Introduction to the LandScale system
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The LandScale system comprises three core components: the assessment framework, the validation mechanism, and the platform. The assessment team's use of these components will vary based on the .
The is grounded in widely recognised international norms and methods for sustainability assessment, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is designed to balance global consistency with local adaptability, enabling diverse users to assess sustainability across varying contexts.
The assessment framework is structured hierarchically, encompassing four pillars of sustainability performance: ecosystems, human well-being, governance, and production.
Each pillar is further divided into goals that form the foundation for a holistic sustainability assessment. Users can tailor their assessments by selecting context-appropriate indicators and metrics, ensuring relevance to the unique characteristics of their landscapes. Additionally, the LandScale platform provides the flexibility to create custom goals, indicators, and metrics to complement those provided by LandScale.
LandScale validation provides confidence to assessment owners, users of LandScale results, and other stakeholders regarding the quality and credibility of LandScale assessments. Validation is a prerequisite for publishing assessment results on the LandScale platform and for making claims based on those results.
There are two key aspects of LandScale validation:
Process validation: This ensures that the assessment was conducted according to the standardised process and best practices outlined in the LandScale assessment framework and guidelines.
Results validation: This assesses the quality and interpretability of the assessment results themselves.
Step A: Validation should be sought for every aspect of this step before moving on to Step B. This ensures that issues, such as an improperly delineated landscape boundary, are addressed early on, preventing costly or difficult corrections later.
Steps B and C: These steps also require sequential validation. However, validation may occur on a metric-by-metric basis if the assessment team wishes to focus on specific pillars, rather than a full holistic assessment, or if work on certain pillars progresses more quickly than others. Steps can be submitted for validation at any point during an active subscription period.
At each step, the assessment team should initiate the validation mechanism by submitting the required documentation, as outlined in the guidelines for each step. Once the documentation is complete, the LandScale team will evaluate it to determine whether the assessment guidelines have been properly followed. Step C validation also includes an evaluation of data sources, data analysis, and draft assessment results.
For each step, the LandScale team will provide the assessment team with one of the following validation findings:
Approved: Validation for the step is complete, and the assessment team may proceed to the next step.
Rejected: The step or specific metric result has been rejected. If the assessment team wishes to move forward with it, the step can be resubmitted for validation after addressing the identified issues.
The LandScale team may also provide comments that must be considered before approval. Even after a step is approved or rejected, assessment teams may still make edits, but these edits will require resubmission for validation.
The LandScale platform serves as the central hub for managing the entire LandScale assessment process. It enables assessment teams to assign tasks, enter all inputs and documentation, upload relevant documents, access the guidelines and training materials, request support, connect with other interested parties, and engage with the LandScale community of practice. It is also where assessment teams can publish their landscape profiles and assessment reports, making their landscape findings available to a global audience.
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One important aspect of the assessment process that the platform does not directly support is data analysis. Tasks such as data processing, GIS analyses, or statistical analyses must be completed off-platform. Once these tasks are completed, the resulting products and analyses should be uploaded to the platform.
The validation mechanism is carried out by the LandScale team and is performed sequentially, aligning with the . Additionally, Step C incorporates a local review, bringing in perspectives from local experts familiar with relevant sustainability topics in the context of the subject landscape.
