Landscape injustices in polarised communities: unearthing perceptions at Sitia UNESCO Geopark, Greece

Abstract

ABSTRACT Local planning conflicts can stem from perceived inherent landscape injustice. This article explores how conflicting community perceptions of such injustice can be analysed through local collaborative decision-making processes. A theoretical framework to analyse landscape injustice is proposed and applied to the Sitia UNESCO Geopark (East Crete, Greece). This paper thus examines whether, as part of the knowledge formation processes for the holistic treatment of landscape, landscape planning should explicitly analyse landscape visions, values, threats and injustice at a local community scale, and explores how their explicit consideration can contribute to planning processes in polarised communities. The case study results indicated that polarised (pro-environment vs pro-development) community stakeholders shared visions and values of their ideal landscape, including common root causes of perceived injustice. The analysis of landscape injustice revealed state and external interventions leading to local people’s loss of land ownership and procedural marginalisation from decision-making processes regarding the landscape and its future use.