Research My research is in the area of human-environment interactions in land systems. I develop integrated approaches to study land use change by linking remote sensing, GIS and socio-economic data. I aim at better understanding causes and impacts of changes in tropical forests, drylands, and farming systems. I currently focus on three related themes: land use transitions – i.e., the shift from deforestation (or land degradation) to reforestation (or land sparing for nature), – the influence of globalization on land use decisions, and the interactions between public and private governance aimed at promoting sustainable land use. My research is mostly focused on tropical regions in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Teaching I teach a course for graduate and undergraduate students on satellite remote sensing of land (Winter). In Spring, I co-teach a graduate-level course on Earth System Dynamics, including the human dimensions of global environmental changes.
Professional Activities I was Chair of the international scientific project Land Use and Land Cover Change (IGBP/IHDP LUCC) from 1999 to 2005. I also contributed to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. I am often consulted by international organizations on issues related to tropical deforestation, desertification and the potential role of tropical forests in mitigating climate change. I am Foreign associate at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. In addition to my research at Stanford, I am involved in several European research projects.
Conservation in a social-ecological system experiencing climate-induced tree mortalityBIOLOGICAL CONSERVATIONOakes, L. E., Hennon, P. E., Ardoin, N. M., D'Amore, D. V., Ferguson, A. J., Steel, E. A., Wittwer, D. T., Lambin, E. F.2015; 192: 276-285
Disease Risk & Landscape Attributes of Tick-Borne Borrelia Pathogens in the San Francisco Bay Area, CaliforniaPLOS ONESalkeld, D. J., Nieto, N. C., Carbajales-Dale, P., Carbajales-Dale, M., Cinkovich, S. S., Lambin, E. F.2015; 10 (8)
Effects of Land Use on Plague (Yersinia pestis) Activity in Rodents in TanzaniaAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENEMcCauley, D. J., Salkeld, D. J., Young, H. S., Makundi, R., Dirzo, R., Eckerlin, R. P., Lambin, E. F., Gaffikin, L., Barry, M., Helgen, K. M.2015; 92 (4): 776-783
An agenda for assessing and improving conservation impacts of sustainability standards in tropical agricultureCONSERVATION BIOLOGYMilder, J. C., Arbuthnot, M., Blackman, A., Brooks, S. E., Giovannucci, D., Gross, L., Kennedy, E. T., Komives, K., Lambin, E. F., Lee, A., Meyer, D., Newton, P., Phalan, B., Schroth, G., Semroc, B., van Rikxoort, H., Zrust, M.2015; 29 (2): 309-320
Eco-certification and coffee cultivation enhance tree cover and forest connectivity in the Colombian coffee landscapesREGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGERueda, X., Thomas, N. E., Lambin, E. F.2015; 15 (1): 25-33
Synchronous failure: the emerging causal architecture of global crisisECOLOGY AND SOCIETYHomer-Dixon, T., Walker, B., Biggs, R., Crepin, A., Folke, C., Lambin, E. F., Peterson, G. D., Rockstoem, J., Scheffer, M., Steffen, W., Troell, M.2015; 20 (3)
Disease Risk & Landscape Attributes of Tick-Borne Borrelia Pathogens in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.PloS oneSalkeld, D. J., Nieto, N. C., Carbajales-Dale, P., Carbajales-Dale, M., Cinkovich, S. S., Lambin, E. F.2015; 10 (8)
Impacts of forest cover change on ecosystem services in high Andean mountainsECOLOGICAL INDICATORSBalthazar, V., Vanacker, V., Molina, A., Lambin, E. F.2015; 48: 63-75
