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Last April, for the first time, 'Friends of theCountryside' (FCS) brought together young andfuture private landowners and rural
entrepreneurs from all over Europe. Our associationhas always shared common views on our rural andhistoric heritage with the 'Union of European HistoricHouses Association' (UEHHA). For this reason thetwo organizations got together to set up 'YoungFriends of the Countryside'.The launch took place in Brussels on Tuesday the19th and Wednesday the 20th of April 2005 during aseminar in the European Parliament.By creating a youth component, FCS wishes toensure its survival and continue to promote theessential values of ownership, the rural environmentand historic buildings. The association's intention is to prepare the future of the rural economy and business in Europe.
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E L O - E u r o p e a n L a n d o w n e r s ’ O r g a n i z a t i o n
September 2005
M O N T H LYn
E Nnr 80
Transfering property and businesses in anintelligent manner in order to ensure their
survival, whilst respecting economic, socialand environmental traditions, is essential for
ELO and Friends of the Countryside.
It is so essential that in order to allow youngcandidates to think about their future as
successors, to receive training and to thinkthrough plans and the means of achievingtheir ambitions, we have created a networkcalled 'Young Friends of the Countryside'.
Society today, facing structural reforms,demands much of young people, but it is also
full of opportunities. It is up to them todecide on a path and make choices. Our
responsibility is to allow them to train, toform opinions on the sort of Europe they are
living in and to seize opportunities. Theyounger they do this, the younger they will
be when they take an interest in property andbusiness, and the more motivated and
committed they will be.
So to start sowing seeds for the future, the'Young Friends' were invited by the EuropeanParliament for their constitutive meeting and
met a number of members of theCommission's different directorates general.The business world and civil society are also
holding the door wide open to them.
We the landowners of today must ensure werespect the criteria for the success of a
transfer, such as not hesitating to delegateresponsibility, ensuring the transfer is to
someone young enough to be able to devotethemselves fully to the land and not be
content with passing the responsibilty on tosomebody else. The role of public authoritiesis to create an environment enabling young
people to develop their talents while avoidinga multitude of paralyzing constraints whichwould make this impossible. Instead flexibleprovisions for transfer should be created, anda legislative back-drop which allows them toget involved for the good of European society.
These young people are our future. Let us goand meet them so we can develop tomorrow's
solutions together.
The launch of "Young Friends
of the Countryside"
Editorial
Thierry de l'ESCAILLE
YFCS intends to create a Euro-pean network of young and futurerural landowners and businessmen.The association wants to act as avehicle for its members in order tofacilitate the exchange of experien-ce and the transfer of know-how. Italso wants to promote the role ofyoung people in order to preservethe future of Europe's countryside.
More than a vehicle and a meansof representation, YFCS also intendsto inform its members about theUnion's environmental and econo-mic policies and relevant legalaspects. Thanks to the support ofELO, FCS and UEHHA, our youngassociation will be able to tackle alarge number of topics such asforestry management, Natura 2000,historic buildings, enlargement ofEurope, new technologies, theCommon Agricultural Policy, RuralDevelopment, hunting etc.
It is vital for young people, closelyor loosely linked to the rural environ-ment, to gain a greater awareness,and it is also vital for them to partici-pate in the full knowledge of what isat stake in preserving the values ofheritage, business and the family.Sponsored by FCS and UEHHA,YFCS wants to equip its young mem-bers with the tools to do so.
Apart from getting to know eachother, the two days of the seminarwere an opportunity for the partici-
pants to successively tackle thetopics of building Europe, interna-tional investment and Europeanenvironmental policy.
The participants were first of allwelcomed by Michl EBNER, mem-ber of the European Parliament andchairman of the intergroup, 'Sus-tainable hunting, biodiversity andrural activities'. He explained hisposition regarding the major role ofyoung people in the countryside.
