Tag: integration

In this introductory Landscapes in Practice brief, we will provide an overview of what Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) is – in particular, how we have approached the concept – and the reasons why it is needed. We will then look at the Landscapes For Our Future (LFF) approach to ILM – the initial hypothesis that we proposed that allowed us to then explore the concept across six dimensions: stakeholder identification, multi-stakeholder fora, common vision, institutionalization, adaptivity and tools.

Key messages

If the impact of a landscape intervention is to endure, effective ‘institutionalization’ is needed.

• This can be achieved by embedding participatory, adaptive and cross-sectoral planning and decision-making processes in existing institutions and systems.
• Institutionalization can strengthen a landscape initiative’s viability, continuity and resilience to disruption and political shifts. Plus it can open new avenues for influencing sustainable development policy and programming.
• Too little capacity, too few resources and too much emphasis on delivering short term, quantifiable impacts deter ‘landscape champions’ from effectively investing in institutionalization. As a result, there is a higher risk of their landscape initiatives losing momentum, especially when thought of only as ‘projects’.
• Based on experience gained monitoring and implementing landscapes initiatives, we propose an eight-step strategy that can landscape champions to more effectively institutionalize a landscape approach.