Introduction

This book is the fourth volume of working papers from three Central European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland) of the CORASON project funded by the EU 6th Framework Programme, which traces sustainable management of rural resources and innovatory rural development. The papers, based on field studies, probe deeper under the surface of different biases to see whether common elements of rural development may also be at work. In this book, the authors guide readers through the complex interpretation of sustainability and innovation between analysis, description and ideology that characterize contemporary Central European countryside. Amongst the many themes explored, the book brings together in a guiding framework debates on sustainable rural development in the European Union new member states where the rate of rural population is much higher than the EU average.

The study of rural innovation addresses the forms, preconditions, knowledge forms, skills and capacities for rural economic development and projects. By seeking evidences of rural innovation the papers explore what kind of innovation contribute sustainable development projects, how these improvements are created, maintained spread, what role the government and state have in rural innovation in the tree Central European countries. The papers examine how actors interpret, negotiate, contest or even resist requirement of innovation in development projects. Another issue is the promotion of the culture-territory as the development project is built on local knowledge as resource for the generating of activity and of commoditizing local goods and services. What is the role of external mediating groups, what knowledge has been deployed and by whom? The third guiding question of input paper was the impact of urban pressure and new urban - rural relation on rural innovatory projects. The papers respond questions of potentials of innovatory projects for future rural development; knowledge used in innovatory projects and their sources, dynamics, social availability.

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Exploring and taking forward sustainability and innovation in Central European rural context the way may be a meeting of this necessity within the papers for improved theoretical approach. The input papers of the project as well observed trends suggest a set of research questions. The current idea of sustainable management of rural recourses is "to link and reformulate the narrower concept of nature conservation and biodiversity maintenance with another guiding concept that allows for maintenance and use of resources simultaneously" (Input paper, Tovey and Bruckmeier). The project differentiates conservation of rural recourses that is understood as a non-productive use of resources and sustainable use and management of recourses that may mean an expert-driven and authoritatively imposed beginning and in second phase stakeholder-driven management as the direction of change which is a necessary transition towards sustainable development. Sustainable management is also considered as a platform concept through which actors negotiate and renegotiate their specific interests.

The objective of the papers is to identify key resources in the areas studied including natural resources as linked with economic, social resources and systematic classification in the concept of the resource base or resource system. All three papers explore social, economic and environmental components of sustainability that includes differentiated and context-specific approaches of resource management, which is achieved through local and participatory organizational forms of resource management and use.

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To conclude further sociological, political science and environmental studies is called for the issues raised in these three papers. The introduced rhetoric and interest of actors can give base of more complex and vital projects of sustainable resource management and use in Central Europe. There are local social groups who are not involved; political, intellectual power relations and interest are still evident in partnership; individual motivation and economic benefit, synergy of interests need to be applied in impulsive method.

The Editors