Kačina project (Czech Republic): Implementation of the European Landscape Convention on local level using participative approach

Research project “The implementation of the European Landscape Convention in intensively used type of agricultural landscape with signs of historical landscape design activities - the pilot study at the Nové Dvory – Kačina region” serves as the first example of the implementation of the Convention on local level in the Czech Republic. The main goal of the project is to work out effective measures to guarantee landscape sustainability, respecting both natural and economic potential of the present cultural landscape as well as the protection and development of its natural, historical and cultural values. According to the demands of the Convention, the emphasis is laid on the participative approach, i.e. to involve both general public and professional community, state and municipal authorities and further “players“ and stakeholders interested in the landscape of the model area.

Modified ECOVAST method was used to manage workshops with local people. Participative SWOT analysis and identification of different interests in the landscape made possible to elaborate a landscape diagnosis of the area under investigation. Consequently four different scenarios (integration, segregation, exploitation and abandonment scenario) of further development of the landscape were elaborated. The scenarios were repeatedly consulted with wider local community and important stakeholders during further workshops.

The project’s final aim was the generation of a thirty-year strategic vision for the landscape quality objective. The objective should be used as a basis for strategic landscape planning documents (e.g., local plans, land use changes or plans for the protection of natural and cultural values). Developing alternative landscape scenarios and their participative assessment were proved as a good tool for formulating landscape quality objective. It was necessary to reach a general agreement about the scenario. Despite local stakeholders are mostly conservative and afraid of changes, they did not prefer exploitation scenario which is mostly progress of present driving forces. The optimal scenario was determined to be the intersection of the integration and segregation scenarios which implied several land cover and land use changes aimed to sustainable development.

This presentation is intended to explain the process of creating the landscape quality objective in the Kačina project. The landscape quality objective for Novodvorsko and Žehušicko region was prepared after participative consultation with local stakeholders combined with research. An interdisciplinary research team was composed of architects, scientific and humanities researchers and technicians. The results open further research questions, e. g. how integrate a landscape quality objective into spatial planning in general and to each strategic landscape planning document.