Global land-use and land-cover data for ecologists: Historical, current, and future scenarios

Land-use land-cover (LULC) data are important predictors of species occurrence and biodiversity threat. Although there LULC datasets available for ecologists under current conditions, is a lack such historical future climatic conditions. This hinders, example, projecting niche distribution models global change scenarios at different times. The Land Use Harmonization Project (LUH2) terrestrial dataset 0.25o spatial resolution that provides from 850 to 2300 12 state classes. dataset, however, compressed in file format (NetCDF) incompatible with most ecological analysis intractable ecologists. Here we selected transformed the LUH2 order make it more useful studies. We provide every year 2100, 2015 on provided two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP2 SSP5). types each year: separate files continuous values classes, single categorical all classes combined. To create layer, assigned highest value given pixel among data. final 1251 years will be interest macroecology, modeling, analysis, other applications ecology conservation. also description prediction through time.