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Sustainable Landscapes of the Future
An ambitious partnership to ensure the sustainable use of agricultural and non-agricultural land.
Some societal problems are too complex for one organisation or one person to solve on their own. Since 2014, Realdania, through its project, ’Collective Impact; Sustainable landscapes of the future’, has created a collaboration between 15 partners whose interests are tied together in the utilisation of our land: agriculture and forestry, nature and the environment, outdoor life, renewable energy production, the protection of drinking water and rural land development.
In the course of eight years the partners have devised and tested solutions for new ways of utilising agricultural and non-agricultural areas as essential tools in the green transition. The focal point has been how national climate, nature, and environmental goals can be fulfilled, while simultaneously creating benefits for inhabitants and farmers in local areas.
'There’s a battle going on for these areas. How do we create space for the natural environment and renewable energy, protect groundwater, etc.? An agenda that has only become increasingly more important. Back in 2014 it was visionary to adopt that agenda, find the right partners and launch this initiative. It was sorely needed'. Søren Møller, Chairman of the Sustainable Landscapes for the Future steering group
An essential part of the collaboration has been to gather know-how and experiences from several local pilot projects, in which traditional sectoral solutions have been replaced by a more holistic approach to the use of land, aiming to achieve many societal goals simultaneously. A new tool has proved essential: 'multifunctional allocation of land'. Testing the tool in concrete projects has provided experience of the local effects of government goals, legislation and subsidies, as well as of the opportunities municipalities have to secure the balanced implementation of, and synergy between, government goals and a multitude of project schemes devised by the EU or the state.
The focal point of the multifunctional allocation of land has thus been expanded over these eight years. Now it is all about land reform to find solutions to handling the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, the food crisis, and the energy supply crisis, which all require a lot of space, and how this can be translated into meaningful local projects that contribute to the green transition as a unifying national project. Thus, the initiative has grown from being about testing a new approach in selected local projects to a whole new approach to land use in general, and the broad application of many approaches that will be required in the transformation of the Danish landscape towards 2050.
'Handling land reform can be compared to urban renewal, which since the 1980’s and with investments of up to 80 billion Danish kroner involving multilateral considerations for housing, transportation and infrastructure, as well as commercial interests, has created attractive cities now driving development throughout the country. We are now facing a similar task of creating land renewal'. Helga Grønnegaard, Head of Secretariat, Sustainable Landscapes of the Future
The beginning
In 2014, Realdania gathered a broad alliance of organisations representing different interests and perspectives to look at designing solutions for the sustainable utilisation of land and landscapes. The solutions were not defined beforehand, but were to be developed through a process, the aim of which was to work with landowners, local communities and the landscapes.
In 2015-2018, the multifunctional allocation of land was developed and tested as a tool in three pilot projects in Skive, Jammerbugt and Ringkøbing-Skjern municipalities. The methods were then further developed and qualified in the fourth pilot project in Mariagerfjord Municipality, Joint Change (Fælles forandring), in 2019-2022.
Organisation
The national organisation
Behind 'Sustainable landscapes of the future' is an alliance of 15 organisations: Realdania, Danish Agriculture & Food Council, The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, The Danish Forest Association, KL – Local Government Denmark, BirdLife Denmark, The Outdoor Council, Danish Sports Angler Association, Danish Hunter's Association, Rural Joint Council, Sustainable Agriculture, DGI, The National Organic Association, DANVA – The Danish Water Sector and Danish Energy (Dansk Energi) (which has since merged with Wind Denmark and Danish Solar Power (Dansk Solkraft) in Green Power Denmark).
The steering group has set up working groups, typically with professional staff. In line with the core principles of the Collective Impact approach, a backbone secretariat (one full-time equivalent) was established and has been based at Realdania. The secretariat has worked as an autonomous unit, coordinating efforts with a chairperson, and continuously undertaking analyses, organising study tours, managing joint communication, etc. in cooperation with the partners.
Duration of the initiative
2014-2022
Partners
Realdania, Danish Agriculture & Food Council, The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, The Danish Forest Association, KL – Local Government Denmark, BirdLife Denmark, The Outdoor Council, Danish Sports Angler Association, Danish Hunter's Association, Rural Joint Council, Sustainable Agriculture, DGI, Organic National Association, DANVA – The Danish Water Sector and Green Power Denmark.
Aim
Securing sustainable use of areas and landscapes in line with the interests of local communities and landowners.
Approach
A new approach to the allocation of land that links the development of rural districts and agriculture with measures to protect the natural environment and avert climate change, developing a common framework of change for the countryside while implementing a variety of societal goals without too much conflict.
Examples of initiatives
• In 2020, Mariagerfjord Municipality invited the Environment and Food Committee of the Danish parliament on a study trip by Glenstrup Lake to further describe the pilot project.
• In 2020, Danish Land Inspectors ran a course on the multifunctional allocation of land.
