“Landscape …

… has an important public interest role in the cultural, ecological, environmental and social fields, and constitutes a resource favourable to economic activity and whose protection, management and planning can contribute to job creation;

… contributes to the formation of local cultures and that it is a basic component of the European natural and cultural heritage, contributing to human well-being and consolidation of the European identity;

… is an important part of the quality of life for people everywhere: in urban areas and in the countryside, in degraded areas as well as in areas of high quality, in areas recognised as being of outstanding beauty as well as everyday areas.”

 

 

The landscape was transformed in significant ways during the centuries, except for the northern and high-altitude landscapes, but our densely populated continent is still rich and is a landscape heritage for everybody. Many organisations and experts in European countries identified the vulnerability of our natural and cultural heritage, and they considered the cooperation for the protection, management and development of the landscape as their very important task. The result of their cooperation is the European Landscape Convention of the Council of Europe (hereinafter as ELC).

 

“Landscape” means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors.”

 

 

 

 

July, 2000
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the text of the Convention, and the Secretary-general of the Council of Europe called upon the member states of the Council of Europe to join the Landscape Convention

20 October, 2000
The Convention was signed in Florence, Italy (Florence Convention)

1 March, 2004
The Convention entered into force, after being ratified by ten signatory countries.

28 September, 2005
Hungary signed the Convention.

17 September,2007
The Hungarian Parliament ratified the convention by passing Act. No. CXI. of 2007 on the European Landscape Convention.

1 February, 2008
The Convention entered into force in Hungary.

September, 2010
The National Co-ordination Committee of the European Landscape Convention, made up of representatives of the ministries responsible for the implementation of ELC in Hungary, began its operation.

25 June, 2012
The Rural Development Minister established the Landscape Award with a Ministerial statement.

September, 2012
The National Co-ordination Committee of the European Landscape Convention operates as a Working Group under the name of European Landscape Convention National Coordination Working Group.

March, 2013
The Hungarian Expert Board of the European Landscape Convention, professional adviser of the European Landscape Convention National Coordination Working Group began its work.

It formulates independent professional opinion in order to facilitate the implementation of the European Landscape Convention in Hungary.

 

Until 31st December, 2014, 40 countries joined the Landscape Convention, and 38 of the signing countries ratified it.

 

 

 

The aims of the Convention are: to promote landscape protection, management and planning, and to organise European co-operation on landscape issues.

 

Important!

The Convention applies to the entire territory of the Parties and covers natural, rural, urban and peri-urban areas. It includes land, inland water and marine areas. It concerns landscapes that might be considered outstanding as well as everyday or degraded landscapes.

 

 

For the implementation of the Convention, each Party undertakes:

 

– to recognise landscapes in law as an essential component of people’s surroundings, an expression of the diversity of their shared cultural and natural heritage, and a foundation of their identity;

– to establish and implement landscape policies aimed at landscape protection, management and planning through the adoption of specific measures;

– to implement a manifold regulation and planning of the landscape, involving the public, local authorities and other participants;

– to integrate landscape into its regional and town planning policies and in its cultural, environmental, agricultural, social and economic policies, as well as in any other policies with possible direct or indirect impact on our landscapes;

– to increase awareness among civil society, private organisations, and public authorities of the value of landscapes, their role and changes to them;

– increase the role of social and civil groups in decision making;

– to provide training and education connected with landscape to experts from different specialities

 

Tasks set forth in the European Landscape Convention have already been partly completed by Hungary. Some important results are: protection of landscapes is regulated by Act No. LIII. of 1996 on Nature Conservation, and strategies regarding landscapes allow for landscape protection, management and planning. Training of experts competent in assessing and managing landscapes has also had a long tradition in Hungary. Regulations make it possible for the public and competent local organizations to be actively involved in the decision making regarding landscapes (e.g. public forums and public hearings). Nevertheless, if we take a closer look at our neighbourhoods, we can see that there is still a lot to be done.

 

In our country the Ministry of Agriculture has the primary responsibility for the implementation of ELC. The Ministry of Agriculture performs its tasks in accordance with the concept of the Convention in co-operation with the Minister of Culture and the Minister in charge of regional development and spatial planning. The platform for their collaboration is the European Landscape Convention National Co-ordination Working Group. Its predecessor began operation in 2010 with the participation of the relevant ministries.

