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Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) Network

Many of the social and environmental problems faced by industrial societies, including environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change, will require an integrated approach to assessment and management. In order to support and enhance a community of practice dedicated to these efforts in Canada, a national network of integrated landscape management (ILM) practitioners and experts across Canada was created. The overall objectives of the network are to:

• Improve the state of readiness of Canadian land-use decision-makers to undertake integrated land-use planning.
• Expand awareness and use of state-of-the-art tools, techniques and approaches for integrated landscape management.
• Support decision-making processes in a regional context, with specific consideration of combined or interactive effects of development activities originating from multiple sectors.

The ILM Network is supported by Natural Resource Canada's GeoConnections program and coordinated by a newly formed ILM network secretariat within Environment Canada (IMAGINE Canada). IISD's Measurement & Assessment program serves as the technical support unit to the network secretariat. Through the network, GeoConnections supports four ILM pilot projects across Canada.

The ILM Network is focused on gathering and analyzing information and resources from and for the existing community of practice comprising the pilot areas, through a combination of original research, including participatory scenario development and policy-mapping, lessons-learned studies and capacity-building support for the pilot projects.

• Evaluation of Integrated Management Initiatives
  This paper summarizes key definitions of the integrated place-based approaches applied in Canada and internationally, followed by an overview of key goals and targets of completed integrated place-based management (IPM) initiatives in order to better understand what constitutes success. We include an overview of currently applied monitoring approaches and indicators in the context of IPM initiatives. The paper concludes with suggestions for the potential future applications of monitoring frameworks and approaches, especially with regard to their ability to assist in the quality of the environment and their ability to measure long-term impacts of IPM projects.

• Informing the Policy Process through Integrated Management
  Integrated management (IM) approaches have emerged as promising ways to address trade-offs, explore risk and consider best options within the context of socioeconomic and environmental priorities over time and space and across jurisdictions. The paper presents examples of interactions between policy-makers and other stakeholders, including scientists, to promote policy development and to increase the relevance of the outcomes of the integrated landscape management (ILM) studies for policy-making. The results are based on the assessment of ten ILM projects completed in Canada and elsewhere.

• Challenges and Lessons Learned from Integrated Landscape Management Projects (PDF - 769 KB)
  Concerns are growing about local and regional ecosystems and their vulnerability in relation to human activities. This case study evaluates 10 Integrated Land Management (ILM) projects from Canada, the United States and Europe to provide information that will help promote better awareness of potential cumulative impacts from development priorities and choices. ILM builds on a spectrum of approaches, including integrated resource management, integrated watershed management, comprehensive regional land-use planning and ecosystem-based management. The study found that ILM approaches could provide significant benefits for local and regional decision-makers by helping them understand the linkages between the environment and humans and by providing opportunities to explore potential future development pathways and policies.

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