TY - JOUR

T1 - Policy principles for sustainable and just land systems

AU - Garrett, Rachael

AU - Meyfroidt, Patrick

AU - de Bremond, Ariane

AU - Wartenberg, Ariani

AU - Barbieri, Lindsay

AU - Fernández-Llamazares, Álvaro

AU - Acheampong, Emmanuel

AU - Addoah, Thomas

AU - Adeleye, Matthew

AU - Alexander, Peter

AU - Brandão, Joyce

AU - Coomes, David Anthony

AU - Ellis, Erle C.

AU - Fajardo, J.

AU - Jacobi, Johanna

AU - Leach, Melissa

AU - Lele, Sharachchandra

AU - Zonta, Aymara Llanque

AU - Lyons-White, Joss

AU - Martin, Adrian

AU - Messerli, Peter

AU - Milner-Gulland, E. J.

AU - Müller, Daniel

AU - Mills, Morena

AU - Kalunda, Pauline Nantongo

AU - Pascual, Unai

AU - Rueda, Ximena

AU - Ryan, Casey

AU - Setty, Siddappa

AU - Pham, Thu Thuy

AU - Zagaria, Cecilia

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors.

PY - 2025/10/15

Y1 - 2025/10/15

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - climate

KW - conservation

KW - food

KW - governance

KW - science–policy

KW - sustainability transitions

KW - transformation

KW - Environmental planning

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105018790692&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1098/rsos.250810

DO - 10.1098/rsos.250810

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 41103768

AN - SCOPUS:105018790692

VL - 12

JO - Royal Society Open Science

JF - Royal Society Open Science

SN - 2054-5703

IS - 10

M1 - 250810

ER -