What Did We Learn By Using Participatory Landscape Scenarios In Rio Doce Park, Brazil?

Abstract

Context: This study uses landscape ecology tools and methods for developing participatory scenarios through spatially explicit modelling to forge innovative governance frameworks in the buffer areas of Rio Doce State Park in Brazil. We built on experiences from land management to derive contextual knowledge from evidence of landscape management that may be synthesized into theory within the field for supporting progress towards sustainable land use alternatives.Objective: We examined how evidence from landscape management in Rio Doce Park and its buffer areas can be synthesized to foster landscape governance . For that we used 1) participatory scenarios for envisioning and exploring possible and desirable futures, as seen by the local communities; 2) multicriteria analysis for modeling and mapping areas holding biophysical potential to carry out the activities seen as desirable by local communities; and 3) explored how those desirable futures can be implemented by framing appropriate multiscale governance.Results: Our results show that landscape ecology tools and methods were able to foster stakeholder engagement and, in an innovative way, brought the views of local community stakeholders into landscape policy making. Although there is institutional capacity for moving towards sustainability there is the need to go beyond sectoral approaches to land management and integrate broader societal demands into the conservation agenda. The institutional setting is confusing and readjusting it to implement desirable futures sought by communities depends on an emerging set of landscape stewards. Conclusion: The experience emerging from this work and the participation in governance forums for over 6 years (2016-2021), highlights that while landscape ecology helps at envisioning desirable scenarios, and that landscape approaches are helpful for discussing and reconciling different interests, there is not yet a landscape institutional leader pushing by the enforcement of a whole landscape approach reconciling sectoral integration (agriculture, forestry, tourism & conservation) as well as the cross scale governance needed for implementing desirable landscape scenarios in the buffer area of PERD. This adds to the scope for more responsive governance and the changing role of university-based research for working towards sustainable landscape outcomes. This research provides the basis for exciting future innovation in landscape ecology practices and management.Landscape ecology is a leading field, both in research and practice, for investigating the relationships between social and natural processes mediated by land use changes. Despite a rich variety of empirical case studies, research and practice in landscape ecology has been falling behind in interpreting, modelling, predicting and developing knowledge for helping to influence the behaviour of social agents, including governmental and non governmental institutions, in moving towards more sustainable land uses across tropical landscapes. This study uses landscape ecology tools and methods for developing participatory scenarios through spatially explicit modelling to forge innovative governance frameworks in the buffer areas of Rio Doce State Park in Brazil. We built on experiences from land management to derive contextual knowledge from evidence of landscape management that may be synthesized into theory within the field for supporting progress towards sustainable land use alternatives. Our results show that landscape ecology tools and methods were able to foster stakeholder engagement and, in an innovative way, brought the views of local community stakeholders into landscape policy making. Although there is institutional capacity for moving towards sustainability there is the need to go beyond sectoral approaches to land management integrating broader societal demands into the conservation agenda by using landscape approaches. This adds to the scope for more responsive governance and the changing role of university-based research for working towards sustainable landscape outcomes. This research provides the basis for exciting future innovation in landscape ecology practices and management.