The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, launched the National Landscape Strategy (NLS) for Ireland 2015-2025 last month.
The NLS will ensure compliance with the European Landscape Convention (ELC) and it will provide a high level policy framework to achieve balance between the management, planning and protection of our landscape.
Minister Humphreys said: “When we think of landscapes, we generally think of places of rural, scenic beauty. But our landscapes are much more than that; they are dynamic environments, the results of the interaction between natural and human factors.
“Our landscape goes beyond the countryside; it covers urban and rural areas, encompassing land, inland waters, coastal and marine areas. This includes every-day and degraded landscapes, as well as those considered to be exceptional. Crucially, our landscapes have a bearing on our quality of life and deserve attention in landscape policy.
“Our landscape can and will continue to accommodate multiple uses, and be appreciated in many different ways. However to have a sustainable society, environment and economy, we need to both embrace change and to manage our important landscape in an integrated and planned way.
“Using the parameters of the European Landscape Convention, our challenge now is achieving a balance between our social, cultural, economic and environmental needs for our various landscapes. The National Landscape Strategy is a first step in confronting this challenge.
“The strategy contains six core objectives which focus on developing appropriate landscape policies dealing with education, awareness and strengthening public participation. The core objective is to allow for the sustainable management of ‘change’, rather than ‘freezing’ the landscape at a particular point in time. This strategy will help us to anticipate and manage challenges between present and emerging land uses.”
The strategy can be accessed at: http://www.ahg.gov.ie/en/Heritage/NationalLandscapeStrategyforIreland/
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