Envisioning the Future of Mosaic Landscapes: Actor Perceptions in a Mixed Cocoa/Oil-Palm Area in Ghana

Abstract

The future and benefits of mosaic landscapes have been a source of scientific and societal concern due to increasing population growth, climate change, urbanization, and expanding agricultural commodities. There is a growing call for integrated landscape approaches in which landscape actors discuss trade-offs between different land uses with a view to reaching a negotiated decision on the allocation of land uses. Yet, the operationalization of such approaches is still in its infancy, and integrated methodologies to visualize actors’ landscape visions are still scarce. This study therefore presents a participatory spatial scenario-building methodology that uncovers local perceptions of landscape dynamics and needed actions in a mixed cocoa-oil-palm landscape in Ghana’s Eastern Region. The methodology visualizes landscape actors’ perceived plausible changes and desired future landscapes, and is designed to trigger discussions on actions needed to achieve these desired futures. Findings show that farmers and institutional actors are aware of their landscapes with future preferences coming close to actual landscape composition and spatial configuration, and that—contrary to common assumptions—only those in the oil-palm-dominated landscape who already experienced the drawbacks of increasing landscape homogenization desire a mosaic landscape. The paper concludes that the collective mapping process makes actors aware of challenges at landscape level and increases farmers’ negotiation power through active engagement in the process and visualization of their knowledge and visions. Application of the methodology requires dedicated funding, political will, and capacity to apply it as an ongoing process, as well as monitoring feedback loops.

Spatial Tools for Integrated and Inclusive Landscape Governance: Toward a New Research Agenda

“…While Görg (2007) argues that conserving natural or cultural areas is not an inherent normative foundation of the landscape governance concept and only one of the various possible outcomes, we observe that most authors associate the outcome of landscape governance with multifunctional landscapes that accommodate multiple interests. This is true of much of the literature on integrated landscape approaches (Minang et al 2014;Freeman et al 2015;Hart et al 2015;García-Martín et al 2016;Reed et al 2020a) as well as other contributions to this special issue (e.g., Asubonteng et al 2021;Djenontin et al. 2021;Best et al 2021;Shantiko et al 2021).…”

“…• Continual monitoring. The potential of participatory spatial tools to monitor how the allocation of land and resource use and rights came into being (Shantiko et al 2021) and how current trends shape (or interventions can change) transformations in the likely future (Asubonteng et al 2021, Best et al 2021) should be further developed. There is a need to go beyond 'oneshot' processes and turn 'an experience of the future into a culture of the future' (Shantiko et al 2021) through continued monitoring of landscape change.…”

“…Some of these articles are referred to in this paper(Aggrey et al 2021;Asubonteng et al 2021;Best et al 2021;Djenontin et al 2021;Do et al 2021;Shantiko et al 2021; Somuah et al 2021).…”

Conclusion and way forward

“…These range from modeling (Sandker et al 2009) to more participatory-based approaches (e.g. Endamana et al 2010;Langston et al 2019;Asubonteng et al 2020). Chapter 6 presents an overview of some of these methods that can be used in implementing landscape approaches and their alignment with the ten principles (Sayer et al 2013).…”

Using Participatory Spatial Tools to Unravel Community Perceptions of Land-Use Dynamics in a Mine-Expanding Landscape in Ghana

“…Mapping potentially excites the interest of community members in pressing land issues, leading to inclusive decision-making (IFAD 2009;Sletto 2009). However, studies using perception-based landscape change assessment are scarce (but see Asubonteng et al 2021, andSomuah 2021, this issue). To our knowledge, this paper is among the few that employ participatory mapping to investigate landscape changes across time in a mineexpanding landscape from the perspective of landscape users (i.e., small-scale farmers and miners).…”