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European
Landscape Convention Recognition is given
to landscapes in Europe including the importance of “protecting, managing and
enhancing landscapes” thereby introducing the European Landscape Convention
(Council of Europe 2000). Signatories to the Convention undertake to encourage
public authorities to adopt policies to protect, maintain and improve landscape
quality including the need to consider landscapes in public decision making, of
particular relevance to this Code of Practice. Article 9 of the Landscape
Convention emphasises the need for trans-frontier co-operation including to
establish joint programmes. For the purposes of the Convention landscape is
defined as: "an
area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and
interaction of natural and/or human factors". Thus, in the last
decade of the 20th century in the context of the increased demand for transport
and the development/upgrading of transport infrastructure, the European region
has made Declarations and implemented laws and policies in response to repeated
environmental concern including aspects relating to biological diversity and
landscape. The Code of Practice provides support for and the delivery of these
policies and contributes to the development of a more sustainable transport
system. Other relevant
initiatives Also, the Code of
Practice should be viewed in the light of a number of other European and
national initiatives such as those summarized below. |
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