The effectiveness of marked-based instruments to foster the conservation of extensive land use: The case of Geographical Indications in the French AlpsLAND USE POLICYLamarque, P., Lambin, E. F.2015; 42: 706-717
Production forests as a conservation tool: Effectiveness of Cameroon's land use zoning policyLAND USE POLICYBruggeman, D., Meyfroidt, P., Lambin, E. F.2015; 42: 151-164
Global assessment of urban and peri-urban agriculture: irrigated and rainfed croplandsENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERSThebo, A. L., Drechsel, P., Lambin, E. F.2014; 9 (11)
Effectiveness and synergies of policy instruments for land use governance in tropical regionsGLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONSLambin, E. F., Meyfroidt, P., Rueda, X., Blackman, A., Boerner, J., Cerutti, P. O., Dietsch, T., Jungmann, L., Lamarque, P., Lister, J., Walker, N. F., Wunder, S.2014; 28: 129-140
Agent-based modeling of hunting and subsistence agriculture on indigenous lands: Understanding interactions between social and ecological systemsENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWAREIwamura, T., Lambin, E. F., Silvius, K. M., Luzar, J. B., Fragoso, J. M.2014; 58: 109-127
COMMENTARY: Climate engineering reconsideredNATURE CLIMATE CHANGEBarrett, S., Lenton, T. M., Millner, A., Tavoni, A., Carpenter, S., Anderies, J. M., Chapin, F. S., Crepin, A., Daily, G., Ehrlich, P., Folke, C., Galaz, V., Hughes, T., Kautsky, N., Lambin, E. F., Naylor, R., Nyborg, K., Polasky, S., Scheffer, M., Wilen, J., Xepapadeas, A., de Zeeuw, A.2014; 4 (7): 527-529
Multiple pathways of commodity crop expansion in tropical forest landscapesENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERSMeyfroidt, P., Carlson, K. M., Fagan, M. E., Gutierrez-Velez, V. H., Macedo, M. N., Curran, L. M., DeFries, R. S., Dyer, G. A., Gibbs, H. K., Lambin, E. F., Morton, D. C., Robiglio, V.2014; 9 (7)
Beyond local climate: rainfall variability as a determinant of household nonfarm activities in contemporary rural Burkina FasoClimate and DevelopmentD'Haen, S., Nielsen, J., Lambin, E. F.2014: 1-22
Significance of Telecoupling for Exploration of Land-Use ChangeRETHINKING GLOBAL LAND USE IN AN URBAN ERAEakin, H., DeFries, R., Kerr, S., Lambin, E. F., Liu, J., Marcotullio, P. J., Messerli, P., Reenberg, A., Rueda, X., Swaffield, S. R., Wicke, B., Zimmerer, K.2014: 141-161
Trends in Global Land-Use CompetitionRETHINKING GLOBAL LAND USE IN AN URBAN ERALambin, E. F., Meyfroidt, P.2014: 11-22
Scenarios on future land changes in the West African SahelGEOGRAFISK TIDSSKRIFT-DANISH JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHYLambin, E. F., D'haen, S. A., Mertz, O., Nielsen, J. O., Rasmussen, K.2014; 114 (1): 76-83
Global agriculture and land use changes in the 21st century: Achieving a balance between food security, urban diets and nature conservationThe Evolving Sphere of Food Security (in press)Rueda, X., Lambin, E. F.edited by Naylor, R.Oxford University Press.2014
Estimating the world's potentially available cropland using a bottom-up approachGLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONSLambin, E. F., Gibbs, H. K., Ferreira, L., Grau, R., Mayaux, P., Meyfroidt, P., MORTON, D. C., Rudel, T. K., Gasparri, I., Munger, J.2013; 23 (5): 892-901
Globalization's unexpected impact on soybean production in South America: linkages between preferences for non-genetically modified crops, eco-certifications, and land useENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERSGarrett, R. D., Rueda, X., Lambin, E. F.2013; 8 (4)
