http://www.forum2000.cz/en/projects/forum-2000-conferences/2011/panel-summaries/we-are-the-landscape/
We Are the Landscape
Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 14.30–16.00, Academy of Sciences
In cooperation with CENELC
Moderator:
Mikuláš Huba, Environmentalist, Deputy Director, Institute of Geography, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia
Panel Discussion:
Martin Říha, Member of the Board, Society for Sustainable Life, Czech Republic
Jana Dlouhá, Lecturer, Environmental Center, Charles University, Czech Republic
Martin Stránský, Director, Centre of Networks for Implementation of European Landscape Convention, Czech Republic
Josef Fanta, Lecturer, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
The moderator of the panel, Mikuláš Huba introduced the theme by using the question: ”What´s landscape?” Finding the answer is difficult, but he put forward the definition, that landscape is a value. Further he mentioned that there exists a strong reciprocal effect between how people treat it, and how the environment develops in the future.
Martin Říha wanted to give an impression of the landscape of the Czech Republic. He alludes, that on the one hand people need some regulations, which describe how to treat the environment and on the other hand, it has to be a free decision of every single individual to be environmental friendly. Jana Dlouhá based her presentation on the Atlas of Our Changing Environment, which is a cooperative project between the UNEP and Google Earth. The aim of the Atlas is to illustrate the man-made impacts on our environment, for example the melting of the ice polls, urbanization or destruction of the rain forest. Further she mentioned the examples of environmental changes in Europe and in the Czech Republic like the so called “Black Triangle”.
Josef Fanta continued to describe his personal experiences of living in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic and compared different types of landscapes and solutions for protecting them. Finally Martin Stránský stressed the point, that landscape is a part of our everyday life and that´s the reason why we should take care of it.