The Opportunities and Barriers in Considering Cumulative Effects for Landscape Assessments

Abstract

Cumulative effects are defined as the joint and aggregated effects of many factors and processes. Their consideration in landscape and environmental assessments are integral at both the project and strategic level, and they can help to bridge the different spatial and temporal scales. The primary challenge of conducting cumulative effect assessments (CEAs) is the difficulty in understanding the complicated nature of cumulative effects. We used three criteria for a systematic understanding of the barriers to addressing cumulative effects that are critical for improving knowledge systems for sustainable development and environmental assessment: salience, credibility, and legitimacy, and analyzed three cases through a variety of studies and resources: the Middle Humber in the U.K., the Transboundary Crown of the Continent in the U.S. and Canada, and the Great Sandhills in Canada, to understand how CEAs have been applied and obstructed in terms of the three criteria. In addition, a series of focus group interviews with experts and practitioners were performed to illuminate the critical barriers based on the criteria for addressing CEA in the context of South Korea. Based on the lessons, we suggest several key strategies such as securing a cooperative consulting process, and active and transparent partnerships; using a strategic environmental assessment as a framework; understanding and incorporating stakeholder knowledge; using advanced computer modeling and simulation techniques including effective visualization tools; and preparing a simple model design and understandable scientific information.