ABSTRACT
The previous chapters discussed the complexity involved in developing and combining methods for monitoring; this chapter considers how to understand different aspects in a broader social perspective. The chapter discusses scale, level; and sectoral context in relation to decision processes, based on, for instance, legislative and policy drivers of land use and land ownership and other stakeholders. A crucial focus in the chapter is placed on the notion that the social context of monitoring often cannot be understood by only looking at the local level. Drawing on cases from different land systems, the chapter illustrates how higher levels play a role. Examples in text boxes are, for instance, drawn from the Swedish case, in which less than 20 high-level actors determine much of the national forest land use. To make sense of this context, the chapter goes on to introduce the variety of social sciences quantitative and qualitative approaches that can be used to gain an understanding of land use on different levels, including methods illustrated in later chapters.
