Policies and governance for integrated landscape management

The aim of the 'Understanding policies and governance for integrated landscape management in a changing environment project' is to explore barriers and investigate options for success implementation of integrated landscape management across a transect of landscape types, uses and management from highly modified peri-urban to natural ecosystems.

The project will identify barriers to the implementation of ILM through analysis of relevant governance policy and processes at the state level and determine how these are interpreted and implemented at the local scale, with respect to landscape values such as (a) the provison of ecosystem services, (b) production of goods and commercial services, (c) social functions, (d) environmental functions. The nature of interactions between different actors in landscape governance will be investigated through social analysis techniques such as network mapping. Transect analysis will provide insights into variation in practice from landscape dominated by intensive agricultural production and rapidly changing deomographic settings to intact natural landscapes within national parks. The project will produce analysis and reports to guide the implementation of policy for land management in a changing climate, adding value to research already undertaken by government agencies and other stakeholders.

Project outputs

Interim report: Impediments and enablers for integrated landscape management approaches
Final report
Policy brief: Integrated landscape management for a changing climate

The research team

The Chief Investigator for the project is Professor Andy T.D. Bennett from Deakin University. Other project members include:
Assoc. Professor Ruth Beilin, University of Melbourne
Professor Michael Buxton, RMIT University
David Griffin, Department of Primary Industries
Professor Ray Ison, Monash University
Professor Roger Jones, Victoria University
Christine Kilmartin, Department of Planning and Community Development
Professor David Lowe, Deakin University
Ian Mansergh, Department of Sustainability and Environment
Assoc. Professor Kevin O’Toole, Deakin University
Dr Philip Wallis, Monash University
Research officer: Dr Quentin Farmar-Bowers, Deakin University

Find out more about the Integrated Land Management project:
Professor Andy T. D. Bennett, Deakin University: andy.bennett@deakin.edu.au