 

The objectives of the European Landscape Convention can only be achieved if people in direct everyday contact with the landscape who live and work in the area, acknowledge and appreciate the importance of preserving the landscape values of their surroundings.

 

Website of the Council of Europe in English and French:

 

 

 

 

Granting the Europe Landscape Award of the Council of Europe is a key program in the implementation process of the European Landscape Convention.

 

The Landscape Award of the Council of Europe acknowledges the outstanding work performed by local governments, local government associations, and social organizations for the sustainable planning, management and/or protection of landscape. The award is not given to a region for its natural and cultural heritage and the beauty of the landscape, but to organizations for their exemplary conservation and sustainable use of landscape. The award has been granted every second year since 2009.
 

 

 

“The Landscape Award of the Council of Europe is a distinction which may be conferred on local and regional authorities and their groupings that have instituted, as part of the landscape policy of a Party to this Convention, a policy or measures to protect, manage and/or plan their landscape, which have proved lastingly effective and can thus serve as an example to other territorial authorities in Europe. The distinction may be also conferred on non-governmental organisations which have made particularly remarkable contributions to landscape protection, management or planning.”

 

 

The aim of the Landscape Award of The Council of Europe is to encourage local communities to promote sustainable landscape planning, landscape management and/or landscape protection through their own means. It helps to make people more aware of the importance of the quality of the landscape and of the risks of effects that local people, landscape users and decision makers can have on landscapes. The presentation of our landscape heritage, increasing understanding of the role of landscape and our social responsibility raise the value of landscapes. The award also supports community participation in decision making processes concerning landscape policies. In essence, the Council of Europe regards the award as a milestone in the implementation process.

 

The Council of Europe adopted a decision (CM/Res (2008)3 decision) formulating detailed rules governing the competition for the Award. The Parties to the Convention can apply for the award to the committee of experts set up by the Council of Europe. The Hungarian candidate is nominated for the award by the Ministry of Agriculture, the primary authority for the implementation of ELC. It forwards the application materials of its nominee in English or French language to the Council of Europe Secretariat, after considering the recommendation of the National Coordination Working Group.

 

The Europe Landscape Award is conferred by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

 
 

 

The year before the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe is presented, the ministries responsible for the implementation of ELC in Hungary open a competition for selecting the national candidate for the Award. The primary objective of the national level competition is to select the best project which can represent Hungary with the greatest chance in the international completion for the award. The national competition can also contribute to a great extent to accomplishing the objectives of ELC and raising awareness of its importance.

 

In 2012 the Minister responsible for rural development raised the status of the selection procedure in Hungary by establishing the Hungarian Landscape Award. The participants of the competition first competed for the Hungarian Landscape Award in 2012.

 

The Hungarian Landscape Award is a prize established for local governments, local government associations and social organizations in recognition of their particularly remarkable contributions to the protection, management and planning of the Hungarian landscape. The biennial prize is awarded by the minister responsible for nature conservation in agreement with the minister responsible for culture and in co-operation with the minister responsible for regional development and the minister responsible for spatial planning.

 

The award can be conferred on local governments, municipal associations or social organizations which have completed outstanding projects in the field of landscape heritage preservation, development and related planning, management, education and raising awareness. There is also the possibility for governments and (local) NGOs to jointly submit their applications.

 

The programs of the competitions can be carried out on protected or unprotected areas in accordance with the spirit of the ELC.

 

 

The applications are criticised and evaluated by the permanent experts of the Inter-agency Board, which coordinates the national implementation of the European Landscape Convention. Its members are the delegates from cooperating Ministries who help in the transaction of the competition.

 

If necessary, the jury or it’s assigned members make an inspection visit to make sure that the information included in the application are true and to see the effective operation of the programs. The applications are qualified and evaluated textually as well by the jury after a predetermined standard form. The evaluation sheet is available on the Hungarian website of the European Landscape Convention (www.termeszetvedelem.hu/tajegyezmeny). Recognition is given only for applicants that reach a national level quality. The applicants are notified of the text reviews of the applications by the jury. The criticism and the short presentation of the program are published on the thematic website.

 

 

Only projects which have been completed and open to the public at least three years before the applications were submitted can be nominated for the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe.

 

It is an advantage if the program does not stop with the documented part. The results should be maintained, the changes of the landscape should be followed and further landscape conservation and development actions should be in progress at the time of the competition.

 

Organisations that made former applications can also take part in the competition.

