Inclusive Landscape Governance for Sustainable Development: Assessment Methodology and Lessons for Civil Society Organizations

Koen Kusters, Maartje De Graaf, Louise Buck, Katherine Galido, Alphonse Maindo, Heidi Mendoza, Tran Huu Nghi, Edi Purwanto and Roderick Zagt
Additional contact information
Koen Kusters: Tropenbos International, Wageningen, 6700 AE Gelderland, The Netherlands
Maartje De Graaf: Tropenbos International, Wageningen, 6700 AE Gelderland, The Netherlands
Louise Buck: EcoAgriculture Partners, Washington DC, USA & Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
Katherine Galido: NTFP-EP Philippines, Quezon City, Metro Manila 1100, Philippines
Alphonse Maindo: Tropenbos DR Congo, Kisangani, #6, 3ème avenue Plateau Boyoma, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Heidi Mendoza: Forest Foundation Philippines, Manila, Makati 1229, Philippines
Tran Huu Nghi: Tropenbos Vietnam, Hué 530000, Vietnam
Edi Purwanto: Tropenbos Indonesia, Bogor 16163, West Java, Indonesia
Roderick Zagt: Tropenbos International, Wageningen, 6700 AE Gelderland, The Netherlands

Land, 2020, vol. 9, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: Landscape governance refers to the combination of rules and decision-making processes of civic, private, and public actors with stakes in the landscape, that together shape the future of that landscape. As part of the Green Livelihoods Alliance, a program that supports civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen the governance of tropical forested landscapes, we developed and implemented a method that facilitates stakeholders to assess the status of governance in their own landscape and to identify options for improvement. In this article, we aim to reflect on landscape governance, based on our work within the Green Livelihoods Alliance. We present the method, summarize the results of its implementation, and draw practical lessons regarding the role of CSOs to improve landscape governance. We conducted workshops with stakeholders in 17 forested landscapes across 10 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. During each workshop, participants scored and discussed a set of governance indicators, developed a common vision for landscape governance, and identified the practical steps that would need to be taken to achieve that vision. Analyzing the results from the workshops, we found that landscape stakeholders tend to perceive that: opportunities to influence decision-making are unequal; integrated landscape planning efforts remain noncommittal; and implementation and enforcement of regulations is weak. To improve governance in the future, it is common to call for the development of multi-stakeholder processes, to allow different actors to discuss, negotiate, and develop collaborative action to address landscape-level challenges. CSOs can support such processes, by helping to develop a shared understanding of landscape governance, differences in interests, and possibilities for collaborative action. CSOs can also help stakeholders to develop multi-stakeholder procedures, and build trust and capacity among stakeholders to take an active role in such processes.

Keywords: landscape; governance; assessment; inclusive; sustainable; multi-stakeholder (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:4:p:128-:d:350133

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