Global trend assessment of land use and land cover changes: A systematic approach to future research development and planning

Abstract

The diverse landscape of global land use and land cover (LULC) change studies were evaluated to uncover the current advances in data and future research potential through bibliometrics and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach. A total of 2710 published articles with the search phrase “Land use and Land cover change” OR “Land-use and Land cover change” OR “Land use/Land cover change” OR “Land use and Land cover changes” were retrieved using Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), and ScienceDirect databases from 1993 to 2022. The findings indicated a 24.37% annual growth rate in LULC change studies, reflecting a rapid overall increase in published articles. China and the USA emerged as the most influential countries regarding article numbers, total citations, and single-country publications. Ethiopia, Ghana, and South Africa, among the top 20 global rankings of the most influential countries in LULC change studies, underscore the global importance of this research. However, the disparity in research output between multiple-country publications and the dominant trend of single-country publications highlights a geographical bias in LULC change studies, particularly in the Global South. This finding underscores the need for a more balanced research approach and can stimulate further investigation. The results also revealed that remote sensing, a rapidly growing field utilising advanced computing techniques, is the most prevalent keyword and has significant applications in reducing land degradation. These findings can significantly enhance research, climate policy programs, land management, and forest ecology planning, which are crucial in the face of the growing demand for agriculture and habitable land.