 

The prize can be won only once for the same program. After 5 years, if the program was developed and the development in itself is worthy of recognition, the prize can be won again. The local governments, governmental associations and social organisations that worked together on landscape conservation and development programs can win a common price.

 

– Harmony with the regional natural landscape conditions

– Harmony with the national, regional and local conservation programs, local plans and settlement assets. The program should have a clear purpose

– Demonstration of their environmental, social, economic, cultural and aesthetic sustainability

– Termination of processes damaging, endangering the structure and character of the landscape, to conserve its uniqueness

– How did the program enrich the landscape? To what extent did it contribute to the formation of new landscape values?

A good example of good practice for others to follow
 

– Involving other organisations in the program

– Involving the affected population in the program
 

The program’s contribution to raising public awardness of the landscape heritage

 

Taking the complexity of the landscape into account during the implementation of the program

 

– The results should be documented and should be available to those who are concerned

– Continuation of the program after the application

 

 

The competition was first held in 2008. In the first tendering cycle, the Pro Vértes Közalapítvány (Pro Vértes Public Foundation for Nature Conservation) won with the application, “Implementation of a Complex Landscape and Nature Management Program in the Zámoly Basin”, and participated in the tender of the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe in 2009.

 

The Kaptárkő Egyesület (Beehive Rock Nature Conservation and Cultural Association) won the national level competition held in 2010, with the tender “Protecting the exceptional natural and cultural-historical assets of the Bükkalja Region” and participated in the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe in 2011 (Maintaining landscape heritage of the Bükkalja Region).

 

The Által-ér Vízgyűjtő Helyreállítási és Fejlesztési Szövetség (The Association for the Restoration and Development of the Által Creek Valley) was the winner of the Hungarian Landscape Award in 2013, with the competition called, “Landscape protection and landscape management in the Gerecse Mountains and the Által Creek Valley”. Gaining the first place allowed them to represent our country (Complex landscape rehabilitation and development programme in the Gerecse Mountains and the Által Creek Valley) at the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe in 2013.

 

The winner of the Hungarian Landscape Award in 2015 was the Zöldutak Módszertani Egyesület, Vasfüggöny Út Egyesület, a Rédicsi Közös Önkormányzati Hivatal, és a Nemzeti Agrárszaktanácsadási, Képzési és Vidékfejlesztési Intézet (Greenways Methodological Association, Iron Curtain Trail Association, Local Government of Rédics and National Agricultural Advisory, Educational and Rural Development Institute). The name of their application was: “The Fabulous Hetés Greenway – A sample program for the cadastral survey of unique landscape features and their protection within the project of creating a cross-border green way”. Their cross border project (Borderless cooperation of local communities for the landscape heritage of „Fabulous” Hetés) is going to represent Hungary in 2015 at the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe.
 

 

The Landscape Award of the Council of Europe and the connected tenders of the national level competition are presented on a renewable and expanding travelling exhibition by the responsible Ministries. The displays can be rented by subscription free of charge. You can get more information from the Hungarian website of the convention.

 

 

 

The application won the 2008 National Landscape Award and represented Hungary in the competition for the 2009 Landscape Award of the Council of Europe

 

Applicant: Pro Vértes Közalapítvány (Pro Vértes Public Foundation for Nature Conservation)

 

 

To create a holding pattern that not only provides a reasonable and ecological use of the land, but also contributes to the reservation and revitalisation of the folk lifestyle, habits, folk assets and to the conservation of breeds of ancient domestic animals.

 

In 1997 a small grey cattle herd was bought, which today has approx. 500 animals.

 

Grazing utilizes drier areas and the regions where crop harvesting is not desirable because the ground is wet, bird nesting and for saving the tussocky sites for nesting places.

As part of our nature and landscape management program, our Foundation has been using a harvesting method in our grasslands in the Zámoly Basin for several years which is uncommon in today’s normal practices. Based on our many years of experience with nature management…

 

– we perform harvesting later than usual (at the end of June – early July), once a year;

– we leave the central areas very rich in natural values;

– we use a bird friendly method of harvesting which warns the birds, and

– using max. 2 m cutting width and chain curtain which warns game birds;

– harvesting is performed by trained personnel committed to protecting nature.

