The "Charneca do Ribatejo" - landscape and identity.

Perspectives from the Charneca Observatory

Abstract

Territorial identity is today a key aspect of local development. Thus, it becomes relevant to gain a better understanding of the process of constructing the identity of territories, as a support for local actions. Landscape, as defined by the European Landscape Convention, is an essential framework for exploring the foundation, and understanding territorial identity as a social construct over time. This article intends to reflect on the landscape identity of Charneca do Ribatejo, a landscape unit where the implementation of a Landscape Observatory is underway, following European Landscape Convention recommendations. For this, three interconnected territorial scales are approached from the geographic, historical and ecological points of view: i) Ribatejo province, as an administrative and political unit created by the Estado Novo, ii) Charneca do Ribatejo, as an extensive, unpopulated landscape, in the left bank of the Tagus River in the transition to the Alentejo region, iii) Charneca do Ribatejo, as part of the municipality of Chamusca, characterizing the territory and its biophysical and cultural matrix, and also integrating the perspectives of the local communities regarding the role of landscape in the construction of territorial identity. Opportunities and threats to enhance the landscape and its resources are identified, with a view to local development options based on the involvement of the present and visitant communities. We also highlight the role of the Charneca Landscape Observatory as a centre for research, sharing and dissemination of knowledge related to this territory, its communities, and the landscape.