Trends in European cultural landscape development: perspectives for a sustainable future

Europe has a long history of landscape use, ranging from prehistoric to present times. Many old cultural landscapes have high qualities, but the management regime they developed under is no more feasible economically. Modern society increasingly utilizes landscape in a great variety of ways and for many purposes. This poses a complex pressure on cultural landscapes, threatening landscape qualities. Therefore planners and managers are facing the question: how can a sustainable future for old cultural landscapes, based on sound economics and the commitment of all actors be achieved? After a comprehensive overview of landscape use in the past, the various ways in which people have regarded their landscape and the ever changing attitude towards landscape use are reviewed. Modern agricultural practices, urbanization and recreation all threaten the existence of valuable cultural landscapes, but simple solutions to conserve many of these landscapes are not at hand. Perspectives for a sustainable future for historic European cultural landscapes are based on the following observations: society's demand for multifunctionality; the inclination of farmers to meet this demand if it is economically profitable; support from national and local authorities (and the public) for ecologically sound management and finally, decentralization of landscape ruling and legislation, which favours regional solutions. Landscape ecology, as a study of relations on the earth's surface can tackle planning and management issues from numerous view points, each with its own focal points. Scientists from all over Europe, convening in the Netherlands, set out new directions for landscape science. Priorities for the next century include: integration between disciplines; matching of scales in rime and place with users, researchers and decision makers to enhance interaction and understanding. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.