Landscape Foundation
Many find discussions about landscape, and the intensity with which people react to changes proposed, hard to understand. They do not appreciate that landscape is a concept which people hold dearly, as part of who they are, where they were borne and now live. When changes occur or are proposed people often feel personally threatened. Landscapes, be they in any country, are not simply an object which may be bought and sold, diced and sliced.
We depend on our landscape in New Zealand for our economic survival, and well as our health, inspiration and way of life. The New Zealand landscape, including seascapes, air quality and climate effects provides for agricultural production, as well as vineyards, orchards, floriculture, forests and food.
Our identity is based on our landscapes. For Maori this is about whakapapa, location, and about memories; for those with a Western heritage, this is about place and who we are; for those with Eastern origins it can mean poetry, literature and many other things. We talk about where we live and play and landscapes generally have a pride of place in those discussions. Some talk is nostalgic such as the smell of bush, sparkling rivers or the countryside, although most of us now live in the city. We hope that others will keep those spaces which are part of our identity green and wholesome. We also hope that our cities and towns will have attractive and useful spaces for us to relax and enjoy a snack outside, to enable us to find our way, or for children to play.
http://www.landscape.org.nz/the-importance-of-lanscape.html
