A land-use problem: illegal clearance of forest in Sri Lanka
Land-use planning aims to make the best use of limited resources by:
• assessing present and future needs and systematically evaluating the land's
ability to supply them;
• identifying and resolving conflicts between competing uses, between the
needs of individuals and those of the community, and between the needs of
the present generation and those of future generations;
10
• seeking sustainable options and choosing those that best meet identified
needs;
• planning to bring about desired changes;
• learning from experience.
There can be no blueprint for change. The whole process of planning is
iterative and continuous. At every stage, as better information is obtained, a
plan may have to be changed to take account of it.