Analyzing dynamics and values of cultural landscapes

Abstract

What are cultural landscapes?

Does the term ‘cultural landscapes’ refer to just the few emblematic global hotspots of landscape beauty, such as the Balinese rice terraces and water temples or the vineyard landscapes of the Piedmont in Italy? Or does the term also include our everyday landscapes— not necessarily aesthetically appealing or historically valuable—that have also been strongly shaped by human activities? In other words, do we speak about a minority or majority of the global land surface when we refer to cultural landscapes?