 

Reconstruction and recovery of former manorial buildings

 

– Captain farm “Százados-tanya”: (once on the land of an army officer). First there was a house and a farm. Later they built a sheep cote too but it was dismantled in 1990’s. On this place, we rebuilt the stable and the corral of the Hungarian grey cattle herd for the winter period. Here, we help the settlement of those species that were once part of the farm habitats, like Athene noctua, Tyto alba, Ciconia ciconia, Falco tinnunculus, Upopa epops and swallows, by putting out artificial baskets, nests and boxes.

 

– Smoke house “Dohányos-ház”: In the 1760’s there was an inn, on the place of the servants’ house, built in 1912. We bought the abandoned, ruined building and with the use of the old building materials we reconstructed it by saving the original image. The building got a new function as a guest house and with its spirit, it perfectly matches the means of nature management.

 

– Guarding traditions: Our foundation’s priorities are to preserve cultural historical memories of the “puszta” life in Dunántúl, and to take care of the folk crafts. That is why we have organized the Mihály Day horsemen and shepherds meeting every autumn since 2001.

 

Raising environmental awareness, tourism: Until now the Geszner House was offered to us, our nature experience trails included only one-day programmes for school children but in 2008 we opened our Boglártanya Forest School programs lasting several days can be arranged with accommodations and summer camps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The application won the 2010 National Landscape Award and represented Hungary in the competition for the 2011 Landscape Award of the Council of Europe

 

Applicant: Kaptárkő Természetvédelmi Egyesület (Beehive Rock Nature Conservation and Cultural Association)

 

 

It is a cooperation for the sustainable and competitive tourism in the Bükkalja, that is particulary based on the local natural, cultural-historical assets and traditions.

 

 

For the purposes of a professional database to be used in the conservation of the “Beehive Rocks” we took an inventory of 72 Beehive Rocks in 38 locations.

 

We drafted the support documentation in order to place the Beehive Rocks under “ex lege” protection.

 

The rehabilitation of the Beehive Rocks of the Bükkalja Region, including the removal of invasive species, particularly the locust tree (Robinia), has been an ongoing effort for over 10 years. Initially, our projects were founded on little more than the sheer enthusiasm of the members of our association. Later on, we accessed tender funds to finance our operations. At first we focused on the conservation and rehabilitation of the Beehive Rocks at Cserépváralja, Cserépfalu, Demjén, Eger, and Szomolya. Subsequently, a grant awarded by the Norwegian Civil Support Fund allowed us to expand and work on the rest of the beehive rock groups in the region. Given that the eradication of an invasive species may take as long as several decades, we cannot yet say we have accomplished our goals, although we have certainly achieved significant results. Owing to our efforts, the re-population of indigenous species is now well under way, and the Beehive Rocks have become accessible for display and study.

 

As part of our regular operations, we maintain and develop the nature trails of the Bükkalja Region, which are slowly becoming an interlinked network. In collaboration with local municipalities and the Bükk National Park Directorate, we established two new nature trails, at Szomolya and Demjén, featuring Beehive rocks and other stone relics.

 

We have compiled a standardized database of the sights of the Bükkalja Region of natural and cultural significance, along with the locally offered services and programs, and made all this information available to the general public on a website (bukkalja.info.hu).

 

In 2010, we completed a thematic tourist trail named the “Bükkalja Rock Route”, which threads through 16 settlements of the Bükkalja Region, presenting their notable stone relics along with other nature and culture sights. In consultation with several hiking organizations, we designed two hiking trails looping off the Rock Route, which have been added to nationwide tourist maps.

 

On our initiative, 25 municipalities, civil organisations, and tourism service providers have joined forces to create the Bükkalja Rock Route Tourist Cluster, an alliance promoting sustainable and competitive tourism in the region, primarily based on local traditions, natural and cultural heritage.

 

 

 

The application won the 2012 National Landscape Award and competed for Hungary in the 2013 Landscape Award of the Council of Europe

 

Applicant: Által-ér Vízgyűjtő Helyreállítási és Fejlesztési Szövetség (The Association for the Restoration and Development of the Által Creek Valley)

 

 

Our programme was designed to achieve the complex rehabilitation and development of the Által Creek Valley on the basis of ecological considerations with the aim of turning this area, (which used to be famous mostly for its isolation as well as for its coal, bauxite and limestone mines), into an “eco-tourist” landscape acknowledged for its natural and prehistoric values.

 

We set the following main partial targets within the programme:

• preparations for and creation of the Gerecse Nature Park in close cooperation with local communities;

• improvement of the water quality and preservation of the natural values of the Old Lake in Tata;

• ecological improvement in Által Creek Valley;

• provision of environmental training and information for people living in the Gerecse Mountains and the Által Creek Valley.

