Creating multifunctional landscapes: how can the field of ecology inform the design of the landscape?

www.frontiersinecology.org © The Ecological Society of America H have been transforming the environment to support production and cultural functions for thousands of years, yet until recently, most ecologists had not been involved in the design of these intensively managed landscapes. The publication of Ian McHarg’s Design with nature in 1969 challenged landscape designers to provide an ecological analysis of the landscape prior to recommending landscape changes (McHarg 1969). Since that time, landscape ecology has emerged as an applied field for studying the past, current, and future structure of the landscape, including the analysis of spatial metrics and the development of analytical models for assessing ecological, hydrological, and other impacts. These efforts have often been implemented within the context of computation, including geographic information systems (GIS), but, more importantly, represent major advances as analytical tools for studying spatial relationships, landscape change, land suitability for various functions, and social impacts (Hulse et al. 2004; Grove et al. 2006; Johnston and Braden 2007). Even so, the contribution of ecology to the design process, beyond initial landscape assessment, has been limited. We suggest that opportunities exist for using ecological principles to influence the design of the landscape, from initiation through to completion, and that ecologists should be actively involved in this effort. A design approach based on ecological principles will “inform, guide, and inspire designers towards landscapes that are environmentally sustainable as well as being culturally and aesthetically appropriate” (Makhzoumi 2000). Forman (2002) suggests that the successful synthesis of ecology and design may offer the greatest opportunity to curtail the degradation of our remaining resources, by combining nature and culture within landscapes. This paper is certainly not the first attempt to develop a framework and process for ecological landscape design; indeed, a number of publications provide valuable guidelines that have been considered in this study. Diaz and CONCEPTS AND QUESTIONS