As the first international treaty devoted exclusively to all dimensions of the landscape, the Council of Europe Landscape Convention addresses the major challenges in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, with a view to sustainable development.

Its signatory States have declared themselves “concerned to achieve sustainable development based on a balanced and harmonious relationship between social needs, economic activity and the environment”, considering the cultural dimension of the landscape.

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

The Convention is open for signature by the member States of the Council of Europe, and for accession by the European Union, European non-member States and non-European States.

The 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 ... is a basic component of the … natural and cultural heritage, contributing to human well-being…;

... 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;

... is a key element of individual and social well-being and ... its protection, management and planning entail rights and responsibilities for everyone.
Preamble of the Convention

The ELC contains 18 articles which, collectively, promote landscape protection, management and planning and organising European cooperation on landscape issues.

Article 1 defines the terms used in the ELC. These include:

“Landscape” – an area perceived by people whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors.
“Landscape policy” – an expression by the competent public authorities of general principles, strategies and guidelines that permit the taking of specific measures aimed at the protection, management and planning of landscapes.
“Landscape protection” – actions to conserve and maintain the significant or characteristic features of a landscape, justified by its heritage value derived from its natural configuration and/or from human activity.
“Landscape management” – action, from a perspective of sustainable development, to ensure the regular upkeep of a landscape, so as to guide and harmonise changes which are brought about by social, economic and environmental processes.
“Landscape planning” – strong forward-looking action to enhance, restore or create landscapes.

ELC Articles 5 and 6

Articles 5 and 6 commit signatory states to a number of actions which are designed to help ensure compliance with the overarching aims of the ELC. These include the need to recognise landscapes in law, to establish policies aimed at landscape planning, protection and management and the integration of landscape into other policy areas.

The LI fully supports the spirit and intent of the ELC. While it is not a directive of the European Union – rather it is a Convention of the Council of Europe – the LI regularly highlights to government the continued need to ensure compliance with the ELC.

More detailed information on the articles can be found on the ELC website.