The term landscape has become dominant in conversations about land use and sustainability. This was especially true at the Global Landscapes Forum, a weekend full of experts and attendees talking and thinking about landscapes.
But what are we exactly talking about, what does the term include, where does it come from, and what is the state of the art?
Not only is it important to define the term, but it is also important to reach a consensus with your conversation partners, explained Terry Sunderland of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) as he introduced the topic to the Global Landscapes Forum Social Reporting team at their boot camp held December 3 and 4.
The discourse on landscapes has evolved past a linear worldview and dated understandings of resource use and distribution to a more dynamic approach. According to Sunderland, we need to understand, “landscapes as a process not a project.”
But a more dynamic approach to landscapes also increases the level of complexity—and with complexity, the likelihood to have different understandings of what the term “landscape” encompasses increases. Its definition has evolved away from a biophysical view, towards an integrated approach to landscapes that now incorporates the bio-geophysical and the socio-political side.
Landscapes can be a nexus of community, justice, nature, and environmental justice, wrote Kenneth Olwig as early as 1996. In such a holistic approach to landscape the concept can even include aspects of philosophy and arts, says Terry Sunderland.
In order to understand landscapes we have to put the theory into perspective. Depending on our angle or field our definition of the term can differ greatly from the definition used by our conversation partner. CIFOR has conducted a systematic literature review on the term landscape and developed a new approach that has shifted away from the purely biophysical perspective towards the inclusion of social aspects. CIFOR’s landscapes approach incorporates poverty alleviation and food security into landscape analysis while placing an emphasis on adaptive management and stakeholder involvement.
The novelty of the approach is a shift towards a more integrated concept of sustainable development. “Multi-functionality is necessary, but segregation is still the norm,” said Sunderland. In CIFOR’s newest report, researchers have outlined 10 principles that give guidance to landscape practitioners while remaining flexible enough to adapt to the local context. Additionally, CIFOR’s analysis of the landscapes approach is aligned with—and aims to achieve—multiple Sustainable Development Goals.
In practice, the concept can be challenged by local power structures, struggle to include all stakeholders, or be riddled with uncertainties. Indicators of success are also challenging to define, which makes the measuring outcomes difficult. The landscapes concept will always be a challenge to researchers and policymakers. But in an increasingly complicated world, it offers some of the greatest opportunities for communities to fight climate change while pursuing economic development.
