People's needs drive the planning process. Local farmers, other land users
and the wider community who depend on the land must accept the need for a
change in land use, as they will have to live with its results.
Land-use planning must be positive. The planning team must find out about
people's needs and also the local knowledge, skills, labour and capital that
they can contribute. It must study the problems of existing land-use practices
and seek alternatives while drawing the public's attention to the hazards of
continuing with present practices and to the opportunities for change.
Regulations to prevent people doing what they now do for pressing reasons
are bound to fail. Local acceptability is most readily achieved by local
participation in planning. The support of local leaders is essential while the
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participation of agencies that have the resources to implement the plan is also
important.
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