What do we not know to implement the European Landscape Convention?

Abstract

The European Landscape Convention (ELC) is the first international convention to focus specifically on landscape. Poland signed the ELC on 21 December 2001, ratified in September 2004, and the Convention came into effect on 1 January 2005. Since that moment, however, the ELC implementation efforts in our country have been limited. It is assumed that poor progress in the ELC implementation in Poland has been caused by insufficient knowledge on what the ratification of the ELC implies and requires. The paper aims to explicate a number of key issues and associated questions that can be identified in relation to the implementation process. Of primary importance is the explanation of ELC`s principles, aims and measures, followed by the discussion on and clarification of concepts used in the ELC. The paper may contribute to improvements in the implementation process in Poland by the identification of gaps in the knowledge on the ELC, with a view to stimulate the research in support of the implementation of the European Landscape Convention.