Abstract
Traditional rural landscapes emerged from the long term interaction of the natural and anthropogenic environment. These landscapes are now threatened by drastic social-ecological changes. Recent international trends on sustaining cultural landscapes place great emphasis on understanding of multiple values, presented in the landscape, by considering various stakeholder perspectives. It is now recognized that strong community engagement with the landscape should be translated into conservation and management practices. This paper aims to examine the recent conservation activities around endangered traditional rural landscapes in Korea through a case study of Gacheon village. In this village, since 2000, a series of central administrative measures have been implemented to revive the local community, and to conserve its distinctive landscape. By analyzing challenges to the site, by discussing conservation experience and lessons, and by recommending future strategies for sustaining its cultural landscapes, this paper is expected to provide a basis for future policy-making for safeguarding traditional rural landscapes.
Highlights
Rural landscapes appear as a great diversity of cultural landscapes
The main goal of this paper is to examine the recent conservation activities around endangered traditional rural landscapes in Korea through a case study of Gacheon village
Based on the semi-structured questionnaire, three rounds of in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders of the village; seven local residents in 2011, 2012, and 2013, which include the chairperson of Daraengi Farm Agricultural Association Corporation, and the head of the Rice Terrace Conservation Society
Summary
Rural landscapes appear as a great diversity of cultural landscapes. They are significant witnesses of the interaction between the natural and anthropogenic environment, as well as between the past and present [1]. In the face of significant challenges to rural societies, such as abandonment of the land, intensification of agriculture, demographic changes, loss of traditional and local knowledge, pressure of urban development, and climate change [7], traditional rural landscapes attract worldwide interest in their multifunctionality as resources for the protection of ecological and cultural diversity [4,8,9] In this context, increasing attention is being paid to how these tangible and intangible values of rural landscapes can be understood, protected, and enhanced in multi-disciplinary and inter-sectoral ways [2,10,11]
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