing a different future, and elaborating effective strategies to realize it. Specifically, there is a growing interest from administrative bodies at different scales (particularly at the EU level) for both ex-ante and ex-post impact territorial impact analysis as fundamental tools to support and implement effective planning strategies. Social and natural sciences now have the capabilities to elaborate projections and forecasts, and to coordinate participative action fostering a resilient future human/environment interaction, However, only through a constructive dialogue with policy-making is it possible to effectively shape the negotiation between human activities and climate change adaptation in order to anticipate and realize an equitable and sustainable future.

This Special Issue aims at collecting original contributions, subject to a rigorous peer review, regarding empirical and theoretical innovative works that focus on the elaboration of forecasts and projections for the future, or ex-post evidence-based analysis, on depauperative land use dynamics. The main goal is to investigate the dynamic of the human/environment interaction, learn from past examples, understand where this is leading human development, imagine an alternative future, and elaborate on what should be done to achieve sustainability goals.

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• statistical learning theory
• geostatistics and spatio-temporal analyses
• LULCC modelling
• multiple choice models
• territorial impact analysis
• spatial econometrics, ecological systems
• societal infrastructure and participatory activism
• tools-based informed policy making
• advancements in governance and societies
• participatory planning