The concept of "landscape" in Russian legislation
D.M. FETISOV, S.A. SOLOVCHENKOV
Institute for Complex Analysis of Regional Problems, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Birobidzhan, Russia
Keywords: landscape, landscape policy, management, environmental protection, Russia
Abstract
It has been revealed that in spite of the absence of a state landscape policy in Russia the regulation of several kinds of economic activity includes requirements for rational use of landscapes. The landscape concept is used to manage resource-oriented activities in Russia. Environmental protection, and also the Russian natural and cultural heritage preservation were determined as the key lines of activity. It was found that approximately 40 types of landscapes were regulated by Russian legislation. Nevertheless, only three definitions of them have been legally approved: “landscape”, “natural landscape” and “anthropogenic landscape”. Federal legislation regulates landscape management for almost all types of economic activities listed in this paper. At the interregional and regional level, attention is paid to the use of geosystems in tourism, agriculture, natural heritage conservation and environmental protection. At the local (municipal) level, the landscape concept is used to manage urban planning, the zoning of settlements and classification of lands and to assess their cadastral value. Integral geosystems (rather than individual natural and cultural-historical resources) are the objects for management within the framework of the functioning and development of specially protected natural areas as well as of the protection of cultural heritage. The objectives of their use are mainly mentioned in strategic documents. It is pointed out that a number of features in the state regulation of the use of geosystems in Russia relate to several principles of landscape planning. Among them are hierarchical nature (management of geosystems at all levels ranging from the federal to municipal level), the focus on the environmental aspects of regional policy (landscape management is basically used for the environmental protection), reliance on the ecological framework of the territory (the establishment and management of specially protected areas for the conservation of unique and typical natural complexes which form part of the ecological framework).
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