CÍMLAP
Perception of landscape changes in three trans-boundary focus areas
CONTENT, INTRODUCTION
Content
1. Introduction
2. Research issue and method
2.1. Project regions
2.1.1. Project region North (Elbe Sandstone Mountains, Czech Republic - Germany)
2.1.2. Project region Central-South (Sopron, Fertő/Neuseidlersee, Hanság/Waasen; Austria-Hungary)
2.1.3. Project region South (Őrség/Goričko, Hungary - Slovenia)
2.2. Research method
3. Perception of the present landscape
3.1. Elbe Sandstone Mountains - Project region North
3.1.1. The boundaries of the landscapes
3.1.2. The perceived character and valuable landscape features
3.1.3. The direct and indirect knowledge of the ecological network
3.1.4. Perceived environmental problems, landscape degradation and conflicts
3.1.5. Perception of the "other side of the border"
3.2. Sopron basin, Fertő/Neusiedlersee, Hanság - Project region Central-South
3.2.1. The boundaries of the landscapes
3.2.2. The perceived character and valuable landscape features
3.2.3. The direct and indirect knowledge of the ecological network
3.2.4. Perceived environmental problems, landscape degradation and conflicts
3.2.5. The perception of the "other side of the border"
3.3. Őrség/Goričko - Project region South
3.3.1. The perceived character and valuable landscape features
3.3.2. The direct and indirect knowledge of the ecological network
3.3.3. Perceived environmental problems, landscape degradation and conflicts
3.3.4. The perception of the "other side of the border"
4. Perception of the past, the landscape changes and the future scenarios
4.1. Project Region North - Elbe Sandstone Mountains
4.1.1 Perception of the past and the landscape changes
4.1.2. Changes in agriculture and forestry
4.1.3. Changes in settlements, infrastructure and tourism
4.1.4. The vision of the future and the ideal landscape
4.2. Sopron basin, Fertő/Neusiedlersee, Hanság - Project region Central-South
4.2.1. Perception of the past and the landscape changes
4.2.2. Changes in the agriculture and forestry
4.2.3. Changes in the settlements, infrastructure and tourism
4.2.4. The vision of the future and the ideal landscape in the Sopron-Fertő-Hanság region
4.3. Őrség/Goričko - Project region South
4.3.1. Perception of the past and the landscape changes
4.3.2. Changes in agriculture and forestry
4.3.3. Changes in settlements, infrastructure and tourism
4.3.4. The vision of the future and the ideal landscape
5. Highlights of the perception and conclusions
5.1. Main focuses in the perception of the present, the past and the landscape changes
5.1.1. Elbe Sandstone Mountains - Project Region North
5.1.2. Sopron basin, Fertő/Neusiedlersee, Hanság - Project region Central-South
5.1.3. Őrség/Goričko - Project region South
5.2. The role of nature and the visual perception in defining landscape identity and changes
5.2.1. Sopron basin, Fertő/Neusiedlersee, Hanság - Project region Central-South
5.2.2 Őrség/Goričko - Project region South
5.3. Conclusions for future strategies for ecological network restoration
5.2.1. Sopron basin - Fertő/Neusiedlersee - Hanság - Project region Central-South
5.3.2. Őrség/Goričko - Project region South
Introduction
Protected areas, including national parks, nature parks or biosphere
reserves, are often islands isolated by highly transformed areas, traffic
corridors or settlements. Over the last decades, it became apparent that
the Earth's biodiversity and natural system cannot be preserved only
with protected reserves (Németh, 1995). There is a need for a spatially
interconnected system of natural areas, as an ecological network, which
allows dispersion, migration and reproduction for plants and animals, thus
helping their survival. Ecological network is the "infrastructure network
of nature", which is a living frame for wildlife and humans, and for people
also provide many cultural and health services (Konkoly-Gyuró, 2010).
The TransEcoNet (Transnational Ecological Network in Central Europe)
project aims at assessing trans-boundary ecological networks. It strives to
prepare strategies for protection, restoration, planning and management of
the nature's infrastructure network. In the framework of the project both
protected and non-protected areas in Central European border landscapes
were investigated and assessed in relationship to their history, connectivity
and biodiversity.
According to the European Landscape Convention, landscape is a territory,
perceived by people, which is characterized by the relationship between
nature and humanity and also referred to as the cultural heritage of a
region (Council of Europe, 2000). Following this concept, within the
TransEcoNet project, historical and cultural components of landscape
changes were considered, for instance, the land-use changes and the
perception of changes as well as the relation between nature and society
in the project regions.
In TransEcoNet there are two work packages assessing landscape changes. WP4
revealed the land use/land cover transformation in the last 200 years based
on historical maps. WP 6.1 surveyed people's perceptions of changes in
border landscapes by means of interviews with contemporary witnesses.
Recently this method of interviews has become more important as a tool for
documentation of local knowledge and historical development of landscapes
for instance in regional planning, in nature conservation and environmental
management (Calvo-Iglesias, et al., 2006).
In the present study the results from the interview survey of oral history
with regard to perceptions of landscape identity, the historical and recent
landscape changes will be presented in three trans-boundary project
regions. Based on the national surveys carried out in Germany, Czech
Republic, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia in 2010-2011, this report focuses
on the comparison of perceptions in the neighbouring countries and
summarises the results of these seminal studies.