A Step Forward
The underwater landscape is an engaging issue. Can the underwater world be described as landscape within the meaning of the European Landscape Convention as
discussed at this Seminar?
The Convention states that it applies to “the entire territory of the Parties and
includes land, inland water and marine areas”. It defines “landscape” as “an area, as
perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of
natural and/or human factors”. Each Party thus 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”.
Obviously, populations do not generally live in marine areas (the intertidal environment, at the interface of land and sea) or submarine spaces. People can, however,
travel, discover and “perceive” the landscapes they hold, in a variety of ways such
as walking, swimming, diving, sailing, flying, etc.
Seascapes and underwater landscapes are also deeply anchored in the collective
imagination: Greek myths, the works of Virgil, tales of towns engulfed, Jules Verne’s
books, fairytales (The Little Mermaid), documentaries by Commandant Cousteau,
films (The Big Blue, Océans, etc.), comic strips and other media have made a great
contribution by marking entire generations.
The papers presented at this Seminar held in Brest in March 2010 about Underwater Landscape demonstrated concern for understanding and discovering the spatial
structures of seabeds by geology, geomorphology, bathymetry, etc. Other presentations of underwater areas focused on an analysis of once populated territories,
through the natural or cultural riches they contain.
With their sensitivity and detailed knowledge of ecosystems, landscape designers
show that the seascape and underwater landscape can also be assessed as part of a
project, i.e. knowing what we are doing and assessing the impacts. Work on underwater landscapes engaged at the Landscape School in Versailles will provide insight
into this topic.
Inter-disciplinary work is now necessary to minimise the impact of activities or
projects on these fragile environments and to manage both land and marine areas as
v
The underwater landscape is an engaging issue. Can the underwater world be described as landscape within the meaning of the European Landscape Convention as
discussed at this Seminar?
The Convention states that it applies to “the entire territory of the Parties and
includes land, inland water and marine areas”. It defines “landscape” as “an area, as
perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of
natural and/or human factors”. Each Party thus 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”.
Obviously, populations do not generally live in marine areas (the intertidal environment, at the interface of land and sea) or submarine spaces. People can, however,
travel, discover and “perceive” the landscapes they hold, in a variety of ways such
as walking, swimming, diving, sailing, flying, etc.
Seascapes and underwater landscapes are also deeply anchored in the collective
imagination: Greek myths, the works of Virgil, tales of towns engulfed, Jules Verne’s
books, fairytales (The Little Mermaid), documentaries by Commandant Cousteau,
films (The Big Blue, Océans, etc.), comic strips and other media have made a great
contribution by marking entire generations.
The papers presented at this Seminar held in Brest in March 2010 about Underwater Landscape demonstrated concern for understanding and discovering the spatial
structures of seabeds by geology, geomorphology, bathymetry, etc. Other presentations of underwater areas focused on an analysis of once populated territories,
through the natural or cultural riches they contain.
With their sensitivity and detailed knowledge of ecosystems, landscape designers
show that the seascape and underwater landscape can also be assessed as part of a
project, i.e. knowing what we are doing and assessing the impacts. Work on underwater landscapes engaged at the Landscape School in Versailles will provide insight
into this topic.
Inter-disciplinary work is now necessary to minimise the impact of activities or
projects on these fragile environments and to manage both land and marine areas as
v