 

 

Through our feasibility study of the Gerecse Nature Park, we identified the natural/cultural values, tourist attractions and areas enjoying or in need of protection. Twenty nine local governments, 17 communities and 1 county government cooperated to establish the Gerecse Nature Park on 1 February, 2013.

 

After this we made proposals for nature-friendly tourism enhancing actions and sustainable farming.

 

We prepared the overall rehabilitation plan for the Old Lake in Tata and the Által Creek water basin, and have started the implementation process. Our plans were regularly communicated to decision makers, design engineers and local inhabitants, shaping their approach to landscape and extending the nature park movement.

 

We established the “Által Creek Valley Natural and Cultural Heritage” prize that can be awarded to communities or individuals who perform exemplary work to improve environment protection, nature conservation and value preservation in the region, and therefore the prize may encourage all municipalities or communities of the river basin (total population of 150,000), in their further efforts.

 

As part of the nature park feasibility study, we elaborated an infrastructure development of the nature trail of the “Gerecse 50” performance tour that attracts thousands of tourists each year.

 

Thanks to their preservation, it is now possible to study and responsibly display, the landscape, natural and culture-historical values of the Gerecse Mountains, (e.g. habitat for Ferula sadleriana, nesting place for rare predatory birds, hundreds of caves and sink holes, and the prehistoric man exhibition in Vértesszőlős).

 

Within the programme, we initiated the creation of new wetlands, nature trails and protected local areas that contributed to higher biological diversity and strengthened nature conservation in the broader region of the Old Lake in Tata. All these efforts facilitated the reconstruction of the south-western bay of the Old Lake and the replacement of concrete with natural sand along the entire eastern shore of the lake, leading to favourable changes in the landscape character and the ecological condition of the lake. 

 

 

 

A sample program for the cadastral survey of unique landscape features and their protection, within the project of creating a cross-border green way

 

The application won the 2014 National Landscape Award and competed for Hungary for the 2015 Landscape Award of the Council of Europe

 

Applicant: Zöldutak Módszertani Egyesület (Greenways Methodological Association);

Vasfüggöny Út Egyesület (Iron Curtain Trail Association);

Rédicsi Közös Önkormányzati Hivatal (Local government of Rédics);

Nemzeti Agrárszaktanácsadási, Képzési és Vidékfejlesztési Intézet (National Agricultural Advisory, Educational and Rural Development Institute)

 

 

The survey, the conservation and the discovery of the possibilities of sustainable use of the natural and cultural landscape components involving the local communities in the cross-border region of Hetés.

 

 

Upon our initiative Hungarian settlements in the Hetés region have been cooperating with settlements on the Slovenian side of the border since 2003.

 

In 2004, citizens restored the immediate environment of the border by voluntary work, and built the Road of Friendship linking the two neighbouring countries.

 

The assessment of the unique landscape assets was carried out in two stages in the villages of the Hetés region (on the Hungarian side Bödeháza, Gáborjánháza, Szijártóháza and Zalaszombatfa, on the Slovenian side Genterovci – Göntérháza, Kamovci – Kámaháza, Radmožanci – Radamos, Žitkovci – Zsitkóc, Mostje – Hídvég and Banuta – Bánuta). The first stage comprised an expert assessment, while in the second stage the assessment materials were amended and finalised in cooperation with the local population relying on their knowledge of cultural history.

 

We held “Winter evening discussions” on 10 occasions to involve the local population. These informal meetings served community building and cultural development.

 

At these meetings, the members of the local community were introduced to the methodology of surveying unique landscape assets. The experts surveyed and presented the landscape elements considered valuable by experts, along with ideas for preserving them, which included the creation of a regional green lane.

 

The combination of expert and local knowledge brought several “hidden” landscape assets to light. These valuable landscape elements were recorded in the registers after joint site visits.

 

The Fabulous Hetés Walks (Mesés Hetés Túra) were announced for the local population and all interested parties and not only presented landscape values, but also promoted community building and deepened the connections within the landscape and among the local population.

 

On the Hungarian side of the border, there was a detailed assessment and analysis of settlement planning considering the unique landscape assets. A proposal was drawn up for the integration of unique landscape assets into settlement planning agendas.

 

The results of the programme are presented by articles in national journals and online.