The issue of European environ-mental policies was presented byNicholas HANLEY, head of the'Nature and biodiversity' unit in DGEnvironment. His speech focusedprimarily on explaining Natura2000, how it is spread over Euro-pean territory, what its perspectivesare and what the future of thisEuropean ecological network is.
The importance of family firmsin economic development washighlighted by Youssef DIB, a BNPParibas bank executive. He alsomentioned the advantages of sucha partner as themselves for thesebusinesses.
The social aspects of the busi-ness world were then examined byOlivier KEYSER from the ASHOKAassociation. He explained theimportance of social entrepreneursand the success their work canproduce.
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C O N T E N T S
The launch of "Young Friends of the Countryside" 1
A letter from thePresident of YFCS 4
YFCS: a new network for the successors of Europe's ruralentrepreneurs 6
ELO training course aspart of YFCS activities 8
Multiculturalism andcompany management,pros or cons? 9
Diary Dates 10
Landowners and the management of coastal processes 2/2 11
Manifesto for the vitality of the Netherlandsand programme for the future 12
CountrySideis a publication of ELO inEnglish, French, German,
Italian and Spanish.
Publisher :Thierry de l’ESCAILLE
Chief editor :Ronan GIRARD
Rue de Trèves, 67B - 1040 Bruxelles
Tel. : 00 32 (0)2 234 30 00Fax : 00 32 (0)2 234 30 09
Internet Site :www.elo.org
5 Euros
EN
Maurice GUYADER (EC) Thierry de l’ESCAILLE Youssef DIB (BNP PARIBAS)
Following the presentation of theenvironmental, economic and socialtopics, the importance of the Euro-pean Constitution and the role ofyoung people in the European Unionwere tackled by Gilles DE KERCHOVE,the head of the European Council'slegal service.
In the different debates andquestions concerning the countrysi-de in Europe, the ELO and FCSoccupy an important place. Theobjectives and roles of these organi-zations as well as the links betweenthem were explained by MarkTHOMASIN-FOSTER, ELO president.
At a time of enlargement for theEuropean Union, it is important tobear in mind the main focus it hadwhen it was first created and built.Alain SERVANTIE from DG enlarge-ment ran through these differentpoints for us. He also briefly wentinto the objectives of the Union'senlargement policy. After the adhe-rence of 10 new countries in 2004,there are still several countries whichare enlargement candidates.
Agro-food technology is nowwidespread and influences our nutri-tion. Roger SALAMEH from theAmerican company Arcadia explai-ned the techniques used and theresults obtained on the food market.
The different subjects tackledwere intended to give a general pic-ture of the areas relevant to YFCS.These topics and many others willbe taken up and developed by theassociation through the activitiesand meetings to be organizedannually in Europe. They will be ameeting place for young people,political decision-makers and natio-nal and European representatives inorder to discuss the different issuesalready mentioned.
Several communication channelswill be used to pass information bet-ween the members of YFCS and theUnion, for example, the monthlyinformation magazine, "Country-side". There they will find articles onthe above topics. The FCS websitehttp://www.friendsofthecountrysi-de.net/ is also a good interface.Members will be able to find infor-mation on it about the topics theyare interested in, details about theassociation's activities etc.
Members will have the opportu-nity of attending courses run byELO, FCS and certain rural busines-ses. They will also gain access to theEuropean dossiers being studied byour associations.
People were asked to stand forboard membership during the semi-
nar as well. It was set up a fewweeks later on the basis of the let-ters of motivation and CVs sent byseveral participants. It is made up of9 members from 6 nationalities.
The board consists of a chair-man, a vice-chairman, a generalsecretary and national members,elected for a period of 4 years.
The founder members are Gabrielde l'ESCAILLE (Belgium) in the chair,Leopoldo CICOGNA MOZZONI (Italy)vice-chairman and Robin DU PARCLOCMARIA, the general secretary(Belgium).
