Modelling with stakeholders to integrate biodiversity into land-use planning - Lessons learned in Réunion Island (Western Indian Ocean)

International audienceThis paper considers participatory modelling to integrate biodiversity Conservation into land use planning and to facilitate the incorporation of ecological knowledge into public decision making for spatial planning. Réunion Island has experienced rapid urban and agricultural expansion, which threaten its unique biodiversity. In this context, we designed three participatory modelling sequences, involving overall multidisciplinary researchers and stakeholders. The sequences aimed 1) to map land-use and biodiversity, 2) to develop a conservation plan following systematic conservation planning principles using a spatial optimization tool MARXAN) and 3) to simulate coupled land-use/conservation scenarios using a multi-agent system (MAS). The conservation plan confirms that priority areas for biodiversity protection are located on the coast where rapid land-use changes occur. Nevertheless, stakeholders from the urban and agricultural sector didn‟t participate to this sequence. Indeed, conservation planning tools are useful to locate conservation priorities but they have to be designed with stakeholders to be accepted as negotiation tool. Besides, the researchers engaged in this second equence were perceived as conservation stakeholders rather than holders of scientific knowledge. In the third sequence, the researchers involved adopted the stance of facilitating the elicitation of each stake and gathered trust from stakeholders. Overall, we conclude that the participatory development of land-use simulation models should be promoted to explore alternative scenarios for biodiversity conservation with stakeholders. In a situation of land-use conflict, a gradual and sequential participatory modelling approach should be implemented to fit into public decision-making processes

Reification of emergent urban areas in a land-use simulation model in Reunion Island

International audienceEmergent phenomena are often relevant for users and developers of simulation models. But the potential reification of these phenomena raises many questions, conceptually (should they be reified?) and technically (how to do it?). In this paper, we show that such a reification can be considered as an effective way to refine simulation models in which direct modifications, that are made laborious by the multiplicity of the entities and behaviors, often leads to the destabilization of the entire system. We propose a reification technique of the emergent phenomena that do emerge in an agent-based simulation. We illustrate this proposition through the reification of new urban areas, an emergent phenomenon observed in a model that we created to simulate land-use evolutions in Reunion Island

Absence of evidence for the conservation outcomes of systematic conservation planning around the globe : A systematic map

Background Systematic conservation planning is a discipline concerned with the prioritisation of resources for biodiversity conservation and is often used in the design or assessment of terrestrial and marine protected area networks. Despite being an evidence-based discipline, to date there has been no comprehensive review of the outcomes of systematic conservation plans and assessments of the relative effectiveness of applications in different contexts. To address this fundamental gap in knowledge, our primary research question was: what is the extent, distribution and robustness of evidence on conservation outcomes of systematic conservation planning around the globe? Methods A systematic mapping exercise was undertaken using standardised search terms across 29 sources, including publication databases, online repositories and a wide range of grey literature sources. The review team screened articles recursively, first by title only, then abstract and finally by full-text, using inclusion criteria related to systematic conservation plans conducted at sub-global scales and reported on since 1983. We sought studies that reported outcomes relating to natural, human, social, financial or institutional outcomes and which employed robust evaluation study designs. The following information was extracted from included studies: bibliographic details, background information including location of study and broad objectives of the plan, study design, reported outcomes and context. Results Of the approximately 10,000 unique articles returned through our searches, 1209 were included for full-text screening and 43 studies reported outcomes of conservation planning interventions. However, only three studies involved the use of evaluation study designs which are suitably rigorous for inclusion, according to best-practice guidelines. The three included studies were undertaken in the Gulf of California (Mexico), Réunion Island, and The Nature Conservancy’s landholdings across the USA. The studies varied widely in context, purpose and outcomes. Study designs were non-experimental or qualitative, and involved use of spatial landholdings over time, stakeholder surveys and modelling of alternative planning scenarios. Conclusion Rigorous evaluations of systematic conservation plans are currently not published in academic journals or made publicly available elsewhere. Despite frequent claims relating to positive implications and outcomes of these planning activities, we show that evaluations are probably rarely conducted. This finding does not imply systematic conservation planning is not effective but highlights a significant gap in our understanding of how, when and why it may or may not be effective. Our results also corroborate claims that the literature on systematic conservation planning is dominated by methodological studies, rather than those that focus on implementation and outcomes, and support the case that this is a problematic imbalance in the literature. We emphasise the need for academics and practitioners to publish the outcomes of systematic conservation planning exercises and to consider employing robust evaluation methodologies when reporting project outcomes. Adequate reporting of outcomes will in turn enable transparency and accountability between institutions and funding bodies as well as improving the science and practice of conservation planning

Applying an integrated landscape characterization and evaluation tool to small islands (Pico, Azores, Portugal)

