Area dynamics and social participation: from the European Landscape Convention to the Observatori del Paisatge de Catalunya

The role of the European Landscape Convention has helped fuel a new inclusive idea of landscape whichought to take shape above all through a process of participation of the inhabitants, favouring landscape sustainability to improve the quality of life of the population. This article presents a case study of the Spanish region of Catalonia, where the cardinal principles of the European Landscape Convention have been transposed and translated into a highly effective landscape protection, management and planning law: the Llei 8/2005. One of the most innovative provisions of the law is the setting up of an organization – the Observatori del Paisatgede Catalunya– tosupport and cooperate with the regional government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) with respect to area planning. The Observatory is not only a landscape reference centre and think tank, but also a consortium for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention. Finally, theGeneralitat de Catalunya has entrusted the Observatorito draw up landscape catalogues, documents of a technical nature, these too provided byLlei 8/2005, conceived as a landscape planning and management support tool. The main aim of the catalogues is to help incorporate landscape quality measures, criteria and objectives into the area plans, especially thePlanes territorialesparciales (PTP) adopting participatory processes.