Land-use and land-cover change have been identified by the U.S. Global Change Research Program as a major integrating scientific issue that need greater attention if we are to have the necessary understanding of how different components of the Earth system interact with each other. In addition to the substantive significance of this topic, research on land-use and land-cover change also is important because it is a fertile ground for interdisciplinary collaborations between natural and social scientists. For these reasons, land-use and land-cover change has been selected as the topic for the fourth in a series of global change workshops jointly sponsored by the U.S. and Japanese governments. This workshop will be held in Tsukuba, Japan, during the last week of February 1996. Participants will include 17 scientists from the U.S., 30 from Japan, and 8 from other nations of the Pacific Rim. This award will provide support for three general purposes: (1) to help provide logistical and operational support for the workshop; (2) to provide travel support to enable the participation of the principal investigator as a member of the U.S. delegation, and (3) to provide support for follow-up activities related to the principal investigator's research on land-use and land-cover change. Through this award, the work of a bi-lateral workshop bringing together leading scientists from the U.S., Japan, and other nations will be facilitated. In addition to new knowledge and awareness of substantive and methodological problems, the workshop will facilitate the development of interdisciplinary collaborations among scientists from the U.S., Japan, and other nations. The award also will enable the participation of a leading U.S. scientist who already has strong working relationships in this international setting.
