How to design multifunctional landscapes?

GARIBALDI, LUCAS A.; ZERMOGLIO, PAULA F.; JOBBÁGY, ESTEBAN G.; ANDREONI, LUCAS; ORTIZ DE URBINA, ALEJO; GRASS, INGO; ODDI, FACUNDO J.

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2023 p. 1 - 7

0021-8901

The expansion of homogeneous landscapes has been a major driver of biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation. There is an urgent need for a transition to multifunctional landscapes that provide abundant and nutritious food while also delivering several other contributions essential for a good quality of life. However, implementing this process, especially in large-scale agriculture without economic subsidies, remains unclear. We discuss guidelines for a transition to multifunctional landscapes based on science and our experience as practitioners. In this transition, practitioners manage crop fields, natural habitats and field edges. We propose an iterative process for designing multifunctional landscapes. Initially, at a fine-scale resolution, we identify and classify areas with low opportunity costs (e.g. low crop productivity) or a high appreciation for nature (e.g. near housing areas). These areas are categorized into either ‘wide’ patches or ‘narrow’ corridors (i.e. edges