Using the European CORINE Land Cover Database: A 2011–2021 Specific Review

Abstract

Land use and land cover changes (LULCC) are social, climatic and ecological changes that take place at multiple spatial and time scales. The study of these changes offers us a better understanding of the evolution of the territory and the changes that take place in its natural and cultural values. In Europe, the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database is crucially important for monitoring these changes. As of today, it includes different maps of the land uses and covers in up to 39 countries, drawn in a standardized way. Within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by United Nations Agenda 2030 on Life on Earth, CORINE can provide essential information for a full understanding of the current situation of Goal 15 (Life on Land) so as to facilitate the design of sustainable policies for spatial planning and organization. In this paper, we perform a bibliographical review of the use of the CLC database. On the basis of qualitative and quantitative analyses, we analyse 77 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, published between 2011 and 2021, which include the word “CORINE” in the title. We observe increasing interest in the use of the CLC as a means of tracking the LULCC that have taken place and their impact on environmental issues such as deforestation, the pressures on protected natural areas and the soil erosion risk, among others. Other researchers analyse the CLC itself, assessing its accuracy and applicability with other sources and databases. Most of the papers refer to the maps for the years 2000 and 2006, using Level 3 of the thematic legend to study particular issues or dynamics at a local level. As regards the location of the institutions that use the CLC, those situated in Spain, Poland and Romania stand out. There were few links between the authors of these publications.KeywordsCORINE land coverEuropeReviewSustainable development goalsSDG 15