Globalization of land use: distant drivers of land change and geographic displacement of land useCURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITYMeyfroidt, P., Lambin, E. F., Erb, K., Hertel, T. W.2013; 5 (5): 438-444
The new economic geography of land use change: Supply chain configurations and land use in the Brazilian AmazonLAND USE POLICYGarrett, R. D., Lambin, E. F., Naylor, R. L.2013; 34: 265-275
Land institutions and supply chain configurations as determinants of soybean planted area and yields in BrazilLAND USE POLICYGarrett, R. D., Lambin, E. F., Naylor, R. L.2013; 31: 385-396
Linking Globalization to Local Land Uses: How Eco-Consumers and Gourmands are Changing the Colombian Coffee LandscapesWORLD DEVELOPMENTRueda, X., Lambin, E. F.2013; 41: 286-301
Framing Sustainability in a Telecoupled WorldECOLOGY AND SOCIETYLiu, J., Hull, V., Batistella, M., DeFries, R., Dietz, T., Fu, F., Hertel, T. W., Izaurralde, R. C., Lambin, E. F., Li, S., Martinelli, L. A., McConnell, W. J., Moran, E. F., Naylor, R., Ouyang, Z., Polenske, K. R., Reenberg, A., Rocha, G. d., Simmons, C. S., Verburg, P. H., Vitousek, P. M., Zhang, F., Zhu, C.2013; 18 (2)
Responding to Globalization: Impacts of Certification on Colombian Small-Scale Coffee GrowersECOLOGY AND SOCIETYRueda, X., Lambin, E. F.2013; 18 (3)
Global land use competitionRethinking Global Land Use in an Urban EraLambin, E. F., Meyfroidt, P.edited by Seto, K., Reenberg, A.MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.2013
Niche commodities and rural poverty alleviation: Contextualizing the contribution of argan oil to rural livelihoods in MoroccoAnnals of Association of American GeographersLe Polain de Waroux, Y., Lambin, E. F.2013; 103: 589-607
Responding to globalization: the case of coffee certification in ColombiaEcology and SocietyRueda, X., Lambin, E. F.2013; 18 (3)
Scenarios of transmission risk of foot-and-mouth with climatic, social and landscape changes in southern AfricaAPPLIED GEOGRAPHYDion, E., Lambin, E. F.2012; 35 (1-2): 32-42
The nature and causes of the global water crisis: Syndromes from a meta-analysis of coupled human-water studiesWATER RESOURCES RESEARCHSrinivasan, V., Lambin, E. F., Gorelick, S. M., Thompson, B. H., Rozelle, S.2012; 48
Trade-offs between tree cover, carbon storage and floristic biodiversity in reforesting landscapesLANDSCAPE ECOLOGYHall, J. M., Van Holt, T., Daniels, A. E., Balthazar, V., Lambin, E. F.2012; 27 (8): 1135-1147
Evaluation and parameterization of ATCOR3 topographic correction method for forest cover mapping in mountain areasINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATIONBalthazar, V., Vanacker, V., Lambin, E. F.2012; 18: 436-450
Planetary Opportunities: A Social Contract for Global Change Science to Contribute to a Sustainable FutureBIOSCIENCEDeFries, R. S., Ellis, E. C., Chapin, F. S., Matson, P. A., Turner, B. L., Agrawal, A., Crutzen, P. J., Field, C., Gleick, P., Kareiva, P. M., Lambin, E., Liverman, D., Ostrom, E., Sanchez, P. A., Syvitski, J.2012; 62 (6): 603-606
Global land availability: Malthus versus RicardoGlobal Food SecurityLambin, E. F.2012; 1: 83-87
An Ecology of Happiness (originally published as Une Ecologie de Bonheur)Lambin , E., Fagan (translator), T.University of Chicago Press, Chicago.2012
Malnutrition and conflict in Eastern Africa: Impacts of resource variability on human securityClimate Change, Human Security and Violent Conflict: Challenges for Societal StabilityRowhani , P., Degomme , O., Guha-Sapir, D., Lambin , E. F.edited by Scheffran, J., Brzoska, M., Brauch, H. G., Link, P. M., Schilling, J.Springer.2012: 559-572
Monitoring degradation in arid and semi-arid forests and woodlands: the case of the argan woodlands (Morocco)Applied GeographyLe Polain de Waroux, Y., Lambin, E. F.2012; 32: 777-786
