‘Landscape’ and related phrases such as ‘landscape approach’ are increasingly emerging in international policy, practice, and research discussions. At the first ever Global Landscapes Forum this weekend, during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP19) meeting in Warsaw, landscape concepts will be given a full airing before climate change negotiators.
Of course, the concepts behind the landscapes discourse are not new; and landscape approaches have been discussed, applied, and refined in forest, watershed, and even biodiversity management for decades. However, for the most part, agricultural production areas have remained sidelined, largely absent from these conversations. We have an opportunity now at the Global Landscapes Forum, and COP19 more broadly, to address the challenge of linking agricultural practices, institutions, and policies with other landscape activities and to facilitate constructive and innovative dialogue at various policy levels.
Read the full story by Sara J. Scherr, Seth Shames, and Rachel Friedman (EcoAgriculture Partners) on the Landscapes Blog for People, Food and Nature.
Photo: R. Kozar (EcoAgriculture Partners)
