Eco-regional approaches, why, what and how

Abstract

Eco-regional studies and approaches are more and more demanded by policy makers. They help to make strategic decisions and to explore options for development. The possibilites for such studies have increased as appropriate research tools became available, information could be collected and integration of disciplinary knowledge at various aggregation levels could take place through systems approaches. The combination of detailed biophysical information, with farming systems research and with socio-economic studies on macro and meso levels enabled the development of explorative, predictive and analytic studies at regional level. Thus, eco-regional research helps in priority setting at lower integration levels and may give an answer to questions formulted at the regional level. A solid scientific basis of these studies could be given by systems approaches at all integration levels that integrate detailed biophysical studies and socio-economic research.