The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

The Protected Landscape Approach: Linking Nature, Culture and Community
People from completely different conditions came here and offered the local people a
unique opportunity to talk about their problems. Our people got the chance to look at
their region through the eyes of someone else. 3
An important turning point in the exchange came when the visiting team met with a retired
forester, who recalled how when there were forests in the catchments of the Smd River, it
could rain for several days and the water level of the river would barely change. This came as a
revelation to many local leaders, because, as one noted:
Now, after two days people downstream have to watch for flooding or even evacuate their
villages. I saw how people taking part in the workshop started making the connection.
They suddenly realized how much a person in Višnová, twenty kilometres from the Jizera
Mountains, is affected by the condition of the mountain forests. 4
The workshops convinced the Foundation for the Jizera Mountains to expand their activities
beyond reforestation in the mountains to include a broader range of projects focusing also on
economic development and social and cultural concerns in surrounding communities. In
addition to establishing new grant programmes focused on community development, the
founda tion established a new organization, the Society for the Jizera Mountains, which has
become the main motor for sustainable development initiatives in the Jizera Mountains area.
The Landscape Stewardship Exchange also led to the establishment of the Frdlant
Association by community leaders, businesspeople and NGOs, many of whom had come
together at the workshop for the first time. One of their first steps was to take up the suggestion
of their American visitors to use the river Smd as a potent symbol and an axis connecting the
mountains and the communities below.
The work of the Society for the Jizera Mountains and the Frýdlant
Assocation
The Frdlant Association has since developed a rich program of concerts, educational acti vities
and special events focused on the river and mountains, and connecting the communities along
its banks. Since 1999, the projects have been implemented by the Association for the Jizera
Mountains (a public benefit corporation). These projects have resulted in the development of a
network of local leaders and experts, and the creation of new civic associations in the region.
They have fostered cooperation between NGOs and local leaders (such as mayors), as well as
State agencies, in particular the Protected Landscape administration.
Of the 18 communities in the Frdlantsko region, several have been very active, driven by
charismatic local leaders. Many are engaged in projects to strengthen local sustainability,
which include:
a reedbed waste-water treatment plant in Viov;
wind-power plants and a biomass heating plant in Jindichovice;
biking trails as part of a regional soft tourism project;
3
4
Katerina Lauermannová, Department for Regional Development, Liberec district.
Dušan Richter of the Foundation for the Jizera Mountains.
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