Policy principles for sustainable and just land systems.
| Title: | Policy principles for sustainable and just land systems. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Garrett R; Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1DB, UK.; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Meyfroidt P; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Earth and Life Institute, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve 1348, Belgium.; Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique, F.R.S.-FNRS, Brussels, 1000, Belgium.; de Bremond A; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland College Park, College Park 20740, USA.; Wartenberg A; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland College Park, College Park 20740, USA.; Barbieri L; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland College Park, College Park 20740, USA.; Fernández-Llamazares Á; Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology (BABVE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain.; Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain.; Acheampong E; Department of Silviculture and Forest Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.; Addoah T; Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1DB, UK.; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.; Adeleye M; Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1DB, UK.; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.; Alexander P; School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK.; Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK.; Brandão J; Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1DB, UK.; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.; Coomes DA; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.; Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK.; Ellis EC; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.; Fajardo J; Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1DB, UK.; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.; Jacobi J; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8006, Switzerland.; Leach M; Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3RF, UK.; Cambridge Conservation Initiative, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK.; Lele S; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Centre for Environment and Development, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru 560064, India.; Llanque Zonta A; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig 04318, Germany.; Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University, 21335, Germany.; Lyons-White J; Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1DB, UK.; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.; Martin A; School of Global Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.; Messerli P; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Wyss Academy for Nature, University of Bern, Bern 3011, Switzerland.; Milner-Gulland EJ; Department of Biology, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3EL, UK.; Müller D; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Halle (Saale) 06120, Germany.; Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany.; Integrative Research Institute for Transformations in Human-Environment Systems, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, Berlin 12489, Germany.; Mills M; Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, London SW7 1NE, UK.; Nantongo Kalunda P; Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST), Kampala, Uganda.; Pascual U; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; Basque Center for Climate Change, Leioa 48940, Spain.; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, 48009, Spain.; Rueda X; School of Management, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia.; Ryan C; Global Land Programme, College Park 20740, USA.; School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK.; Setty S; Centre for Environment and Development, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru 560064, India.; Pham TT; College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders University, Bedford Park 5042, Australia.; Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, 16115, Indonesia.; Zagaria C; Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands. |
| Source: | Royal Society open science [R Soc Open Sci] 2025 Oct 15; Vol. 12 (10), pp. 250810. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Oct 15 (Print Publication: 2025). |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Royal Society Publishing Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101647528 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2054-5703 (Print) Linking ISSN: 20545703 NLM ISO Abbreviation: R Soc Open Sci Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : Royal Society Publishing, 2014- |
| Abstract: | Land systems are the nexus of many global sustainability and justice challenges. Here we present eight guiding principles (P1-8) for improved land system policies following the heuristic stages of a policy cycle. The principles are as follows: embrace recognitional justice (P1), be politically strategic (P2), consider multiple policy goals (P3), address systemic issues (P4), take an integrative scope (P5), foster co-development (P6), adopt clear and monitorable targets (P7) and integrate diagnostic and adaptive capacities (P8). We then explore how well policies align with these principles in two globally relevant cases (land-based climate mitigation and biodiversity-friendly agriculture). In both cases, we find that when policies align poorly with the principles at the agenda-setting stage, there is further misalignment at the policy formulation stage. In the instances when recognitional justice is embraced at the onset, policies subsequently integrate more diverse goals and co-development, but they insufficiently consider political strategy and struggle to handle system complexity. Nonetheless, we identify promising policy mixes that provide benefits to multiple actors, integrate multiple goals, take an integrative scope and have strong monitoring and adaptation, aligning well with multiple principles. Further investigation of these principles could reveal promising policy pathways for land systems.; (© 2025 The Authors.) |
| Competing Interests: | We declare we have no competing interests. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: climate; conservation; food; governance; science–policy; sustainability transitions; transformation |
| Molecular Sequence: | figshare 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.8047775 |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20251017 Date Completed: 20251017 Latest Revision: 20251019 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12522160 |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rsos.250810 |
| PMID: | 41103768 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article