Values of rural landscapes in Europe: inspiration or by-product?

Abstract

European landscapes are facing a deep crisis. As a consequence of globalization and the economical change associated with it, traditional functions like production agriculture are becoming less important.After the self-evident but inspired landscapes of numerous generations of peasants, monks and landlords, landscape has now largely become a nameless by-product of the global economy. This paper shows that the key to developing new living landscapes lies in a participatory process oflandscape development with respect for their inherent values. Today, even in traditionally small-scale farming systems like organic farming, diverse and sustainable landscapes only develop if they are consciously wanted and when landscape development is integrated into the objectives of farming. The work that is needed to achieve such landscapes we call 'landscape work'. This paper describes a phenomenological approach to identifying landscape values and finding new inspiration for landscape management. It gives examples of the application of this approach in organic farming in Germany. It is concluded that a living, sustainable landscape combines the functional effects of producing economic and social benefits with the intertwined effects of providing identity and inspiration for getting actively involved in it, in accordance with its dynamic character. Living landscapes will enhance the well being, also of the predominantly urban European population. In other words: landscape works.

Dynamics of integrating landscape values in landscape character assessment: the hidden dominance of the objective outsider

“…The British geographer, Peter Howard (2013) sees that these factors are far reaching, including: religion, social structure, gender, age, experience, insiderness, profession, activity, and the purpose of the gaze. Accordingly individuals and groups bring their own experiences, ideologies and history with them when engaging with landscape issues resulting in differences arising over what values are recognised in the landscape (Eiter, 2010;Jones, 2009;Pedroli, Van Elsen and Van Mansvelt, 2007). For example a farmer's values of the landscape differ from those of a local urbanised population, whose values in turn differs from a tourist's, or the values which a professional undertaking an assessment may attribute to the same landscape.…”

Renewable Energies and European Landscapes

“…This area is located outside the Park perimeter but classifi ed as "contiguous 6 " in the Park Plan and Regulations (Figs. Historically, this process of de-stoning affected a signifi cant part of the current Alta Murgia agricultural area (Ambrosi et al 1990 ;Pastore 2007 ) and still characterizes the particular rural landscape of southeastern Alta Murgia today (Fig. It falls within the boundary of the "Murgia Alta" Nature 2000 SPA mentioned above.…”

“…However, this approach appears to confl ict directly with the policy orientation envisioned at the European level during the implementation process of the ELC, which was based on the acknowledgment of the different qualities inherent in the landscapes of everyday life (Pedroli et al 2007 ). These Guidelines were published in September 2010 by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development ( 2010 ).…”

Phenomenon of Abandoned Villages and Its Impact on Transformation of Rural Landscapes

“…There is a continuing concentration of people and activities in rather small, highly intensive and densely crowded areas, while vast areas of land become disaffected or even abandoned". Pedroli et al (2007) argue that traditional functions of landscapes like agricultural production are becoming less important, as a consequence of globalization and the economical change associated with it, and landscape has now largely become a nameless by-product of the global economy. Mitchell (2013, 28 p.) observes that "rural landscapes change as they transition from a productivist-based to potentially multi-functional state".…”