Tool 7 Biophysical reading of the territory

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Tool 7 Biophysical reading of the territory

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The value of landscape Emilio RamiroGeographer and landscape expertSpain

“Landscape is a space of the land surface; we intuitively know thatit is a space with a degree of permanence, which has its owndistinctive character, topographically and / or culturally, and aboveall, that it is a space shared by a group of people”

John Brinckerhoff Jackson

This brief definition of landscape contains concepts which are keyto understanding the essence of landscape, something, which ifwe manage to discover and interpret, will be of great use whentaking any action on it.The concept of permanence introduces a new scale tounderstanding landscapes; the temporal; as the landscape, due inall surety to the speed with which it has been transformed duringthe last century, has gone from a static vision to one far moreorganic. The physical and cultural factors cited in the definition cannot beunderstood if one does not take into account a temporalviewpoint, be this in order to understand, on the one side, thedynamics of natural processes which have occurred in a givenlandscape, along with the different societies which have workedit, lived in it and used it. The value of history helps us tounderstand a landscape today, and teaches us about the future. Inthe words of Rosa Barba “landscape is living history, it is space intime”. A biophysical reading cannot be disassociated from a cultural one.Topography generates river basins which contains valleys whichare crossed by rivers, and these rivers are sources of life andtherefore sources of attraction for human settlements. Betweentwo adjoining valleys cultural differences can be considerable,owing to the relations which have been developed by theirsocieties with regard to their landscapes. The structure of land, itsfertility, the speed and temperature of wind, the water balance,climate, natural hazards, relief..., all of these are natural factorswhich influence the culture of the peoples inhabiting it and thesepeoples are forced to settle and act in one way or another withtheir landscapes. Reciprocally, the way different people act endsup shaping the landscape –which is never final-. Hence we cancome to a twin conclusion, firstly, that societies and their relationwith the landscape are conditioned by their physical variables, andsecondly, that landscapes are the living reflection of the societieswhich reflect them.

This vision also offers us the possibility of supporting ourselves inthe geographical reading of territory when we intend to mark outcultural landscapes; it is no coincidence that in each valley of theBasque Country, in its farmhouses, a different dialect of Basque isspoken; topography conditions the speed and accessibility of therelations between societies and therefore the cultural flows. Thehomogeneity of the distinct landscape units must lie in theinterrelation of biophysical and cultural factors.The importance of biophysical reading is greater than we havegiven it in western civilization, which, throughout the 20th century,has gradually separated us from nature, empowering humanbeings to the full. However, we are surrounded by the naturalorder and we form part of it. And what is more, we should notforget that we ourselves are nature.There is something of truth with regards to environmental ornatural determinism which conditions humanity and livingcreatures in general –as theorised by Alexander Von Humboldtand Carl Ritter, the fathers of modern geography-, which wasparadigmatic in the sciences which studied the landscape during

The analysis of the traditional landscape should recognize the conjunct of naturalfactors as well as the socio-cultural dimension which has configured it throughouthistory. Countrysides, access roads, water management systems and the buildingare the four great factors of humanization of landscape.

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Tool 7 Biophysical reading of the territory The value of landscape

the 19th century and was later ignored, owing to the economicneeds of capitalism. When we act on the landscape we shouldunderstand the natural order and ally ourselves with it. If we don’tdo so, if we ignore it, we run the risk that the different elementsof the landscape will remind us of it one day, as unfortunatelyalready occurs.In order to understand the landscape –to know one has tounderstand-, a biophysical reading is essential in order to arrive atthe keys which explain the interventions of the past and how thepresent should be, whatever its purpose (exploitation, protection,construction, renovation, restoration...); but as has been said, weshould not analyse natural elements without finding how theyinterrelate with human elements. The complete and correctanalysis of the landscape should be tackled following amultidisciplinary approach. Barragán considers 12 disciplineswhen tackling the study of the landscape; engineering, physics,chemistry, geology, economics, ecology, geography, sociology,biology, law, history and urbanism. This does not mean that othertypes of reading and interpretation are not valid or cannot offertheir vision, such as cinematographic art, painting or literatureamong others.

