Land Sparing and Land Sharing: Rural and Urban Drivers of Ecosystems Services Delivery in the Netherlands and UK

Abstract

This chapter builds on notions of land sharing and land sparing, to cover contemporary ecosystem services (ESS) governance challenges. Attention is paid to how such challenges affect rural-urban dynamics. Empirically grounded in the UK and the Netherlands, land sparing/sharing possibilities are explored from distinct rural and urban perspectives. Dutch policies to introduce circular farming could radically reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture, while also reshaping landscapes around the city of Ede. In Gloucestershire, peri-urban growth offers possibilities for integrated urban green infrastructure and/or enhancement of dispersed and protected rural landscapes and habitats. These binary notions of land sparing/sharing can distinguish and characterise different ESS delivery orientations, in terms of regional rural-urban interdependencies. Studying both urban and rural dimensions of ESS indicates the need for innovative governance of ESS. The chapter calls for more comprehensive insights into rural-urban land use features, interactions and outcomes, to unravel and plan sustainable ESS governance