BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Landscape values\, rewilding\, and contested discourses of rural c
 hange in West Wales. - Dr George Holmes\, University of Leeds
DTSTART:20210209T130000Z
DTEND:20210209T140000Z
UID:TALK157003@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Rogelio Luque-Lora
DESCRIPTION:Across Europe\, rural landscapes and communities are changing\
 , following local\, national and global pressures. The future physical mak
 eup of these landscapes\, the species\, landforms and land uses that are p
 resent\, and the relationship between these landscapes and local communiti
 es\, are uncertain. As different visions for the physical makeup of landsc
 apes are being proposed and negotiated\, it is worth understanding how the
 y fit into broader rural politics\, and the values that underpin them. Thi
 s study looks at competing visions for the future of landscapes in west Wa
 les\, an area which may see rapid change\, particularly from proposed rewi
 lding projects. We use image based Q methodology to analyse different visi
 ons\, and to explore the values that underpin them. We find three distinct
  visions which we name socio-ecological transformation\, maintaining herit
 age farming landscapes\, and animals and aesthetics. We find that relation
 al and eudemonic values underpin the first two in particular. Despite clai
 ms by participants and stakeholders to speak for rural communities\, we fi
 nd important differences within rural communities. We find that disagreeme
 nts on the environmental and social futures of the landscape are based on 
 shared facts but divergent values. We find that iconic species in farming 
 and rewilding (e.g. sheep\, beaver) generate highly bimodal viewpoints. Re
 wilding is a well-discussed and love-it-or-hate-it topic. These findings h
 ave important implications for the future of contested projects aimed at t
 ransforming the landscape of this region\, and relevance for wider Europea
 n landscape change. Our conceptual approach\, which combines a focus on th
 e politics of the rural with relational values\, and our methodological ap
 proach\, of image based Q methodology\, have great potential for understan
 ding debates over the future of rural landscapes and the future of rewildi
 ng.
LOCATION:Delivered online via Zoom
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR