Aims

The aims of the programme of research into Protection & Enhancement of Landscapes & Rural Communities

1. To identify desirable future states of landscapes and rural communities which meet multiple stakeholder needs
2. To enhance understanding of the underlying processes involved in changes in these states
3. To identify and evaluate ways in which these processes might be managed to achieve desirable states or avoid undesirable ones

Research questions

Are rural communities and landscapes in a stable state? Under what pressures do they move from one state to another? Does it take catastrophic events (e.g. foot and mouthy disease) to cause change or the gradual, imperceptible effects of drivers of change (e.g. climate change)

Our approach is to view landscapes and rural communities as SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS (SESs), consisting of social, economic and biophysical components interacting together. Studying the impact of changes in drivers on the properties of the whole-system leads to increased understanding of how biophysical and socio-economic processes exert influence at a landscape scale. These properties are used as indicators to evaluate the resilience and sustainability of the SES, and the level of desirability of its alternative future states.

Click here for the components of the research programme.