Abstract

Increasing demands for land to deliver multiple and sometimes conflicting services to people and nature have led to the development of an extensive body of research focussed on multifunctional landscapes. However, this has created both insight and confusion, as authors from a variety of disciplines have independently tackled the question of how to manage the trade-offs and synergies inherent in landscapes that are required to produce multiple functions and services. We employed an interdisciplinary perspective to formulate some key questions that researchers of multifunctional landscapes can use to identify blind spots. Our process resulted in a question-based analysis support scheme that supports reflection and recursive thinking about multifunctional landscapes, beginning with objective setting and visions for addressing it, grounded in baseline mapping, then assessing landscape functions and their single and multiple interactions; as well as the analysis of sensitivity to spatial and temporal dimensions. Other key points identified are the need for clarity and examination of unstated assumptions, from aims to definitions; accounting for scale; incorporating stakeholder needs throughout the process and applying suitable methods of measurement and aggregation. The focus on asking guided questions derives from the insight that there is no universal correct approach to multifunctional landscapes; the aim should instead be to find the most appropriate methods for the given circumstances and goals. Policy implications. Tackling current and future socio-ecological challenges is an interdisciplinary undertaking, necessitating collaborative efforts between research fields that each bring valuable and distinct insights. To effectively combat these challenges, multifunctional landscapes require a clear process and focused objective in their implementation. Multifunctionality should be seen as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.okade krav pa att landskap ska leverera flera och ibland motstridiga tjanster till manniskor och natur har lett till utvecklingen av en omfangsrik forskning med fokus pa multifunktionella landskap. Detta har skapat bade insikter och oklarheter, eftersom forskare fran en rad olika discipliner oberoende av varandra har tagit sig an fragan om hur man ska hantera de kompromisser och synergier som uppstar i landskap som maste producera flera olika funktioner och tjanster. Genom ett interdisciplinart perspektiv har vi formulerat nyckelfragor som forskare som studerar multifunktionella landskap kan anvanda for att identifiera sina blinda flackar. Var process resulterade i ett fragebaserat analysstod for reflektion och rekursivt tankande om multifunktionella landskap. Det borjar med malsattning och visioner for att adressera detta, som sedan forankras i kartlaggning av forutsattningar, och fortsatter med bedomning av landskapsfunktioner och hur de interagerar men enskilda eller flera andra landskapsfunktioner; samt med analys av kanslighet for rumsliga och tidsmassiga dimensioner. Andra centrala punkter som identifierats ar behovet av tydlighet och granskning av outtalade grundantaganden, fran mal till definitioner; att skalan tas i beaktande; inforlivande av intressenters behov genom hela processen och tillampning av lampliga metoder for matning och aggregering av information. Vart fokus pa att stalla vagledande fragor kommer fran insikten att det inte finns nagot universellt korrekt tillvagagangssatt for multifunktionella landskap; syftet bor istallet vara att hitta de mest lampliga metoderna for de givna omstandigheterna och malen. Betydelse for politiken. Att ta itu med nuvarande och framtida socioekologiska utmaningar ar ett interdisciplinart atagande som kraver samarbete mellan forskningsomraden som vart och ett bidrar med vardefulla och specifika insikter. For att mota dessa utmaningar pa ett effektivt satt kravs en tydlig process och ett fokuserat mal for implementeringen av multifunktionella landskap. Multifunktionalitet bor ses som ett medel for att na ett mal, snarare an ett mal i sig.Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Keywords

analysis support; ecosystem functions; ecosystem services; interdisciplinary research; landscape services; multifunctional landscapes; Nature's contributions to people; user-oriented functions

Published in

People and Nature
2024, pages: 16
Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

• Fors, Hanna

  • Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Berlin, Anna

  • Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Gottlieb, Uliana

  • Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Kågström, Mari

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Kurén Weldon, James

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Zhang, Jasmine

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Landscape Architecture


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10610

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/128608