ABSTRACT
Landscapes represent major assets that are primarily privately owned but with values that are predominantly in the public realm. Governance thus involves a mix of private property and public policy operated through a variety of institutions. In this context the approach to governance follows Jessop (1998: 95) who defines governance as ‘the complex art of steering multiple agencies, institutions and systems . . . through various forms of reciprocal interdependence’. At the same time, landscapes, especially with regard to their aspect as a major element of an ecological system, represent a complex good, one that is characterised by many elements that interact in ill-defined and often unpredictable ways. Policy thus needs to represent the public interests in landscape management decisions but in a context where there are strong elements of uncertainty and ignorance (Wätzold 2000).
