Sustainability Is Not Automatic: New Model Reveals Local Successes and Regional Barriers
Why local progress in sustainable land use doesn't automatically make a region more sustainable – study published in special issue of "Global Environmental Change"
Nr. 111 • 28. Juli 2026 (deutsche Version hier)
Whether a region manages its land sustainably cannot be measured by land-use change alone. Sustainability is a delicate balance: it must be ecologically sound, legally secure, and socially just. Yet capturing this interplay in practice has proven difficult. A research team from Justus-Liebig-University Giessen (JLU) and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá has developed an innovative model to understand the complexity of sustainable land use. Using a case study from a Colombian region, the study shows that sustainable land use at the village level does not automatically translate to the region as a whole — unequal structures often stall broader progress. The findings were published in the special issue "Transformative change for global biodiversity" of the renowned journal Global Environmental Change.
The model builds on the well-known concept of "Doughnut Economics" by British economist Kate Raworth, which describes a safe operating space between people's social foundations and the planet's ecological ceiling. The new Territorial Sustainability Doughnut Model (TSDM) translates this abstract concept into a concrete tool for rural areas. This integrative analytical framework connects land-use suitability, the development of ecosystem services, and social data across three levels: the local level, the community level, and the regional level — linking satellite-based land-use data with ecological performance and the real living conditions of local residents.
Case Study Colombia: When Progress Stalls at the Local Level
The researchers applied the model to Montes de María, a Colombian region long shaped by armed conflict. Analysing data from 2010 to 2023, alongside interviews with experts and local residents, revealed that sustainability does not progress evenly.
While individual village communities ("veredas") achieved remarkable progress — for example, through the recovery of natural ecosystems — these successes did not translate to the region as a whole. "Sustainability is not a matter of isolated success stories," explains Miguel Ramírez, lead author of the study from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. "A single village community can make progress, but as long as insecure land tenure and unequal structures persist at the regional level, the sustainability of the entire region remains fragile."
The team identified conflicting planning agendas, limited state capacity, and the large-scale expansion of monocultures such as oil palm as key barriers. At the same time, fieldwork also revealed positive approaches: community-led restoration projects and locally negotiated land-use agreements.
A Tool for Fairer Planning
Rather than offering a simple index or statistical forecast, the new model serves as an analytical tool. It helps planners understand why ecological measures often fail due to social or political obstacles. "We're not adding more indicators — we're providing a way to understand them," says PD Dr André Große-Stoltenberg from the Department of Landscape Ecology and Landscape Planning at JLU. "The TSDM makes visible where land use, ecosystem services, and social conditions must be considered together. Especially in regions undergoing post-conflict restructuring, this interplay determines whether sustainability can succeed."
The study was conducted as part of the SDGnexus Network, supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the "exceed – Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation" programme. The SDGnexus Network is a global community of universities, research centres, and stakeholders dedicated to advancing the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. It aims to develop an SDG-nexus approach — exploring innovative pathways for transformative change while building bridges between science, education, and development.
Contributing authors: Miguel Ramírez (lead author, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, former doctoral researcher in the SDGnexus Network), Sergio Angel (Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Colombia), PD Dr André Große-Stoltenberg (Department of Landscape Ecology and Landscape Planning and Centre for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU) at JLU), and Prof. Ivan Lizarazo (senior author, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, external member of ZEU at JLU, Principal Investigator in the SDGnexus Network).
Publication
Ramírez, M., Angel, S., Große-Stoltenberg, A., & Lizarazo, I. (2026). The territorial sustainability doughnut: A multiscale framework for assessing land use change, ecosystem services, and social dynamics. Global Environmental Change, 100, 103214, Special Issue „Transformative change for global biodiversity“ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2026.103214
Contact
PD Dr. André Große-Stoltenberg
Division of Landscape Ecology and Landscape Planning
Telefone: 0049 641 99-37176
E-Mail: andre.grosse-stoltenberg
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