Large-scale landscape changes are being driven by demand for housing, infrastructure, food, energy, nature recovery and climate mitigation and adaptation. The government consultation on the land use framework estimates that a change in use or management in 20% of agricultural land in England is required to 2050 to meet Environment Act Targets and Net Zero.
The Royal Society’s 2023 Multifunctional Land Use report stated an additional 4.4 million hectares of land (18% of the total UK land area) would be needed to deliver UK net zero, biodiversity and development objectives by 2050 if levels of agricultural production remain similar.
Multifunctionality is described as the capacity of a landscape or ecosystem to provide multiple social, economic and environmental benefits to society.
Decisions over land use and land change can be controversial. Different bodies have been developing and piloting collaborative models for multifunctional land use decision-making and governance. Such models can include co-production, where power is shared and different types of knowledge, expertise and stakeholders are involved on an equal basis as decisions or outputs are generated collaboratively.
The POSTnote will summarise the challenges and opportunities in the development of new multifunctional collaborative land use governance models and the evidence these can support a more integrated approach to achieving the multiple and increasing land use demands.
Work will commence in May 2025, with publication expected in October 2025. We will accept stakeholder contributions until 23:59 11 June 2025.
We welcome information on issues relevant to the project. To contribute to this research, please complete this form.