The other founder members areGregory KEANE and Patrick PERCEVALMAXWELL (Ireland), Christophe-Ludwig ZU STOLBERG-STOLBERG(Germany), Patrick REVENTLOW-GRINLING (Denmark) and AlastairKERR (United Kingdom).
UEHHA (Union of EuropeanHistoric Houses Association) isrepresented on the board by CédricPELGRIMS de BIGARD (Belgium).
n Robin du PARC LOCMARIA
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Coordination: François de RADIGUÈStel: +352 021 190 345
Dear friends,
Those lucky enough to still beinvolved in some kind of activityin the countryside face difficultchoices, and are constantly heldback by a multitude of severeconstraints. As is the case formany of you, the fact that I havefaced them since childhood hasstrongly increased my sensitivityto the matter. What strikes metoday is not the lack of interestbut the lack of access to availa-ble information on many wor-rying subjects, and unfortunatelythis is all too often the case forour parents too.
I am a regular follower of ELO's(European Landowners Organi-sation) activities in Brussels andthis has led me to think aboutcertain problems linked to EUproperty rights. Thanks to a trai-nee's post at the Center forPrivate Conservation inWashington and at the Councilfor International Game andWildlife Conservation I have alsobecome aware of environmentalissues at an international leveland have examined the differentways these problems are mana-ged and experienced throughoutthe world. These many experien-ces have stimulated my curiosityand further shaped my opinions.
If we want to protect our inter-ests against the regulatory regi-mes in the current rural environ-ment, we must defend this sec-tor together and not just our ownbusiness or assets.
I am writing this letter becauseyour activities, values, interests,profession, studies or (family)obligations provide you withsocial, economic, financial andother benefits of this naturalenvironment.
However, managing these manypromising perspectives does notdepend solely on us, let us makeno mistake.
Whether it be at a national levelor within the European Com-munity, the legislative powersdecide on the fate of our inter-ests under the influence of par-ties and pressure groups whosetheories are profoundly incom-patible with the ideas we haveforged through our direct expe-rience of these regions, whichare so important to us.
Many of you will be part of thenew generation of businessmenwho respect their heritage, be ithistoric, economic or cultural.You will be part of this irreplace-able group, aware of the princi-ples of sustainable developmentand proud of the role it plays andwill continue to play - that is, thegroup of European private lan-downers.
If we fail to communicate ourvalues, they will never be taken upor understood. If we pass themon, they will represent a forcewhich will speak for the new gene-ration, united and numerous, fromall corners of Europe.
At our inaugural conferencecoordinated with ELO's help, towhom we are extremely grateful,we were encouraged by theattention paid to our opinions byeminent figures in the EuropeanParliament, the European Com-mission and the business world.I am convinced that with thestructure we are building, andwith the clear objectives we haveset, our point of view will increa-singly gain credence with politi-cal decision-makers, as is onlyright.
In this way we will contribute tothe creation of a prosperous futu-re in every way. Let us not leave itto chance, but instead make itpossible together.
n Gabriel de l'ESCAILLEPresident of YFCS
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If you want to join Young Friends of the Countryside, please fill in the registration form and send it to the FCS secretariat in Brussels.
Application form.
Mr/Mrs/Ms: First name: Surname:
Address:
Post Code, City:
Company:
Phone: Mobile:
Fax: Email:
Date: Signature:
Young Friends of the Countryside www.youngfriendsofthecountryside.net67, Rue de Trèves, B-1040 BruxellesTel: +32 478.54.06.09, Fax: +32 2 234 30 09, E-mail: [email protected] account n° : IBAN BE 33 0014 6432 6346FORTIS BANK HAMONT BIC/SWIFT GE BA BE BB
Gabriel de l’ESCAILLE Cédric PELGRINS de BIGARD Patrick PERCEVAL MAXWELLChristoph-Zu STOLBERG-STOLBERG Robin du PARC LOCMARIA Gregory KEANE Alastair KERR
Carla GUERRA
"
This objective is based on thefollowing creed: "Seek, representand communicate the topics whichwill influence future generations oflandowners."
