Land Management
6. Land Management
At government level there are different scales of governance that influence land use and landscape management, from the international agreements to their implementation at the local level. In practice, countries follow these international agreements, but apply their policy instruments at the national level. In turn, countries dictate decisions on regional or provincial levels and design regional management plans to support municipalities and rural communities. In many cases, management practices locally framed and implemented will potentially have the strongest impact on ecosystems and the services they supply. While multi-functionality is often defined as a management aim at the landscape level, policies on multi functionality have to be formulated at all scales of the decision-making process to achieve a coherent strategy.
Landscape management is the care of land to ensure that landscapes can fulfil needs and aspirations in an effective and sustainable manner for present and future communities of users. Landscape management is influenced by a network of administrative bodies, institutional arrangements, individuals and stakeholder groups on different scales of governance (MEA, 2005; Nagendra and Ostrom, 2012). ERMIS Africa bears good expertise in Landscape Management, and also supports the principle of stakeholder involvement to manage landscapes effectively.
As ERMIS works in the context of landscape management, we ensure that Chartered Members of the Landscape Institute assess the characteristics, history and potential of sites and landscapes and understand the needs of their owners, managers and users. They ensure that landscapes can be effectively maintained and managed over time, preparing management plans and strategies, advising on new developments, designs and plans, and providing management based solutions to site issues.
Our management activities include:
- conducting and coordinating site assessments advising on management and maintenance considerations in respect of new designs and proposals
- preparing and implementing management plans
- preparing site specific restoration schemes and other management based solutions to site issues
- preparing area strategy and policy documents for long term landscape management
- coordinating and conducting community engagement and consultation with users/owners/managers other stakeholders
- resource and budget assessment and planning including the preparation of cost estimates
- managing, coordinating and contributing to detailed assessments and studies including:
- environmental impact assessment
- landscape and visual impact assessment
- landscape audits
- advising on compliance with relevant policy, legislation, good practice and relevant standards
- tender preparation and administration, and contract supervision
- preparation of maintenance schedules
- managing projects and contracts
- contributing to public inquiries and acting as an expert witness