ABSTRACT
I have been privileged to be able to travel widely and to work or visit many landscapes, ranging from the most urban to the most wild, and from those where human influences go back many thousands of years to those where settlement has been relatively recent. I have also had many opportunities to study much recent research into landscapes and their processes and the scientific and philosophical background to their perceptions. This wide ranging study has enabled me to develop the extensive links between so many natural and cultural phenomena that became the synthesis presented here. I have also observed at first hand many of the problems that human mismanagement of the landscape cause and firmly believe that there is a middle road between laissez faire development and outright protection. Readers may detect a bias to the geographical spread of examples cited here. This is because they are all ones I am personally acquainted with and I hope this gives them more immediacy. The vast majority of the photographs were taken by me and these also reflect the experiences I have brought to the book. Many of the case studies presented here reflect ongoing projects with which I have had a direct connection, so that the theoretical material is supported by examples that demonstrate its validity. I have been excited by the possibilities J have encountered during my researches and I believe that there are hopeful signs that we are at last understanding how we relate to the world around us and using that understanding to manage natural and cultural resources better and more sustainably. There is still a long way to go and I would like to think that this book is a modest contribution to the journey. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I have enjoyed the process of developing and writing it.
