Research Area 3 "Landscape Research Synthesis"

 

What do future agricultural landscapes look like?

Agricultural landscapes are subject to constant changes. Land use patterns and intensities as well as external forces such as climate change influence ecological processes, which in turn define how social demands on agricultural landscapes are met. In addition to agricultural productivity, this includes biodiversity, ecosystem services and the attractiveness of a landscape with respect to recreation. The future development of agricultural landscapes is therefore of utmost importance for the implementation of many sustainability goals. Agricultural landscapes are thus the subject of research in many scientific disciplines, each with specific theories and methods. The synthesis of these diverse research results according to scientific criteria is hence just as important for scientific innovation and practical implications as the analytical science itself. The task of the Research Area "Landscape Research Synthesis" is therefore to synthesise scientific findings across disciplines and scales in accordance with the systemic character of agricultural landscapes and to develop options for comprehensive assessments, which have so far been largely lacking as a necessary basis for action.

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The topics of the Research Area address the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG; UN 2015), which are also addressed in the German Sustainable Development Strategy (2016): Zero Hunger (2), Clean Water and Sanitation (6), Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Responsible Consumption and Production (12), Climate Action (13), and Life on Land (15).