Seek: This objective is intendedto support the Working Groups inresearching and developing com-mon subjects, problems and topics,by using ELO's data base and itsstructure in order to gain informa-tion on the European issues whichaffect young people and future pri-vate landowners in particular.
Represent: This involves crea-ting an YFCS network including thefuture generation of landownersand rural investors in the 25 coun-tries of the European Union, andimplementing an information plat-form expressing the organisation'sopinions and interests.
Communicate: The aim is tocreate a structure allowing an inter-active flow of information. One wayis the manner in which the Euro-
pean Commission's activities arepresented and explained to YFCS’members, and another the way inwhich members' ideas are channe-led as far as possible towardsEuropean decision-makers. YFCS'structure also allows young lan-downers and farmers to share theirideas and experiences, and there-fore to support each other in theirrespective efforts, while seeking toestablish a link with the aforemen-tioned political decision-makers.
YFCS' structure is composed ofa board and a representativecommittee.
Board members are elected fora 4 year period. They are responsi-ble for the functioning of the organi-zation both administratively andwith regard to development. Theyare in close contact with FCS, pro-viding information on any subject orparticular topic the organizationmay be dealing with.
The committee is composed ofhighly motivated, proactive mem-bers committed to the developmentof YFCS, and who act as contactsfor their countries.
The required age for members-hip is between 18 and 35.
The members of YFCS and thecommittee set up their own workinggroups. They discuss and developspecific topics and problemstogether.
Action taken basically involvescommunication, preparation andfollow-up to working groups, mem-ber recruitment, organizing variousactivities and fund-raising.
Communication is essentiallyfocused on Countryside magazine.Each month YFCS will print a oneor two-page article reporting on itsactivities, ideas and the topicstackled by the organization and itsmembers.
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YFCS: a new network for the successors of Europe's rural entrepreneurs
The board of "Young Friends of the Countryside", set up after the seminar in the EuropeanParliament last April, met for the first time on Sunday the 17th of July, 2005 in the Châteaude Vogelsanck in Belgium. The main objective of this meeting was to establish the
organisation's strategy.
Secondly, the website name"www.youngfriendsofthecountrysi-de.net" has already been reserved.One of YFCS' key objectives is toget the site up and running as quic-kly as possible. This site will beco-me a central platform for communi-cation and networking. Differenttools will be accessible on it suchas a forum, direct access to docu-mentation and members' databases.
It is important to note that YFCSintends to promote a professionalimage.The non-exhaustive list of thetopics YFCS will be tackling is asfollows:
- Agriculture (CAP, sugar reform etc)
- Forest- Environment (Air, water, soil,
Natura 2000 etc)- Rural homes- Historic gardens and
residences- Rural tourism.- Rural economy- Sports- Family companies- Specific issues (Atlantic
Salmon Drift Netting - stopsal-mondriftnetsnow.ie, EuropeanSquirrel Initiative…)
- Alternativebusinesses/Diversification
- Risk management
YFCS wants to recruit as manydifferent nationalities as possible.The organization also wants toattract members of other Europeanorganizations. It also encouragesthose interested in joining the com-mittee to send a letter explainingtheir reasons. All members will beincluded in the data base whichapart from nationality will mentionuseful information such as mem-bers' particular field of interest andactivity in the countryside.
Two general assemblies will takeplace every year. One will be inBrussels in order to focus on activi-ties and European legislation. Theother will be held in a European cityand will concentrate on the pro-blems and characteristics of thecountry in question. The assemblywill last three days from Friday toSunday. The agenda will consist ofmeetings, invited speakers, deba-tes and activities.
The board will meet four times ayear including during the assem-blies. The next board meeting will bein October in Dresden. The first general assembly is current-ly being prepared and should takeplace in March 2006 near Milan, Italy.
