Countryside Conservation - Land Ecology, Planning and Management (Paperback, 3rd Ed)

The countryside and it's amenities of wildlife, landscape beauty and recreational opportunity was created by traditional agricultural practices. Modern farming techniques no longer supply these amenities as an automatic, incedental by-product of food production. If they are to continue to be enjoyed, then specific provision must be made for them. Agricultural policy in Europe is now beginning to do this by redirecting substantial agricultural support to the promotion of enviromentally-friendly farming practices. A wide variety of initiatives in forestry, conservation, hydrology and other sectors are also developing to promote the growing discipline of Countryside management to implement coservation objectives in the countryside. These objectives are themselves now being reassessed as principles from the new discipline of landscape ecology are incorporated into landscape planning and management, and the opportunities for redesigning the countryside offered by overcapacity in agriculture are beginning to be recognised and exploited.; A significant shift is taking place fron the implementation of conservation objectives through planning mechanisms focuses largely on designated protecte