Gift-t! Creating landscapes with the power of nature Eveliene Steingröver Paul Opdam Alterra-Wageningen NL
Assumption: if people experience benefits from nature, they might adapt their landscape to increase these benefits Landscape services
What we want to achieve (in 5 cases) Involve local communities Make them shareholders of the future of their area Enhance investments in Green Infrastructure Create added value from landscape services Improve conditions for biodiversity
The Mersey Forest Province of S-Holland Greening Gateway Kent Province of Antwerpen Vlaamse Land Maatschappij +Alterra & SEGEFA Univ. Liege
What makes GIFT-T! special in the ES-arena? We start with the demand for landscape services The common approach The GIFT-T! approach Economic growth Ecosystem structure Well-being Welfare Ecosystem structure Impact on natural values Regulations Ecosystem functioning Value to humans Advantages of using the natural system Entrepreneurship Ecosystem functioning Value to humans
What makes GIFT-T! special in the ES-arena? We develop science in practice Prototype method Record adjustments Make explicit why the adjustments were made Observe impacts in the social process GIFT-T 1.0 method
Green Infrastructure: the ecological infrastructure of our common landscape Which services do we want it to provide? Where and how are adjustments effective? How do we organize change?
Three modules in the planning process Common Vision Future demands, Opportunities Priorities Business plan Achievements Actions Arrangements Diagnosis/Design Present benefits Where are these delivered? Identify adjustments
Building a common vision: dream sessions Based on appreciative inquiry Group of invited local stakeholders 1) Group sessions 1: What is your personal dream of the future environment? 2) Goal hierarchy (facilitator) 3) Group session 2: common priorities
Visualizing dreams to facilitate ownership
Finding the motives behind expressed dreams Discussion leader Expressed desire Cycling paths through natural areas What do you want? Why do you want that? Underlying motive 1. Relaxation 2. Aesthetics 3. Health 4....
Determining common priorities
Stakeholders become owners They develop an emotional attachment: this is my dream Focus on opportunities (not on problems) and on shared interests enhances common vision (selfish behaviour is rare)
Aggregating local dream sessions to a regional scale?
Green sustainability for Heineken brewery: Greening the production chains by using natural processes instead of technology Benefits of landscape services Demand for landscape change
Greening the production chain: barley Sustainably grown barley Water retention Soil biodiversity Natural pest control
Greening the production chain: barley Sustainably grown barley Water retention Soil biodiversity Natural pest control Landscape identity GI Biodiversity to enjoy Water purification
Demand for one service > GI > benefits by other services Biomass demand Heineken Field verges Nature reserve Change in Green Infrastructure Size Width Spatial cohesion Recreational use Experience of identity Biodiversity Road banks Vegetation type Water purification
Building the network of demand and supply supply Landscape services demand Farmer Biomass Heineken Drinking water supplier Nature manager Green Infra Drinking water Identity Biodiver -sity Water board citizen Prov. ZH
Challenge: two governance scale levels Provincial/regional spatial scale level Governing by information and regulation How to create local involvement? How to ensure spatial coordination and protection? Local community spatial scale level Self governance in local networks Entrepreneurship, creativity How to govern the commons? How to ensure spatial cohesion?
Challenge: valuation Current emphasis: economic value in monetary terms OK as a common deniminator to express the value of ES in comparision to economic activity for an area as a whole But in our approach, valuation should invoke action But people do things for many other motives than money Contribute to their society, a better world, for a nicer landscape, just because they care How do we incorporate these motives in community based planning?