The Global Pasture Watch research consortium works to improve global monitoring of grasslands, grazing lands and livestock systems by producing open, regularly updated geospatial datasets. The data and research help governments, civil society, practitioners and academics understand the extent, condition and use of grassland and rangeland areas, informing restoration planning, supply chain due diligence, climate and biodiversity assessments, and national reporting.
Current Global Pasture Watch products include the following global annual products from year 2000 to current.
- Grassland extent in 2 classes: cultivated (e.g. plated pastures) and natural/semi-natural grasslands, 30 m s, 30-m.
- Short vegetation height, 30 m
- Grassland productivity, 30 m
- Livestock distribution for cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and buffaloes, 1 km
The consortium is led by Land & Carbon Lab, convened by the Bezos Earth Fund and World Resources Institute (WRI), and brings together experts in geospatial monitoring, machine learning, ecology and agriculture from OpenGeoHub, LAPIG/UFG, IIASA, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Cornell University's CALS Department of Global Development, and the University of Maryland GLAD lab.
Linked technical blogs cover data production, limitations and example applications — from land degradation monitoring and restoration planning to biodiversity, carbon and livestock-sector assessments. Technical questions about the data can be directed to the GitHub discussion board.
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A suite of high-resolution products mapping African rangelands, their ecosystem types, productivity levels, and seasonal variations.
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