A Country Through Crisis and Beyond: The Case of the Greek Landscape

This chapter critically explores the relationship of Greeks to their landscape, attempting to make sense of the aspects of this relationship in its complex socio-cultural and political/economic context. It traces the factors and implications of the development of Greek landscape culture vis-à-vis the substantive landscape conceptualization and approach of the ELC, which Greece has not yet effectively implemented. The paper concludes with the presentation of the Rural Observatory of Crete, an initiative recently founded and funded by the local Prefecture authorities as a first-time attempt towards the instigation of (rural) landscape stewardship in Greece. The Observatory aims to contribute to a balanced development of the Cretan hinterland by promoting landscape sustainability, while acting as a counterpart to the excessive tourism development of Crete’s northern coast.