Land is a foundational, finite resource that serves as the physical platform for nearly all human activity and the sustenance of terrestrial ecosystems. It encompasses surface topography, water resources, climate, and the plant and animal communities it supports. Because land is irreplaceable and its availability is limited, its management involves categorizing its use to balance competing demands. Land use is broadly grouped into productive, settlement, and conservation purposes.
Productive Land Use
Productive land use centers on the biological capacity of the Earth’s surface to yield materials necessary for human survival and economic activity. A major component of this category is agriculture, where land provides the medium for cultivation and ranching to produce food, fiber, and biofuels. Roughly 38% of the planet’s ice-free land area is dedicated to various forms of agriculture, demonstrating its widespread importance.
Forestry is another form of productive land use, where timber and other forest products are harvested from managed tracts of land. This practice utilizes the land’s capacity to support large-scale biomass growth, providing raw materials for construction and paper industries. The land is also a resource for extractive industries, including mining for minerals, metals, and drilling for fossil fuels like oil and natural gas.
Settlement and Infrastructure Land Use
The use of land for settlement and infrastructure focuses on its function as a stable location and a medium for connectivity, rather than its biological productivity. This category includes residential areas, providing the ground for housing and community development. Commercial and industrial zones also fall under this use, where land is selected and prepared for the construction of factories, warehouses, and business districts.
Beyond direct habitation, land is used to support the physical networks that link human activity, known as infrastructure. This includes the placement of transportation arteries like roads, highways, and railway systems, which require extensive land corridors. Utility networks, such as pipelines for water and gas, and easements for electricity transmission lines, also rely on the land for their stable and permanent placement.
Conservation and Ecological Land Use
Conservation and ecological land use involves setting aside land to maintain its natural state for long-term resource protection and sustainability. This is a form of resource management that ensures the continuity of ecosystem services, which are benefits that nature provides to humanity. Examples include the designation of national parks and wilderness areas, which protect biodiversity and genetic resources.
Protected wetlands and watershed areas are managed to maintain their natural function of filtering water and regulating regional hydrology. This use preserves the land’s natural capacity to perform services like carbon sequestration in forests and soil, which helps mitigate climate change effects.