The process of landscape (trans)formation: a methodology for sustainable intervention in contemporary landscape

Resulting from two different evolutionary processes - 4000 million years of biological changes and the cultural process of human inhabitation of the planet - landscape makes evident the level of integration of its natural and cultural dimensions. The cultural context (ensuing from the transformations imposed by human population) affects the natural environment and the overall construction of landscape. For centuries, the relationship between society and territory was harmonious and balanced, producing urban, rural and natural constructed landscapes which were not only attractive and productive, but formed a core part of our shared heritage and the basis for our European identity. More recently, however, sectarian and utilitarian visions ruled by the principles of easy and maximum profit have become prevalent, side-by-side with new dominant trends of human intervention which have assisted in the adulteration and degradation of landscape. If a more sustainable approach to the organisation of contemporary landscape is to be defined, this will have to be based on the in-depth knowledge of its values, dynamics, problems and contradictions. This approach will have to jointly consider the landscape’s natural and cultural aspects in the planning process and use both of these dimensions for the definition of the objectives presiding landscape preservation and transformation. Only such a methodology, which respects the heritage and identity of landscape, can be said to foster the long-term development of both society and nature. In the context of the changeable dynamics typical of contemporary landscapes, this article contributes to the formulation of an intervention methodology based on an ecological and cultural reading of the landscape in order to apply the method used in landscape ecology to the conurbation of central Algarve coast