Ecotope

The Laboratory for Anthropogenic Landscape Ecology is a research group focused on the ecology of landscapes shaped by human activity. Its work examines populated environments at local, regional, and global scales, with the aim of supporting more sustainable ecosystem management. The laboratory’s research explores anthromes—the global ecological patterns created through sustained human interactions with ecosystems—and uses an integrative approach that connects ecology and society to investigate the underlying causes of long-term environmental change.

Its projects and resources include research publications, datasets, maps, educational materials, and a blog. The laboratory has also developed or contributed to tools for studying ecological patterns and change, including the open-source Anthropogenic Ecotope Mapping toolbox and GLOBE scientific tools for understanding local change in a global context. Ecosynth offers open-source 3D tools for field ecology, conservation biology, and citizen science. The site also provides information about the group’s people, collaborators, projects, and mapping resources. The archived website identifies the laboratory with the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and directs visitors to Anthroecology.org for its new location.