Perceptions of public land governance from two Canadian provinces: How is the social agenda being met through sustainable forest management?

This article presents a comparative assessment of current spaces for public involvement in Crown (public) land management in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. More specifically, it addresses the barriers to public participation by examining the agency-client relationship – specifically, through the theoretical lens of capture – as an impediment to the inclusion of values that are outside the traditional, technocratic management realm of public forest management. Without public input, the public’s needs, values, and desires are not articulated and the social side of sustainable forest management is likely to be neglected. Low levels of trust in public land management agencies in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, coupled with minimal space for public involvement, have created the perception of a policy network that is dominated by industry and/or government and provides minimal space for other interests. The primary research method is an online survey informed by forty-two interviews. The survey was administered to 89 key forestry stakeholders in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Participation observation and a document analysis are utilized to complement the survey. This research finds that (1) although survey participants come from diverse affiliations and two provinces with different forest policy and unique approaches to public participation, there is essential consensus of the need for an improvement of public involvement processes for public land; (2) trust in the forest industry and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is extremely low in both provinces. Even with recent participatory efforts in Nova Scotia, the trust level is lower than in the neighboring province of New Brunswick. Some participants connect this distrust to privileged access for certain interest groups and a closed policy network; (3) barriers to participatory processes differ between provinces, especially a fear of retribution, which is specific to New Brunswick; and (4) key stakeholders identify barriers to engagement that they perceive to be different for themselves and the general public.     

Land contamination risk management in Cameroon: A critical review of the existing policy framework

Land affected by contamination from human activities has been identified as a major environmental problem in developed countries and there are established mechanisms for identifying, prioritising, characterising, assessing and remediating the land so that risks to human health and environmental receptors are minimised. However, comparative mechanisms and approaches for sustainable land management are often lacking in developing countries such as Cameroon. This paper presents a critical review of the existing policy framework in Cameroon in relation to environmental management, particularly land contamination.It is established that in Cameroon, there is an acute lack of comprehensive information on land contamination from economic development and industrialisation, inadequate legal and institutional framework, weak enforcement capacity and unsatisfactory coordination between various stakeholders towards sustainable land management practices. The coastal town of Douala, which has the highest level of industrial activity in the sub region is used to demonstrate how dealing with land contamination is a public health priority and requires attention in the context of sustainable development. The United Kingdom (UK) regulatory policy framework on land contamination risk management is used to show how land contamination issues and risk management approaches, including conceptual site models, could be introduced into the sustainability discourse in Cameroon. A number of recommendations including proposals for a radical overhaul of the current regulatory policy framework are formulated and presented. Specifically, the creation of an independent Cameroon Environment Protection Agency (CEPA) that will be the main regulatory body responsible for developing and implementing the policy proposals in this paper is advocated.     

论土地善治

研究目的:探讨新时代背景下土地善治的概念、特征及体系。研究方法:归纳分析与演绎推理。研究结果:土地善治实质上是一种对管理理想状态的孜孜追求,其核心是由政府与非政府协同及多向网络化的管理模式,目标是以最小的政府和社会投入获取最大的土地管理效应;土地善治应遵循土地的基本属性、土地利用的价值准则和政策目标;现阶段实施土地善治重点需处理好土地行政管理权与国有土地所有权、政府与村民委员会及政府与农民等的关系。研究结论:土地善治是新时代土地管理的必然选择,土地资源的基本属性、土地利用的价值准则和政策目标是科学构建土地善治体系的基本逻辑依据。     

平均地权思想回顾及其启示

研究目的:回顾100年来平均地权思想的发展,探讨其对中国现行土地管理的启示和借鉴。研究方法:文献资料法和比较分析法。研究结果:100年来,平均地权思想不仅在旧中国,也在新中国大陆和台湾地区得到了充分的发展,而且正在变得日益重要和具有现实意义。研究结论:中国大陆的土地管理急需确立一项更为明晰的最高指导原则;同时应进一步发展和升华平均地权思想:界定土地公权力,明晰土地产权,细化土地使用权;改革地价体系和税收政策;强化对土地财产的公共管理。     

The Governance of Rural Land in a Liberalised World

Liberalisation of agricultural policies reduces the influence of policy on land‐use decisions, but environmental policy objectives remain. Governance provides an approach that recognises the role of institutions and collective action. The formulation of environmental policy objectives in terms of the provision of public goods raises questions as to the role of economic valuation and as to whether the definition of ‘goods’ may misdirect policy attention. An alternative approach relates to ecosystem services and sees management issues in terms of ecosystem resilience and the adaptive governance of socio‐ecological systems. Governance involves a mix of regulation, markets, government incentives and collective action. Regulation sets the domain within which markets operate and social judgements as to property rights are required as a basis for exchanges. Depending on commodity prices, agri‐environment schemes may be required either to reduce agricultural production intensity or to keep land under production. The diffuse nature of the environmental benefits and costs of land uses, the complexity of ecosystems and the need to co‐ordinate land management decisions indicate a role for local adaptive co‐management of land resources. Governments play a major role in supporting the institutional framework within which this can take place.     

