Landscape
'Landscape' is an intrinsically holistic concept - it evokes physical, social and cultural meanings and questions. 'Multifunctional Landscape' (MFL) is the label that has been attached to a system manifested by the interaction between cognitive, cultural, economic, and biophysical processes and phenomena (i.e., coupled human-natural systems). MFLs are complex and 'middle-numbered', in which contingency and history matter. Interdisciplinary approaches are usually deemed obligatory to study these systems such that we might ensure their sustainability.

My academic background originates in Geography with a strong interest in Landscape Ecology. Traditionally, ecology sought to work in ‘natural’ areas free from human influence. Recently however, landscape ecology has emerged as scientists came to terms with the idea that there are few regions of the world remaining that cannot be considered MFLs. Landscape ecology asks questions of ecological structure and function, frequently considering the importance of human influence, and stresses the importance of space, scale, and feedbacks between spatial pattern and ecological process. It is from this origin that my particular 'interdisciplinary' research interests arise.

Links
International Association of Landscape Ecology - [Link]
Holistic Landscape Ecology - [Link]

References