Set up landscape initiative

Setting up a landscape initiative is the first step in the assessment process. This stage involves defining key components that characterize the initiative, including the landscape and assessment names, as well as identifying the lead organizations involved and reasons for conducting the assessment. Outlining these elements creates a solid foundation for the assessment and ensures that stakeholders have a clear understanding of the initiative.

Click on 'Add landscape' to create a new landscape initiative.

Once the landscape initiative is created within your profile, you can begin a new assessment from the landscape dashboard.

Click on 'Create assessment' to start a new assessment of the landscape.

Landscape name

The landscape name refers to the specific physical area covered by the assessment. It should be relevant to the geographical (e.g., catchment/watershed or stakeholder-defined landscape) or jurisdictional scope of the initiative, making it easily identifiable by stakeholders and for future assessments.

Assessment name

By default, the assessment name will follow the format 'Baseline [Year]' for initial assessments and 'Reassessment [Year]' for follow-up assessments, with the year automatically populated as the year the assessment is initiated in the platform. However, you may choose a more descriptive name that better reflects the unique characteristics of the assessment, if needed. Consistent naming conventions help differentiate between multiple assessments over time and ensure clarity in tracking progress.

Organizations acting as stakeholders

This section is for listing the lead organizations involved in the initiative—both formal and informal—and defining their roles. For each organization, include the name, logo, website or social media link, and a brief description of their role in the initiative. The primary focus should be on lead organizations at this stage, with the option to add other organizations later through the initiative’s profile. Additional stakeholders involved in supporting or contributing to the initiative can be included in the stakeholder engagement plan.

Reasons for conducting an assessment

Capture the objectives for conducting a LandScale assessment for your initiative. Assessment objectives explain the purpose of the assessment. These objectives are often developed in alignment with landscape goals, which articulate the desired sustainability outcomes for a landscape. The initial objectives identified during platform registration—when the assessment owner applied to conduct a LandScale assessment—can be revised and expanded upon before submitting Step A for validation.

For example:

Assessment objective:

• Establish a baseline assessment of the landscape using the LandScale platform and framework.

• Identify sustainability gaps in the landscape and develop a corresponding strategy and action plan.

Landscape Goals:

• Develop a strategy for agricultural diversification.

• Enhance the well-being of landscape inhabitants by improving access to healthcare, education, and basic infrastructure.

• Attract investment beyond extractive economic activities, such as ecotourism and research.

Both landscape goals and assessment objectives are usually developed through a participatory process that involves engaging multiple stakeholders. These objectives will guide subsequent actions, including defining the landscape boundary, selecting indicators and metrics, and shaping the focus and presentation of the landscape report.

Recommended stakeholder input

Before starting a LandScale assessment, it is recommended that the assessment team raises awareness about the assessment among relevant stakeholders, including any local landscape partnerships as well as people or organizations that the assessment team might want to engage to help collect or access data.

During the initial engagement, the assessment team is encouraged to communicate with stakeholders to help ensure that they:

• Understand the objectives for conducting a LandScale assessment.

• Are familiar with what LandScale is, what the assessment process entails, and their opportunities for input and participation in the assessment.

• Are willing to contribute to the assessment as appropriate.

While the methods to raise awareness and secure support from stakeholders will vary, based on experience from previous LandScale applications, we recommend using existing landscape partnership platforms or other multi-stakeholder spaces, leveraging communication channels (e.g., local TV, newspapers, social media), and holding meetings and workshops with stakeholders. Representatives from the public sector, local communities, private sector, and civil society should all be included.