The Land Resource Circle: Supporting land-use decision making with an ecosystem-service-based framework of soil functions

Land information has in the past focused on the key land and soil properties that physically or chemically support or limit the use of land. With the increasing focus on the environmental, social, and cultural impacts of land-use decisions beyond the boundaries of individual land parcels, there is a growing need for more extensive land resource information to support assessments of the benefits, impacts, and trade-offs of land-use decisions. We present a new framework for providing land resource information to support an ecosystem-service-based approach to land-use related policy development. The new framework, called the Land Resource Circle, is first conceptually defined, then its use is explored in a hypothetical example. It draws upon the literature on soil functions and their contribution to ecosystem services. In addition, it recognizes that soils differ in their capacity for resisting the various pressures due to land use and/or climate. It also recognizes that the surrounding landscape provides functionality that can affect the delivery of ecosystem services from a land parcel and its suitability for different land uses. The Land Resource Circle is designed as a flexible and comprehensive information resource that can be used to build classifications underpinning spatial planning policy and regulation and land assessment, and to increase awareness of all the ecosystem services provided by land.