Cultural oak landscapes as green infrastructure for human well-being

Human and nature interactions have been the ancestral normative model to provide and secure livelihoods worldwide. Hence, humans have been coevolving in an intrinsic relation with the natural system until medieval times. The mentioned interactions formed the so-called cultural landscapes as a result of human gradual re-organization and adaptation of the biophysical system to adapt better to changing societal demands. Concerned to balance sustainable development of landscapes among its social, economic and environmental dimensions, as well as aware of the important role of landscapes for individual and social well-being through their protection, management and planning, the European Landscape Convention emerged. The cultural dimension of landscapes has proven difficult to measure and thus commonly neglected in ecosystem services (ES) research. To tackle this knowledge gap, I first reviewed methods and tools to fully capture cultural ecosystem services in landscapes, to focus thereafter on the diagnosis of the cultural oak landscape in Östergötland (Sweden). I identified and analyzed the diversity of ES important for stakeholders at local and regional levels that represent different societal sectors. The private sector locally emphasized provisioning ES, whereas the civil and public sectors highlighted the importance of cultural services in terms of recreational values and landscape beauty. Supporting services were considered only in relation to biodiversity, especially species and habitats linked to old oaks. Hotspot of ES were identified and discussed in terms of green infrastructures for human well-being. Traditional farming practices are in a steady regression which entails greater uncertainty for the long term survival of such systems and associated diversity of delivered services and values. Solutions, including adaptations of modern farming techniques to better mimic the traditional ones are urgently needed, as well as the generation of additional income through alternative rural development initiatives such as tourism and recreation. Complex realities demand multi-disciplinary methods and approaches to find viable ground-based solutions. We suggest holistic research methods, hands on with stakeholders, i.e. transdisciplinary research, to satisfy the increasingly complex needs, improved understanding of conservation objectives and demands of a changing society

The territoriality paradigm in cultural tourism

A typical geographers' approach to tourism is to emphasise the analysis of spatial flows and space uses and the synthesis of territorial coherence between people, place and product. The renewed interest in the territorial aspects of tourism can be seen as a response to globalisation on the one hand and the search for unique, authentic and grass-rooted experience on the other. In recent tourism studies the focus and methods shift from a description of patterns to the analysis of processes of change that are induced by tourism (touristification). Understanding the forces that are transforming cultural landscapes (urban and rural) into tourismscapes is a crucial condition for visionary planning and responsible management of regions and places. Some reflections on the future research agenda in geo-tourism will be included

Studying the relationship between past people and their environments

AGU Chapman Conference on Climates, Past Landscapes, and Civilizations; Santa Fe, New Mexico, 21–25 March 2011; The fortunes of human societies are intimately linked to the environments that sustain them. This has been true from the first emergence of human ancestors through to the present day. An AGU Chapman Conference was held to discuss the relationship between past people and their environments. Participants examined the state of the field, debated issues of contention, and formulated ways that such cross-disciplinary research can progress. Scientists' increasing ability to generate high-resolution climate records has proliferated studies that link the rise and fall of cultures to climate change. This meeting brought together scholars from across the divide between Earth sciences and archaeology to derive a deeper understanding of how humans have reacted to and shaped the changing environment.Anthropolog

Human dimensions of global environmental change: A review of frameworks and research gaps.

This review of current knowledge in, and development of, priorities for research into the human dimensions of global environmental change has been conducted to assist the Foundation for Research Science and Technology to formulate their research needs agenda. An overview of the emergence of the human dimension of the global environmental change research field is used as a prelude to a review of the international literature on frameworks for conducting human dimensions research. The terminology used in the human dimension field is diverse. An attempt is therefore made to consolidate the myriad of definitions for key concepts, in order to form a basis for human dimensions research in New Zealand and build a platform for the remainder of this report. Three disciplinary areas of academic inquiry were explored in the context of human dimensions of global environmental change research: economics, law and biological sciences. These disciplinary perspectives are reviewed through the international literature and in a New Zealand context. A conceptual framework for research into the human dimensions of global environmental change is provided based on the knowledge-base developed from the both international and New Zealand research. Core concepts, such as found in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research are reviewed in historical context to form the basis for a specific research framework for New Zealand. Some general needs for research are derived from the New Zealand framework. The remainder of this report details the methods used for drawing out expert opinion on the priorities for research on the human dimensions of global environmental change in the context of information, knowledge and method. Thirty-eight interviews and two hui were conducted and 254 research needs defined by questions were obtained. A modified Delphi technique was applied to the questions and prioritised lists of responses are provided. The final list Provides European/Pakeha and Māori perspectives. Divergence and convergence between the European/Pakeha and Māori responses is provided, as well as justification for the prioritisation stance that is taken. This research had four outputs: A conceptual framework for considering the human dimensions of global environmental changes and research contributions; A description of the gaps in knowledge that impede effective response to global change and provisional research needs: one for New Zealand generally, and one on Māori in particular; A network of end-users and research providers that are cognisant of, and contributors to, the human dimensions research assessment; A set of priority research needs pertaining to the human dimensions of global environmental change, in a form suitable for use by FRST

Cultural value perception in the memorable tourism experience

Tourism management curriculum, if its ultimate objective is to give an introduction to the modern trends in tourism management and marketing and to prepare future destination managers, must inevitably incorporate – together with all their theoretical and practical implications - the phenomena of experiential consumption and value co-creation

Designing a Travel Guide to the Un-Natural World: Exploring a Design-led Methodology

The analogy of designer as tourist in the un-natural world is used as an aid for thinking my way into the nature of design research. An exploration of how the design researcher, like a tourist, travels widely through the un-natural world of thought, theory and concept. If we are to design a travel guide for the un-natural world then what would this guide book look like, why do we need it and how could it work? The paper will propose that a ‘travel guide to the un-natural world’ in the form of a design-led methodology is needed for research into sustainable development and is useful not only for the design discipline but for the research community at large. These premises have been derived from the aptitude of the design process and the creative methods it employs to deal with the complex messiness of issues such as sustainability. Such a design-led methodology would be useful for the wider research community due to the integrative abilities of the design process and the trans-disciplinary scope of the tour through the un-natural world. Design-led methodology will be explored using examples from field work in Tumut (rural New South Wales, Australia) Keywords: Design Research, Design-Led Methods, Metadesign, Sustainability.</p