Soft-system approach to stakeholder participation in landscape planning & management

Abstract

Although there is increasing emphasis on the need to involve stakeholders in landscape planning and management, conventional social science methodologies are constraining when addressing complex issues such as landscape. Simple questionnaires and interviews can be limiting in the depth of data acquired, where a complexity of natural, cultural and social elements are concerned. Direct participation and expression may also be difficult for stakeholders. This study presents results derived from research on landscape pressures which used a soft systems methodology (systemic sustainability analysis - SSA) for assessing stakeholder perceptions of landscape threats.