Tipping Toward Sustainability: Emerging Pathways of TransformationAMBIOWestley, F., Olsson, P., Folke, C., Homer-Dixon, T., Vredenburg, H., Loorbach, D., Thompson, J., Nilsson, M., Lambin, E., Sendzimir, J., Banerjee, B., Galaz, V., van der Leeuw, S.2011; 40 (7): 762-780
Rapid land use change after socio-economic disturbances: the collapse of the Soviet Union versus ChernobylENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERSHostert, P., Kuemmerle, T., Prishchepov, A., Sieber, A., Lambin, E. F., Radeloff, V. C.2011; 6 (4)
The landscape epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa: A spatially explicit multi-agent simulationECOLOGICAL MODELLINGDion, E., VanSchalkwyk, L., Lambin, E. F.2011; 222 (13): 2059-2072
Global land use change, economic globalization, and the looming land scarcityPROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICALambin, E. F., Meyfroidt, P.2011; 108 (9): 3465-3472
Global Forest Transition: Prospects for an End to DeforestationANNUAL REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES, VOL 36Meyfroidt, P., Lambin, E. F.2011; 36: 343-371
Adaptation strategies and climate vulnerability in the Sudano-Sahelian region of West AfricaAtmospheric Science LettersC., Mertz O. Mbow, A., Reenberg, L., Genesio, F., Lambin E., S., D'haen, M., Zorom, K., Rasmussen, D., Diallo, B., Barbier, I., Bouzou Moussa, A., Diouf, O., Nielsen J., I., Sandholt2011; 12: 104-108
Protéger l’environnement pour protéger son bonheurPsychologie positive: Le Bonheur dans tous ses états Lambin, E. F.Editions Jouvence, Paris.2011: 102-115
Climate variability, malnutrition, and armed conflicts in the Horn of AfricaClimatic changeRowhani, P., Degomme, O., Guha-Sapir, D., Lambin, E. F.2011; 105 (2): 207-222
Tipping towards sustainability: Emerging pathways of transformationAmbioF., Westley, P., Olsson, C., Folke, T., Homer-Dixon, H., Vredenburg, D., Loorbach, J., Thompson, M., Nilsson, E.F., Lambin, J., Senzimir, V., Galaz, van der Leeuw S.2011; 40: 762-780
Global interannual variability in terrestrial ecosystems using MODIS-derived vegetation indices, social, and biophysical factorsInternational Journal of Remote SensingP., Rowhani, M., Linderman, F., Lambin E.2011; 32: 5393-5411
Between land and sea: livelihoods and environmental changes in mangrove ecosystems of Senegal,Annals of the Association of American GeographersConchedda G., Lambin E.F.and Mayaux P.2011; 101: 1259-1284
Remotely sensed surface water extent as an indicator of short-term changes in ecohydrological processes in sub-Saharan Western AfricaRemote Sensing of EnvironmentE., Haas, E., Bartholomé, F., Lambin E., V., Vanacker2011; 115: 3436-3445
Forest transitions, trade, and the global displacement of land usePROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAMeyfroidt, P., Rudel, T. K., Lambin, E. F.2010; 107 (49): 20917-20922
Pathogenic landscapes: Interactions between land, people, disease vectors, and their animal hostsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH GEOGRAPHICSLambin, E. F., Tran, A., Vanwambeke, S. O., Linard, C., Soti, V.2010; 9
Solutions to environmental threats.Scientific AmericanDaily, G. C., Howarth, R., Vaccari, D., Morris, A. C., Lambin, E. F., Doney, S. C., Gleick, P. H., Fahey, D. W.2010; 302 (4): 58-60
Landscape predictors of tick-borne encephalitis in Latvia: land cover, land use and land ownershipVector-Borne and Zoonotic DiseasesO., Vanwambeke S., D., Sumilo, A., Bormane, F., Lambin E., E., Randolph S.2010; 10: 497-506
