Forests Sourcebook - HCV Resource Network

CHAPTER 4
Optimizing Forest Functions
in a Landscape
The term “landscape” has permeated discussions
regarding forest resource management during the
past few decades. A landscape is often defined as a
geographical construct that includes not only biophysical
features of an area but also its cultural and institutional
attributes (adapted from Farina [2006]). A landscape is not
necessarily defined by its size; rather, it is defined by an
interacting mosaic of land cover and land-use types relevant
to the processes or services being considered or managed.
Examples of forest landscapes can range from large tracts of
forests used for multiple purposes (production; cultural,
recreational, or environmental services; and the like) to
mosaics of forests, home gardens, rice terraces, and villages
that enable people to exploit mountain slopes in several
countries in southeast Asia in ways that yield a diversity of
crops, maintain soil fertility and watershed functions, and
retain indigenous biodiversity.
Another definition of landscape is a dynamic, complex
patchwork of overlapping political, economic, social, and
ecological systems (Scoones 1999; Zimmerer 2000). The
landscape is a heterogeneous area within which there can
be a mosaic of land uses that are individually relatively
homogeneous.
Recently the “landscape approach” has been incorporated
in the conceptualization of geographical spaces of
interest when defining a landscape. 1 A landscape approach
is applied to a geographical space of interest. A landscape
approach is a conceptual framework that allows for a structured
way of viewing the broader impacts and implications
of any major investment or intervention in the rural sector 2
(see box 4.1). It describes interventions at spatial scales that
attempt to optimize the spatial relations and interactions
among a range of land cover types, institutions, and human
activities in an area of interest.
Forest landscape restoration, landscape planning, and
ecoagriculture all build on landscape approaches and principles.
Common among these landscape approaches is that
they
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aim to restore a balance of environmental, social, and
economic benefits from forests and trees within a
broader pattern of land use;
use a landscape-level view, whether for site restoration or
for activities involving a mosaic of land uses (accordingly,
site-level activities accommodate, or are nested in,
landscape-level objectives);
consider people as central elements of the landscape; and
recognize that the dynamic nature of ecosystems and
socioeconomic systems makes gathering complete
information regarding any system unachievable
(accordingly, explicit efforts are made to integrate and
adapt plans, programs, and projects that are active in a
landscape, including the sharing of new knowledge and
information).
The World Bank’s Forests Strategy aims to make the most
of the multiple uses and values of forests. Forests are part of
a diverse livelihood portfolio for a large number of rural
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