Interactions of landscapes and cultures

In view of accelerating biological and cultural landscape degradation, a better understanding of interactions between landscapes and the cultural forces driving them is essential for their sustainable management. For this purpose holistic conceptions of landscape ecology as a transdisciplinary science and the cultural dimensions of landscapes as the tangible meeting point between nature and mind are discussed and some relevant anthropological and philosophical approaches to these interactions are presented. Neotechnological landscape degradation, like other syndromes of the severe global environmental crisis, must be addressed as part of a far-reaching environmental and cultural revolution, aiming at the reconciliation of human society with nature. For this new symbiosis landscape ecology should provide a new conception of cultural landscapes and practical, holistic methods and tools, combining scientific knowledge with ecological wisdom and ethics. One of these innovative tools for the conservation of total landscape ecodiversity is described as an example.