A review of models applicable to 'our rural landscape'

Rural landscapes serve complex and often competing demands of society. They are used by people to generate income (eg. agriculture, mining, and tourism), to provide a living space, to provide quality of life (clean water, recreation, and social activities), and to provide biodiversity. Agriculture has created a new ecology in the rural landscapes of Victoria, and we need a better understanding of the ecology of the landscape and the application of spatial models to provide integrated analysis of current and future agricultural landscapes. The conflicts and tradeoffs between different land-uses complicate landuse decisions. We need a greater understanding of the consequences of land-use change to ensure the agricultural use of Victorian landscapes is productive, ecologically sound and has positive social outcomes. As a first step in seeking an integrated approach we reviewed models applicable to analysing issues for Victorian agricultural landscapes. This paper describes a work in progress: a review of social, economic, and environmental models applicable to landscape analysis, and the 'mapping' of these models to two chosen landscape analysis frameworks. The two frameworks were identified through a review of landscape analysis literature: an Australian framework proposed by CSIRO (which we refer to as the Hajkowicz framework); and an American framework developed at Harvard University (which we refer to as the Steinitz framework). Both are conceptual frameworks that complement each other and address issues associated with landscape change and planning. Models were selected and reviewed by discipline scientists and classified into three domains with associated sub-domains. The three principal domains used were Social/Economic, Biophysical, and Generic/Integrative. The Hajkowicz and Steinitz frameworks are very different, yet comprehensive frameworks for landscape analysis. The approach to 'map' models to the frameworks has been adopted to place each model in context with the wider body of knowledge of landscape analysis and planning. The Hajkowicz framework consists of three main components that address: how a landscape is valued; the physical and social processes that supply landscape values; and the institutional response required ensuring correct functioning of landscape processes. The Steinitz framework classifies models based on six levels of modelling that serve a landscape planning hierarchy: representation, process, evaluation, change, impact and decision. 'Mapping' models to the Hajkowicz and Steinitz frameworks provides a means to bring order into a complex multidisciplinary area and, when used in the context of a particular question, serves to identify gaps in our ability to analyse the landscape. A matrix was used to represent the relationship between the model and the component/s of the frameworks to which the model applied. This review will enable us to develop a decision-support system where we can search and choose a suitable model to answer a particular landscape question. By linking the models and questions to a single landscape analysis framework, we improve our ability to link the right model to the right question. This in turn will support the development of an ecoinformatics database linking landscape questions to models for solutions and reports based on data availability and capacity for those models to be used in any part of Victoria.