The role of Teagasc in landscape management
In accordance with the European Landscape Convention, ratified by Ireland in 2002, Teagasc has a role in increasing awareness of, and promoting, landscape policy. Given their prevalence, farm landscapes are crucial in regard to achieving landscape enhancement at a national scale (Bell, 1996).
Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) is regarded as a key tool for those involved in influencing the landscape. As it concerns all landscapes, not just those of high quality and value, it is relevant on all farms. A report for The Heritage Council recommended that LCAs be used as a targeting and monitoring framework for REPS (Martin and Farmer, 2006). Teagasc research found the language of REPS 4 reveals an expanded emphasis on landscape (Whelan, 2009). Recommendations were made to improve the framework for the treatment of landscape issues in future agri-environment schemes.
Not only are Ireland’s landscapes especially rich in historic and cultural features, but historic landscape is a concept that people can readily understand and identify with, which may be a key tool in raising landscape awareness at local level. For example Historic Landscape Characterisation could influence measures undertaken on farms in agri-environment schemes.
When planning new agricultural buildings, farm advisers take account of Local Authority Development Plans and their objectives for the preservation of the character of the landscape, areas of special amenity, and landscape conservation areas, which may impact on the exempted development status of proposed structures. Teagasc has had significant positive influence on the development of quality farm buildings. Controlled by planning law and encouraged by grant aid, progress has been made in recent years encouraging building design, colour, and landscaping in tune with the locality.
Teagasc’s forestry programme gives Best Practice landscape advice using the Forestry and the Landscape Guidelines published by the Forest Service. These provide recommendations for various forest development scenarios and for four distinct landscape character types commonly found in Ireland: rolling moorland; rolling fertile farmland; drumlins; and mountain and farmland complex.