Abstract
ContextWe describe how large landscape-scale conservation initiatives involving local communities, NGOs and resource managers have engaged with landscape scientists with the goal of achieving landscape sustainability. We focus on two landscapes where local people, practitioners and landscape ecologists have co-produced knowledge to design conservation interventions.ObjectiveWe seek to understand how landscape ecology can engage with practical landscape management to contribute to managing landscapes sustainably.MethodsWe focus on two large tropical landscapes: the Sangha Tri-National landscape (Cameroon, Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic) and the Batéké-Léfini Landscape (Gabon and Republic of Congo). We evaluate (1) a participatory method used in the Sangha Tri-National landscape that embeds interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners within a landscape to apply transdisciplinary learning to landscape conservation and (2) a participatory landscape zoning method where interdisciplinary teams of conservation practitioners analyse local land and resource use in the Batéké-Léfini landscape.ResultsWe find that landscape ecology’s tradition of understanding the historical context of resource use can inform landscape conservation practice and natural resource mapping. We also find that the Sangha Group provides an example for landscape ecology on how to integrate local people and their knowledge to better understand and influence landscape processes.ConclusionsPlace-based engagement as well as the uptake of co-produced knowledge by policy makers are key in enabling sustainable landscapes. Success occurs when researchers, local communities and resource managers engage directly with landscape processes.
Highlights
The Congo Basin supports a remarkable diversity of wildlife and is home to many different human communities, from hunter-gatherers to farmers
We find that the Sangha Group provides an example for landscape ecology on how to integrate local people and their knowledge to better understand and influence landscape processes
We describe two landscapes in the Congo Basin where international conservation agencies in partnership with national governments have used landscape approaches to address the twin goals of alleviating human poverty and maintaining forest biodiversity
Summary
The Congo Basin supports a remarkable diversity of wildlife and is home to many different human communities, from hunter-gatherers to farmers. Landscape ecology focuses on patterns and processes (Forman and Godron 1986), and can indicate an optimal configuration of the landscape in terms of the location and extent of areas subject to different management interventions and uses. Achieving such an optimal landscape requires influencing the behaviour of multiple actors and reconciling the interests of diverse institutions. We describe two landscapes in the Congo Basin where international conservation agencies in partnership with national governments have used landscape approaches to address the twin goals of alleviating human poverty and maintaining forest biodiversity. The challenge has been to reconcile human institutions and behaviour with the constraints of ecological processes
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