Technology change as a policy response to promote changes in land management for environmental benefits

A previous study developed a framework for choosing among groups of policy mechanisms for encouraging environmentally beneficial land-use change. The framework highlights that these choices should depend on the relative levels of private (or internal) net benefits, and public (or external) net benefits. Incentive-based mechanisms (polluter-pays and/or beneficiary-pays) and extension need to be targeted carefully to appropriate projects—where private net benefits are close to zero, and/or public net benefits are more extremely positive or negative. This article focuses on policy mechanisms that alter the net benefits of changing land management, including R&D to develop new technologies, and training to improve the skill of landholders at using existing technologies. These policy options are now treated more comprehensively within the public benefits: private benefits framework. Benefits of technology-change projects can include reductions in the opportunity cost of compliance with environmental programs, increases in the public benefits of a particular type of land-use change, or improvements in private net benefits, resulting in public benefits through greater or more rapid adoption by private landholders. From an environmental management perspective, technology development is most relevant where public net benefits of land use change are positive and private net benefits are negative, but not highly negative. There is a set of projects for which technology change is the only viable alternative to no action, highlighting the importance of technology change in these cases.     

土地财政区域差异研究综述

[目的]进一步揭示土地财政已存在的区域差异规律,为构建更为科学、切实可行的政策建议,推动"征地→批租"地方政府土地财政模式转型提供新的研究视角。[方法]文献资料方法和比较研究方法。[结果]现有研究证实了土地财政规模及依赖程度、财政收入激励下地方政府土地出让方式、土地财政推动经济增长、土地财政影响居民收入消费及公共品供给、土地财政与城市用地规模联动关系等方面,在全国范围内都存在东部、中部、西部的区域差异。国外保有环节的房地产税是地方政府持续的财政资金来源;同时,是促进房地产市场有序发展、抑制城市蔓延的有效政策工具。[结论]未来研究方向是以地市为单元,探明各类土地财政构成要素对于经济增长、居民收入与消费及产业服务化、城市公共品供给、城市各类用地规模增长的影响内在机理;构建区域差别化的保有环节房地产税征收管理政策方案。     

差别化土地管理理论解释及政策体系建设

我国土地资源存在明显的空间异质性,若采取统一的管理模式必然导致土地资源错配和效率损失。[目的]探索精细化、差别化的土地管理模式,实现土地资源针对性、有效性管理,是促进土地资源集约节约利用、提高土地资源配置效率和利用效益的重要途径,也是土地供给侧改革的重要着力点。[方法]运用理论模型法和文献综述法对差别化土地管理原理和政策含义进行了阐述,构建了差别化土地管理政策体系,并完善了政策支撑体系。[结果]差别化土地管理是集时间、空间、地类和产业、部门等为一体的差别化国土管理模式;差别化土地管理目标是在提高土地资源利用效率的同时兼顾社会公平;差别化土地配置效率较普适性配置模式更高。[结论]可从建设用地差别化、产业供地差别化和用途管制差别化等方面构建差别化土地管理政策框架体系,从试点、补偿、监管等方面配套政策支撑体系,提高土地资源利用效率的同时,保障社会公平。     

Public evaluation of landscape content and change: Several examples from Europe

This paper considers rural land use by analysing stakeholder values and perceptions concerning various landscape components. The purpose is to show that landscape content and land cover interactions with societal connections should be a base for land use development. The practical goal is to deliberate research tools to quantify public opinions and attitudes, which could form bases for developing of decision support tools. The main research objectives are: (1) to assess existing opinions concerning land use changes and provide a clearer insight into public attitudes to the role of woodlands for an integrated development of the countryside; (2) to place ecological and socio-economic values on inanimate natural components of landscapes; and (3) to assess values and preferences held by land use policy and management experts regarding multiple landscape components and features to assist in decision-making. Through the different levels of importance (values) accorded by the respondents to the integration of nature components in rural landscapes public priorities were identified. The paper develops an understanding of why certain aspects of land use changes are unfavourably viewed by some people and favourably received by others. It suggests some innovative perspectives on the areas of consensus and conflict between people, providing initial information for the selection and evaluation of land use management decisions.     

