A comparative analysis of the evolution of landscape protection system in Apulia (IT) and Wallonia (BE)

In response to the numerous and rapid changes that our territory is undergoing, a growth of protected areas, diversified in number, size and type, has appeared over the last decades, so that today, landscape protection relies on a multitude of protection tools (Brown et al., 2005). Based on a mixed method including analysis of legislative and strategic documents and semi-directed interviews with active landscape stakeholders, our communication proposes a comparative study of the evolution of the landscape protection system implemented in Apulia (Italy) and Wallonia (Belgium) - two regions where the word ‘landscape’ has the same root (pay-), but whose cultural traditions and the processes of territorialization and anthropization that have affected these regions have led to development of different policies and instruments to protect their landscapes. More precisely, it aims to better understand how the landscape is defined and taken into account in these laws and protection tools.
In both regions, landscapes are protected through a series of national and regional laws that were created at particular historical moments. These various laws can reflect the richness of meanings that have been given to landscape. The aesthetic interest of landscapes is promoted in the laws defined in the first half of the 20th century. Then, the protection was extended to exceptional natural goods, leading to the designation of landscapes to be protected for their aesthetic, natural and even historically exceptional values. At the beginning of the 21th century, the European Landscape Convention led the different signatory countries to broaden their own definition of landscape and to adapt landscape policies (notably their protection policies). Our comparative analysis shows that, despite somewhat different regional protection systems, both in Apulia and in Wallonia, we can observe a growing interest in overcoming the protectionist and static vision of the landscape (characterized by a passive regulation of constraints) which has shown strong weaknesses. Tools such as ‘Piano Paesaggistico Territoriale’, ‘Parco Agricolo Multifunzionale’ in Puglia, ‘Charte Paysagère des Parcs Naturels’ or the evolving management plan of heritage in Wallonia reflect a more integrated approach for these landscapes of regional interest. However, due to diverse and sometimes divergent interests, changing the perceptions of local populations, politicians, landowners and the private sector regarding protected areas remains a major challenge. This lack of sensibility leads then to a reductionist vision of the landscape still too dominant and to a weak real implementation of actions or projects which could draw a series of benefits from the protected landscapes.