Liz Deakin (CIFOR) Landscape Approaches in Practice seminar, Umeå, Sweden - 17th March 2015

Landscape Approaches to reconcile

competing land uses

Outline

• Brief summary of the Landscape

Approach & overlaps with SDGs

• Development of the Landscape

Approach framework

• Systematic Review: What are

Landscape Approaches and how

effectively have they been

implemented in the tropics?

• Barriers between theory and

implementation of Landscape

Approaches

• How do we effectively implement

Landscape Approaches? Multi-functional landscape in

East Nusa Tengerra, Indonesia

Landscape

Approach

Landscape

Approach

Multiple Sectors Adaptive Management Stakeholder Involvement

Resilience Multi-functionality Multiple Scales

Overlaps with Sustainable

Development Goals

• Calls for “holistic and integrated approaches to

sustainable development that restore the health

and integrity of the Earth’s ecosystems”

• Numerous key objectives of the SDGs overlap

with sentiments of the Landscape Approach

End hunger, achieve food security and improved

nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

Secure water

Promote strong, inclusive and sustainable economic

growth

Tackle climate change

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of

terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests…and

halt biodiversity loss

Development of the

“Landscape Approach”

Development of the Landscape Approach

1980s 1990s 2000s 2010 - present

1980s: Integrated Rural Development

1998: Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM)

1985 onwards: Integrated Conservation & Development projects (ICDPs)

Contributing Sciences: Ecosystem Management Landscape Ecology Island biogeography

Conservation rooted frameworks e.g. “Ecosystem Approach”

1992: “Landscape Approach” first documented (Barrett 1992)

Last decade: (Integrated) Landscape Approach frameworks

Nexus Approach Multi-functional landscapes

Integrated landscape

management

Climate smart agriculture Ecosystem Approach

Community-Based Adaption

Integrated landscape approaches Sustainable Intensification

Landscape-scale ecosystem-based adaptation

Integrated Natural Resource Management

Conservation agriculture Green Growth

Landscapes Approach Green Agricultural Economy Green Infrastructure

Landscape Mosaics

Ecosystem Based Adaptation

Terminology Problems

Ecoagriculture

• EcoAgriculture Partners

identified 78 (!!) different terms

all alluding to integrated

landscape management

• There remains no single

agreed definition within the

scientific community for a

landscape approach

• Perhaps because one size

does not fit all!

Terminology problems

Halimun Salak National Park

landscape, Indonesia

Systematic Review on Landscape

Approaches

What are Landscape Approaches and how effectively

have they been implemented in the tropics?

Systematic Review Map

Objectives:

• Mapping the development of the

landscape approach

• Consolidating and synthesizing

existing definitions and

conceptual frameworks

• Synthesizing the current

literature to identify where and

how landscape approaches have

been implemented in practice

Systematic Review Maps

• Transparent, repeatable, pre-determined methodology

• Commonly used in medical research

• Recently adopted by natural and social sciences

(see www.environmentalevidence.org)

Methods

Evolution of search terms and strategy:

• Internal/external consultation

• Two stakeholder workshops (Kenya and Australia)

• Extensive scoping exercise using Web of Science

• Developed inclusion/exclusion criteria for studies

• Protocol published (see Reed et al. 2015)

Specialist databases:

Scopus

CAB Direct

ISI Web of Knowledge

PubMed

Internet searches:

Google Scholar

Other:

Grey literature search

Inclusion criteria

• Clear and repeatable methodology

• Evidence of integrating at least two land uses

• Evidence of integrating at least two stakeholders

• Outcomes measured accurately and reliably

Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park Landscape, Indonesia

Results: peer-reviewed articles

26,303 scoping results in WoK

using 35 revised search terms

13,290 Publications captured with

refined search terms

All TITLES screened

271,974 results from initial 56

main search terms trialed in WoK

1,171 Relevant studies

All ABSTRACTS screened

382 Relevant studies

All FULL TEXTS screened

82 Final studies of relevance

Results

Main Project Focus of Case Studies

[VALUE]%

16%

25%

13%

13%

4%

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Livelihoods

Water

Forests

Soil

Biodiversity Conservation

Agriculture

Percentage of peer-reviewed studies (%)

48%

21%

9% 9% 9% 4%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

CentralAfrica

South Asia South Africa Asia South EastAsia

NorthAmerica

Pe

rce

nta

ge o

f p

ee

r-re

view

ed

stu

die

s

Results

Geographical Distribution of Case Studies

Results

• Majority of case studies started with single objective focus

• 83% of case studies reported positive outcomes

• No cases (thus far) of long term monitoring and evaluation of

landscape metrics

• 37% of papers explicitly acknowledge the need for a

landscape approach

Grey literature

• Despite a wealth of information on landscape approaches, there are

very few case study examples in the peer reviewed literature

• This does not mean they are not out there: they are not being

reported!

• Will including the grey literature in our screening provide the bridge

for this gap in our knowledge base?

Arsi Negele landscape, Ethiopia (Liz Deakin)

www.cifor.org/landscape-map

Online Interactive Map

Barriers to and requirements for

effective implementation of

Landscape Approaches

Barriers to Implementation

• Less developed countries often lack

capacity and resources

• Weak institutions and high demand for land

• Private business sector rarely involved in

Landscape Approaches

• Agricultural “land grabbing” can circumvent

local authorities

Barriers to Implementation

• Landscape Approaches often funded on short

term or temporary basis (time limited project

investments)

• Lack of collaborative government support

• Institutional barriers - government agencies still

rooted in silos

• Governance concerns, lack of empowerment

given to rural communities

Effective implementation of LA

• Need a coordinated effort from scientific community

to deliver coherent message to policy makers

• More tangible evidence needed of the effectiveness

of Landscape approaches

• Need to recognize that landscapes are dynamic

systems and are constantly changing

• Need to recognize the long-term nature of Landscape

Approaches, short term goals not really appropriate

Effective implementation of LA

• Recognize that engagement between sectors is key

• Stakeholder engagement and empowerment is critical

(and not just a box ticking exercise)

• Top down, bottom up or mixed governance structures?

• Impact assessments required

• Develop tools for long-term monitoring and evaluation

• Tool kit techniques e.g. simple visualization scenarios (Sayer et al 2006)

land use simulation modeling (Sandker et al 2009)

http://www.landscapes.org/

Special thanks to: James Reed, Josh van Vianen, Terry Sunderland