Each landscape is determined and can be characterised by two types of environmental factors: stable biophysical characteristics and manageable land use patterns. The consideration of both these characterisation domains allows the definition of a homogeneous system of reference (the stable characteristics) with which every possible land use pattern can be compared through the use of common evaluation algorithms. The Integrated Landscape Assessment (ILA) concept builds a framework for data retrieval and evaluation processing that maximizes the following advantages: through the use of a stable reference system, it allows the comparative simulation of different land use scenarios, as well as the permanent availability of the same reference system, independently from the intensity of land use changes throughout the years. It also allows the use of different evaluation algorithms according to different evaluation contexts or paradigms, without having to repeat or adapt the characterisation process. The present paper illustrates the basic concepts on which ILA is based and developed as well as its application to ecological planning and systematic conservation planning in the Pico Island (Azores Archipelago)

: Géoprospective territoriale à l'île de La Réunion

16 p.National audienceThe objective of this paper is to present an approach for experimenting territorial prospective analysis based on spatial modelling. This approach is carried out in the framework of the DESCARTES project which aims at developing a spatial simulation tool to support the design and analysis of different scenarios for land-use allocation in Reunion Island in terms of environmental services. The spatial modelling tool is composed of two complementary applications: (i) the Ocelet modelling language and its land dynamics simulation environment, and (ii) the Margouill@ platform. The first demonstrator, a model of farm land consumption by urbanization, was developed and presented during workshops in order to test the role of the spatial simulation tool in support of a collaborative innovation process among stakeholders, and to foster new research on social learning, spatial simulation of environmental services, and scale change issues.L'objectif de cet article est de présenter une démarche de construction d'un exercice de prospective territoriale basé sur un outil de modélisation spatiale. Cette démarche est mise en œuvre dans le cadre du projet ANR DESCARTES dont l'objectif est de construire un outil de simulation cartographique pour analyser différents scénarios d'affectation de l'usage des sols à l'Ile de La Réunion, en termes de services environnementaux. La plateforme de simulation cartographique est composée de deux applications complémentaires (i) le langage de modélisation Ocelet et son environnement de simulation de paysages dynamiques, et (ii) la plateforme Margouill@. Le développement puis la présentation, en atelier, d'un premier démonstrateur sur la consommation des terres agricoles par l'urbanisation a permis de tester l'outil cartographique comme support d'un processus d'innovation collective entre les parties prenantes, et d'ouvrir de nouveaux champs de recherche sur l'analyse de la démarche par les apprentissages, la spatialisation et la simulation prospective des services écosystémiques, et la prise en compte du changement d'échelle

Relevant data and information for a comprehensive conservation planning in small islands

The present report analyses the problematic of conservation planning and management in small central Atlantic islands, developing Conservation planning and management approaches that can bring to this particular context. Particular attention is given to the ways of development of feasible governance systems, particularly trough the development of comprehensible environmental characterization and evaluation tolls, able to compare and display alternative development scenarios and model their relative advantages and disadvantages, and base processes of contratualization and trade-offs involving all stakeholders in an active participatory way. An application to the island of Pico (Azores) is presented

Living territories to transform the world

What resources underpin the development of a territory? What does territorial management of resources mean? What specific characteristics and opportunities does territorial organization offer for agricultural production, regulation of sectors, and services? How are territorial public policies conceived and applied? But also, what are the limits of the territorial approach? How does a territorial approach refashion the frameworks of intervention for development? How do we implement and reinvent mechanisms to provide support, build skills, and promote production and good governance? How do we mobilize information systems, apprehend territorial dynamics, and encourage decentralized planning? Using a wide diversity of case studies, the book explores how actors, scales and scopes of intervention interact in the development of rural spaces in the countries of the Global South, both at the local level and in the global perspective of the objectives of sustainable development. The book brings together the experiences and views of more than 150 researchers and experts from CIRAD, AFD and their partners. It is aimed at researchers, engineers, professionals in the countries of the Global South, as well as students and the wider public

Living territories to transform the world

What resources underpin the development of a territory? What does territorial management of resources mean? What specific characteristics and opportunities does territorial organization offer for agricultural production, regulation of sectors, and services? How are territorial public policies conceived and applied? But also, what are the limits of the territorial approach? How does a territorial approach refashion the frameworks of intervention for development? How do we implement and reinvent mechanisms to provide support, build skills, and promote production and good governance? How do we mobilize information systems, apprehend territorial dynamics, and encourage decentralized planning? Using a wide diversity of case studies, the book explores how actors, scales and scopes of intervention interact in the development of rural spaces in the countries of the Global South, both at the local level and in the global perspective of the objectives of sustainable development. The book brings together the experiences and views of more than 150 researchers and experts from CIRAD, AFD and their partners. It is aimed at researchers, engineers, professionals in the countries of the Global South, as well as students and the wider public

Many Strong Voices: Outline for an assessment project design

This document defines, guides, and supports the development and implementation of a full assessment of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), under the Many Strong Voices (MSV) programme. A summary of impacts of climate change on SIDS is provided along with a literature review and analysis of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in SIDS, supplemented by consultations with SIDS partners, to indicate data availability and quality along with how to fill in data gaps. Then, an initial structure for the assessment is detailed with recommendations for implementing a SIDS assessment of climate change vulnerability and adaptation.Recommendations describe the need for the work, the scientific methods to adopt, the focus on case studies, and the emphasis on a problem- driven and action research approach involving local consultations.Research, policy, and practice outcomes of the assessment are also described