The aim of Changing Landscapes is to create a scientific basis for understanding the historical background to the appearance of the present landscape. Equally important is to comprehend the processes of change occurring in the landscape. It is on this background that cultural historical and nature conservation interests will be evaluated in relation to human economic and recreational use of the landscape. particularly the culture bound aspects of this dynamics will be analysed - including nature management.

Rhe centre is, as indicated by the name, an interdisciplinary initiativ with researchers participating from arts, science and social sciences. Twelve different research institutions are involved such as universities, sector research institutions and museums. The common starting point for the many different researchers is that everyone works on information tied to a specific place, whether the topic is within natural or cultural history. Another common denominator is the aim to promote a view of the landscape as an entity including the flora and fauna.

Four different subprojects are included in the co-operation; Cultural Environment and Landscape History, Scenarios for the Development of the Cultural Landscape, Nature Quality in Terrestrial Eco Systems and Sustainable Nature Management in Coastal Areas. The main emphasis within the first sub-project is to analyse landscape structures which will contribute to a greater understanding of landscape entities - which broadly speaking also includes the coastal zone. The other sub-project focuses on development of models applicable in different scenarios of development directions in the cultural landscape. The third sub-project researches, in particular, the culturally bound living conditions for flora and fauna while the examinations of the fourth sub-projects concentrates on the effect of hunting on birds in sanctuaries.

The centre is financed by The Danish Environmental Research Programme and has been granted Dkr. 35 mill. It is a part of the sub-programme Sustainable Land Use and runs until the end of year 2000.

 Changing Landscapes is an open centre where the researchers remain at their home institutions but with a common co-ordinating centre at the University of Southern Denmark. This is where the centre leader is seated and has an academic secretary to help with common centre tasks, such as co-ordinating information and organising common seminars.

Centre leader - Per Grau Møller, University of Southern Denmark - Odense University, Cartographic Documentation Centre, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Ph. +45 65 50 21 04, pgm@hist.sdu.dk