The sustainability of landforms and landscapes

Abstract

In 1974 the World Council of Churches coined the modern concept of sustainability. The concept was further developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1980 and was given prominence in 1987 by the United Nations’ World Commission on the Environment and Development, in their report Our Common Future. Sustainable development is a term used widely across policy domains and has also been attached to landscape protection and management. This chapter provides for an understanding of the role of landforms and landscapes in sustainable development with the aim of underlining, their importance not only as natural heritage, but also as tangible and intangible capital for the present and future generations to enjoy. It assesses the natural world as ‘capital’ in economic terms and describes tools which have developed in order to include in our evaluation of development the benefits of ecosystem and geosystem services. It also places the processes and management of landforms and landscapes into the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It concludes by linking this discussion to the local context of the islands of Malta where limited land resources, and pressure from growing population and development, can significantly compromise the ability of future generations to have good quality and fulfilling lives.