The winner of IFLA Europe Rural Landscape photo competition is Álvaro Casanova from Spain with his photo ‘Corkage in the dehesas of Extremadura’
The winner of IFLA Europe Rural Landscape photo competition is Álvaro Casanova from Spain with his photo Corkage in dehesas of extremadura with 70 points.
2nd place: Iuliana Pavalan from Spain with her photo Wonders of Lanzarote with 69 points.
3rd place was shared by Enrico Pomatto from Italy with image Stove column landscapes and Mara Lona from Italy with image Valle di Cembra Emblem of heroic viticulture with 68 points.
4th place: Anastasia Dossa from Greece with her photo Voskos (Shepherd) with 66 points.
5th place was shared by: Daniele Calogero Lentini from Italy with his photo Agriculture and breeding in the valley of the temples in Agrigento and Íris Reynisdóttir from Iceland with her photo 3M6.
Agricultural Landscapes take up 39% of European lands, presenting a palimpsest of human interaction with nature and creating an extensive ‘green infrastructure’, when sustainably cultivated, with socio-ecological impact to everyday lives of people. Yet, these valuable landscapes, often in close relation with urbanised lands, do not receive the acknowledgement, the ontological planning and the design they deserve. Unknown to most of citizens, the agricultural landscapes are seen as a background of holidays, many times idealised as ‘scenery’ and therefore, Landscape Architects are committed to take actions towards their recognition as productive, important to produce ecosystem services and also recreational valuable place on earth.
IFLA Europe Agricultural Landscape Working group invited professionals and non-professionals to submit images of their ‘idealised’ but also of their everyday agricultural landscapes in an attempt to include as many stakeholders as possible!
Participants from all over Europe were asked to submit a photograph representing the main characteristics of the traditional agricultural/forestry/livestock landscape and seascape. “Traditional” is meant as a sustainable, important for the identity of the local communities, their sense of belonging to the places, productive landscape, expression of the co-evolution between men and environment and of the relationship nature-culture. The cultivating/producing technique must be briefly described (max 300
words), and the relation between local community and landscape.
The competition included 5 categories:
- Food and livelihood security
The proposed agricultural system contributes to food and/or livelihood security of local communities. This includes a wide variety of agricultural types such as self-sufficient and semi-subsistence agriculture where provisioning and exchanges take place among local communities, which contributes to rural economy.
- Agro-biodiversity
Agricultural biodiversity, as defined by UN FAO (*) as the variety of animals, plants and micro-organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. The system should be endowed with globally significant biodiversity and genetic resources for food and agriculture
(e.g., endemic, domesticated, rare, endangered species of crops and animals).
- Local and Traditional Knowledge systems
The system should maintain local and invaluable traditional knowledge and practices, ingenious adaptive technology and management systems of natural resources, including biota, land, water which have supported agricultural, forestry and/or fishery activities.
- Cultures, Value systems, Recreational Values and Social Organisations
Cultural identity and sense of place are embedded in and belong to specific agricultural sites. Social organisations, value systems and cultural practices associated with resource management and food production may ensure conservation of and promote equity in the use and access to natural resources. Such social organisations and
practices may take the form of customary laws and practices as well as ceremonial, religious and/or spiritual experiences.
- Landscapes and Seascapes Features
Landscapes or seascapes that have been developed over time through the interaction between humans and the environment, and appear to have stabilized or to evolve very slowly. Their form, shape and interlinkages are characterized by long historical persistence and a strong connection with the local socio-economic systems that produced them. Their stability, or slow evolution, is the evidence of integration of food production, the environment and culture in a given area or region. They may have the form of complex land use systems, such as land use mosaics, water and coastal management systems.
The judges looked for a creative, engaging and inspiring submission. The entries were judged on following criteria:
- Relevance of the entry to the competition topic
- Significance level and uniqueness of the rural landscape submitted
- Creativity expressed through the photo and the description
Jury
1. Clelia Puzzo, UN FAO-GIAHS Programme
2. Maguelonne Dejeant-Pons, former Council of Europe European Landscape Convention Executive Secretary
3. Chantal van Ham, former Director of IUCN European Regional Office
4. Centeri Csaba, EUCALAND
5. Lena Athanasiadou, PHALA Greece
Award:
1st Prize: 500 € and a comprehensive article including additional images and documentation of the context of the awarded images which will be published on the IFLA Europe website and social media.
2nd - 5th Prize a comprehensive article
including additional images and documentation of the context of the awarded images which will be published on the IFLA Europe website and social media.
The awarded image as well as shortlisted photographs will be published as postcards with additional information about the context of the image. IFLA Europe takes the opportunity to thank all the participants as well as Jury members. A catalogue of all entries will be prepared and published on IFLA Europe website.
