TOWARDS MAKING ROBUST LAND USE DECISIONS: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF NON-MATERIAL CO-BENEFITS OF RURAL PRODUCTION LANDSCAPES IN INDIA
Rajarshi Dasgupta, Shizuka Hashimoto, Toshiya Okuro, Mrittika Basu
Societies derive multiple material and non-material benefits from production landscapes, of which, nonmaterial benefits are largely overlooked in issues such as land acquisition or landscape planning, particularly in rapidly developing economies. While material benefits of landscapes are generally wellaccounted and reflected in state-run land acquisition programs, in this paper, we argue that understanding non-material benefits is equally important for successful implementation of land acquisition projects and to avoid possible land-conflicts. Hence, to facilitate a rapid, landscape-scale empirical assessment of nonmaterial benefits of production landscapes, in this paper, we narrate a case study of participatory mapping of non-material co-benefits of multiple rural production landscapes from the lower Gangetic delta in India (including agriculture, aquaculture, waterbodies, forested areas etc.). The study attempts to map specific five non-material benefits, namely spiritual, aesthetics, heritage, recreational and educational benefits, by utilizing a combination of household survey and participatory GIS-based spatial analysis. The methodology of this study relies on an inexpensive and rapid appraisal method which integrates the conventional notion of place attachment and participatory mapping, involving a pilot survey of 168 households. Thereafter, we conducted a series of spatial analysis to identify spatial interrelations among different non-material benefits and further, identified the 'hot-spots' at a 2 km grid size. A comparative profile of different rural production landscapes with respect to the availability of non-material values were also drawn from overlay analysis with latest landuse map of the study area and computation of zonal statistics. As such, the study facilitates comparative understanding of non-material benefits on rural production landscapes; besides providing valuable spatial information for local policy planners and administrative officials.
Event: Land Governance in an Interconnected World_Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty_2018
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