The Character of the Volcanic Landscape of La Garrotxa
All landscapes are the perceptible product of a dynamic combination of abiotic (geological substrata), biotic (flora and fauna) and anthropic (human activities) elements that convert the whole into a social and cultural amalgam in a continual state of evo
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The Character of the Volcanic Landscape of La Garrotxa Joan Nogué and Pere Sala i Martí
All landscapes are the perceptible product of a dynamic combination of abiotic (geological substrata), biotic (flora and fauna) and anthropic (human activities) elements that convert the whole into a social and cultural amalgam in a continual state of evolution. The landscape is thus both a physical reality and the cultural representation that we make of it. It is the visible external physiognomy of a certain part of the Earth’s surface and the individual and social perception that it generates—a tangible geographical entity whose interpretation is intangible. It is both the signifier and the signified, the container and the contents, reality and fiction. That is, it has a physical, material dimension and a spiritual, symbolic and perceptive dimension. Human societies use their cultures to transform original landscapes into cultural landscapes that are characterised not only by certain types of constructions, for example, but also by the translation of human values and sentiments onto the very landscape. Thus, the volcanic landscape of La Garrotxa is a paradigm as it encompasses and concentrates all these ingredients in a highly singular fashion that render it attractive on both a European and world scale. One of the most singular scenic areas in the whole of Catalonia is the volcanic landscape of La Garrotxa, a montane landscape articulated by the rivers Fluvià and Ser that possesses a series of outstanding morphological features generated by the area’s Quaternary vulcanism (e.g. the basaltic cliff at Castellfollit de la Roca and the 40 catalogued volcanoes, all of which are protected by La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, the entity in charge of the protection of the main elements of natural interest in this geological landscape). The volcanic landscape of La J. Nogué (&) University of Girona (UdG), and Catalan Landscape Observatory, Olot, Spain e-mail: [email protected] P. Sala i Martí Catalan Landscape Observatory, Olot, Spain e-mail: [email protected]
Garrotxa is also characterised by a combination of thick holm and deciduous oak and beech forests (including the singular D’en Jordà beech forest), and productive agricultural areas such as the Vall d’en Bas (located at the foot of the mountain of Puigsacalm) and the Vall de Bianya. Amidst this mosaic of fields, pastures, woodlands and farmsteads appear medieval villages such as Santa Pau and Besalú, and the urban landscape of the city of Olot, which is home to features of great urban interest such as the Malagrida New Town and Parc Nou. Nevertheless, before examining more closely the main features of this landscape, it is worth considering briefly the European and Catalan legal provisions regarding landscape protection, planning and management, with special emphasis on the Catalan landscape catalogues and map. Since 2000, both international (European Landscape Convention) and national (law aimed at protecting, managing and organising the landscape of Catalo
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