Lecture 20 NATURAL RESOURCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT Dr. Aneel SALMAN Department of Management Sciences COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad

Recap Lecture 19 PES From theory to practice Identifying environmental services Charging service users Payments to Service Providers Establishing the institutional framework Monitoring

Land-Use Planning

Introduction Land-use planning (also known as growth management, comprehensive planning): to guide community development; helps people create a vision of how to provide resources for the future.

Elements of the planning process 1.Data gathering 2.Goal formation 3.Land-use decision 4.Public input 5.Action plan 6.Evaluation

Urban sprawl Characterized by unmanaged widespread Growth Considered unattractive Is environmentally and economically unsustainable

Ecological effects of sprawl Destruction of wildlife habitat Introduction of non-native species Increased risks of water pollution Increase potential for flooding Increased risk of wildfire

Socio-economic effects Increased community costs for roads, schools, and emergency services Increase need for automobiles, increased noise, traffic, and pollution Isolation of the young, poor, and elderly Increased costs and difficulty of providing public transit

Socio-economic effects (cont.) Loss of agricultural and forestry jobs and traditional land practices Increased ordinances regulating logging, noise, odors Loss of rural character or community sense of place Reduced walkability or bikability

Smart Growth Has different definitions in each community Promotes economic development, social equity, and environmental stewardship to improve overall quality of life

Basic principles 1)All levels of government play a role in creating and implementing policies that support Smart Growth. 2)Development should conserve and enhance environmental and cultural resources. 3)Development should promote vitality for urban centers. 4) Programs and policies need to encourage vital small towns and rural areas. 5) Land and infrastructure (streets, schools, etc.) should be used efficiently.

Basic principles (cont.) 6) A variety of housing choices and mixed-use (commercial + residential) centers should be accessible by multiple transportation options. 7) Development should be considered on a regional scale. 8) A “sense of place” should be fostered. This may include unique cultural, natural, or geographical features. 9) Land-use planning should strive to promote equity and involve its stakeholders in the planning process. 10) One size doesn’t fit all. There are a variety of approaches to accomplish Smart Growth.

Land conservation tools Greenspace/open space: Enhances forest and habitat connectivity Provides recreational opportunities Preserve wetlands and floodplain areas

Greenspace Greenspace strips that create linear parks for recreation are called greenways. Greenway systems can: Connect people, communities, countryside Provide recreational opportunities Increase public access to cultural and historic sites

Greenway systems can… Increase property values Provide refuge and migration routes for wildlife Provide alternative transportation routes for cyclists and pedestrians Enhance economic development and tourism Provide close-to-home access to greenspace Improve overall quality of life

Other land conservation tools Conservation easements or land preservation agreements Land acquisition programs by public agencies or private non-profit organizations

Growth boundaries Urban growth boundaries are lines designated on planning and zoning maps that predict the limit of city services. They define land that can be urbanized outside of the current city limits and identify rural land where development will be discouraged.

Growth boundary example Example – In 1973 Oregon began requiring all cities to develop urban growth boundaries. Affordable housing was required to be developed within the boundary and protective zones were created outside. Urban services were not provided to houses built outside of the boundary.

Technology Technology provides many tools to reduce some of the negative effects of development. For example: CuSoil Permeable pavement Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Others?

Typical subdivision development Residential subdivisions typically consist of low-density, single-family homes, lacking connectivity within and between neighborhoods. New subdivisions are often developed on undeveloped land (greenfield sites).

Drawbacks Typical suburb development involves little diversity of income and thus leads to class segregation. The lack of mixed land uses means people have to drive long distances to work or shop.

Conservation development Conservation subdivisions Employ Smart Growth principles Create dense clusters of homes Leave undeveloped greenspace for conservation and recreation

Characteristics Homes are built on smaller lots and are situated to maximize views of the natural area Developments are walkable and bikable and may be placed close to shopping and jobs

Land Use Planning in Pakistan

Land Use Planning The purpose of land use planning is to regulate land use in an efficient and ethical way, thus preventing land-use conflicts. Land use planning is land-use regulations, or zoning. Zoning regulates the activities on a given piece of land, the amount of space devoted to those activities and the ways that buildings may be placed and shaped

Pakistan Total Area: 803,940 sq km land: 778,720 sq km water: 25,220 sq km

Land Use Planning Context Land use in Pakistan have for centuries been defined by family or tribal relationships that allowed access to land on the basis of size of the household and kinship. The increase in population and greater competition for control of land is putting enormous pressure on these systems. It is important that modern and customary land tenure systems co-exist and are made compatible for local communities to participate in decision making processes pertaining to land.

Land Use Planning Challenges The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, 2003, highlights the importance of the rural economy for poverty reduction and sustained economic growth. Inequalities of land distribution, tenure insecurity and complex land administration and registration system impose constraints on poor. Land transactions are relatively of high cost and land disputes are caused, by the inefficient land records system. As a result land markets are thin and land prices are higher against potential agricultural production of land. The low mobility of land contributes to highly unequal distribution of land and livelihood opportunities

Land Use Planning Challenges The absence of adequate land use planning and supporting legislation is a major barrier in sustainable management of land resources. Land use planning has never been high on Pakistan's agenda. Present use of the land resources is not adapted to the potential of the land and its conservation requirements Land use plans exist neither at national, provincial, district, tehsil or local levels.

Land Degradation In the 1970s, traditional systems of communal property management was abolished and an alternate system of state ownership of uncultivated land was introduced This system is based on exclusionary principles, which places restriction on utilization of resources by local communities. State ownership policy triggered land degradation because government control over land was weak and lacks ownership or tenure rights. No incentives for local communities to protect and utilize natural resources sustainably.

Barriers Knowledge Gaps: There is insufficient quantitative data on current land use in the country as well as status and trends of natural resources and their utilization. There are severe deficiencies in knowledge related to land management, rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems, sustainable agriculture and livestock production. The available information is scattered across many agencies/institutions and is not readily available to researchers, planners, and policy makers.

Summary Land-use planning is a visioning tool that helps communities guide development. The planning process involves 6 steps, 5 of which resource professionals can participate in. There are many ecological, social, and economic symptoms of urban sprawl. Smart Growth embodies a set of principles that promote quality of life, natural resource conservation, economic development, and social equity. One size does not fit all; approaches to achieve Smart Growth are different in every community. There are a variety of land conservation tools including designating publicly owned greenspace, creating greenway systems, conservation easements, and land acquisition programs. Growth boundaries restrict urban services in an effort to limit sprawl. Technology can offer solutions to negative impacts from development. Conservation development represents a set of development practices that work to conserve natural areas, cluster development, and promote Smart Growth principles.