Landscape perforation in life cycle assessment : Method development with global application to quarries and mines
Coelho, Carla R.V. LU
; Lindner, Jan P.
; Michelsen, Ottar
and Smith, Henrik G.
LU
(2026)
In Resources, Environment and Sustainability
23.
- Abstract
Human appropriation of land reduces the quality and continuity of remaining natural habitat, affecting species fecundity, survival, and movements, which must be accounted for in impact assessments. Effective decision-making for sustainable land-use and resource extraction requires methods that represent the ecological impacts of human activities on surrounding landscapes. We propose a method that draws on the concept of landscape perforation, treats the land use in focus as the non-habitat, and quantifies adjacent human pressures by adapting the Human Footprint Index. The method aligns with the contention that disturbances in otherwise intact landscapes result in disproportionate ecological effects. We used a conservative intersection... (More)
Human appropriation of land reduces the quality and continuity of remaining natural habitat, affecting species fecundity, survival, and movements, which must be accounted for in impact assessments. Effective decision-making for sustainable land-use and resource extraction requires methods that represent the ecological impacts of human activities on surrounding landscapes. We propose a method that draws on the concept of landscape perforation, treats the land use in focus as the non-habitat, and quantifies adjacent human pressures by adapting the Human Footprint Index. The method aligns with the contention that disturbances in otherwise intact landscapes result in disproportionate ecological effects. We used a conservative intersection (algebraic product t-norm from fuzzy logic) to model the relationship between pressures that modify and those that do not. Inspired by landscape ecology's relative importance of spatial process to land transformation, we assumed a negatively sloped logistic function for pressures that modify the land cover, and a negative linear relationship for pressures that do not modify land cover. The index was applied to 102,646 quarries and mines, sourced from OpenStreetMap, quantifying their perforation potential. Developed in the context of life cycle assessment to quantify potential impacts of supply chains, a case study of steel illustrates its application from a product perspective. The method supports a proactive approach by equipping decision-makers with one more layer of information regarding “what is around” a land use. Globally applicable, it emphasizes transdisciplinary solutions for sustainable production, environmental stress assessment, and strategic resource planning with a spatially explicit component.
(Less)
- author
- Coelho, Carla R.V.
LU
; Lindner, Jan P.
; Michelsen, Ottar
and Smith, Henrik G.
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Cumulative pressures, Human pressures, Land use, Landscape fragmentation, Life cycle impact assessment
- in
- Resources, Environment and Sustainability
- volume
- 23
- article number
- 100293
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105028857056
- ISSN
- 2666-9161
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.resenv.2026.100293
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 8a75f804-7d6f-40c5-bfd7-293077d568e1
- date added to LUP
- 2026-02-25 10:45:27
- date last changed
- 2026-03-11 12:13:32
@article{8a75f804-7d6f-40c5-bfd7-293077d568e1,
abstract = {{<p>Human appropriation of land reduces the quality and continuity of remaining natural habitat, affecting species fecundity, survival, and movements, which must be accounted for in impact assessments. Effective decision-making for sustainable land-use and resource extraction requires methods that represent the ecological impacts of human activities on surrounding landscapes. We propose a method that draws on the concept of landscape perforation, treats the land use in focus as the non-habitat, and quantifies adjacent human pressures by adapting the Human Footprint Index. The method aligns with the contention that disturbances in otherwise intact landscapes result in disproportionate ecological effects. We used a conservative intersection (algebraic product t-norm from fuzzy logic) to model the relationship between pressures that modify and those that do not. Inspired by landscape ecology's relative importance of spatial process to land transformation, we assumed a negatively sloped logistic function for pressures that modify the land cover, and a negative linear relationship for pressures that do not modify land cover. The index was applied to 102,646 quarries and mines, sourced from OpenStreetMap, quantifying their perforation potential. Developed in the context of life cycle assessment to quantify potential impacts of supply chains, a case study of steel illustrates its application from a product perspective. The method supports a proactive approach by equipping decision-makers with one more layer of information regarding “what is around” a land use. Globally applicable, it emphasizes transdisciplinary solutions for sustainable production, environmental stress assessment, and strategic resource planning with a spatially explicit component.</p>}},
author = {{Coelho, Carla R.V. and Lindner, Jan P. and Michelsen, Ottar and Smith, Henrik G.}},
issn = {{2666-9161}},
keywords = {{Cumulative pressures; Human pressures; Land use; Landscape fragmentation; Life cycle impact assessment}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Resources, Environment and Sustainability}},
title = {{Landscape perforation in life cycle assessment : Method development with global application to quarries and mines}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resenv.2026.100293}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.resenv.2026.100293}},
volume = {{23}},
year = {{2026}},
}