Living Landscape (LiLa) framework: participatory socio-ecological assessment framework for sustainable agricultural landscapes

Agricultural landscapes are under increasing pressure to fulfil multiple and often conflicting functions, which poses challenges regarding their social and ecological sustainability. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated, landscape-scale approach that acknowledges diverse stakeholder perspectives. Existing approaches vary in scope such as assessment focus, scale, comprehensiveness, participation and target user, revealing a need for a widely applicable framework that focuses on assessing both social and ecological aspects at the landscape scale, and that assists local stakeholders in evaluating their landscape in a participatory and reflexive manner. To address this gap, we developed the Living Landscape (LiLa) assessment framework for improving the socio-ecological functioning of agricultural landscapes. The LiLa framework is based on the concept of social–ecological networks and assesses five core components through 24 guiding questions. These components are: (i) the agricultural–ecological network, which is responsible for the provision of (ii) landscape values and services that benefit (iii) the social network of stakeholders. This social network can (iv) engage in collective action to influence the agricultural–ecological network and achieve shared objectives, managing the constraints imposed by (v) external factors. Together, the assessment questions provide a comprehensive and participatory approach to understanding and improving the functioning of agricultural landscapes. The LiLa framework was developed in a collaborative and interdisciplinary way and tested and refined in expert and case study workshops with scientists and local stakeholders. The framework is operationalised as a tool for participatory landscape planning processes. With the LiLa framework, we aim to offer socio-ecological guidance in landscape processes, contributing to well-functioning landscapes.