De l’Holocène à l’AnthropocènePlaidoyer pour la culture scientifiqueLambin, E. F.Universcience éditions et les Editions Le Pommier.2010: 92-108
Land use transitions: Ecological feedback versus exogenous socio-economic dynamicsLand Use PolicyLambin, E. F., Meyfroidt, P.2010; 27: 108-118
Planetary Boundaries: Exploring the Safe Operating Space for HumanityEcology and SocietyRockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å., Chapin, F., Lambin, E., Lenton, T.M., Scheffer, M., Folke, C., Schellnhuber, H., Wit, C. A. De, Hughes, T., der Leeuw, S. Van, Rodhe, H., Sörlin, S., Snyder, P. K., Costanza, R., Svedin, U., Falkenmark, M., Corell, LR. W.2009; 14
A multi-agent simulation to assess the risk of malalaria re-emergence in southern FranceEcological ModellingC., Linard, N., Ponçon, D., Fontenille, F., Lambin E.2009; 220: 160-174
Agricultural intensification and changes in cultivated areas, 1970-2005Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesRudel, T. K., Schneider, L. C., Uriarte, M., Tuner, II, B. L., DeFries, R., Lawrence, D., Geoghegan, J., Hecht, S., Ickowitz, A., Lambin, E. F., Birkenholtz, T., Baptista, S., Grau, R.2009; 106: 20675-20680
What are the Final Land Limits?Biofuels: Environmental Consequences and Interactions with Changing Land UseBustamante, M. C., Melillo, J., Connor, D. J., Hardy, Y., Lambin, E. F., Lotze-Campen, H., Ravindranath, N. H., Searchinger, T., Tschirley, J., Watson, H.edited by Howarth, R. W., Bringezu, S.2009
Forest transition in Vietnam and displacement of wood extraction abroadProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesMeyfroidt, P., Lambin, E. F.2009; 106
Forest transition in Vietnam and Bhutan: causes and environmental impactsReforesting landscapes: Linking patterns and processesMeyfroidt, P., Lambin, E. F.edited by Nagendra, H., Southworth, J.Springer.2009
The spatial dynamics of deforestation and agent use in the AmazonApplied GeographyR., Lorena, F., Lambin E.2009; 29: 171-181
Scenarios of the risk of malaria re-emergence in southern FranceEcohealthC., Linard, N., Ponçon, D., Fontenille, F., Lambin E.2009; 6: 135-147
Livestock Subsidies and Rangeland Degradation in Central CreteEcology and SocietyLorent, H., Sonnenschein, R., Tsiourlis, G. M., Hostert, P., Lambin, E. F.2009; 14: 41
A safe operating space for humanityNature,J., Rockström, W., Steffen, K., Noone, A., Persson, III, Chapin F. S., E.F., Lambin, T.M., Lenton, M., Scheffer, C., Folke, J., Schellnhuber, B., Nykvist, de Wit C., T., Hughes, van der Leeuw S., S., Sörlin, R., Costanza, U., Svedin, M., Falkenmark, R., Corell, J., Hansen2009; 461: 472-475
Land degradation and economic conditions of agricultural households in a marginal region of northern GreeceGlobal and Planetary ChangeH., Lorent, C., Evangelou, M., Stellmes, J., Hill, V., Papanastasis, G., Tsiourlis, A., Roeder, F., Lambin E.2008; 64: 198-209
Categorization of land-cover change processes based on phenological indicators extracted from time series of vegetation index dataInternational Journal of Remote SensingF., Lupo, M., Linderman, V., Vanacker, E., Bartholomé, F., Lambin E.2008; 28: 2469-2483
Forest transition in Vietnam and its environmental impactsGlobal Change BiologyP., Meyfroidt, F., Lambin E.2008; 14: 1-18
Variability in energy influences avian distribution patterns across the USAEcosystemsP., Rowhani, A., Lepczyk C., M., Linderman, M., Pidgeon A., C., Radeloff V., D., Culbert P., F., Lambin E.2008; 11: 854-867
Causes of the reforestation in VietnamLand Use PolicyP., Meyfroidt, F., Lambin E.2008; 25: 182-197
Environmental conditions and Puumala hantavirus transmission risk in BelgiumInternational Journal of Health GeographicsC., Linard, V., Tersago, H., Leirs, F., Lambin E.2007; 6
