Continued overexploitation of natural resources and the associated impacts of climate change threaten the sustainability and biodiversity of our global social-ecological systems. ‘Integrated landscape approaches’ are governance strategies that attempt to reconcile multiple and conflicting land-use claims to harmonize the needs of people and the environment and establish more sustainable and equitable multi-functional landscapes. Such approaches have gained prominence in recent conservation and development discourse, but critics have suggested a need for evidence of effectiveness to bridge knowledge-implementation gaps. Here we review the recent literature to provide a brief update on developments in the science and practice of landscape approaches, primarily in the tropics. We show that despite considerable enthusiasm for landscape approaches, the evidence base within the scientific literature remains poorly developed. Future application of landscape approaches requires concerted transdisciplinary actions that connect scales of governance to address the complex political economies in contested tropical landscapes. We highlight important challenges and opportunities for landscape approach implementation, particularly related to bridging sectorial and disciplinary divides, engaging the private sector, and monitoring landscape performance.
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104822Altmetric score:
Dimensions Citation Count:
- Operationalising the landscape approach for biodiversity and benefits: Policy, practice and people
- Conservation and Sustainable Use of Tropical Forest Biodiversity
- Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety – Germany (BMU)
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Source
Land Use Policy 99: 104822
Publication year
2020
ISSN
0264-8377
Authors
Reed, J.; Ickowitz, A.; Chervier, C.; Djoudi, H.; Moombe, K.; Ros-Tonen, M.A.F.; Yanou, M.; Yuliani, L.; Sunderland, T.C.H.
Topic
Research was conducted by project
Funded by
Project Leader
Amy Ickowitz
Team Leader, Sustainable Landscapes & Livelihoods
Robert Nasi
Director General