ILUP18_Pract_Annex3

Implementing Integrated Land Use Planning: A step-by-step guide for rural areas
PRACTITIONER’S GUIDE: ANNEX 3

Annex 3
SUGGESTED REPORT OUTLINES FOR LAND SUITABILITY AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDIES

Box 28. General report outline for a land suitability study

  1. General section
    • Title page
      • Table of contents
      • Foreword
      • Acknowledgements
      • Summary/abstract
  2. Main report
    • Introductory section: background, study objectives, terms of reference, how to use the report
    • Methodology (in general, if very technical in an appendix
    • General description of the setting
      • Physical environment: climate, landforms, soils, geology, land use/cover, land use
      • Economic and social setting: population, infrastructure, markets, livelihood and farming systems, food security, poverty
    • Land suitability mapping
      • Methods used: land suitability classification and mapping, explanations of the classes and units used)
      • Description of the land utilization types
      • Specifications of the land use requirements
      • Results: textual summaries, tables with areas in different classes, generalized maps
      • Recommendations from a biophysical/sustainability perspective: principles guiding recommendations, land allocations to specific uses, recommendations for specific land management, e.g. erosion control, irrigation, drainage, water harvesting
    • Economic evaluation
      • Methods and data used: GMA, DCA, representative farm budgets, other
      • Description of the evaluated farming systems Interpretation of results, including assumptions used in data interpretation
      • Recommendations from an economic profitability perspective
    • Closing sections: references, glossary, units of measurement used
  3. Technical appendices
    • Detailed explanations of methods used
    • Representative environmental data e.g. climate station data, soil profiles, water analyses, topographical or geological cross-sections, vegetative species compositions
    • Representative interpreted data e.g. crop yield data, land use requirement tables, etc.
  4. Maps
    • Relevant environmental base maps with legends
    • Suitability maps for all evaluated land uses/management systems with self-explanatory legends

Box 29. General report outline for a joint Environmental/Social Impact Assessment

  1. General section
    • Title page
    • Table of contents
    • Foreword
    • Acknowledgements
    • Summary/abstract
  2. Main report
    • Introductory section: background, study objectives, terms of reference, how to use the report
    • General description of the setting
      • Environmental issues arising from the biophysical setting
      • Economic and social setting: population, infrastructure, markets, livelihood and farming systems, food security, poverty
    • Environmental impact analysis
      • Methods and data  used
      • Results: description of types of impacts in textual summaries, tables with areas in different classes, generalized maps
      • Recommendations for mitigating environmental impacts
    • Social impact analysis
      • Methods and data used
      • Results: account of which groups are affected by what kinds of social impacts
      • Recommendations for mitigating social impacts
    • Integrated analysis of environmental and social impacts
      • Methods for integrated socio-environmental analysis
      • Proposal of social equity options in support of further negotiations among affected groups
    • Closing sections: references, glossary, units of measurement used
  3. Technical appendices
    • Detailed explanations of methods used
    • Representative environmental impact data (e.g. river flow time series, soil loss estimates)
    • Social analysis data (e.g. profiles of affected groups, household survey data, interviews with stakeholders)
  4. Maps
    • Maps showing extent and intensities of environmental impacts
    • Maps showing hotspots of social impact