32
M. García-Martín et al.
about significant changes in the landscape if, for instance, the surrounding areas of
a big city turn into commuter cities or second-home areas.
Finally, as Levers et al. (2015) observed, notwithstanding technical improvements
and the increasing capacity of humans to modify the land, agro-climatic conditions
still constitute an important factor to take into consideration. Intensified crop production prevails in areas with favourable conditions; forest and grasslands dominate in
areas with disadvantageous edaphic and climatic conditions, although institutional
and socioeconomic factors can alter this pattern to a certain extent. Nevertheless,
climate change as a driver of landscape change has still not played a very evident
role in the studies considered in this chapter, except for the melting of the glaciers
in the Alps (Bürgi et al. 2017).
2.5 Operationalising Current Trends and Drivers
of Change Towards Developing Future Scenarios
of Landscape Change
In an effort to hinder the tendency towards polarisation of the landscape (intensification or abandonment) and the landscape homogenisation and loss of multifunctionality that results from it, some authors have worked together with stakeholders
in the visualisation of future landscape change trajectories. Pérez-Soba et al. (2015)
worked with stakeholders representing the main land use sectors in Europe to develop
three overarching visions of the desired futures envisaged for Europe. These three
visions shared a common ambition: to generate multifunctional land uses in Europe
that would integrate multiple social, ecological, economic and cultural demands.
Recently, Verkerk et al. (2018) studied potential pathways and policies required to
achieve these visions of multifunctionality. These pathways would vary in the specific
mechanisms involved, but all of them would entail major interventions across Europe,
depending on the environmental and socioeconomic context. In general, the space
dedicated to agricultural land would need to be severely restricted in favour of larger,
interconnected natural areas. These studies highlighted the challenge of identifying
a pathway toward reaching landscape multifunctionality at the local level. This was
mostly due to methodological constraints; models still cannot capture many of the
complexities associated with multifunctionality at a local-scale resolution. However,
Verkerk et al. (2018) pointed out that the policy interventions that were needed to
navigate that pathway would necessarily require the strengthening and maintenance
of Europe’s existing traditional multifunctional landscapes, most of which have been
subject to long-term trends of decline.
M. García-Martín et al.
about significant changes in the landscape if, for instance, the surrounding areas of
a big city turn into commuter cities or second-home areas.
Finally, as Levers et al. (2015) observed, notwithstanding technical improvements
and the increasing capacity of humans to modify the land, agro-climatic conditions
still constitute an important factor to take into consideration. Intensified crop production prevails in areas with favourable conditions; forest and grasslands dominate in
areas with disadvantageous edaphic and climatic conditions, although institutional
and socioeconomic factors can alter this pattern to a certain extent. Nevertheless,
climate change as a driver of landscape change has still not played a very evident
role in the studies considered in this chapter, except for the melting of the glaciers
in the Alps (Bürgi et al. 2017).
2.5 Operationalising Current Trends and Drivers
of Change Towards Developing Future Scenarios
of Landscape Change
In an effort to hinder the tendency towards polarisation of the landscape (intensification or abandonment) and the landscape homogenisation and loss of multifunctionality that results from it, some authors have worked together with stakeholders
in the visualisation of future landscape change trajectories. Pérez-Soba et al. (2015)
worked with stakeholders representing the main land use sectors in Europe to develop
three overarching visions of the desired futures envisaged for Europe. These three
visions shared a common ambition: to generate multifunctional land uses in Europe
that would integrate multiple social, ecological, economic and cultural demands.
Recently, Verkerk et al. (2018) studied potential pathways and policies required to
achieve these visions of multifunctionality. These pathways would vary in the specific
mechanisms involved, but all of them would entail major interventions across Europe,
depending on the environmental and socioeconomic context. In general, the space
dedicated to agricultural land would need to be severely restricted in favour of larger,
interconnected natural areas. These studies highlighted the challenge of identifying
a pathway toward reaching landscape multifunctionality at the local level. This was
mostly due to methodological constraints; models still cannot capture many of the
complexities associated with multifunctionality at a local-scale resolution. However,
Verkerk et al. (2018) pointed out that the policy interventions that were needed to
navigate that pathway would necessarily require the strengthening and maintenance
of Europe’s existing traditional multifunctional landscapes, most of which have been
subject to long-term trends of decline.