Introduction

‘Green Infrastructure (GI) is a key strategy in the European landscape policies aimed at reconnecting vital natural areas to urban hubs as well as restoring and improving their functional roles. Thus, GI is an essential planning concept towards protecting Natural Capital and simultaneously enhancing quality of life. This approach needs to be urgently implemented in Central Europe (CE) landscape planning policies, which seldom consider the ability of land to deliver multiple benefits. The Interreg Central Europe project Managing Green Infrastructure in Central European Landscapes – MaGICLandscapes works on the operationalisation of the GI concept in Central Europe. It will provide landmanagers, policy makers and communities the tools and the knowledge, at different spatial levels that they need to ensure the persistence of GI functionality and consequent benefits to society. The MaGICLandscapes project will deliver an assessment approach that deals with all spatial levels across CE landscapes types. It will supply the tools for GI assessment at the transnational level ensuring crossborder GI is understood in a way that reduces mis-matched management approaches. Nine multi-scale and multi-thematic case studies in five regions offer the testing ground for our transdisciplinary partner consortium to identify and feedback best practice for assessment, thus creating transnational added value. Outputs include a suite of transferable tools: a series of technical manuals as well as partner-level evidence-based strategies and action plans to direct future actions as well as investment. They should enhance the capacities of institutions to better manage our Natural Heritage.

This HANDBOOK OF CONCEPTUAL & THEORETICAL BACKGROUND, TERMS AND DEFINITIONS is the first output of the MaGICLandscapes project. It contains the fundamentals of green infrastructure (GI), which also includes the blue infrastructure. The handbook covers issues such as definitions of important terms or GI and its relationship to territorial law/policies of the five partner countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Poland) and EU regulations and programmes. Furthermore, it covers the territorial/international needs for a green infrastructure approach and its contribution to sustainable development. It shows, how a green infrastructure approach can address specific territorial and common challenges. This handbook for practice-oriented information is based on a review of GI literature and legislation as well as practical experiences of the project partners and stakeholders.’ Click here to access the report