Sustainable multifunctional landscapes: a review to implementation

Abstract

Historic land use practices have dramatically altered landscapes across all scales, homogenising them and restricting opportunities for humans and wildlife. The need for multifunctional landscapes which simultaneously provide food security, livelihood opportunities, maintenance of species and ecological functions, and fulfil cultural, aesthetic recreational needs is now recognised. Numerous theoretical and technical tools have been developed to understand different landscape elements, in particular the emerging research area of ecosystem services. A brief review of these tools not only shows considerable growth and opportunity, but also serves to highlight a lack of research integration and a lag in implementation. The effective implementation of sustainable multifunctional landscapes requires true transdisciplinary engagement. We suggest the use of learning organisations to bring together the multiple stakeholders necessary for multifunctional landscapes to take purchase.