Rudina Toto

XXX Cycle - (A.A. 2014-2015)

IDAUP
Home Institution: Polis University Tirana
Scholarship
Curriculum: Urban Planning (ICAR20)
Research Topic: Governance of Forest Commons
Tutor DA-UNIFE: Luca Emanueli
Tutor Polis University: Vezir Muharremaj
Nationality: Albanian

Email: rudina_toto@co-plan.org

Profile

Biography
Rudina Toto (PhD): senior expert in territorial and environmental planning and governance, head of planning unit and of the workshop on territorial governance at Co-PLAN. She serves academia since 15 years, initially at the Polytechnic University of Tirana and currently at POLIS University. Co-editor of the Habitat Magazine – POLIS University imprint; holds the Albanian Architecture Award 2018; has management, technical and research experience in urban and spatial planning, city development strategies, territorial information systems, regionalization and regional development, strategic environmental assessments; co-author in the planning legislation reform during 2010-2016; was external advisor to the process of drafting the National Territory Plan of Albania. She conducted her studies in Albania, the Netherlands and Italy. She holds an MSc in Architecture and Urban Planning, MSc in Urban Environmental Management and conducted postgraduate studies in housing and land management.

Research skills
Land management | Ecosystem services | Environmental spatial planning | Forest commons | Territorial governance

Scientific activities

ORCID ID:
0000-0002-6281-7732

IRIS UNIFE ID:
rp00000

Doctoral research

Ecosystem-Based Governance of Forest Commons – The Case of Shkumbini River Basin, Albania

This research is developed around the central question of whether forest commons’ models/regimes can positively influence the conventional governance setting in favour of sustainability, and outmatch the ‘boundaries and scales’ mismatch. It is built around the notion that an ecosystem-based governance of the natural resources is needed to mitigate territorial mismatches, and achieve sustainable and balanced territorial development. Forest is chosen as the natural resource that contributes through its ecosystem services to balanced and resilient territorial development on both, the small and the global scale. The geographical area of research is one river basin, as a natural and functional space for ecosystems services boundaries. The river basin is composed of several ecosystems and human settlements in a continuous interaction, and constitutes a larger-scale common, or a polycentric network of commons. The research analyses the 8 design principles of robust commons’ institutions and the SESMAD variables for the large-scale commons. A mapping of ES supply-demand budgets is made to link the governance system with the territorial effects of ecosystem services. The existence of various values within the common’s institutions is then verified. The research provides a logical framework for the further study of ecosystem-based governance of forest commons, as a means to link institutions with the territory and scientific knowledge on ecosystem services. The latter is key to enabling sustainable development in a world of spatial-temporal scale mismatches as regard natural resources and the services they render to humanity.

Keywords
Forest Commons | Ecosystem Services | Territorial Governance | Resilience | Scales mismatch