A social-ecological approach to support equitable land use decision-making.

Area of Science:

• Social-ecological systems analysis
• Ecosystem services (ES) research
• Land use change studies

Background:

• Human-driven land use change frequently leads to inequitable distribution and access to essential ecosystem services (ES).
• Current decision-making processes often lack integrated ecological and social data, hindering the equitable consideration of land use impacts.
• Disaggregated analysis of ES is crucial but remains underrepresented in scientific literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a generalized social-ecological framework designed to support equitable land use decision-making.
• To demonstrate the application of this approach in a case study within southwestern Ethiopia.
• To highlight the importance of disaggregated ES analysis for understanding equity implications.

Main Methods:

• A six-step approach integrating scenario planning with disaggregated, equity-focused ES analysis.
• Application of the framework to a specific case study in southwestern Ethiopia.
• Recognition of diverse beneficiary groups, value types, and spatial locations to reveal equity effects.

Main Results:

• The applied approach successfully made equity-related effects of land use change explicit.
• Identified disparities in the provision and appropriation of ecosystem services among different social and spatial groups.
• Demonstrated the utility of a disaggregated ES analysis for equitable land use planning.

Conclusions:

• The proposed social-ecological approach effectively supports equitable land use decision-making processes and outcomes.
• The framework is recommended for application in diverse geographical contexts, particularly in the Global South.
• Integrating ecological and social data with disaggregated ES analysis is vital for achieving equitable land use outcomes.