Integrated Land Use

Overview

Read the Guide and explore the Resources and Case Studies Booklet

RESOURCES

Landscape Approach 101
This self-paced course was developed by the World Bank Group to give practitioners an overview of the Landscapes Approach. 
Available at: https://olc.worldbank.org/facilitated/link/00018381 

The Little Sustainable Landscapes Book 
This guide to sustainable landscapes was produced in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), EcoAgriculture Partners, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative, and The Global Canopy Programme. 
Authors: Louisa Denier, Sara Scherr, Seth Shames, Paul Chatterton, Lex Hovani, and Nienke Stam 
Available at: https://globalcanopy.org/insights/publication/the-little-sustainable-landscapes-book/

Key Themes

The eight themes in this report were arrived at through a series of consultations with practitioners and experts in integrated land use as well as a careful review of the literature. In taking stock of what efforts have been taken where; the critical challenges faced by these programs; and the evolving best practices from initiatives worldwide, certain activities central to integrated land use initiatives were identified.

Categorizing these core activities by their function has enabled the identification of eight interconnected themes, which provide a lens through which to describe, analyze, and evaluate existing integrated land use approaches. These themes are: multistakeholder engagement (MSE); environmental focus; economic focus; boundary setting; land tenure; financing strategies; monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL); and cross-sectoral coordination. 

We selected the eight major themes as being the most significant ones during the consultation process; these themes build upon one another. The order roughly follows the order of considerations that need to be made from the program planning stage, to implementation, to reporting. However, integrated land use initiatives are highly participatory and iterative; constant reconsideration and reassessment of each theme is needed throughout the program’s lifecycle. Of course, many additional themes—for example, technology, governance, adaptive management, and policies—are essential elements in many initiatives.

KeyThemes
Multistakeholder Engagement
Multistakeholder Engagement
The objective of multistakeholder engagement in integrated land use is to balance conflicting land-use goals by enhancing inclusive decision making, building stakeholder capacity, and empowering communities.
Environmental Focus
Environmental Focus
Integrated land-use initiatives can address environmental objectives at the local, national, and international levels.
Economic Focus
Economic Focus
Integrated land-use initiatives aim to harmonize the often-conflicting goals of environmental protection and economic development.
Boundary Setting
Boundary Setting
Boundary setting decision affect where the initiative is implemented, who is involved, and how it is governed.
Land Tenure
Land Tenure
Secure land tenure systems facilitate the effective design and implementation of integrated land-use initiatives; initiatives often need to navigate tenure security issues.
Financing Strategies
Financing Strategies
Initiatives need to mobilize and plan resources and develop robust mechanisms to monitor financial flows.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning improves perceptions of a program’s legitimacy, informs stakeholders of returns on their investments, and lays out lessons to be learned from the program’s implementation.
Cross-Sectoral Coordination
Cross-Sectoral Coordination
Integrated land-use initiatives demand engagement with and coordination between stakeholders from all sectors that impact land use within a given landscape.

Case Studies

The following case studies were chosen because they contain elements that vividly illustrate some of the themes essential to integrated land-use initiatives. Thirteen of the case studies below were included in the Resource and Case Studies Booklet, published as a companion to the Guide to Integrated Land-Use Initiatives. These thirteen cases are presented in abbreviated form below, as more detail can be found in the Booklet.

This page will be updated periodically with case studies not included in the report. These case studies will be described in more detail and clearly labelled as new. You can send in suggestions for case studies by emailing fmt_isfl [at] worldbank.org (fmt_isfl[at]worldbank[dot]org).

Read more...

What's New

Integrated Land Use: Theory and Practice

In this two-part course you will learn everything you need to know from planning to implementation to reporting on results. Learn More...
 

Webinar - Embracing Complexity

How to Implement Integrated Land-Use Initiatives for Sustainable Development... See Webinar Resources

Updates to the Guide - Case Studies and Resources

The publication of the Guide to Integrated Land-Use Initiatives is far from the end of this conversation. This is a rapidly evolving field and the ISFL will be using this website to continue taking stock of how these initiatives are developing around the world and provide a growing compendium of resources for practitioners. In this spirit, the resources and case studies on this website will be updated quarterly. If you would like to add a case study or resource for consideration, please email us at fmt_isfl [at] worldbank.org (fmt_isfl[at]worldbank[dot]org)

Additional Resources

Integrated Land-Use overview video with Spanish subtitles… View more

Integrated Land-Use Webinar Executive Summary: Spanish