Council of Europe pedagogical booklet “Landscape education activities for primary schools”
The Council of Europe Landscape Convention provides that its parties undertake to promote school courses addressing, in the relevant subject areas, the values attached to landscape and the issues raised by its protection, management and planning.
This pedagogical booklet, Landscape education activities for primary schools, aims to arouse the curiosity and interest of pupils in landscape by inviting them to think
about what they mean by “landscape” and to consider it with its environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions, both in space and time. The activities can lead pupils to imagine what their role might be, as individuals and members of society, in order to become actively involved with landscape. These activities can be carried out within the framework of formal and non-formal education.
The natural landscape is alive, of extraordinary diversity and beauty. Over the centuries, humans have shaped it, giving rise to an even greater diversity. However, it is necessary to consider the consequences that too rapid and radical transformations could have over time. Developments in agriculture, forestry, industrial and mineral production techniques and in regional planning, town planning, transport, infrastructure, tourism and recreation, as well as, at a more general level, changes in the world economy, are in many cases accelerating the transformation of landscapes.
Some cultures may have their own unique concept of landscape, but all relate to notions of quality of life and the living environment. It is therefore necessary to continue to take care of the landscape.
Landscape education aims to arouse pupils’ curiosity and interest in landscape by bringing them to:
► think about what they mean by “landscape”: is it where they live, or another place?
► consider the landscape with its environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions, both in space and time;
► understand that the character of the landscape results from the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors;
► consider the landscape as an open system which is constantly evolving;
► understand the challenges of protecting, managing and planning the landscape;
► take into account the particular values assigned to the landscape by the interested parties and the population concerned;
► imagine what their role could be in relation to the landscape with a view to sustainable and harmonious evolution, as individuals and members of society.
Council of Europe Landscape Convention educational booklet
