The document discusses the landscape approach for sustainable development. It defines landscapes as areas that include both biophysical and human/social components. The landscape approach has evolved over time from integrated conservation and development projects in the 1980s to more modern frameworks that aim to concurrently address conservation, development, and restoration. Key aspects of the modern landscape approach include adaptive management, stakeholder involvement, integration of multiple objectives like poverty alleviation and food security, and consideration of trade-offs. The document outlines 10 principles of the landscape approach and provides initial examples of projects applying this framework. It also discusses aligning the landscape approach with achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

1. THINKING beyond the canopy
THINKING beyond the canopy
Terry Sunderland
Principal Scientist
Presentation to IPB/Forest Information Centre
1st
June 2016
Bogor, Indonesia
Landscape-scale management
for sustainable development

2. THINKING beyond the canopy
What do we mean by landscapes?
• Landscapes are often
fuzzy concepts – they
are not planning units
• “A geographical
construct that includes
not only the biophysical
components of an area
but also the social,
political, institutional and
cultural components of
that system”

3. THINKING beyond the canopy
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)
(Integrated) Landscape
Approach frameworks

4. THINKING beyond the canopy
What are integrated
landscape approaches?
• A response to the failings of sectorial land
management approaches
• The latest in a series of attempts to concurrently
address conservation, development and
restoration challenges
• A refinement of previous approaches
• A method to integrate stakeholders at multiple
scales
• A framework to integrate policy and practice
• A land management strategy to fulfill social,
economic, ecological & cultural objectives,
including forest restoration
• A tool to assess performance and manage trade-
offs within the landscape
• All of the above?

5. THINKING beyond the canopy
Shooting in the dark..?
• Large body of literature on “landscape approaches” and
“ecosystem approaches” but little consensus on the “how” of
implementation
• General principles and guidelines have largely been missing
• However, need to avoid “one size fits all” approach. Context is
everything: there is no silver bullet.
• Complex landscapes; complex challenges

6. THINKING beyond the canopy
Multi-functionality
• Combination of separate
land units with different
functions (spatial
segregation)
• Different functions on the
same unit of land but
separated in time
(temporal segregation)
• Different functions on the
same unit of land at the
same time (functional
integration or “real multi-
functionality)

7. THINKING beyond the canopy
But in reality, segregation is the norm
Plantation Forest
Agriculture

8. THINKING beyond the canopy
“New” (landscape) approaches
• CIFOR and multiple partners have been working on
defining and refining broad “landscape approaches”
building on previous initiatives
• How? Review of published literature, multiple workshops
for consensus building, conferences/side events (Global
Landscapes Forum), site-based workshops
• Validated by extensive survey of field practitioners,
systematic reviews etc.
• Based on this work, the Convention of Biodiversity
(CBD) commissioned CIFOR to draft the report:
“Sustainable use of biodiversity at the landscape scale”
which was “taken note” of at COP11 in Hyderabad
• “Ten principles” paper (Sayer et al. PNAS) + others

9. THINKING beyond the canopy
So, what is new?
• The landscape approach has
been re-defined to include
societal concerns related to
conservation and development
trade-offs and negotiate for them
• Increased integration of poverty
alleviation goals
• Increased integration of
agricultural production and food
security
• Emphasis is on adaptive
management, stakeholder
involvement and multiple
objectives

10. THINKING beyond the canopy
Landscapes and “management”
• Collecting socio- economic
data at various levels,
engaging key stakeholders
• Spatial data: administrative
boundaries, land cover
change and current land
uses
• “Governance landscape”
including local (traditional)
institutions
• Focus on ecosystem
services and agricultural
productivity; moving away
from protected areas alone

11. THINKING beyond the canopy
The “Ten Commandments”...?

12. THINKING beyond the canopy
Sayer et al. 2013 PNAS

13. THINKING beyond the canopy
Getting the message out

14. THINKING beyond the canopy

15. THINKING beyond the canopy
Initial outcomes and impacts?
• USD50 million USAID project LESTARI have
used the “ten principles” as an intervention
framework for six landscapes in Indonesia
• Conservation International used CIFOR’s
research in the design of their Sustainable
Landscapes Partnership
• Wildlife Conservation Society have begun to
implement landscape approaches as
advised by CIFOR on the Asia Programme

16. THINKING beyond the canopy
• World’s largest science-led platform on
sustainable land use, identifying integrated
landscape-based solutions
• 148 organizations sharing knowledge
• 12 new initiative launches
• 12 private sector-led sessions
• 3,200 participants
• 1 President, 3 former Presidents
• 18 Ministers and Vice Ministers, 8
Governors and regional leaders
• 200 indigenous peoples’ reps, 50 youth
innovators, 650 UNFCCC negotiators
• Social media reach 15.7 million people on
Twitter, 957 GLF mentions in media
• Participant feedback: 96% rate Forum as
successful or very successful
Global landscapes forum - Paris
Ministers pledged to restore
128 million ha of degraded
lands in Africa and Latin
America.
Watershed initiatives by 75
cities and regions

17. THINKING beyond the canopy
Aligning implementation pathways for SDG’s
SDG Sustainable Development Goal
Description
L.A applicability
1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere Important
2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved
nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Important
3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at
all ages
Relevant
4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and
promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Relevant
5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and
girls
Relevant/Not
applicable
6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all
Vital
7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and
modern energy for all
Relevant
8 Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable
economic growth, full and productive employment
and decent work for all
Relevant

18. THINKING beyond the canopy
Aligning implementation pathways for SDG’s
SDG Sustainable Development Goal Description L.A applicability
9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Relevant
10 Reduce inequality within and among countries Relevant
11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable
Relevant
12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns
Relevant
13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its
impacts
Important
14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and
marine resources
Important
15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of
terrestrial ecosystems
Vital
16 Promote peace and justice Not applicable
17 Strengthen partnerships for sustainable development Relevant

19. THINKING beyond the canopy
Challenges of the landscape approach
• Understanding complex systems is not straightforward
• Understanding and influencing underlying trajectories of change
• Functionality of landscape mosaics
• The landscape approach is different to spatial planning. Landscapes are
dynamic and subjective. Different people see them in different ways.
• Trade-offs are the norm and have to be negotiated
• There is no “end point” or best solution for a landscape – one can simply
intervene to avoid negative outcomes and favour potentially better ones

20. THINKING beyond the canopy
Some (final) tricky issues
• What are we actually
trying to achieve?
• Who decides?
• Strong (and trusted)
facilitation
• How to reconcile and
negotiate for trade-offs?
• How to predict outcomes
and understand
“landscape dynamics”?
• Landscape approach is a
process, not a project!

21. THINKING beyond the canopy
www.landscapes.org
www.cifor.org
t.sunderland@cgiar.org
@TCHSunderland