Investing in protected productive areas

Dr Francis Vorhies

earthmind.net

TBLI Europe

Paris, France

15-16 November 2007

Two key questions

1. Can we manage productive

landscapes sustainably?

2. Should we invest in sustainably

managed landscapes?

The short answers:

1. Probably.

2. Maybe.

Think of a landscape as a business

Who are its customers?

What goods and services are they

interested in?

A business-approach to landscape

management will assess potential

landscape goods and services and

identify potential customers.

Landscape customers

Think of local communities as customers.

What goods and services do they want?

Think of actual and potential commercial

customers of the landscape.

Think of “downstream” customers. What

services can accrue to distant communities,

to the country or to the region?

Think of global customers of the landscape.

In developing countries, perhaps also think

of the “donors” as customers.

Landscapes as ecological complexes

"Biological diversity" means the

variability among living organisms

from all sources including, inter alia,

terrestrial, marine and other aquatic

ecosystems and the ecological

complexes of which they are part …

"Ecosystem" means a dynamic complex of

plant, animal and micro-organism

communities and their non-living

environment interacting as a functional unit.

CBD Article 2

Landscapes as protected areas – slide 1

"Protected area" means a geographically

defined area which is designated or

regulated and managed to achieve specific

conservation objectives.

"In-situ conservation" means the conservation of

ecosystems and natural habitats and the

maintenance and recovery of viable populations of

species in their natural surroundings and, in the

case of domesticated or cultivated species, in the

surroundings where they have developed their

distinctive properties.

CBD Article 2

Landscapes as protected areas – slide 2

A landscape which is managed sustainably and thus is

managed with conservation objectives is by

internationally-agreed definition a protected area.

“Protected productive areas” could include a variety of

economic activities – such as farming and mining.

a farm

or mine the landscape

Objectives of landscape sustainability – slide 1

"Sustainable land management combines technologies,

policies and activities aimed at integrating socio-economic

principles with environmental concerns so as to

simultaneously:

- maintain or enhance production/services (Productivity),

- reduce the level of production risk (Security),

- protect the potential of natural resources and prevent

degradation of soil and water quality (Protection),

- be economically viable (Viability),

- and socially acceptable (Acceptability)."

Framework for Evaluating Sustainable Land Management

(FESLM) Working Party , 1991

Objectives of landscape sustainability – slide 2

Each objective is complex, and requires

further brief examination:

Productivity: the return … may … include

benefits from protective and aesthetic aims

of land use …

Protection: … the need to maintain genetic

diversity or preserve individual plant or

animal species …

Viability: if the land uses being considered

are locally not viable, the use will not survive

…

And so on …

Categories of landscape sustainability – slide 1

1 Agricultural Activities

2 Forestry Activities

3 Rangeland Activities

4 Watershed Activities

5 Energy-related Activities

6 Fisheries Activities

7 Protected Areas

8 Cross-Sectoral Activities

Adapted from a 2007 GEF programme brief

Categories of landscape sustainability – slide 2

Category 2 Sustainable

Forest/Woodland Management

Activities

2.1 Protection/conservation of

indigenous species

2.2 Agro-forestry initiatives

2.3 Regeneration of forests and

woodlands

2.4 Promotion of non-timber forest

products (including medicinal plants

and wild food)

And so on …

A sustainable landscape framework

Objectives

Categories

A

Productivity

B

Security

C

Protection

D

Viablity

E

Acceptabilty

1

Agricultural

Activities

2

Forestry

Activities

3

Rangeland

Activities

4

Watershed

Activities

5

Energy-related

Activities

6

Fisheries

Activities

7

Protected Areas

8

Cross-Sectoral

Activities

Example: Fundatia ADEPT

Fundatia ADEPT is carrying out a

coordinated policy to conserve a

100,000 ha area of exceptional

biodiversity, with a population of some

20,000, within the Saxon Villages

region.

A fundamental principle is that

conservation of the biodiversity of this

semi-natural, anthropogenic area is

only possible by maintaining the area’s

economic viability.

fundatia-adept.org

Website: Ecosystem Marketplace

We believe that by providing

solid and trust-worthy

information on prices,

regulation, science, and other

market-relevant issues,

markets for ecosystem

services will one day become

a fundamental part of our

economic and environmental

system …

ecosystemmarketplace.com

Revisiting our two key questions

1. Can we manage productive landscapes

sustainably?

2. Should we invest in sustainably

managed landscapes?

Somewhat longer answers:

1. We are developing the vision and the

know-how to manage productive

landscapes sustainably.

2. Protected productive landscapes

appear to be an emerging investment

opportunity.