Cultural landscape

With the blurred and inconsistent defined term cultural landscape permanently shaped by human landscape is referred to in principle. Together with the opposite term " natural landscape " creates a complementary pair of terms ( dichotomy ). Depending on the definition, for example, urban landscape, industrial or economic landscape are partially counted as cultural landscapes - some are not.

Important factors for the emergence and development of the cultural landscape are the nature ( site conditions ) of the natural environment with its fauna and flora as well as the interactions that result from the anthropogenic alteration of the natural environment.

• 3.1 Germany
• 3.2 Austria
• 3.3 Switzerland

Definitions

In the scientific literature of the earth and life sciences, as well as in the writings of land planning and conservation, the term " cultural landscape " used differing from each other in many ways and in some cases significantly. The cause of this inconsistency lies in the evaluation of hemeroby ( a measure of the total human impact on natural ecosystems), "Who shapes the landscape stronger - man or nature " is the " Question of Faith ".

Three basic definitions can be formulated:

The quantitative approach

According to this definition today would have the entire land surface of the earth are regarded as a cultural landscape since at least anthropogenic emissions are detectable everywhere. Accordingly, a distinction to the countryside would be obsolete.

This broad interpretation has the most supporters among landscape designers. Although it is often criticized and long "? Wilderness or cultural landscape " leads to debates within the meaning of, it is worth thinking about whether cultural landscapes not actually more or less large proportions did not intend to procedural effects of human activities. This raises the question, for example, how the processes of global climate change are to be evaluated in this context.

The value-neutral approach

The term anthropogenic (cultural) landscape is sometimes used as a synonym for this definition.

In this sense the Earth uninhabitable Anökumene ( ice, glaciers, deserts without vegetation ), but also are not permanently populated parts of the Subökumene be attributed to the natural landscapes. That would be as natural areas such as the primary forests of the humid tropics or the steppes and tundras of Asia, which are traditionally used only temporarily and extensively. Even by overexploitation destroyed ecosystems in the wilderness regions is expected by this definition to the cultural landscapes. The entire ecumenical movement - from the rural areas of the municipal or city landscapes to the industrial and economic landscapes - is attributed to the cultural landscapes here. This also includes all " wild " areas within the ecumenical movement, which were historically dominated by men. Therefore Residue from Hutewäldern or very old sanctuaries belong, because they are not " clearly influences " are as insular relics in populated areas away. May be mentioned in this context frequent visitors who left their mark and disturb the balance of nature, and the defunct European megafauna (eg, bison, aurochs, elk, brown bear ), whose landscape formative role remains unfilled.

This idea is often used by ecologists and provides, for example, the basis for the concept of " Anthropogenic Biomes " by Ellis and Ramankutty.

• Example from the dictionary of general geography:

The qualitative approach

This narrow focus is based on subjective notions of " desirable landscapes" and plays in particular in conservation an important role. To distinguish it from other related definitions of historic cultural landscapes or to certain areas cultural landscapes is spoken sometimes.

For example, is meant by the Central European cultural landscape marked by one agricultural use area, where the usage has not exceeded a certain Intensivitätsniveau. So until the first half of the 20th century very species-rich habitats created ( for example, wet meadows, heaths, orchards ), which are then disappeared with the further intensification of agriculture in large part again. Such historical cultural landscapes of Europe are species-rich (→ see: biodiversity) as a naturally formed conclusion forest community. Because of their unique characteristics, different cultural landscapes can be demarcated from each other.

Also, the qualitative approach is again expressed in different "varieties ". Two examples:

• Hans Hermann Wöbse:

• Gottfried Briemle:

The word culture ( in the agricultural structural sense) is not only understood as cultivation and care of the soil, but rather as an expression of human creativity in the rural area par excellence. The same standards as for the cultural buildings, and the intellectual and cultural ideas and Brauchtumsgut thus apply to the scenic features. Consequently, not only the plant cover is relevant, but also any visible sign of the landscape connectedness of the farmer. In nature, scale and intensity of forest management, he took advantage of the largely self-stabilizing balance of nature. Such man-made landscape elements are eg Heckensäume and wooded islands near fields to protect against wind and dehydration. Individual trees such as fruit or oak standard trees as shade trees on pastures. But even balks and dry stone walls to reduce erosion damage and to facilitate the management. Read Steinriegel were created in the reclamation of stony meadows or fields. This was once useful in the sense of a rural farming landscape elements disturb today often in the management of large areas. You will find protection eg through the designation as cultural monuments.

Structure

By 1946, the Swiss geographer Hans Carol tries to merge the different terms in a schema. Taking into account the present situation about the following categorization of cultural landscapes can be performed:

Cultural landscapes in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

The World Heritage Committee since 1992 provides certain sites of world cultural heritage with the addition of " cultural landscape ". For this purpose, it writes its implementing regulations:

"Cultural landscapes are cultural assets and provide as referred to in Article 1 of the Convention, the common works of man and nature ' Represent are exemplary for the development of human society and settlement over time, under the influence of the physical constraints and / or opportunities that has its natural environment and the acting from the outside and inside successive social, economic and cultural forces. "

The following cultural landscapes in the German-speaking countries have been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as they are particularly worthy of preservation by its " outstanding universal value ":

Germany

• 2000 - Dessau- Wörlitz
• 2002 - Cultural Landscape of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley
• 2004 - cultural landscape of Dresden Elbe Valley (2009 again discharged )
• 2004 - Prince Pueckler Park Bad Muskau

Austria

Switzerland

• 2007 - in Lavaux Vineyard Terraces

The scientific study of cultural landscapes

The Cultural Landscape as a system of interaction of human activity and the natural environment is in a sense which goes beyond the UNESCO definition, the subject of the study program Master of Cultural Landscapes ( MaCLands ), who as European Master jointly by the Universities of Naples, Saint -Étienne and Stuttgart is available ( www.maclands.eu ).