Hello there! It seems like you are doing great, but… would you really leave your cultural landscapes behind, in your march towards economic progress? If your region is looking for a way to balance economic development with traditions, this project is here for you to join!

Want to know more?

2018 will be known as the “European Year of Cultural Heritage”. In this framework, “Documenting Cultural Heritage Landscapes in Europe”, promoted jointly by Norconsult AS and AER, aims at identifying and safeguarding cultural landscapes around Europe, documenting and advertising them through various channels. The project is still in its ideational phase, and we are looking for partners to join and contribute to it. By participating in the project you will preserve and highlight links between producers, land, your traditional products, and the culture which lies behind the final product.

If you are committed to preserving your landscapes, especially those linked with your food traditions, answer the call! The project promoter and his amazing team will pay a visit to your landscapes between October 2017 and September 2018; they will take pictures, make interviews and collect pieces of landscapes’ history. Articles will be published on websites, and a blog will showcase the most interesting stories, reaching for the widest possible audience through all 2018. Once the consortium will be made up, the project idea will be perfected, and final outcomes will be delivered in November 2018.

Main targets

To give you an example of the subjects this project is especially thought for, we could think of the following (non-exhaustive list):

• Cultural and productive landscapes producing edible products (food/drink)
• Landscapes with a strong connection between local and traditional knowledge, production and people.
• Landscapes that are facing challenges and/or obstacles in up-keeping production and traditions and therefore the maintenance and preservation of the area and/or regions that are implementing initiatives to meet these challenges
• Productive landscapes related to (or similar):
  • Vineyards (wine) Orchards (oils, ciders or other products)
  • Dairy farming (cheese, yogurt and other dairy products)
  • Fishing (fish and other seafoods)
  • Brewing (Beer, hop farming, malteries)

For example, we are convinced that this idea could be good for the Colares region, in Portugal; by joining, the region could preserve their historical vineyards, and boost the impact of such an excellent production on both regional and national economy. In order to build up a strong consortium, we’re looking for similar cases from the widest possible spectrum of regions. The more countries represented in the consortium, the stronger its appeal.

What’s in it for regions?

We are convinced that this idea has a strong potential, and could be interesting for all administrations experiencing competition among tradition and development. By implementing this project, regions would make their strengths known to a wider public, and turn competition into fruitful synergies. This project could make your tradition, history and cultural landscapes powerful agents of development. As an interested partner, AER encourages its member regions to take part in this promising initiative and make the most of it.

How can you express your interest?

Anyone interested in getting involved should contact Luca Magri from the AER Secretariat at his email address: [email protected], or by phone dialing the  +32 2 400 10 53.

Photo credits: @visualhunt: https://visualhunt.com/photo/4352/