Towards sustainable landscapes

Implementing participatory approaches in contract design for biodiversity preservation and ecosystem services in Europe

authored by

Inés Gutiérrez-Briceño, Marina García-Llorente, Francis Turkelboom, Dieter Mortelmans, Sven Defrijn, Carolina Yacamán-Ochoa, Saskia Wanner, Jennifer Dodsworth, Birte Bredemeier, Céline Dutilly, Eszter Kelemen, Boldizsár Megyesi, Erling Andersen, Didier Buffière, Corinne Eychenne, Anne Siegert

Abstract

Agricultural landscapes are the result of the long-term, complex, and intermingled interfaces between nature and culture. Among the stakeholders involved in the production of agri-environmental and climate services, farmers play a crucial role, and their contribution should be duly acknowledged to promote sustainable land management. Therefore, this research aims to contribute to the participatory design of agri-environmental contracts to incentivize landscape and biodiversity practices. To achieve this goal, 13 innovation labs with multi-actor perspective were established across nine different European countries. These groups envisioned a future sustainable landscape characterized by diversity and balance of economic, socio-cultural, and environmental components. Trust-based networks and effective communication channels emerge as vital components for the success of sustainable local production systems. Practitioners emphasize the significance of European-level policies in effecting transformative change and influencing farmers'willingness to contribute to both food production and environmental public goods. They defined concrete contract features such as public funding, hybrid payments, and the presence of intermediaries for the potential of agri-environmental measures. Notably, practitioners perceive a wide range of benefits associated with the implementation of agri-environmental measures, extending beyond economic compensation. Gaining a deeper understanding of practitioners' perceptions of their territories and agri-environmental measures is crucial for policymakers to design tailored and appealing programs that resonate with practitioners'needs.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Environmental Planning

External Organisation(s)

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
FRACTAL Collective
Belgian National Fund Scientific Research
Boerennatuur Vlaanderen
University of Aberdeen
French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD)
Environmental social science research group (ESSRG)
Centre for Social Sciences (CSS)
University of Copenhagen
Universite de Toulouse
Independent Consultant
Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V.

Type

Article

Journal

Environmental Science and Policy

Volume

160

No. of pages

15

ISSN

1462-9011

Publication date

10.2024

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geography, Planning and Development, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 2 - Zero Hunger, SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 15 - Life on Land

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103831 (Access: Open)