Bioregional Planning

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Bioregional Planning

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Bioregional planning is a planning process that seeks to preserve the integrity of a bioregion rather than a political or administrative unit. [1]

Bioregional planning emphasises the integration of social, economic and ecological factors in regional planning and management, and seeks to bring all stakeholders together through a participatory process to develop and implement a dynamic plan for a bioregion. [2]

Some of the key characteristics of a bioregional approach to planning include:

  • large, biotically viable regions (ranging from 1,000 to 1,000,000 square kilometres);
  • a structure that features one or more core zones or protected areas and interconnecting corridors, all lying within a matrix of mixed land use and ownership that contains resources and the potential for investments and management that foreshadow economic sustainability;
  • full involvement of stakeholders, leading to plans that are socially acceptable;
  • information on which the plan is based is scientifically robust;
  • research and monitoring activities are geared to supporting decision making functions, shifting technologies and practice towards sustainability;
  • the process is adaptive and supports adaptive management approaches;
  • impoverished habitats are restored;
  • public agencies and private interests cooperate to utilise available skills and to build capacity as needed by the group;
  • efforts are made to horizontally integrate public agency programs, capacities and budgets and to vertically integrate the various layers of government; and
  • interest in cooperating with other similar programs internationally. [3]

References:

[1]  Park, C. (Ed.) (2007). A Dictionary of Environment and Conservation.  Oxford University Press. 

[2]  Philips, J. (1995). APPROACHES TO BIOREGIONAL PLANNING – Part One. In R. Breckwoldt (Ed.), Approaches to bioregional planning. Part 1. Proceedings of the conference, 30 Oct-1 Nov 1995, Melbourne. Melbourne.

[3] Miller, K. (1995). APPROACHES TO BIOREGIONAL PLANNING – Part One. In R. Breckwoldt (Ed.), Approaches to bioregional planning. Part 1. Proceedings of the conference, 30 Oct-1 Nov 1995, Melbourne. Melbourne.

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