The membership fee is 100Euros.This is a symbolic amount interms of commitment and interest.Currently the organization is active-ly seeking sponsors.
YFCS intends to recruit as manymembers as possible and hopesthat the strategy proposed willattract young people and futurerural landowners and businessmen,encouraging them to get involvedand thus to contribute to the suc-cess of the organization's ambi-tious goals.
A registration form can be obtai-ned from the YFCS secretariat atthe following address.
n Gregory KEANE
Contact: Robin du PARC
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European landowner'sOrganization (ELO)
Friends of the Countryside(FCS)
YFCS Board (9 members)President, Vice-President
General SecretaryAt least one member
of UEHHA rep
YFCS Committee25 - 50 members
At least one from each of theMember States
Working Groups
Members
It was an opportunity to extendthe experience I had acquired inother trainee placements linked toforestry. My French and Germanknowledge in this area gave me ahead start as an assistant in theforestry department.
It was a real pleasure to work forELO. Brussels is a pleasant city, theatmosphere in the office is friendlyand the team is made up of highly-motivated, dynamic young people.
It is crucial to inform membersdaily about the issues whichconcern property and the country-side in order to represent anddefend landowners on a nationaland European level. So my first stepin the office was to get a grasp onthe complex situation of the diffe-rent dossiers. They are generallylinked to the world of politics andinvolve several parties. This phasegot me directly involved in a varietyof activities and led me to write arti-cles on rural issues.
The post also gave me theopportunity to meet really interes-ting people. Through the differentwork I did and the subjects I wasapproaching, I had to contact politi-cal personalities, experts, profes-sors and even writers. The aim wasto get them to participate in defen-ding specific action. Moreover Iwas supported and advised in theoffice by people with experience invarious areas, from the environmentand politics to economics andorganizational skills.
My time there coincided withone of the periods of great activityin the office. I was able to participa-te actively in the preparation andorganization of a conference of theparliamentary intergroup in Stras-bourg entitled, "Hunting and privateproperty rights". The aim was todemonstrate and prove that huntingrights and property rights must bemanaged hand in hand in order tosustainably manage the land. Thisis currently the case in mostEuropean countries but not neces-sarily in some of the CentralEuropean ones. In partnership withFACE, ELO explained the problemto certain members of the EuropeanParliament (MEPs) and why it is lin-ked to the fall of the communistregime. This approach to huntingand property rights affected a per-iod of my own family history and sothe conference in the parliament inStrasbourg was understandablyvery important for me.
Organising an intergroup alsogives you the opportunity to workand become familiar with otherorganizations. ELO regularly moni-tors a large number of subjectsinvolving the countryside and theenvironment on the European plat-form. Moreover on many occasionsthe office sent me to attend mee-tings, some of which were held byGerman politicians and experts, inorder to explain developments onagricultural and forestry subjects(sugar reform and European fores-try strategy).
Besides the office work, confe-rences and various meetings, I also
had the opportunity to visit severalproperties involved in Natura 2000,in particular as part of the LIFE pro-ject, currently being studied. Thisproject involves private landownersin Natura 2000 through managingand protecting wetlands.
As you can see my experienceat ELO was full of variety. I appre-ciated it all the more as the subjectsI came to deal with are the areas Iam interested in most. It helped meunderstand what a lobby is andhow it works, and to get closer tothe political world. I learnt a lot, inparticular when I helped organizethe intergroup.
n Christoph-Ludwig zu STOLBERG
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ELO training course as part of YFCS activities
Dear Young Friends of the Countryside, I would like to share my experience in the ELO officewith you. Last April we held the first assembly of our future association, YFCS, in theEuropean Parliament in Brussels. I took the opportunity of taking a 2 month trainee's post
with ELO in Brussels. My main motivation was that my personal interests are the same as ELO's on both national and European subjects.
