Publications | A brief history of integrated landscape management
A brief history of integrated landscape management
Tracing the many traditions that eventually converged into landscape approaches
About the publication
Ask anyone who works in landscapes what "a landscape approach" means, and you’re likely to hear a range of perspectives. That's not confusion — it reflects how the field came to be. Integrated landscape management didn't emerge from a single discipline or theory. It arose from many traditions, some ancient and place-rooted, others modern and technical, that rarely speak to each other.
This short paper traces the tributaries — from Indigenous and community-based stewardship to ecology, regional planning, and regenerative frameworks — that converged into today's landscape approaches. Understanding this history helps explain why the field still feels like a work in progress. And it can help us think more deliberately about what the next phase of landscape practice should build on, connect, or do differently.
Authors and Contributors
Author: Seth A. Shames, Persimmon Co-Lab
Reviewers: Sara Scherr, Bemmy Granados, Juan Ramos, Louise Buck, Max Levy, and Ryan Thompson
Design: Jennifer Geib