Wood-pastures are important elements of European cultural identity and have an exceptional ecological value, yet they are in decline all over Europe. The structure of wood-pastures is strongly influenced by grazing and multiple other land uses and by local and regional environmental conditions. This book examines the diverse expressions of wood-pastures across Europe. It provides a new perspective, using a social-ecological framework to explore social and ecological values, governing institutions, threats and conservation approaches. It explores the major drivers of decline, which are shown to be related to accelerated cultural, institutional and developmental changes occurring across Europe over the past century. Case studies are included from North-Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe. Written by renowned scholars and conservationists, the book contributes to developing better, locally adapted conservation policies and management approaches for wood-pastures.

Wood-pastures are important elements of European cultural identity and have an exceptional ecological value, yet they are in decline all over Europe. The structure of wood-pastures is strongly influenced by grazing and multiple other land uses and by local and regional environmental conditions. This book examines the diverse expressions of wood-pastures across Europe. It provides a new perspective, using a social-ecological framework to explore social and ecological values, governing institutions, threats and conservation approaches. It explores the major drivers of decline, which are shown to be related to accelerated cultural, institutional and developmental changes occurring across Europe over the past century. Case studies are included from North-Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe. Written by renowned scholars and conservationists, the book contributes to developing better, locally adapted conservation policies and management approaches for wood-pastures.

Improving the dynamic relationship between nature and human well-being is a pressing issue of our time. Landscapes embody this tight interconnectedness and serve as unique sustainability learning hubs, showcased by the global rise of place-based and holistic landscape stewardship initiatives. Incorporating these exciting developments, this book explores the principles of landscape stewardship and their function in fields such as agriculture, ecological restoration and urban green infrastructure. It provides insights into the challenges and the potential of landscape stewardship and identifies future paths for the science and practice of landscape-related sustainability efforts. Aligning analytical perspectives with practical applications, it brings together contributions from leading scholars and innovative models of landscape stewardship from all around the world, making it an essential resource for anyone interested in developing sustainable human-nature relationships.

All over the world, efforts are being made to preserve landscapes facing fundamental change as a consequence of widespread agricultural intensification, land abandonment and urbanisation. The 'cultural landscape' and 'resilience' approaches have, until now, largely been viewed as distinct methods for understanding the effects of these dynamics and the ways in which they might be adapted or managed. This book brings together these two perspectives, providing new insights into the social-ecological resilience of cultural landscapes by coming to terms with, and challenging, the concepts of 'driving forces', 'thresholds', 'adaptive cycles' and 'adaptive management'. By linking these research communities, this book develops a new perspective on landscape changes. Based on firm conceptual contributions and rich case studies from Europe, the Americas and Australia, it will appeal to anyone interested in analysing and managing change in human-shaped environments in the context of sustainability.

Periphere landliche Raume sehen sich einer zunehmenden Abwanderung und Alterung der Bevolkerung sowie wirtschaftlicher Stagnation ausgesetzt. Gleichzeitig nimmt jedoch die Nachfrage nach den naturlichen Ressourcen landlicher Raume immer starker zu, was sich z. B. in steigenden Preisen fur Bodenflache und Agrarrohstoffe, aber auch in der wachsenden Wertschatzung von Umweltleistungen aussert. In dem Buch werden nach einer Einfuhrung in die Entwicklungsdynamik landlicher Raume Szenarien fur eine Landnutzung entworfen, die mehr als bisher an gesellschaftlicher Nachfrage und Werten orientiert ist. Im Mittelpunkt des von der interdisziplinaren Arbeitsgruppe LandInnovation der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften erarbeiteten Forschungsberichtes stehen funf mogliche Innovationsfelder einer zukunftsorientierten Landnutzung, die exemplarisch fur die landlichen Raume Nordostdeutschlands entwickelt werden, zugleich jedoch auch fur andere periphere Regionen von Relevanz sind: - die energetische und stoffliche Nutzung nachwachsender Rohstoffe, - Viehhaltung in standortangepassten Intensitaten, - der Anbau von Pflanzen mit neuartigen Eigenschaften, - Lebensqualitat und Infrastruktur in den Bereichen Mobilitat, Schulbildung, Gesundheit und Pflege sowie - der Aufbau von Markten fur okologische Leistungen."