Anthropogenic Landscapes

Anthropogenic Landscapes of the World

A classification proposed by E.C. Ellis, October 25, 2005. Minimum mapping scale ≥ 1 km2.

1. Urban residential. High population density, non-agricultural, high impervious surface area. Includes cities and towns.
2. Urban, non-residential. Low population density, high impervious surface area. Areas dominated by non-residential anthropogenic structures, especially industrial areas associated
3. Suburban residential. Moderate population density, some vestigial agriculture, moderate impervious surface areas.
4. Developed villages. Moderate population density, some vestigial agriculture, moderate impervious surface areas. These are historically agricultural villages where non-agricultural livelihoods now predominate and farmers are a small part of the population. Common in more developed countries with long histories of dense rural populati
5. Agricultural villages. Moderate population density, with most of the population engaged in intensive agriculture in some way, low to moderate impervious surface areas. Common in developing countries with dense rural populations, especially
6. Pastoral villages. Moderate to low population density, with most of the population engaged in sedentary pastoral livestock production sometimes accompanied by cropping, low to moderate impervious surface areas. Probably most common in Africa.
7. Extensive industrial agriculture. ensive industrial agriculture. Low population density intensive agriculture, low impervious surface areas.
8. Plantations. Low population density large-scale plantation forestry and agriculture, low impervious surface area, high woody cover. Common
9. Shifting cultivation. Low population density non-intensive traditional agriculture, low impervious surfaces. Rare today, vestigial in som
10. Extensive pastoral. Low population density migratory non-intensive traditional livestock management and contemporary rangeland management, no impervious
11. Intensive non-residential disturbance. tensive non-residential disturbance. Lowpopulation density, low impervious surface. Primarily active deforestation, mining and other intensive disturbances not associated with permanent human occupation.

REFERENCES

Ellis E. C., H. Wang, H. Xiao, K. Peng, X. P. Liu, S. C. Li, H. Ouyang, X. Cheng, and L. Z. Yang. 2006. Measuring long-term ecological changes in densely populated landscapes using current and historical high resolution imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment 100(4):457-473. [download]