To make landscapes more responsive to the needs of business and society 3Keel has developed an approach called the Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs). LENs is a new regionally focused approach, which harnesses commercial interest in how landscapes function to drive investment and innovation around strategic assets like soils, aquifers, access infrastructure, habitats and tree cover.

3Keel’s work on the LENs concept was developed in response to two needs: (1) private sector clients who wish to influence the landscapes that impact their supply chains, or their property and infrastructure investments, and (2) policy and NGO clients who are interested in harnessing commercial interest in landscapes to drive outcomes that can go beyond grants and philanthropy.

How it works

LENs starts with an analysis of opportunities. It requires conversations with businesses and the systematic review of their business needs, combined with analyses of spatial landscape data to find organisations with common interest in the same assets in the same locations. LENs then builds coalitions of businesses, coordinating their investment to improve the health and performance of strategic landscape assets. This consolidated demand is then used to catalyse enterprise solutions on the ground.

Building a LENs network

LENs begins with small, mutually beneficial business clusters investing to protect a few simple assets. But it’s designed to grow incrementally, to create a regional network where multiple businesses are collaborating to invest in multiple assets, which deliver multiple functions across the landscape. Ultimately it’s about rewiring the land economy, so that it can provide the sophisticated range of functions and services that are required by modern businesses, and modern society.

Working in partnership

“Nestle has been working closely with 3Keel on the development of the LENs concept as part of our wider collaboration with other businesses, NGOs, and civil society. We see it as an inspiring way to help protect our long-term interest in the health and performance of the landscapes in which we operate and source our raw materials”

Andrew Griffiths, Head of Sustainability, Nestle UK.

Click here for the LENs website