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If initially cultural diversificationseems to be an opportunity, manyproblems can also arise. These canfor example be the result of misun-derstandings due to language, thebehaviour of managers or even theway in which decisions are taken. Infact:
- Language is the first barrier to understanding others.
- Management styles vary from one culture to another.
- Decisions can be taken byconsulting the majority of members of a company or alternatively only betweenleaders.
These differences can causeproblems, i.e. intercultural pro-blems jeopardizing the company's
survival. By taking into account abroad range of characteristicsincluding gender, age, the type oforganization, profession etc, sur-veys have demonstrated that themore diversified a group, the lesspeople feel satisfied about belon-ging to this group, the less cohe-sion there is and the more absen-teeism from work increases.However it has also been provedthat the more diversified a group,the more creative it is and the morelikely it is to find alternatives forresolving problems.
In these situations leaders mustnot try to resolve all problems in theway they feel is best or easiest.Cultural differences must be cate-red for and there must be aware-ness of the fact there is not only one
solution. The best way to managethe consequences inherent to cul-tural diversity is to first questionone's own way of thinking andbecome aware that other solutionsexist even if they may initiallyappear less efficient. It is indispen-sable therefore to allow a certainflexibility for each culture, allowingthe different nationals to workaccording to their own habits, whilerespecting the pace of the businessin which they are employed.
It is vital to find the right balan-ce, by on the one hand requiringthat the business understand thecultures within it, and on the otherhand asking the workers to respectthe working methods within thebusiness. For example countrieslike Slovenia have strong hierar-chies with predominantly groupwork (linked to communism), whileothers like Denmark have compa-nies tending to keep their hierar-chies as flat as possible, butwithout asking their workers towork in groups and favouring indivi-dualism. It is therefore reasonableto suppose that for foreign workers,joining a company with major diffe-rences in management comparedto what they are used to may crea-te conflicts and even endanger thecompany.
It is vital to correctly managecultural differences for the compa-ny to gain competitive advantages.Every culture has its own experien-ce, working methods, aptitudesand values. Every culture develops
Multiculturalism and company management, pros or cons?
Because of the opening up of European borders and EU enlargement, European workers havean increasing tendency to work together. The leaders of European groups must take thisincreased cultural diversification into account, which can have both positive and negative
effects on business. The success of this multicultural integration will depend on the policy adoptedby these leaders in welcoming new members with a foreign culture into their societies.
specific skills allowing it to accom-plish particular tasks. This is forexample the case in Singapore orHong Kong. Their economies didnot just take off due to entrepre-neurship. There was an addedextra, and that extra was probablyculture, because it influences theenvironment of companies and the-refore also economic growth.Companies can draw advantagefrom in-house foreign cultures todevelop centres of excellence andto attain goals more easily. This isnot just true of Asia of course. TheAmericans are recognized as goodinventors, the Germans as excellentbuilders of infrastructure and theJapanese for their capacity to inno-vate. Every culture has an advan-tage over the next, and it is up tothe company to make the most ofthis.
The ELO is a good illustration ofmulticulturalism in a group compo-sed of different nationalities wor-king together. There are French,Belgians, Finns, Danes, Spaniards,Portuguese, Germans, Poles andCzechs. These differences allowthe group to move faster and bemore efficient than a purely national
association. As ELO has contactswith all European countries, each ofits different members has the abilityto get in touch with representativesof those countries closest to hisnationality. This would be more dif-ficult for a company where there arefor example only Belgians andFrench employees. But ELO cancreate a network with people sha-ring the same interests in otherEuropean countries. Seeking newmembers is therefore easier andfacilitated by ELO's multicultura-lism. At the same time managingthis cultural diversity requires greatadaptability and flexibility in mana-gement methods. As it gets moreinvolved in joint action with theEuropean Commission, the Parlia-
ment and with more European part-ners, ELO's political role is increa-singly focusing on human resourcemanagement strategies.
