Towards a framework for long-term conservation of terraced landscapes in Switzerland: case studies of recultivated former vineyard and crop terraces

Abstract

Terraced landscapes are among Switzerland’s most expressive cultural landscapes and have a high ecological, cultural, identificatory, and recreational value. But in many regions they are threatened because farmers are abandoning marginal agricultural land and are no longer maintaining the terraces. In this article, we propose a framework of basic formal and procedural conditions that have to be considered when developing and operating landscape conservation projects, and illustrate and validate them with examples from three case studies. The results show that a broadly anchored and locally and externally accepted governing body is decisive for a project to be successful over the long term. Such a body is in a position to deal with the complexity of management, financing, project coordination, and cooperation while promoting coherence among actors and integrating relevant local and interested external actors into communal structures. This, in turn, helps to enhance other success factors, such as ecological integration and habitat conservation, generation of funds to cover operating costs, and inclusion of communal work.