A guide for integration of community ecology in landscape architecture: The Ecological Filters Framework

Eva Breitschopf, Thomas Juel Clemmensen, Kari Anne Bråthen

The accelerating biodiversity crisis, driven by habitat change and urbanization, underscores the need to integrate ecological knowledge and landscape architecture. This paper introduces the Ecological Filter Framework (EFF), as a tool to foster this integration. By structuring complex ecological knowledge into tangible categories, the EFF is meant to empower practitioners to shape environments with a solid foundation in the science of ecology. Grounded in modern community ecology and inspired by the Integrated Community Theory, the EFF structures ecological knowledge into five interconnected filters: dispersal, abiotic, biotic, feedback, and aesthetic factors. These filters provide a systematic approach to understanding species assembly and community dynamics, enabling landscape architects to design biodiverse, resilient environments aligning ecological principles and project objectives. The EFF could serve as both a “checklist” for site analysis and a communication tool to support collaboration between ecologists and landscape architects. This framework offers a pathway for deeper integration of ecology into landscape architecture, aimed at advancing both theory and practice in response to global environmental challenges.