ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR DISENTANGLING THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE LAND-USE

Definitions of sustainability have till now failed to suit both concep tual and operational purposes for lack of an appropriate analytical fr amework that can be used by biophysical and socio-economic sciences wi th equal ease. A framework for analysing sustainable land use is propo sed which distinguishes between agro-ecological and socio-economic com ponents and between different hierarchical system levels. In some deta il the agroecological component is discussed in terms of changes in th e stock of natural resources. Two decision-making levels with regard t o land use, the farm level and the policy level are discussed in terms of the trade-offs between agro-ecological sustainability and socio-ec onomic objectives.