Development of institutional mechanisms for environmental land use in Ukraine

Abstract

The article defines and analyses the theoretical and practical foundations of the institutional framework for conservation-oriented land use in Ukraine as a key component of sustainable development amid land reform. The institutional environment is conceptualised as a comprehensive regulatory system mediating interactions among ecosystems, land use and society, aimed at optimising land use with regard to existing institutional constraints and the socio-economic development objectives of communities. Key dysfunctions are identified: the absence of a coherent system of norms and rules, high levels of corruption, deficiencies in executive and judicial performance, and imbalances in the distribution of land rent. It is shown that the overall state of institutional support for conservation-oriented land use remains unsatisfactory. Directions for reform and implementation methods are substantiated: the coordinated embedding of ecological-economic imperatives along the sequence: imperatives → strategy → concept → programme → laws → by-laws → norms/standards → land-use schemes and projects, together with reinforced control, monitoring, cadastre, spatial planning and development of the ecological network. It is demonstrated that deploying these institutional instruments can optimise agro-landscape structure, reduce arable expansion and degradation processes, safeguard biodiversity and bring the achievement of land degradation neutrality closer. Practical recommendations are developed for public authorities and communities on institutionalising conservation-oriented land use through updating the regulatory framework, programme design, economic incentives and land-management measures.