Assessing multi-scale values and multifunctionality in landscapes

This article refers to the recommendations on Interdisciplinary Landscape Research by workshop 5 on "Values and assessment of multifunctional landscapes" during the Conference on Multifunctional landscapes interdisciplinary approaches to landscape research and management held in Roskilde October 18-21, 2000. In particular, the difference between qualities and values is extended to the conceptual difference between land and landscape, the importance of scale in assessing values and the meaning of functionality regarding the assessment of typical 'post-productive' qualities such as aesthetic and symbolic ones. Arguments are given to show that restricting the assessment of multifunctionality merely to utility assessment in economic or ecological sense, can affect these values, in particular when considering different scales of valuing and considering the contextual values. As multifunctionality in landscapes is related to landscape heterogeneity and diversity and the assessment of values is also scale-dependent and different references are needed for evaluation. Also these references are changing, which is illustrated by the general transformation of the cultural landscape in Europe where the difference between rural and urbanised landscapes is gradually vanishing. New functions are superimposed or even replace the existing ones in the traditional landscapes and affect deeply the existing landscape qualities. The coexistence of multiple functions in the landscape is no guarantee for an overall increase of all landscape values. Future functions and their multifunctional combination needs to be assessed using a broad set of initial landscape values and be based upon general principles. These conclusions are important for planning and policy as also these act at different scale levels and affect the reference scales for evaluation at the local, regional, national and international level.