State of national land survey and large-scale mapping

There is still a dearth of appropriate and adequate land survey and large-scale mapping coverage in many countries to facilitate more effective land-related planning, development and management. This situation, in relative terms, applies to both developed and developing countries. Fortuitously, technology is now available and accessible to expand land surveys and the production of large-scale maps at the scales required to support planning and sustainable land development and management. What is now required is official public policy recognition, the attribution of a higher level of priority to this issue, and the allocation of adequate resources to implement an expanded production programme of large-scale maps of cities, towns and villages to facilitate more appropriate settlements and other related land development planning.     

ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE CONCEPT OF A GREEN CADASTRE FOR RURAL AREAS

The decrease in the area of agricultural land resulting from global population growth requires active monitoring and protective measures to prevent the loss of this valuable resource. In Poland, there is currently no single geographic information system comprehensively supporting agricultural policy. However, there are many dispersed systems containing various data on agricultural production. The aim of this study was to propose a concept for the development of a uniform Green Cadastre for Poland based on international guidelines and standards and national possibilities. The analyses revealed that the reference Land Administration System (LAS) integrated with databases of agricultural businesses can contribute to monitoring of agricultural land and support agricultural policy. The results were used to formulate conclusions about the three key determinants of the proposed Green Cadastre: key drivers, key content and key functionality. The discussed concept is fully consistent with Sustainable Development Goals, and it constitutes a comprehensive information system for the public administration and other parties.     

Enhancing ecosystem services through afforestation: How policy can help

We employ an integrated spatial economic model to assess the net private and public benefits of converting marginal agricultural land into forest plantations (afforestation) in New Zealand. For numerous locations, we conduct policy analysis considering the magnitudes of net private and public benefits of land use changes to determine whether a policy response is justified and, if so, to identify the appropriate policy instruments to encourage adoption of afforestation. Net private benefit is commonly negative, so much so, that in most cases no policy response is justified. However, in certain cases, net private benefits are slightly negative and public benefits are significantly positive justifying the use of positive incentives as the most appropriate policy instrument to encourage afforestation in New Zealand. The most commonly used policy instruments for afforestation in New Zealand, extension and awareness training, are found to be appropriate in only a minority of situations.     

Zionism and agricultural land: National narratives,environmental objectives,and land policy in Israel

The 1990s saw two different and even contradictory trends in Israel. On the one hand, there was a substantial increase in environmental awareness, on the part of both the general public and decision-makers, that led to a change in the land use planning policy at the national level. On the other hand, the Israel Lands Council (ILC), the body empowered by law to shape the national land policy, made a series of decisions that severely violated the principle of preserving agricultural land and led to massive conversion of agricultural land and open space for commercial, industrial, and residential development. Thus the national land policy became incompatible with the land use planning policy and the rise in environmental awareness it reflected.     

对土地政策参与宏观调控的几点认识

从土地公有制以及土地政策对经济增长、产业结构以及经济布局的调控两个方面论证了土地政策参与宏观调控的可行性.通过对货币政策在此次宏观调控作用不明显的分析,提出了土地政策参与宏观调控的必要性.同时分析了土地政策参与宏观调控在实施环境方面和实施过程中存在的包括土地利用规划、土地产权、土地政策参与宏观调控的时间、力度等问题,并提出解决问题的思路.     

How feasible is regional integration for reconciling land use conflicts across the urban–rural interface? Evidence from Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei metropolitan region in China

Competition among different uses for land is becoming acute under the process of urbanization, and conflicts related to this competition are becoming more frequent and more complex. This article presents a methodology for confronting this issue. By applying an integrated framework, we explore the implicit role of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Regional Integration (BRI) policy in land use conflicts by focusing on the urban-rural interface, and try to address the research question: “How feasible is BRI for reconciling land use conflicts across the urban-rural interface?” An original structure of the analysis is developed based on the identification of three types of conflicts, namely, conflicts over land use structure, conflicts over land conversion and conflicts over landscape pattern. According to the interactions and relationships among these conflicts, we define broad categories of land use conflict areas. Indeed, these conflicts are all related to the unplanned use of agricultural land reserves, which competes with other more immediate uses, and the over-exploitation of land resources caused by unsustainable urban practices. This policy is clearly a critical objective for optimizing the land use structure. It, however, fails to reconcile the conflicts over land conversion and landscape pattern, especially for considerable agricultural land conversion to non-agricultural uses, and low-density development pattern with mixed residential and industrial land uses. Hence, alternative strategies involving public participation, spatial equity, rural revitalization, land-use system reform, and new type of urbanization, can be identified as viable solutions for land use conflict management, which may be complementary to regional integration. The findings of our paper may also contribute to the policy debate on BRI concerning land use planning and regional sustainability.     

