Nicola Arndt und Matthias Pohl - Neobiota

While regional and national activities have led to detailed and policy-oriented results, most European
approaches are rather generic and lack a clearly defined policy-focus. During an international
workshop organised by Landscape Europe (Wageningen, August 9 th 2001), the participants agreed that
the necessary first step for an advanced approach towards European Landscape Character Assessment
must be the definition of clear and commonly agreed-upon objectives.
A range of European policy papers should be taken into account:
• Pan-European Biodiversity and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) and its Action Plan for
Landscapes (COE, UNEP & ECNC 1995);
• European Landscape Convention (COUNCIL OF EUROPE 2000);
• Agri-environmental assessments (EUROPEAN COMMISSION 2000, 1999; OECD, 1999).
PEBLDS & Action Theme 4
One objective of the PEBLDS Action Theme 4 (implementation period 1997 – 2001) was the
construction of a European Landscape Map in which the spatial dispersion and the land use aspects of
the European landscapes are represented. The project was building upon the existing approaches by J.
Meeus for his landscape map in The Dobríš Assessment (STANNERS & BOURDEAU 1995), and R.
Jongman & B. Bunce for their chapter in the EEA Technical Report. The latter suggested a
hierarchical landscape classification with four main levels:
Level 1: Climate Zone (Mediterranean, Alpine, Atlantic/Continental, and Boreal)
Level 2: Landscape Zone (defined by geomorphology, soil, hydrography, vegetation and ecology)
Level 3: Cultural landscape (defined by cultural history, land use, landscape pattern, scenery,
traditional economy, regional identity)
Level 4: Further specification of the functions mentioned above
The implementation of the Action Plan on European landscapes resulted in the completion of a first
phase of Level 2, namely the development of a geomorphologic map of Europe. Other data sets, such
as on soils, hydrology or vegetation still need to be incorporated.
European Landscape Convention
The European Landscape Convention requires Parties to carry out research and studies in order to
identify landscapes and analyse their characteristics and the dynamics and pressures which affect
them. The Explanatory Report states: Some countries have already performed nation-wide surveys of
landscapes. This work has revealed the landscape distinctiveness of different areas, each with its own
mixture of natural and man-made elements. Geographical information systems and modern techniques
of computerised mapping, also at urban level, are used to show up landscape characteristics, such as
the physical relief, the settlement pattern, the main land uses, economic activities, residential areas,
the presence or absence of features such as hedgerows and terraces, important wildlife habitats and
the heritage of past human activity (COUNCIL OF EUROPE 2000).
Agri-environmental assessments
A considerable amount of research has been undertaken in the framework of the EU’s programmes
into the relationship between agriculture and the environment. The ELISA project (WASCHER 2000)
was targeted at improving the territorial conceptual approaches emerging out of the OECD work on
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