Kulawi“ – strategies for the cultural landscape of the future

An intact landscape has not only an esthetic value, but it also increases the quality of life for the resident population and attractiveness for tourists. The landscape also provides essential ecological services for society, such as soil conservation, preservation of biodiversity, and provision of clean water. The typical cultural landscape in Tyrol and South Tyrol was developed in the 15 super(th) century. Cultural-landscape differences arose from different legal traditions between East and West and from a changed legal situation after the affiliation of South Tyrol to Italy. Moreover, the opening of the markets during the 19 super(th) century had the following consequences: Favourable locations were increasingly intensified while peripheral locations became less important and were partly abandoned. Since succession processes proceed slowly in the landscape, the extent of the consequences of land-use changes, such as forest re-growth, are only observable after many decades. This study presents an integrative methodical approach that allows comparisons between diverse geographical regions. The applied indicators enable an accurate monitoring of all major features of landscape change including changes in land use, landscape structuring, habitat settings, and urban sprawl. They further provide high-quality and realistic results for our study areas of Tyrol and South Tyrol.