Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/336643 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Citation: 
[Journal:] Royal Society Open Science [ISSN:] 2054-5703 [Volume:] 12 [Issue:] 10 [Article No.:] 250810 [Publisher:] Royal Society Publishing [Place:] London [Year:] 2025
Publisher: 
Royal Society Publishing, London
Abstract: 
Land systems are the nexus of many global sustainability and justice challenges. Here we present eight guiding principles (P1-8) for improved land system policies following the heuristic stages of a policy cycle. The principles are as follows: embrace recognitional justice (P1), be politically strategic (P2), consider multiple policy goals (P3), address systemic issues (P4), take an integrative scope (P5), foster co-development (P6), adopt clear and monitorable targets (P7) and integrate diagnostic and adaptive capacities (P8). We then explore how well policies align with these principles in two globally relevant cases (land-based climate mitigation and biodiversity-friendly agriculture). In both cases, we find that when policies align poorly with the principles at the agenda-setting stage, there is further misalignment at the policy formulation stage. In the instances when recognitional justice is embraced at the onset, policies subsequently integrate more diverse goals and co-development, but they insufficiently consider political strategy and struggle to handle system complexity. Nonetheless, we identify promising policy mixes that provide benefits to multiple actors, integrate multiple goals, take an integrative scope and have strong monitoring and adaptation, aligning well with multiple principles. Further investigation of these principles could reveal promising policy pathways for land systems.
Subjects: 
governance
science-policy
sustainability transitions
conservation
climate
food
transformation
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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