The ‘squeezed middle’: Identifying and addressing conflicting demands on intermediate quality farmland in Scotland

The growing demand for a wide range of private and public goods and services from a finite land resource is increasingly challenging for planners at local, regional, national and international scales. The Scottish Government's development of a Land Use Strategy has given salience to resolving conflicts and enhancing synergies in land use. In Scotland, the poorest quality farmland is often designated for nature and landscape conservation and the highest quality farmland often protected for food production. This means that many of the competitive pressures on land are experienced in what we term the ‘squeezed middle’. The paper identifies the multiple (and not exclusively economic) drivers of land use choices and, through an ecosystem services lens, explores three particular areas of land use conflict. These are (i) the continued high level of public support for farming, which has done little to address the problem of low farm incomes; (ii) the pressure to increase woodland planting on farm (and other) land; and (iii) conflicts associated with intensive game management, especially on sporting estates. Using the Scottish situation as an example, the heterogeneity of land use pressures means that there is a danger of the principles of the Land Use Strategy becoming lost in translation from national policy to practical land use decision-making. The appropriate scale for delivery of integrated ecosystem services may therefore be more local than current pilot projects, and may require more active participation of land managers. It may also require policy instruments that are more flexible in adapting to the local context, including payments for ecosystem services.     

Risk management in public land development projects: Comparative case study in Finland,and the Netherlands

Public land development is an approach where the public authority acquires land for development, services the land with public infrastructure, and transfers the serviced building plots to private building developers or self-developing end-users. Motivations to use public land development can be divided to planning goal related motivations and financial motivations. In this paper, we study management of public risks related to the use of public land development by analysing case studies located in Finland and the Netherlands, countries known to have strong tradition in public land development. Our findings indicate that, whereas public land development has efficiencies in managing the risks related to the achievement of public planning goals, the management of the financial risks related to the public land development approach can be remarkably difficult even in countries with wide experience in public land development.     

城市住房用地供应政策的问题与对策研究——以南京市为例

近年来，国家及有关部门将土地供应政策定位为国家最重要的宏观经济管理手段之一。这一政策在抑制住房用地供应过大、经济增长过热等方面起到了积极地作用，但从一定程度上看，由于还处于起步阶段，难免会存在误区和盲点。本文正是在这样的情况下，通过分析住房供应政策在南京市实施的过程中存在的问题，分析其原因，从而为优化城市住房用地供应结构、完善土地供应机制、金融政策、加强土地供后监管等方面提出了相应建议。     

农村集体建设用地流转的公共政策分析与选择

限制农村集体建设用地流转的政策取向已不符合生产力发展的要求,处于失效状态。市场经济条件下,农村集体建设用地流转的公共政策必须重新定位。集体建设用地流转的公共政策选择是建立健全集体建设用地流转的市场机制,促进土地市场发育。同时,基于市场失灵的客观存在,集体建设用地流转需要加强国家宏观调控与管理力度以消除市场失灵。而集体建设用地流转公共政策重新定位的关键在于政府职能的成功转变。     

Lake States natural resource managers’ perspectives on forest land parcelization and its implications for public land management

Field-based public natural resource managers in the Lake States (MI, MN, WI) were surveyed for their perspectives on various aspects of private forest land parcelization. This includes their perceptions of recent changes in parcelization activity, drivers and impacts, mitigation strategies, and ability to influence parcelization. Their perspectives on the implications private forest land parcelization has on public land management were also sought. Across the Lake States, most public natural resource managers have witnessed an increasing frequency of forest land parcelization. They consider development potential and proximity to population centers to be the most influential driver of parcelization, with decreased timber supply and loss of recreational access on private land the most likely outcomes. The study documented important perceived linkages between private forest land parcelization and public land management, such as increased conflicts on public land, decreased access to public land, and increased demand for and cost of managing public land.