A business capable of efficientlyabsorbing other cultures will rapidlysee the benefits. Its position vis-à-vis competitors who fail to adapt tothe multicultural world we live incan only improve, since it will havea competitive edge inaccessible toothers.
n Charles-Olivier MAHIEUX
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Diary Dates 200520-21 September London. Conference on the water frame-work directive organized by theEuropean Commission in collabo-ration with DEFRA (Departmentfor Environment, Food and RuralAffairs).3-5 October. Tartu, Estonia. ELO conference as part of the European PRINCEprogramme, 'ControlledDenomination of OriginProducts on Estonian territory'.
7-9 OctoberDresden, Germany. European Historic HeritageAssociation: annual conference 2005.13-14 October. Cracow, Poland.ELO conference as part of the European PRINCEprogramme: "Property rights andreturn of property in the newmember states from the formercommunist block - legal, ethical,economic and political aspects".
24-25 OctoberELO Conference as part of the European PHAREprogramme: "Food and HealthSafety in the new member states:sharing experience and good practicein Europe".28 November - 9DecemberMontreal. Conference on climatechange "COP 11". ELO will takestock of carbon sequestration on rural properties.
Syngenta International AGBrussels Office
Avenue Louise, 240B - 1050 Brussels
Tel : +32.2.642 2727Fax : +32.2.642 2720
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Coastal landowners frequentlycarried out their own defence worksin the past. This was the case withmany of the sea walls in Essex,although following the surge of1953, their maintenance was takenover by the British state. Not onlythis, but the defence of historic villa-ges such as Happisburgh in Norfolkis now in question, due to a mixtureof changing coastal processes,depletion of sediment budgets bysea walls elsewhere, and the piece-meal cost/benefit approach to whichthe British government is wedded.
Landowners can of course seethe logic, in certain localities, wherethe coastal morphology may requireit, of a planned retreat, but they willnot accept the loss without compen-sation, or where it is simply part of apolicy of abandoning the rural coast.Yet the only compensation availablein Britain is where new qualifyinghabitat is expected to be created,funded from Pillar 2 of the CAP. Sothe landowner is now beginningonce more to play an increasing rolein coastal defence. At Brancaster,the Royal West Norfolk Golf Clubhas spent some £485,000 on defen-ces since 1990, including two clayflood banks, geo-textile chevrons tohelp accretion of sand in front of thedunes, and rock armour by the clubhouse. Similarly placed golf clubsround the British coast are startingto think in similar terms. A few milesfurther along the coast, the Holkhamestate has had a policy for centuriesof dune stabilisation through the
creation of pine woods. The lightsand permits the ready natural rege-neration of Scots and Corsican Pine,and on the unprotected dunes clo-sest to the sea, which are held prin-cipally by marram grass, the tech-nique of wooden fencing is used tocatch the sand blowing along thebeach and strengthen sections da-maged by storms. At Bacton, theGas Terminal is protected by signifi-cant works carried out by the oilcompanies involved. At EastonBavents, a lone householder hasbegun tipping waste soil and rubbleon the beach at the foot of an ero-ding cliff to protect his house. AtAbbots Hall in Essex, the landownerhas, by contrast, recreated habitatby breaching a sea wall and mana-ging the area behind for wildlife.
Such activities typically requireplanning permission, although it isclear that any refusal to replace likewith like would trigger a claim forcompensation. Landowners andhouseholders would consider thatmeant "like" in terms of the standard
of protection afforded. It clearly indi-cates the pressure for a more proac-tive policy, and the need for a moreintegrated, holistic approach to themanagement of coastal processes.There is already political pressure forfuture developments in situations atrisk from the sea to cover their owndefence costs, but there is clearlyalso scope to engage existing inter-ests in the active implementation ofpolicy, not only by consulting themmore fully and transparently in futu-re, but by accepting their owncontribution to proactive coastalmanagement and defence, andgiving them appropriate support.
