PLUS Change (Participatory land use strategies: Meeting biodiversity, climate and social objectives in a changing world) is an international research project aimed at creating land use strategies and decision-making processes that are consistent with the sustainability goals of climate, biodiversity and human well-being. Baltic Studies Centre (BSC) in this project will focus on testing behavioural and decision-making changes in practice, but currently researchers Elīna Dāce and Maija Ušča are conducting a case study in Latvia, in the Kaigu peatland. Their work provides insight into how different stakeholders, such as citizens, municipalities, entrepreneurs and environmental experts, perceive and influence land-use decisions.
Involvement and participation of local communities in the PLUS Change project
At the European level, the project addresses issues related to land use and its management, not only from a political or economic point of view, but also from the perspective of communities, individuals and different groups in society. Senior researcher Elina Dāce: "We want to understand how different stakeholders make land-use decisions in a particular area and how to ensure that these decisions include aspects of climate change, biodiversity and societal well-being. " The project covers the study of 12 practice cases in different countries, including Latvia, in the Kaigu peatland, where land use transformation processes are being studied, considering the global and local context - the transition to climate-neutral practices and the use of renewable energy. Within the framework of PLUS Change, not only the transformation processes of the territory are analysed, but also public participation in them. BSC board member and researcher Maija Ušča: "In the Kaigu peatland, public involvement is already taking place – the company "Laflora" cooperates with the local community and is interested in a sustainable solution. Our task is to look into how such participation is perceived, what its benefits are and what the complications are."
Maija Ušča leading a stakeholder workshop
The importance and practical approach of local participation
The project focuses on participatory processes – not only data collection, but also the impact of the views of the parties involved on decisions. M. Ušča: "We not only study public participation but also put it into practice ourselves – we organize workshops, create a dialogue between residents, institutions and landowners." These processes allow to better assess how different groups of society, such as residents, landowners, representatives of nature conservation, perceive the same land use issues. E. Dāce points out that it is important to understand that for one person forest is an economic resource, for another it is biodiversity or a recreational environment. All these views have a place in decision-making.
"Laflora" has shown initiative in collaboration with the local community, municipality and researchers. "They are interested not only in the development of the company, but also in the sustainable existence of the territory and the needs of the community," says M.Ušča. The transition from peat extraction to alternative land-use practices, such as renewable energy production or the development of greenhouses, means that the company's employees will need to retrain. With the decrease in peat extraction, "Laflora" develops wind farms in developed peatbog areas. The territory is remote from populated areas, which means that public resistance in this case has not been expressed. As Elīna Dāce explains, such a solution in the peatland is unique in the Latvian context, and similar cases in Europe are known only in Estonia and Ireland. However, this innovation encounters loopholes in the regulatory framework, which, in turn, hinders their implementation: ""Laflora", as a pioneer, goes ahead with its ideas, and then faces officials who do not really know how to support this new solution."
Sustainability of the project after its end
How can we ensure that the initiatives launched in the PLUS Change project do not end with the end of funding? "It is important for us that what we are doing at the moment can also be used after the project, so we try to create practical tools, such as guidelines or methodologies, that others can adopt," replies E.Dāce. "It's not just research – we're building approaches that can be replicated. The methodology of the workshops is also designed in such a way that it can be adapted and used in different places," comments M.Ušča. For the results to be useful even after the end of the project, PLUS Change envisages a step-by-step approach – from the past to the future – analysing historical land use, the current situation and potential development scenarios in the future. Simulation models are developed and cooperation with stakeholders is established to validate the results obtained. Maija Ušča points out that an important long-term contribution would be the possible improvement of the regulatory framework, which currently creates obstacles to innovative land uses.
One of the activities the researchers carried out was a media analysis that revealed how discourses on peatbog use had changed over the years. If the issues of ownership and privatisation have dominated for a long time, climate change, biodiversity and nature tourism have come up in recent years. In May this year, the General Assembly of the PLUS Change project will be held in Riga, which will be attended by project partners, representing 23 different organizations from 12 countries. The researchers admit that although organizing such an event requires additional resources, it is also a valuable moment – an opportunity to host project partners from other countries, share the experience of Latvia and get to know and see the Kaigu peatland together. For many, it will be their first encounter with the specificities of such a landscape and industry – an experience that is likely to raise awareness of land use opportunities and diversity in Europe.
Further information on the PLUS Change project is available at: https://pluschange.eu/about/