Terminology
See also: Resources
Understanding Gerana’s Terminology: In Plain Language.
In the Gerana Initiative we talk a lot about landscape approaches, regenerating the economy and transforming business to build resilience. But what does that mean? Here we unpack six important terms using everyday language.❶ What is a landscape?
A landscape can be defined in many ways, some based on natural features like river basins, and others based on human-made boundaries like political areas. A landscape is shaped by its unique physical features (such as climate, soil, and geology), natural elements (like plants, animals, and fungi), cultural aspects (including language, art, and identity), and how all of these things are connected.
❷ What is a landscape approach?
Siloed approaches to addressing global challenges like climate change, nature loss, human rights and development often fall short - they can be inefficient and may even worsen other issues. A landscape approach tackles these complex, interconnected problems through a place-based lens and multi-stakeholder collaboration, bringing together affected parties.
A landscape approach is a way of managing land and resources by involving everyone who has a stake in the area, such as local governments, businesses, farmers, investors and community groups.
Landscape approaches bring people together to make decisions that consider the varying needs, interests, and power dynamics. The focus is on working collaboratively to manage places in a way that benefits the long-term health of both people and the planet.
❸ What does resilience mean?
We are in an age of metacrisis where multiple crises are happening at the same time and are influencing or worsening each other. Resilience is the capacity of a system, be it an individual, a forest, a city or an economy, to deal with change and continue to develop.
Resilience is about how humans and nature can use shocks and disturbances like a financial crisis or climate change to better adapt, spur renewal and find ways to thrive in a changed context.
❹ What is a regenerative economy?
A regenerative economy creates a positive impact by giving back to the planet and people. The circular economy and bioeconomy are key pillars.
It’s about businesses reducing harm, such as cutting emissions, while boosting biodiversity, and promoting sustainable resource management and fairness. By adopting these principles, businesses can unlock new opportunities, drive innovation, and build resilience. This shift benefits people, the planet, and businesses alike.
❺ What does business transformation mean?
Business transformation means changing the way a company works to focus on long-term value creation for society, not just short-term profits. This includes changing how they think, make decisions, and treat people, both inside and outside the company.
It’s about adopting new ways of doing business that support sustainability and working with others to make those changes bigger and more impactful.
❻ What is collective impact?
Collective Impact is a way of working together where different organisations, groups, or people come together to solve a big problem. Instead of working alone, they coordinate their efforts, share resources, and align their strategies to create a bigger, more lasting impact. The idea is that no single group can tackle complex issues (like climate change, biodiversity loss or poverty) on their own, so by working together, sharing knowledge, and staying focused on a common goal, they can achieve much more than they could separately.
