Multifunctional Landscapes Could Address Interconnected Global Crises

Land use is at the heart of the many emergencies facing our world today: climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice and food insecurity. These—exacerbated by unsustainable practices such as industrial agriculture—combine to create simultaneous and interconnected crises.

To overcome these challenges, large parts of Earth’s surface must meet several demands at the same time—from species conservation and food production to human well-being. This is where multifunctional landscapes come in, because they can meet many ecological, social and economic goals at once.

Researchers at the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel have evaluated how using land in such ways can support nature conservation and ecosystem restoration. Their review article shows ways to redesign land use and nature conservation using integrated approaches. This was published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity.

“It is only when we understand synergies and conflicts of use that we can develop land use systems which will simultaneously meet different aims. These include: securing our food supply, regulating our climate, preserving our valuable biodiversity, and providing areas for rest and recreation,” explains Dr. Marion Jay, postdoctoral researcher at Göttingen University’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.