Global change, land use policies and EU enlargement affect the driving forces for landscape functioning, land use management and rural development. New demands on landscapes and natural resources call for multifunctional approaches to land development. Tools are required to (i) identify the effects of land management on landscape sustainability and (ii) support the decision-making process on the multipurpose utilisation of landscape resources.

Scientists from across Europe installed the Landscape Tomorrow network to be prepared for new challenges of research on sustainable land development in a European perspective. In this publication they (i) analyse general principles of land use multifunctionality, (ii) highlight the specific requirements and approaches of implementing multifunctional land use from different disciplinary viewpoints, (iii) report on success stories of multifunctional land use from different geographic and political settings, and (iv) discuss modelling and monitoring approaches to scientifically assess the impact of mutlifunctional land use implementation. The book contributes to the scientific basis for future land development strategies and helps supporting land use decision making on the political, planning and management level.

There are many reasons why strategic intelligence is required to support policy decisions. These primarily stem from the nature of today's kno- edge society with two contrasting trends. On the one hand, there is a trend of increasing human intelligence in the economic, social and political s- tems. On the other hand, there is a trend towards dissolving certainties about the problems and solutions of today's society. Clearly, more inf- mation does not necessary imply more certainties on how to act. What is more, the same facts are often interpreted in markedly different ways: the same policy relevant information can - and often does - results in confli- ing framing of a problem by different stakeholders. This is mainly due to competing assumptions, rather then because of inconsistent facts. The- fore, it is not surprising that policy-makers are calling for strategic intel- gence to support their understanding of today's challenges, including the relevant aspects of science and technology, their impact and their possible future developments. Over the last 15 years, Europe has rapidly adopted the practice of dev- oping and using Impact Assessment (IA) tools to support decision-making. Formal procedures and guidance for IA are well established within the European Commission and in most EU Member States. The adoption of IA procedures alone, however, does not guarantee that every policy domain is actually using the full potential of these assessment tools in the preparation of policies and legislation.

New demands on landscapes and natural resources call for multifunctional approaches to land development. Tools are required to identify the effects of land management on landscape sustainability and to support the decision-making process on the multipurpose utilisation of landscape resources. Scientists from across Europe installed the "Landscape Tomorrow" network to be prepared for new challenges in research to sustainable land development in an international perspective. This publication analyses general principles of landscape multifunctionality, develops methods to assess the sustainability of agricultural and forestry land management and identifies strategies of sustainable land management. Moreover, it contributes to the scientific basis for future land development strategies and helps support land use decision-making on the political, planning and management level.

New demands on landscapes and natural resources call for multifunctional approaches to land development. Tools are required to identify the effects of land management on landscape sustainability and to support the decision-making process on the multipurpose utilisation of landscape resources. Scientists from across Europe installed the "Landscape Tomorrow" network to be prepared for new challenges in research to sustainable land development in an international perspective. This publication analyses general principles of landscape multifunctionality, develops methods to assess the sustainability of agricultural and forestry land management and identifies strategies of sustainable land management. Moreover, it contributes to the scientific basis for future land development strategies and helps support land use decision-making on the political, planning and management level.

There are many reasons why strategic intelligence is required to support policy decisions. These primarily stem from the nature of today's kno- edge society with two contrasting trends. On the one hand, there is a trend of increasing human intelligence in the economic, social and political s- tems. On the other hand, there is a trend towards dissolving certainties about the problems and solutions of today's society. Clearly, more inf- mation does not necessary imply more certainties on how to act. What is more, the same facts are often interpreted in markedly different ways: the same policy relevant information can - and often does - results in confli- ing framing of a problem by different stakeholders. This is mainly due to competing assumptions, rather then because of inconsistent facts. The- fore, it is not surprising that policy-makers are calling for strategic intel- gence to support their understanding of today's challenges, including the relevant aspects of science and technology, their impact and their possible future developments. Over the last 15 years, Europe has rapidly adopted the practice of dev- oping and using Impact Assessment (IA) tools to support decision-making. Formal procedures and guidance for IA are well established within the European Commission and in most EU Member States. The adoption of IA procedures alone, however, does not guarantee that every policy domain is actually using the full potential of these assessment tools in the preparation of policies and legislation.

This book is a major contribution to the debate on future land development strategies, as well as helping to supporting land use decision making at all levels. Scientists from across Europe installed the Landscape Tomorrow network to prepare for upcoming challenges in research on sustainable land development. The book 's interdisciplinary perspective analyses, among other things, the general principles of land use multifunctionality and reports on a variety of success stories.