Forests Sourcebook - HCV Resource Network

Involve relevant stakeholders in defining desired
conditions for the landscape. The desired conditions
will help provide context and direction for the rest of the
planning process and should aim to maintain the landscape’s
unique features and significance, improve resource
conditions on the landscape, and promote livelihood
opportunities for those dependent on landscape resources
(see box 4.10). The desired condition sets an idealized goal
of what the landscape should be, what it should protect, and
whom it should benefit.
Develop landscape objectives that describe the
focus of management activities on the landscape
Box 4.10
Different people have very different understandings
of the concept of a landscape and often have
trouble articulating their differences. Getting
stakeholders to draw the landscape on a large sheet
of paper or white board as a facilitated group exercise
helps to generate a valuable discussion of what
people value in the landscape. This enables everyone
to participate in planning and assessing conservation
and development and is a valuable way
of tapping into local knowledge. This approach
can be valuable at the initiation of a project or during
implementation. It is especially valuable in situations
where there are upstream and downstream
links that need to be made explicit or where connectivity
of habitats is an issue.
To enable this process, a facilitator with artistic
skills can encourage stakeholders to represent their
perspectives of the landscape onto a map or sketch
of the visible landscape. People will rapidly begin
to argue and discuss the significance of different
landscape features. The picture can then be
improved by the facilitator, and eventually it
should be possible to work toward a graphic representation
of a desirable future landscape. The
process is more effective if the images are edited
digitally, which requires that the facilitator be able
to use appropriate graphic software, such as Photoshop,
Illustrator, or Paintbrush. Useful progress
can be made in less than a day with a small group
of stakeholders. Associated costs include the time
of the participants and a facilitator.
Source: Sayer 2006.
Participatory Mapping for Identifying the
Landscape Value
over an extended period. Objectives are important
because they support and describe the desired conditions
for a given element or attribute of the landscape. The objectives
should be unambiguous, measurable, and have a time
line. It is essential to involve stakeholders in the development
of objectives because different stakeholders may disagree
about which objectives are or are not compatible with
the shared view of the desired conditions. Objectives should
be listed in order of priority, where possible.
Landscape objectives can be explored through simple
discussions, but the process is much more instructive if
tools are used to enhance understanding (see box 4.11).
Visualization can be very valuable, with participants being
encouraged to draw desirable and undesirable outcomes. If
the resources are available, simple simulation models can be
developed; these can be instructive in helping participants
understand the full ramifications of landscape change (Ecoagriculture
Partners and International Union for Conservation
of Nature 2007).
Implement an iterative zoning process. Zoning decisions
are often considered the heart of a land-use plan and can be
contentious. Zoning decisions should be based on all quantitative
and qualitative information gathered. The planning
process should include a validation step to confirm that the
proposed location for each macro-zone reflects on-theground
reality. The zoning process often has to follow an iterative
approach because as data are gathered and stakeholder
interests identified, the planning team refines zone boundaries
to come up with a configuration that best responds to
the vision, objectives, and priorities of the landscape. 3
Develop guidelines (similar to a set of rules or regulations)
that describe permissible or prohibited activities
across a landscape or zones within a landscape.
Guidelines ensure that certain aspects of a landscape maintain
their integrity and that various activities occur, or are prohibited,
so as not to harm valued attributes. Guidelines should
prohibit or permit specific activities or actions. If any exceptions
to a guideline are to be granted, the guideline should
explicitly describe the circumstances under which such an
exemption would be granted and who has the authority to
grant it. Existing laws in the country where the landscape is
located may address issues or activities outlined in a guideline.
Where appropriate, these laws should be referenced in the
guidelines; however, the guidelines may be more stringent
than the existing regulations. Guidelines are more often used
at the macro- and microzone levels, but in some situations, it
may make sense to establish landscape-wide guidelines.
NOTE 4.1: INTEGRATED FOREST LANDSCAPE LAND-USE PLANNING 135