Nature Conservation and Landscapes: An Introduction to the Issues

The dialogue between landscape protection and nature conservation is often hampered by conceptual difficulties, but recent developments in our understanding of landscape, as in the European Landscape Convention, have shown how nature, in all its forms, is a key element in landscape. Similarly, recent developments in nature conservation show how landscapes can be made more resilient. Nature conservation and landscape protection converge around the idea of working at the scale of distinctive landscape units. This convergence is explored first through the example of IUCN’s Category V “protected areas” (Protected Landscapes/seascapes), which have been shown to be effective instruments for nature conservation and for the protection of agro-biodiversity. Three complementary national programmes in the UK are then described: National Character Areas which identify 159 areas of England which are distinguished by their nature conservation, landscape and other factors; Nature Improvement Areas which are designed to create, improve, extend and connect nature areas across broad tracts of England; and the Landscape Partnerships programme by which lottery funding is made available throughout the UK to support such large-scale initiatives. In all cases nature conservation is helped by being addressed through a landscape context.