Agricultural food production depends on and impacts the health of the wider landscapes in which it functions. A landscape is a social and economic system that consists of natural and/or human-modified ecosystems, and which is influenced by different ecological, historical, economic and socio-cultural processes and activities. In their new business brief, UNEP-WCMC experts Vargas et al. advocate for businesses to participate in a holistic approach to sustainability with their supply chains: a landscape-level approach involving collaboration with a variety of stakeholder groups impacted by their operations. 

This approach connects and considers the needs of different stakeholders within a landscape, so they can work together to foster the overall health of the environment, of the ecosystems on which they depend, and support human wellbeing. 

Agricultural commodity production often undermines the long-term sustainability of the land on which it is dependent. Thirty percent of global species threats are driven by international trade and agricultural expansion is a primary cause of deforestation. Business as usual is no longer viable for people and planet. Landscape-level approaches allow businesses to drive solutions that support biodiversity in the landscapes housing production sites, and ensure these solutions provide benefits to stakeholders most affected by environmental degradation. 

The business case for landscape-level approaches

This new business brief aims to inform businesses on the philosophy and practice behind landscape-level approaches. After reading this report, senior management, nature and sustainability teams will have an overview of integrated landscape management and have a preliminary introduction to promoting it within their organisations. 

Vargas et al. make a clear business case for adopting a landscape-level approach as it: 

• Strengthens businesses’ social license to operate within a landscape, 
• Secures the ecosystem services that agri-businesses need for production processes,
• Builds more socially and environmentally resilient supply chains, 
• Adds sustainability value to end products, 
• Contributes to corporate sustainability goals. 

Landscape-level thinking provides benefits for companies that link to their wider environmental and social governance strategies. It also helps advance their ability to meet global goals and targets, such as those of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and regional legislation such as the EU deforestation-free regulation. 

 Approaching supply chain sustainability interventions at a landscape-level presents a great opportunity to tackle social, environmental, and business challenges holistically. While there is a clear business case for the private sector to get involved from a risk-mitigation perspective, the benefits go far beyond that, as real value can be created at multiple levels. For example, local communities can benefit from more resilient livelihoods, brands can gain sustainable value that differentiates them, and landscapes can restore replenishment cycles and degraded ecosystem services.  

Juan Vargas, Programme Officer at UNEP-WCMC

Working with and supporting local communities 

As this approach has collaboration at its core, it works alongside and seeks to provide benefits for local communities. Businesses must consult with smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities to understand their needs and the challenges they face. In order to foster resilient and sustainable livelihoods which are necessary to guarantee human well-being and reduce pressure on the agricultural frontier, companies can:  

• Ensure prices that allow farmers to achieve a living wage and a decent standard of living for themselves and their families, while taking into account national and local circumstances, 
• Increase farmer income by implementing sustainable and efficient land management practices, 
• Participate in Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes that compensate farmers and communities for providing ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, 
• Scope opportunities for income guarantees to farmers involved in sustainability projects, 
• Support farmers to diversify the types of food they produce to create a more stable income base,  
• Find financial instruments to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change on a given landscape, 
• Meet their company-wide goals related to human rights, Indigenous Peoples and local communities. 

How to build a landscape-level approach 

The benefits of landscape approaches for business, people, and nature are clear, but how do they work in practice? In simple terms, they begin with mapping stakeholders at a landscape level and developing a representative working group to gather the perspectives and goals of all. Then, stakeholders work together towards building a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities to collaboratively develop a sustainable management framework or plan. The plan will go through a variety of stages and may need to be revised to better incorporate the views of vulnerable and marginalised stakeholders, such as Indigenous Peoples. 

As these processes require multistakeholder collaboration and building trust in the partnership, experienced mediators can prove helpful. Mediators can bring people together and ensure discussion tables remain participatory and transparent. It is vital that gender and demographic considerations, as well as other protected characteristics, are understood and integrated into these discussions, so the most impacted stakeholders are built into the approach from its offset. 

Landscape-level approaches can help donors, such as financial institutions, diversify their portfolios to better reach their sustainability objectives. These approaches may appeal to additional donors, from development and cooperation agencies to philanthropic foundations. Governments can also fund landscape approaches to help achieve their national biodiversity strategies and action plans. 

There are already successful examples 

There are abundant examples of successful landscape-level approaches in action. Indonesia’s Coalition for Sustainable Livelihoods works in the North Sumatra and Aceh provinces to align efforts to improve environmental sustainability of agricultural commodities including oil palm and cocoa. The coalition created a multi-stakeholder group across the two regions including government bodies, companies, producers and civil society to conserve natural resources and support sustainable livelihoods for smallholders through actions such as capacity building. 

Another example is the Cocoa and Forests Initiative in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana which developed national action plans for a more sustainable cocoa and chocolate sector with public, private and civil society stakeholders. Due to their work, 85% of cocoa in these countries is now traceable to a plot level and key performance indicators for future production across the entire sector are in place to continue to measure impact. On a wider scale, public sector collaboration also led to a new Forest Code being adopted and implemented. 

These stories highlight the potential of landscape-level approaches to transform business practices to and include people affected by environmental changes in the landscapes the company operates within. Businesses have the opportunity to shift their thinking to consider interdependencies within a landscape and see their own role in the bigger picture. This approach can create positive changes that support the futures of those living in these environments

Heli Sihvonen, Programme Officer at UNEP-WCMC

UNEP-WCMC strives for a shift in economic thinking to deliver positive outcomes for people and nature. The private sector plays an important role in driving this transformation and our team of Nature Economy experts work closely with businesses and financial institutions to support action. This brief highlights the need for actors to look beyond the fence and consider the wider landscapes in which they are operating, sourcing from or financing. Only through engaging with local stakeholders, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities, can solutions be found that address the drivers of nature loss and lead to equitable and sustainable outcomes.

Sharon Brooks, Head of Nature Economy at UNEP-WCMC

The full report can be accessed here.

Main image: By MICHEL, Adobe Stock #565258436