The grand challenge to operationalize landscape sustainability and the design-in-science paradigm

As a concept, landscape sustainability is becoming an increasingly important topic in landscape ecology; yet it remains not clearly defined in theory, methodology, or application (Musacchio 2009a, b). For example, the synthesis article by Wu and Hobbs (2002) identified landscape sustainability as one of ten key topics for landscape ecology in the 21st century. Sustainability science emerged at about the same time as their article and seemed to be highly compatible with landscape sustainability, but sustainability science’s potential has never been fully realized in landscape ecology because it too remains undefined and abstract. Yet, the debate about the role of the sustainability paradigm and sustainability science in this discipline has intensified in the past several years with the publication of numerous articles (Potschin and Haines-Young 2006; Nassauer and Opdam 2008; Wu 2008, 2010; Musacchio 2009a, b; Termorshuizen and Opdam 2009; Wiens 2009; Pearson and McAlpine 2010. One of the grand challenges of landscape ecology in the coming decades will be how to leverage sustainability science and sustainable design to improve knowledge and innovation about ecology and culture of landscapes, the basis of landscape sustainability. The importance of the relationship between ecology and culture to the future of landscape ecology cannot be overstated, and this editorial is inspired by Wu’s recent editorial (2010) about this issue. The central issue is that a more unified and comprehensive knowledge base is needed for better science and practice. In addition, its theory and practice needs to be more pluralistic and ecumenical approaches to reach its transdisciplinary goals (Wu 2006, 2010). The special issue The Ecology and Culture of Landscape Sustainability: Emerging Knowledge and Innovation in Landscape Research and Practice (see Musacchio 2009a, b) begins the process of conceptually framing the scope and boundaries of key concepts, mental maps, and research priorities with the six Es of landscape sustainability (Fig. 1). Figure 2 is the next L. R. Musacchio (&) Landscape Architecture, Conservation Biology, Urban and Regional Planning, and Water Resources Science Programs, University of Minnesota, 89 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA e-mail: musac003@umn.edu