Hannes Palang

The forgotten rural landscapes of Central and Eastern Europe

Interactions between nature and man – the underlying forces in landscape – have over time caused diversity. Usually, geographers and landscape ecologists deal with spatial diversity; in this paper, we would like to also consider temporal diversity. We argue that Central and Eastern European landscapes (using the examples of Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia) are much more diverse in time (layers) than Western European ones. This difference requires the use of different indicators in order to measure and study landscapes and special problems, threats, and possibilities of management and future development – but most important is the consideration of different perceptions. We also show that this diversity reduces the readability of landscapes, creating miscommunication and a transformation of meanings. We further argue that the link between humans and landscape is lost in Central and Eastern European countries due to temporal diversity, and that this link will be created anew in a globalizing world. To overcome alienation, we need slightly different classifications/typologies for each country in this region, with the aim of a sound future management of cultural landscapes.

Holistic aspects in landscape development: a scenario approach

Abstract A holistic approach to landscape development includes biological, physical and human components. This approach becomes even more useful when landscapes face rapid change. This paper is based on a landscape model ( Keisteri, 1990 ) that consists of visible material features, perceivable non-material features, and underlying processes. Landscape change is sometimes unpredictable because the transformation consists of autonomous as well as human-steered processes. This study argues that study of the perceivable, non-material features and underlying processes influencing landscape change can be used to create scenarios that predict the visible, material changes in the landscape. As an example, a case study has been carried out in Obinitsa, Estonia. Four scenarios were created to project the possible landscape changes in that marginal area. After that the locals’ preferences of these scenario were tested. Of the different development options people prefer those which resemble the identity of the landscape or those which, although introducing larger changes, create a feeling of certainty, predictability, welfare and well-being.

Development of European landscapes

This editorial paper analyses comprehensive information presented on International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE) European Conference “Development of European Landscapes” jointly organized by the University of Stockholm and University of Tartu, held in both Stockholm, Sweden, 30 June–2 July 2001, and in Tartu, Estonia, 3–6 July 2001. Selected conference findings from oral presentations and posters are presented here. About 130 oral presentations and 50 posters representing 33 countries were presented during the conference. Sixteen papers published as part of this special issue of Landscape and Urban Planning, and summarized here, deal with general and methodological principles of the landscape analysis and research, and also, present case studies on landscape ecology, planning and management from various European countries.

Exploring ecosystem-change and society through a landscape lens: recent progress in European landscape research

Landscapes are closely linked to human well-being, but they are undergoing rapid and fundamental change. Understanding the societal transformation underlying these landscape changes, as well as the ecological and societal outcomes of landscape transformations across scales are prime areas for landscape research. We review and synthesize findings from six important areas of landscape research in Europe and discuss how these findings may advance the study of ecosystem change and society and its thematic key priorities. These six areas are: (1) linkages between people and the environment in landscapes, (2) landscape structure and land-use intensity, (3) long-term landscape history, (4) driving forces, processes, and actors of landscape change, (5) landscape values and meanings, and (6) landscape stewardship. We propose that these knowledge areas can contribute to the study of ecosystem change and society, considering nested multiscale dynamics of social-ecological systems; the stewardship of these systems and their ecosystem services; and the relationships between ecosystem services, human well-being, wealth, and poverty. Our synthesis highlights that knowledge about past and current landscape patterns, processes, and dynamics provides guidance for developing visions to support the sustainable stewardship of social-ecological systems under future conditions.

Holistic landscape ecology in action

This paper summarizes the outcome of the Holistic Landscape Ecology in Action workshop, held at the IALE World Congress. It argues that instead of traditional approaches, a holistic approach should be taken while studying landscapes. It also provides a summary of different applications, more thoroughly described in this issue of the Landscape and Urban Planning. # 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Landscapes in change—opposing attitudes in Saaremaa, Estonia

The paper explores how different stakeholders understand landscapes and which could be their role in planning and landscape change. The focal emphasis of the study lies on the values of Saaremaa Island. Local farmers and schoolchildren were interviewed and questioned to find out their perceptions and expectations about the landscapes. A media analysis was used to study how these understandings were represented in newspapers. The results reveal an alarming situation where the most valued landscapes experience signs of degradation and disappearance. The divergent goals, and concurrently, the varying valuations among different actors should be taken into account in landscape planning projects.

Prospects for nature and landscape protection in Estonia

The current article focuses on the past, present and future of nature conservation and landscape protection in Estonia. Five stages of nature conservation can be distinguished: (1) the common law phase, (2) the phase of narrow regulations restricting the use of nature resources, (3) the protection of nature monuments and species protection, (4) the establishment of multifunctional protected areas, and (5) the nature protection outside protected areas, cross-sectoral approach to preserving landscape and biological diversity. The main problems of current landscape protection and future trends are outlined. Designing the national ecological network and connecting it to the European ecological network is the priority for further nature and landscape conservation policy.

Cultural and Historical Values in Landscape Planning: Locals’ Perception

Culture is the hidden hand of land use planning. Culture bounds the land in diverse ways. Culture marks the corners and edges of place; it selects which places will be sacred and which will be sacrificed; it yields maps of place and bestows place names; and it decides the aesthetics and ethics of the land (Geisler 2000). Cultural heritage has been discussed by many authors of different disciplines for many decades (e.g. Meinig 1979; Lowenthal 1985; Daniels & Cosgrove 1988; Graham et al. 2000; Claval 2002; Maaranen 2003). The relationships between land use and culture are of perennial interest in such disciplines as cultural anthropology, human geography, natural history, landscape architecture and human ecology. In recent years also the landscape ecologists have started to realize the importance of cultural heritage and its role in the landscape planning process and landscape management, and a large number of works have been published in this field of research (Nassauer 1997; Stenseke 1999; Luz 2000; Oreszczyn 2000; Cantwell & Adams 2003; Fry 2003).

Comprehension of rapidly transforming landscapes of Central and Eastern Europe in the 20th century

The article presents landscapes as natural, historical, cultural, social and political phenom-ena, and above all as a meaningful part of the environment. We will argue – by giving a contextual framework of landscape changes followed by four case studies from Central and Eastern Europe – that comprehen-sion of landscapes has declined in the 20thcentury. Along with urbanization, globalization and other societal processes rapidly varying socio-economic formations have caused alienation: changes in power result in changes in a societys values and thus some landscape elements are disintegrating, fading or disappear-ing and, as a result, these landscapes are taking on new, altered or modified appearances, functions and meanings. Every change in landscape needs some time to become accepted but if this re-coding of what is regarded as valuable is constantly changing, people become confused, with resultant physical conse-quences: land abandonment; illegal dumping; ill fitting infrastructures; inappropriate housing developments; etc. The main question is whether modern development, e.g. tourism, enhances the relationship between people and the landscape.

Editorial: Landscape and Seasonality—Seasonal Landscapes

HANNES PALANG*, GARY FRY**, JUSSI S. JAUHIAINEN*, MICHAEL JONES & HELEN SOOVÄLI* *Institute of Geography, University of Tartu, Estonia **Department of Landscape Planning, Norwegian Agricultural University, Ås, Norway Department of Geography, University of Oulu, Finland Department of Geography, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Institute of Ecology, Tallinn Pedagogical University, Estonia