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Department of Commercial Crops Fruits & Forestry |
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Sustainable Landscapes in Zanzibar Developing Methods and Indicators of Landscape Sustainability Assessment using GIS and Participatory Approaches for more information visit: Finnish development cooperation in Zanzibar has addressed environmental issues in accordance with the policy aim to promote sustainable use of natural resources and protect the environment. Zanzibar islands have experienced dramatic changes in land use and land ownership throughout their history and in particular since the introduction and increase of clove cultivation during first half of the 19th century. The political and economic interests of the settlers and rulers, their religions and ideologies have made an impact on the landscapes, land use and land ownership systems. Recently the insecure land ownership together with rapid population increase, political changes and growing needs of the institutional as well as commercial land users have further initiated a concern over the sustainability of land use practices and natural resources in Zanzibar. The Zanzibar islands can be roughly divided into two potential agricultural land use categories, namely the deep soil and the coral rag areas. Deep soil areas are characterised by permanent cultivation and forest, and the coral rag by shifting cultivation and consequent scrublands. However, neither of these areas is stable in terms of its land cover and biotope characteristics. Hilly deep soil areas are more susceptible for soil erosion, simultaneously facing population pressure and public land use demands, which all cause constant changes in land cover patterns and natural resources. On the other hand, shifting cultivation typical to the coral rag areas creates a constant element of change, which under the pressure of diminishing area due to commercial and conservation land use may change from its typical circular pattern towards deterioration of valuable biotopes and natural resources. Many of the current problems in the sustainable management of natural resources are confronted in the interface between people and the environment. Research usually seeks to explain why and how environments evolve and where environmental problems such as loss of biodiversity arise, but the solutions to these problems lie in the actions of people and the way they value and use the land. Landscape ecology is a challenging research branch as it simultaneously tries to explore the physical and social sides of environmental changes. Landscapes are dynamic systems characterised by various configurations of land cover and vegetation, which change and evolve through time and space. As majority of the world’s landscapes are and have been shaped by human activities, landscape ecology is fundamentally about understanding interactions between humans and their environment. The causes and consequences of landscape changes lie in the spatial and temporal interplay between different natural factors, such as climate, topography and vegetation and soils, and humans as the main agents of landscape changes. Landscape studies, which aim at analysing these change transformations, are called Landscape Change Trajectory Analyses (LCTA). When dealing with the concept of landscape sustainability, one should appreciate the fact that there exists no specific type of sustainable landscape, or an optimal spatial configuration of landscape patterns, but that there are rather more and less sustainable trajectories of landscape development. These can be defined, for example, by the continuity of land use activities and natural resources in situ, but eventually sustainable landscape is able to maintain the values and qualities people consider important. Currently, many countries define and evaluate key landscapes and habitats, which would support the maintenance of long-term biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability (e.g. European Landscape Convention 2000). The task is difficult as controversial ideas arise about factors that are crucial in biodiversity and sustainability maintenance. Landscape Change Trajectory Analysis provides one way of analysing sustainability. It can be used to dismantle the driving forces and the main consequences of landscape dynamics in respect of present-day landscape and biotope patterns. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide useful tools for analysing landscape information between different spatial data sets and over different time periods. These techniques enable integration of landscape information originating from maps, aerial photographs and field observations. GIS and cartographic visualisation techniques can also be used in participatory approaches when collecting and sorting information from different stakeholders involved in the interest areas. Development of LCTA methods is, however, time-consuming and dependent on the availability of spatio-temporal data. Therefore, such applications are usually developed within particular case study sites to be able to create models and indicators of landscape. for more information visit: |
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