The Middle Path: Avoiding Environmental Catastrophe (translated)Lambin , E.University of Chicago Press, Chicago.2007
Impact of land-use change on dengue and malaria in northern ThailandEcohealthO., Vanwambeke S., F., Lambin E., P., Eichhorn M., S., Flasse, E., Harbach R., L., Oskam, P., Somboon, van Beers S., van Benthem B. H. B., C., Walton, K., Butlin R.2007; 4: 37-51
The emergence of land change science for global environmental change and sustainabilityProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesTurner, II, B. L., Lambin E.F. and , E. F., Reenberg, A.2007; 104: 20666-20671
Landscape and land-cover factors influence the presence of Aedes and Anopheles larvae,Journal of Medical Entomology,O., Vanwambeke S., P., Somboon, E., Harbach R., M., Isenstadt, F., Lambin E., C., Walton, K., Butlin R.2007; 44,: 133-144
Rural transformation and social differentiation in northern ThailandJournal of Land Use ScienceS., Vanwambeke, P., Somboom, F., Lambin E.2007; 2: 1-29
Temporal Heterogeneity in the Study of African Land UseHuman EcologyI., Guyer J., F., Lambin E., L., Cliggett, et al., Walker P.2007; 35: 3-17
Global Desertification: Building a Science for Dryland DevelopmentScienceReynolds, J. F., Smith, D. Mark Stafford, Lambin, E. F., Turner, B. L., Ii, M. Mortimore, Batterbury, S. P. J., Downing, T. E., Dowlatabadi, H., Fernandez, R. J., Herrick, J. E., Huber-Sannwald, E., Jiang, H., Leemans, R., Lynam, T., Maestre, F., Walker, B., Ayarza, M.2007; 316: 847-851
Determinants of the geographic distribution of Puumala hantavirus and Lyme borreliosis infections in BelgiumInternational Journal of Health GeographicsC., Linard, P., Lamarque, P., Heyman, G., Ducoffre, V., Luyasu, V., Tersago, O., Vanwambeke S., F., Lambin E.2007; 6
Causes of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon : a Qualitative Comparative AnalysisJournal of Land Use ScienceM., Scouvart, F., Lambin E., M., Caldas, V., Dale, V., Nédélec, P., Pacheco, B., Rihoux2007; 2: 257-282
A multilevel analysis of the impact of land use on interannual land-cover change in East AfricaEcosystemsS., Serneels, M., Linderman, F., Lambin E.2007; 10: 402-418
Conditions for sustainable land use: case study evidenceJournal of Land Use ScienceP., Raquez, F., Lambin E.2006; 1: 109-125
Time series of remote sensing data for land change scienceIEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote SensingLambin, E. F., Linderman, M.2006; 44: 1926-1928
Complex Causality in Human-Environment Interactions: Toward a Portfolio Approach to Understanding Institutions and Land ChangeEcology and SocietyO., Young, F., Lambin E., F., Alcock, H., Haberl, I., Karlsson S., J., McConnell W., T., Myint, C., Pahl-Wostl, C., Polsky, S., Ramakrishnan P., M., Scouvart, H., Schroeder, H., Verburg P.2006; 11
Approche systémique des causes de la déforestation en Amazonie brésilienne: syndromes, synergies et rétroactionsL'Espace GéographiqueM., Scouvart, F., Lambin E.2006; 3: 241-254
Vulnerability of land systems to fire: interactions between humans, climate, the atmosphere and ecosystemsMitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global ChangeS., Lavorel, D., Flanningan M., .F., Lambin E, C., Scholes M.2006; 12: 33-53
Land-Use and Land-Cover Change: Local processes and global impactsLambin, E. F., et aledited by Lambin, E. F., et alSpringer, Berlin.2006
Multi-level analyses of spatial and temporal determinants for dengue infectionInternational Journal of Health GeographicsS., Vanwambeke, van Benthem B. H. B., N., Khantikul, C., Burghoorn-Maas, K., Panart, L., Oskam, F., Lambin E., P., Somboon2006; 5