MedScapes: Development of ​landscape character assessment as a tool for effective conservation of natural heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean (funded by ENPI-CBCMED)
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Project Summary
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MedScapes Project was funded by the multilateral cross-border cooperation "Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme" which is a part of the new European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) and its financing instrument (European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument - ENPI) for the 2007-2013 period. MedScapes brought together eight partners from four countries for this two-year project: Cyprus, Greece, Jordan, and Lebanon. Each country was represented by one non-governmental organization (NGO) and one university, and were led by the Laona Foundation for the Cons​ervation and Regeneration of the Cypriot Countryside.
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The project aim was to support stronger protection of and reduced risk to the landscape heritage through the introduction of an integrative landscape character assessment (LCA) framework for enhanced and sustainable territorial planning and decision-making. The project's specific objective were:​ (a) to develop and apply a best-practice methodology for identifying, mapping and assessing landscape character in pilot areas, and (b) to promote the results as a tool for sustainable land use decision-making and landscape-scale protection of the natural and cultural heritage in the East Mediterranean context. It included the cultural, environmental, geological and other spatial elements of the landscape, providing a more holistic understanding of the dynamics created in different areas of each country or region in order to gain a better knowledge of their vibrant and ever-changing landscapes.
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Main Deliverables
WP4: Best Practice Methodology for LCA in the Eastern Mediterranean
WP5: LCA Training and Implementation
WP6: Hima Guidelines Manual
WP7: LCA Results integration and Risk Tool Development + DSS User Manual
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