TITLE:
Ecoregional Planning: An Overview of Concepts and Approaches
AUTHORS:
Amir Moradi, Saeed Rahmati
KEYWORDS:
Land Use, Ecoregional Planning, Regional Planning, Urban Ecology, Environment
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.11 No.4,
December
28,
2023
ABSTRACT: An ecoregion is defined as an area delineated by natural boundaries,
possessing a distinct ecosystem compared to its neighboring regions and
disregarding political borders. Planning for these regions is referred to as
ecoregional planning. Ecoregional planning aims to achieve a balance between ecology, economy,
and society, emphasizing the integration of local and human needs with
environmental conservation and biodiversity. This paper is a review article
conducted through qualitative research, with the goal of providing an organized
perspective on ecoregional planning
using a descriptive-analytical approach. In this regard, the conceptualization
of this type of planning, its historical evolution, various approaches and
processes in implementing this type of planning, the development and
presentation of the six-dimensional ecoregional models, and the examination of case studies based on
the proposed approaches and processes were conducted. The findings indicate
that the success of ecoregional planning
lies in taking a holistic approach towards economic,
social, cultural, and environmental factors and examining the connections between these factors with a focus on ecological issues.