Human activities and global climate change have imposed dual stress on the Earth’s surface ecosystems, resulting in rapid changes in land use and land cover at different spatial and temporal scales. These changes have increased the vulnerability of ecosystems, making land use and land cover an important element in global change and sustainability research (Foley et al., 2005; Liu and Deng, 2010). Over the past three decades, researchers from various disciplines have conducted numerous studies on land use/cover change (LUCC) processes and simulations at different spatial and temporal scales, analysis of driving mechanisms, ecological and environmental effects, and sustainable management (Verburg et al., 2002; Turner et al., 2007; He et al., 2022). A series of international programs have also been launched to promote the progress of LUCC-related research.

In 1995, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) jointly initiated the LUCC project. The project aimed to establish predictive, ecological and environmental outcome simulation and decision support models by understanding the mechanisms of interaction between “human driving forces, land use/cover change, global change, regional response, and environmental feedback.” The Global Land Project (GLP), launched in 2005 as a follow-up to the LUCC project, aimed to measure, model, and understand coupled human-environment systems, identify changes and impacts of coupled human-environment systems on land from a systems analysis perspective, and understand the vulnerability and sustainability of coupled human-environment systems. In 2014, organizations such as the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC) launched the 10-year Future Earth program. Under the influence of this program, LUCC-related research began to focus on the coupling relationships between LUCC processes, ecosystem services, and human wellbeing at different scales, thereby enhancing global sustainability. At the same time, the second phase of the GLP was officially renamed the Global Land Programme, becoming a global research network within Future Earth. It continues to serve as a platform for networking, synthesis, and agenda-setting, connecting the scientific and practice communities.

LUCC represents the most direct signal of the impact of human activities on the Earth’s surface. It is also an essential process of interaction between human socio-economic activities and the natural environment. To address the challenges posed by global change, conserve biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and enhance human wellbeing, it is crucial to understand the progress and shortcomings of LUCC research in the areas of biodiversity and ecological security, food security, climate change and United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) realization.