Land take and net land take

This interactive data viewer provides a set of dashboards giving an overview of the land take and net land take processes for Europe (EEA39 and EU28) derived from the CORINE land cover data series. Statistics are derived for every 6 years of the acquisition period, as well as for the entire period (2000-2018). The viewer facilitates the assessment of land take over a specific period as well as the land use drivers of the observed changes, which can be analyzed within user defined spatial units such as administrative regions, biogeographical regions or land cover classes.

TopicsGeographical coverageTemporal coveragePublisherRightsOther organisations involved

Land taken by urban areas and infrastructure is generally irreversible. It results in soil sealing, i.e. the loss of soil resources due to covering the land for housing, roads or industry. Urban land take consumes agricultural land and reduces space for habitats. Areas converted to artificial surfaces are only able to support few functions related to socio-economic activities and housing. Converting land to artificial surfaces reduce the potential of ecosystems to provide important services such as the regulation of the water balance and protection against floods. Land occupied by man-made surfaces and dense infrastructure also fragments the landscapes. It is also a significant source of water, soil and air pollution.

Land take and net land take

Related content

References and footnotes