The document discusses the contributions and challenges faced by the Australian ICOMOS in relation to the World Rural Landscapes initiative aimed at managing and protecting rural landscapes. It outlines proposed actions, issues concerning the classification of agricultural landscapes, and heritage protections, emphasizing the evolving nature of Australia's rural landscapes and farming practices. Key topics include the impact of climate, planning controls, and an increasing shift towards corporate farming structures.

1. Jane Lennon
Presentation to US ICOM
Philadelphia, 5 April 201
AUSTRALIA ICOMOS plan
for contribution to World Rural Landscapes Pro

2. The World Rural Landscapes (WRL) initiative
launched by the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes ICOMOS-
IFLA to foster the worldwide cooperation in the study, management and protection of
rural landscapes.
http://www.worldrurallandscapes.org
Proposed Initial Project Actions:
•Define the geographic scope: our continent – Includes all rural areas that produce food
on and underground, water, woodlands, pastures as well as agriculture –fish farming,
forestry, hunting.
•Note: Although Rodney Harrison estimated in ‘Shared Landscapes’ (2004) that some
98% of NSW after 1788 used for pastoral purposes (i.e., to produce wool as well as
meat and dairy), the WRL, as explained by Dr Lionella Scazzosi at our AI Canberra
meeting last October, intended to apply to the present and the extent of food-producing
landscapes

3. ACTION TO DATE
•Form an Australian Committee of interested
ISC/CL members, experts on cultural landscape
programs and experts on different geographic
regions.
•Share information on the WRL project through
the NSC email site and Dropbox.
•Prepared a task list, an implementation schedule
and identify proposed leads for each of the WRL
Outputs (Australian Bibliography, Glossary,
Landscape Classification Types or Categories,
and Case Studies)
• Finalized an agenda item for the NSC meeting
proposed for 8 March, 2014 in Canberra to review
drafts Outputs.
•Request an extension for the Outputs until the
end of April to incorporate NSC members input.

4. Issues to date
• Categories outlined in the
WRL doc relate poorly to
Australian agriculture.
• Continental scale –yet
productive lands
concentrated in wetter
areas
• Little application of
landscape analysis to
majority of rural landscapes
–few contributors
• Not many case studies by
our members –planners on
city edges; archaeologists
on mining sites, corridors;
architects on rural buildings
• Government reports tend to
be about rural produce,
biodiversity and water
conservation
• Not enough interest or
debate about rural heritage
applied to landscapes

5. The South West Victoria Landscape Assessment Study :
detailed insight into landscape character types and most significant landscapes of the region.
The Battle for Bowering Hill:
Landscape evaluation and
its influence on
policy making for
the Willunga Basin, South
Australia.

6. 95% of Australians
live within 50 kms of the coast

7. ISSUES
• Rural landscapes differ by zone
small scale around cities, vast in
grain belts
• Aesthetic values arising from
seasonal changes cannot be protected through planning
controls
• Cattle rather than sheep dot
the landscape.

8. ISSUES
• Rural planning schemes value
significant biodiversity
• Heritage protection –only small
percentage of colonial estates.
• Little discussion of what is a ‘traditional
farm’ and how much change is acceptable

9. Where are the agricultural lands in Australia?
•Climate in the driest continent and soils determine where agricultural activities occur.
•Choice of crop and pasture species return nutrients to the system, maintain soil structure,
■ Pastoral — 5400 farms
■ Wheat–sheep — 54 300 farms
■ High rainfall — 57 800 farms

10. Rural landscape
characteristics
• Wooded hilltops
•Single paddock trees
•Cropping on creek flats
•Cattle grazing taking
over from sheep
•House located on slope
above any flood level
•Corrugated iron
outbuildings

11. Intensive agriculture in valley
bottom, Boonah, Qld
Extensive grazing in well watered
Border Ranges, Qld
and outback WA, 2012

13. Irrigated crops, 2012

15. Laidley , vegetable growing landscape

16. Plantation forestry
on former marginal farmland, northern NSW

17. From redundant
technology to certified
organic

18. National –all of Australia 977/2232
NSW 151
Victoria 91
Tasmania 109
Queensland 465
South Australia 43
Western Australia 68
Northern Territory 3
Number of
‘farm’ associated
places listed in
the Australian
Heritage Places
Inventory
2012

19. Heritage Listing and protection
• Built components identified
• Designed colonial farms and estates, many convict built, protected;
many now relict landscape features.
• Associated agricultural landscapes - not protected under heritage
controls, but Rural Use zone in planning schemes.
• Local Environment Plans [LEPs] identify heritage items, mostly
buildings, and aim to protect the visual character of distinctive
farming areas with controls on windfarms, power lines etc
• Rural landscapes are key images in Australian Impressionism art and
much admired.

21. Australian Alps
relict features in national park landscape devoid of pastoral activity,
with natural regeneration

22. Trends
• Lifestyle farming on small acreages increasing close to cities;
emphasis on organic products.
• Weekend farmers markets often in parks selling direct to
consumers.
• Aggregations and large scale farming in grain belts
• Average farmer is 56 years old - family farm model evolving
into a more corporate business structure
• Huge increase in productivity in dairying, grain production
• No till farming of grain paddocks protects soil but changes
landscape
• Cattle are predominant over sheep -Australia is still world’s
largest producer of fine wool.
• Marginal farmlands being added to conservation reserves
and parks.

23. Farming trends

24. Changing scales and uses in Australia’s rural landscapes
Thank you