Towards sustainable landscapes: Implementing participatory approaches in contract design for biodiversity preservation and ecosystem services in Europe

Agricultural landscapes are the result of the long-term, complex, and intermingled interfaces between nature and culture. Among the stakeholders involved in the production of agri-environmental and climate services, farmers play a crucial role, and their contribution should be duly acknowledged to p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Environmental science & policy Vol. 160; p. 103831
Main Authors:	Gutiérrez-Briceño, Inés, García-Llorente, Marina, Turkelboom, Francis, Mortelmans, Dieter, Defrijn, Sven, Yacamán-Ochoa, Carolina, Wanner, Saskia, Dodsworth, Jennifer, Bredemeier, Birte, Dutilly, Céline, Kelemen, Eszter, Megyesi, Boldizsár, Andersen, Erling, Buffière, Didier, Eychenne, Corinne, Siegert, Anne
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2024
Subjects:	Agri-environmental measure Agri-environmental public good and service Common agricultural policy (CAP) Living lab approach Participatory process Living lab approach Common agricultural policy (CAP) Participatory process Agri-environmental public good and service Agri-environmental measure
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Summary:	Agricultural landscapes are the result of the long-term, complex, and intermingled interfaces between nature and culture. Among the stakeholders involved in the production of agri-environmental and climate services, farmers play a crucial role, and their contribution should be duly acknowledged to promote sustainable land management. Therefore, this research aims to contribute to the participatory design of agri-environmental contracts to incentivize landscape and biodiversity practices. To achieve this goal, 13 innovation labs with multi-actor perspective were established across nine different European countries. These groups envisioned a future sustainable landscape characterized by diversity and balance of economic, socio-cultural, and environmental components. Trust-based networks and effective communication channels emerge as vital components for the success of sustainable local production systems. Practitioners emphasize the significance of European-level policies in effecting transformative change and influencing farmers'willingness to contribute to both food production and environmental public goods. They defined concrete contract features such as public funding, hybrid payments, and the presence of intermediaries for the potential of agri-environmental measures. Notably, practitioners perceive a wide range of benefits associated with the implementation of agri-environmental measures, extending beyond economic compensation. Gaining a deeper understanding of practitioners' perceptions of their territories and agri-environmental measures is crucial for policymakers to design tailored and appealing programs that resonate with practitioners'needs. •Agroecosystem living labs are valuable approach for facilitating transition.•Trust-based networks and communication channels enable transformative change.•Agri-environmental measures yield benefits beyond economic compensation.•Preferred contract features are public funding, hybrid payments and presence of intermediaries.
ISSN:	1462-9011
DOI:	10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103831