In order to arrive at a complete reading of the landscape we needto know:

Natural elements formed by the geological andgeomorphological characteristics which shape relief(landforms, heights, gradients, slopes, orientation...) and thesoil, along with its dynamics. Hydrological characteristics, either underground or surface,through rivers, their springs, tributaries and streams, along withtheir water balances, flows, sedimentations and flood basins.Meteorological dynamics, atmospheric elements and climaticconditions through temperatures and precipitation; its effects.Possible microclimates.Types, communities and densities of vegetation; flora, wildlifeand their forms both in terms of habitat and how theyinterrelate; habitat mosaics. Biological connectivity.Cultural elements and their historical dimension through theuses and activities which have occurred in the landscape; thetypes of human settlement, whether this is residential,industrial, agricultural, religious or of any other type of activity;and human constructions from architecture forms through timeto constructions related to natural factors (irrigation,channels/canals, walls, terracing,...). Historical andarchaeological heritage. External territorial limits (geographicaland administrative) and internal ones (structure of landdivision...)Mobility through communication networks; from today’smotorways to the network of local paths and tracks; Landscape in Osuna, in rural Andalusia (Spain)

Landscape with crops near Fez in Morocco

Landscape at Jenin, Khirbit AlSabien (Palestine). Riwaq photo archives.

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accessibility and connectivity of different places; fragmentationrendered on the landscape. Mobility through communication networks; from today’smotorways to the network of local paths and tracks;accessibility and connectivity of different places; fragmentationrendered on the landscape. Local and regional economic factors highly related to mobilityand the localization of centres both of population and ofproduction. Social elements through the demographic structure; thecohesion and social issues; the socioeconomic profile of itsinhabitants. Social relations and barriers created. Sensorialfactors through the influence of the landscape in theperception and psychology of its inhabitants.In addition to these elements, it is also very useful to find goodbibliographical sources and statistics, along with the use of thedirect method, that is, the observation in situ or directquestionnaires –it is certain that more than one person willhave considered the same landscape problem. Through thismethod we can find aspects of which we were unaware–mythological, identity,... only known by those who inhabit thislandscape-, or others which were once important and whichcould become so again. Field work in addition allows us todetermine the visibility of the landscape, and to study the visualfactors which characterise it: colours, lines, shapes, patterns,

textures... This said, it should be remembered that howevermuch information we have, what is important is not thequantity but rather how we work with it.

We should interpret all these elements as tools for analysing thelandscape, studying each separately and synthetically, as they areall interrelated between each other. Only through a syntheticreading can we know the degree of cohesion, harmony andinternal balance of the landscape. When we analyse the landscape with the objective of takingactions on it, the analysis should be carried out with intention,that is, analysing the information which really is of use with regardto the later project. For example, when restoration is the aim, theanalysis should make it very clear what reasons explain thebuilding types found in a given landscape, and these reasons canbe found, for example, in the detailed study of the geology of theplace. On another point, analysis is not useful if it does not provideus with a diagnosis of the landscape in question, strong points tobe strengthened or maintained and weak, problematic ordangerous points to be eliminated, mitigated or simply leftuntouched. The analysis, finally, should provide us with the masterstrokes or guidelines for action in order to develop the project. Returning to Jackson’s initial definition of landscape, a finalconcept stands above all the others: “and above all it is a spaceshared by a group of people”. These people have slowly adapted,over the centuries, to its places, its topography, its climate, its soil,to the rest of people with whom they share this place..., and thisis reflected in accents, ways of dressing, ways of celebrating thefestivals, smells of the seasons, the taste of the local wine, thesound of the church bells or traditional music itself... all thesecharacteristics form part of the essence of the landscape andendow it with its uniqueness.In summary, a biophysical reading of the landscape does not onlyprovide us with the information necessary on the substrate of life,the environment which surrounds us and the conditions to whichthey are exposed, but rather it also brings us closer to its peopleand to our understanding of them, their behaviour, feelings andtheir character and how they act upon the landscape; cognitiveaspects of vital importance for any action on a given landscape,for, in the end, it is its people and the very soul of the landscapewho are going to live in and experience it.

Landscape on Santorini (Greece)

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