Current scenarios of future global land use processes are unrealistic in many aspects and do not take into account important ecosystem processes and human activities. To this end, we are developing new modeling methods that allow us to develop a more nuanced picture of sustainable land use based on the underlying processes in coupled socio-economic and natural systems. Our aim is to demonstrate ways in which climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation can be combined.

One of several challenges is to understand the human behavior and decision making that influence land use change and its impacts on the broader environment in order to find sustainable solutions for better land management. Ultimately, the dynamics in coupled socio-ecological systems are poorly understood: For example, how does climate change affect crop or forest yields? How might this change human decisions on land use? What consequences does this in turn have for ecosystem processes (and the climate)?