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Abstract

There is growing recognition global challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change, food insecurity, and poverty are interconnected issues. This signals the need for a shift from conventional sectorial management to integrated solutions, and integrated landscape approaches (ILAs) are an opportunity in this regard. ILAs are broadly defined as long-term participatory processes for reconciling competing land uses for improved socio-economic and environmental outcomes. ILAs are predicated on the assumption collaboration across scales, sectors, and diverse social groups will occur to achieve more equitable and sustainable landscape governance. Yet, there is little evidence showing if, how, and when collaborative landscape governance occurs. This study explores the barriers and opportunities of collaborative landscape governance in Kalomo District, Zambia and Ghana’s Western Wildlife Corridor. The objective of this dissertation was to a) characterize landscape priorities across both landscapes b) understand perceptions of decision-making power over landscape priorities and c) the expectations and experiences of collaboration held by landscape actors. Primary data collection took place from April-July 2022 in Zambia and February-late April 2023 in Ghana. Findings from 78 semi-structured interviews and 10 focus group discussions revealed landscape actors share an overarching desire for a resilient landscape that sustains local livelihoods. However, a deeper analysis of landscape priorities and perceptions of decision-making power revealed where seemingly aligned priorities diverged. Participant experiences with collaborative landscape governance showed the desire for improved collaboration exists, but the efficacy of collaborative processes is often tied to the availability of resources to support the long-term participation needed to build trust and foster inclusion. ILAs show potential to enhance collaboration and leverage collective power to meet shared objectives, but long-term support mechanisms are needed to sustain these processes.