Researchers led by the University of Leicester have proposed a new framework for land use decision making, which could help balance demands and enhance the environment
The framework for land use decision making will involve nationwide policymakers, stakeholders, and local communities.
The framework will enable policymakers, councils and government to be transparent about land use decision making by gathering evidence from four lenses.
- The Power and Market Gain lens: The financial interests of organisations and people that have specific leverage over the decision area.
- The Ecosystem Services lens: The value environmental goods and services provide to society.
- The Place-based Identity lens: Components of landscape character in the relationships between the local population, landscapes, and environments.
- The Ecocentric Lens: A framework where the focus of decisions should rest on the health of ecosystems and biodiversity.
Lead author Dr Beth Cole, an honorary researcher at the University of Leicester, said: “This work brings together multiple strands and viewpoints about how land is managed for the best output for everyone, be that people, be that species, be that ecosystems and biodiversity. It essentially says we need to consider everybody in society, and nature and the planet as well.”
