Characterizing Land Use Change in Multidisciplinary Landscape-Level Analyses

Abstract

Economists increasingly face opportunities to collaborate with ecologists on landscape-level analyses of socioeconomic and ecological processes. This often calls for developing empirical models to project land use change as input into ecological models. Providing ecologists with the land use information they desire can present many challenges regarding data, modeling, and econometrics. This paper provides an overview of the relatively recent adaptation of economics-based land use modeling methods toward greater spatial specificity desired in integrated research with ecologists. Practical issues presented by data, modeling, and econometrics are highlighted, followed by an example based on a multidisciplinary landscape-level analysis in Oregon's Coast Range mountains.