The anniversary of the signing, on 20 October 2025, underscores a quarter-century of commitment to protecting, managing, and celebrating Europe’s diverse landscapes.
The European Landscape Convention (ELC), also known as the Florence Convention, has been ratified by 41 of the 46 Council of Europe member states. The United Kingdom remains among them, having signed the treaty in 2006 and implemented it a year later. When first introduced, the ELC was the world’s only international treaty dedicated specifically to landscapes.
As the ELC is the responsibility of the Council of Europe, as opposed to the European Union (EU), its provisions remain as statutory international obligations on member states that have ratified the treaty. This means that the UK’s departure from the EU has not affected its status in the UK.
The Convention defines landscape as “an area perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors.” Comprising 18 articles, the Convention promotes cooperation among European nations on landscape protection, planning, and management and to establish and implement policies, including integration into regional and town planning, to deliver these objectives. It also encourages the exchange of expertise and training among landscape professionals.
Since its 2016 amendment, the treaty has been formally titled the Council of Europe Landscape Convention. It applies to all landscapes — from rural to urban, coastal to inland, degraded to exceptional — recognising their cultural, social, ecological, and economic value.
Crucially, the ELC views landscape not as a restrictive or purely conservationist concept, but as a shared expression of the relationship between people and place — a reflection of local culture and identity. Public participation in shaping landscape policy remains central to its vision.
Linking landscape, rights, and the planetary crisis
In the wake of the Reykjavík Declaration of May 2023, the Council of Europe has intensified efforts to counter what it calls the “triple planetary crisis” of pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. As part of this shift, responsibility for the Landscape Convention has moved from the Directorate General of Democracy (DG2) to the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DG1) — aligning it more closely with the Bern Convention on wildlife and habitat conservation.
This restructuring reflects a growing recognition that environmental harm is a human rights issue. The move could open new legal avenues, allowing citizens to bring cases before the European Court of Human Rights if they are adversely affected by environmental degradation, including damage to landscapes.
On 14 May 2025, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted the Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment and a new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law. Together, they reinforce the organisation’s commitment to aligning human rights, democracy, and environmental protection.
Calls for stronger EU action
Meanwhile, the European Landscape Consortium — comprising organisations such as International Federation of Landscape Architects Europe, European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools, International Association of Landscape Ecology, International Association of Landscape Archaeology, the Landscape Research Group, and the Le:Notre Institute — has urged the European Union to give the Landscape Convention greater legal force. The group is calling for the ELC to be upgraded from a signatory treaty to an EU directive, which would make its implementation mandatory for member states.
In the UK, the Landscape Institute continues to support the aims of the Convention and works to ensure that the government upholds its commitments.
Michael Oldham FLI, Honorary Member, International Federation of Landscape Architects, said: “The European Landscape Convention was an astonishing discovery for me. Conceived in the 1990s, it represents one of the most significant political and legislative initiatives concerning landscape in the world. It is much more than the sum of its parts – it acts as a stimulus, a catalyst and an example of political will and understanding of the importance of landscape to a civilised society.”
Carolin Göhler FLI, President of the Landscape Institute, said: “The European Landscape Convention plays a vital role in recognising, safeguarding and enhancing the quality of our diverse landscapes in town and country and especially where they are affected by change of use and development. Many people do not have access to quality landscapes, which are fundamental for our wellbeing, supporting our cultural heritage and for nature to thrive. Thus, it is important that we continue to promote the commitments of the European Landscape Convention in recognising the benefits that good planning design and management of the landscape bring to people, place and nature.”