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Environmental information systems
This interactive data viewer provides a set of dashboards giving an further insight into the information extracted for the Net land take in cities and commuting zones in Europe indicator for EU-27 and EEA-38. The data is derived from the CLMS Urban Atlas dataset for change mapping periods 2012-2018 and 2018- 2021. The dashboard offers charts and tables showing the recorded land conversion within the overlapping Functional Urban Areas (FUA), providing more detailed insight into the distribution of land take within countries, cities and commuting zones and the affected land use.
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Net land take in cities and commuting zones in Europe
Land conversion to artificial surfaces impairs the ecological functions of land and makes ecosystems less resilient. In Europe, this conversion takes place primarily in cities and commuting zones. Between 2012 and 2018, the net land take in the EU in these zones was 450 km 2 annually. The land that was taken was mostly croplands and pastures, followed by forests. For the EU to reach its aim of ‘no-net-land take by 2050’ there needs to be significant reductions in the net land take over the years and this seems, at present, uncertain and challenging. It is unclear how the main drivers of land take will change and whether reconverting artificial surfaces to land will increase sufficiently in the future while current projections indicate a likely expansion of built up areas in the coming years.
References and footnotes
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