Imagine you are a landscape
The old adage that time passes time has never been truer. Any one at my stage of life also has the impression that the rate at which the time passes is accelerating. The funny thing is I always thought it would slow down. And I am only due to be on this earth for the proverbial four score years and ten.

If I have the impression that "things" are happening more quickly, imagine what it must feel like to be a landscape that thought it was destined to be here forever. Not forever in the sense of not changing, as we all by now accept that landscapes are dynamic, constantly changing. Forever, however in the sense that most of those changes would be slow, would evolve through time and for the most part I (as a landscape) would have the time to come to terms and adapt both to and for those changes. This is of course excluding the occasional and rare natural phenomenon such as a volcanic eruption or an earthquake. But as I said landscapes are dynamic

And then along came people!!

This short article you will be relieved to read is not one on social anthropology.
However in the relatively short time frame that people have inhabited the earth their impact has been dramatic. The time frame for really dramatic impacts in a short space of time is easily understood when one considers that impact since the industrial revolution of the last 150 years and the technological and communications revolution of the last 50 years. Add to this an Irish context which includes the growing up of a nation and the economic advances made in the last 10 years and the accelerating pace of change is not that surprising.

Let’s face it, lots of things happen in life and some of them happen very, very quickly.
How do we react?

So, how do we react?
Most people don’t recognise the changes going on around about them. For the most part the changes in our everyday lives are almost imperceptible. The growing up of our children or the fading paint on the external walls of the house spring to mind. We only notice such changes when someone points them out. It is the same as regards changes in the landscape. Trees growing or the changes in the shape of a meandering river don’t exactly make for riveting viewing. We accept these changes and get on with life.

It is the quick changes we fear. A sudden death in the family or a natural disaster cause immediate and real difficulties. These things happen and how we react to them is what shapes us as individuals and ultimately determines the quality of the rest of our lives. A similar comparison can be drawn with community and international reaction to natural disasters. Just look at the recent response to the Tsunami.

There is however one form of change which can bring out the worst in us, and very occasionally the best. That is change which we anticipate or have had someone else anticipate for us. In this category I would place early diagnosis of a potentially fatal disease. Here we have time to think about the consequences and either give up, or more positively work individually and collectively to either overcome the illness or learn to live with it.

In landscape terms this category of change can be illustrated through the vagaries of our current land-use planning system. Take the current debate on Tara and the proposed route for the M3 motorway and the proposal to blanket-zone all the villages in County Laois.

Formally our government (elected to represent us, the patient) anticipated - diagnosed the potentially fatal disease, namely death by traffic strangulation and hence economic depravation for a huge slice of society. A variety of treatments was possible and the patient ( through the planning system) had an opportunity to consider most of them. Much of the prescribed treatment seemed unpalatable to some members of the ‘family’ and ultimately the surgeon (An Bord Pleanala) put forward a solution. Of course we can argue that the illness was misdiagnosed in the first place, but in the meantime and with the passage of time the illness certainly isn’t getting better. A quick decision by the patient (through its representative) is sorely needed.

In the latter and despite every effort being made to develop best practice in village design, and the moves by many to highlight the importance and individual character and uniqueness of these villages to people who actually live there, we face the possibility of blanket de-characterisation. Treatment is still under consideration.

And finally - These Things Happen- so how should we react?
The sub-title of this article is:
Lots of things happen in life and it is how we react to them that shapes the future.
An opportunity to act collectively and nationally now exists and we should grab it.

In Ireland, the Heritage Council proposed a landscape policy to government (2002) but at present there is no luxury of an overall approach to national landscape policy nor a coherent approach to protected areas nor any legislative provision for our national parks. We need all of these things to happen and should react to current debate by establishing them.

The sole recent legislative provision stems from the 2000 Planning Act which permits local authorities to put in place a landscape conservation order. Of course such an order without the necessary structure and resource to back-up implementation of an agreed plan for the area would only result in a "paper exercise" with no out put or results. Local authorities could however consider the piloting of a scheme within selected areas which brought together all interested parties to talk through a range of options for the future of that area. This would seek to put in place a structure for its future management and development, in agreement with all landowners and interests. Such an approach would not only help resolve some of the current difficulties within pilot areas as to how best to proceed, but would also inform debate in Ireland as a whole, allowing development of landscape and protected area legislation which was truly in tune with socio economic needs and rural development and not just confined to so called "special areas"

Landscapes throughout Ireland face significant changes from a number of well documented sources. Ireland is not alone in having to plan and manage for such changes. Internationally responses have been many and varied and have centred for the most part on an evolution of the existing legislative provision and policy direction for protected areas which are (mainly) viewed positively and cover large areas of the country. These have tended to adopt a "whole" landscape and very integrated approach (inspired in certain countries by the European Landscape Convention which Ireland has ratified) rather than the very site specific designation approach of the past.

This has served to involve local communities and the widest possible range of stakeholders to put in place agreed structures for the management and development of areas as a whole. A leading exponent has been the French Government through its recent review of its National Park's legislation and the greater emphasis now placed on the importance of its Regional Park System. These require a very strong level of community involvement. This is achieved through the award of a charter to each area, with measurable targets agreed and monitored at a national level. The award of the charter is reviewed after 10 years. Funding comes from an amalgam of national, regional, local and private sources dependant on the agreed targets in the charter.

On a European scale the EUROPARC FEDERATION, which is the largest single NGO dealing with such issues, has a membership of 400 in 38 European Countries.
It has a wide range of experience to offer and is currently a partner in a bid for funding to the European Commission for a project entitled
" Catalysing civil activities and local socio-economic initiatives using the potential of protected areas".

The Federation also has a very highly developed Charter for Sustainable Tourism within protected areas. This marries the highest standard of landscape and nature conservation with socio economic and community needs. All of these initiatives can offer benefits to both local communities and their natural and cultural heritage.

As we blanket zone our villages and motorway our monuments, surely we can react in a positive way to all that is happening in our lives and that is impacting on our landscapes.