n Michael SAYER
Landowners and the management of coastal processes 2/2
Much of the coastline of Europe is vulnerable to flooding and erosion by the sea. However, man'sunderstanding of the nature of the processes at work, and the best means of managing them, isstill developing. Recently, the coasts of Europe have received increased attention in the
Eurosion Project report, Living with Coastal Erosion in Europe, and the British government's Foresightreport, both published in the spring of 2004. In Britain, where coastal policy is determined by piecemealapplication of cost-benefit analysis rather than by holistic management to predetermined standards,there is currently the most profound crisis in policy for fifty years.
The author is a VicePresident of theFriends of the
Countryside and co-editor, with Dr DavidVINER, of 'Sea-level
Rise and CoastalDefence in the
Southern North Sea',(Country Land and
Business Associationand Climatic Re-
search Unit, Universityof East Anglia, 2004).
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Ten years later the federation hasstrengthened its positions and hasbecome an important partner innegotiations with the regions andcommunity organizations.It has published a manifesto stipula-ting the tasks and ambitions of thisELO member organization in theareas of management and protec-tion of private land heritage.
A missionFor centuries individuals have
preserved the value of their land byapplying techniques of sustainabledevelopment and by producing rawmaterials and food, thus taking onresponsibilities for the community.The "Federatie Particulier Grond-bezit" (FPG) represents landownersand defends their interests throughstrengthening and developing theirrights but also by supporting theirinitiatives.
The interests at stake- Involvement: Landowners have
always defended tradition andtried to live up to the expectationsof farmers, citizens and ruralpopulations. Often for severalgenerations they have managedtheir property creatively and areinvolved in preserving the identityof their heritage.
- Expertise: Individual landownersknow and recognize the need forcontinuity in development andmanagement. In the long termpersonal involvement by the lan-downers makes them open tocreative proposals on manage-ment and expertise.
- Diversity: No property is identicaland landowners contribute to theplurality of the agricultural lands-cape through their own identity.
- Sustainability: Landowners look
after their property, preserving itsvalue by maintaining and impro-ving it, through the upkeep ofquality facilities and by protec-ting the land itself.
- Community responsibility andbusinesses: Landowners ensurethe countryside remains anattractive place - peace andquiet, open spaces and the pos-sibility of leisure activities.
What ambitions?- Creating space for business: A
healthy economic basis formanaging their assets requiresthe development of new func-tions and practices but also asimplification of rules. This isparticularly important becausethe income generated by farm-land is a major area for concern.Regions must produce andenforce a framework program-me. The FPG is developing plansat a regional and local level andis assisting their implementation.
- Sustainable management andcommunity business systems:Private landowners share res-ponsibility for sustainable mana-gement, economic, ecologicaland cultural development of therural environment. The FPG, to-gether with ELO, intends toapproach the European, nationaland provincial institutions bytaking responsibilities and partici-pating in the community debate.
- Making integrated, competitiveand sustainable agriculture pos-sible: The entrepreneurial andcooperative spirit is indispensa-ble at all levels of the productionchain to guarantee the success ofan integrated, competitive andsustainable form of agriculture.The FPG thinks that growth is
inevitable and to meet the gro-wing needs of society and extractadded value from the market,better machines, increased kno-wledge and more efficient workwill be needed. Incentives for'environmental services' arenecessary as well as a communi-cation policy to demonstrate thatthe development of organic, sus-tainable farming comes at a cost.
- Reinforcing the management ofmulti-functional forests and themanagement of a private naturalheritage: Forests and woods arevaluable for tourism, ecologyand the environment. Tax breaksand financial support from theregions have made privatemanagement of forests andnature an example of responsi-ble cooperation - but striking abalance between economy andecology is not always simple.
- Reinforcing the history and cul-ture of our environmental heri-tage by allowing better access torural areas and getting indivi-duals to occupy free farmlandand work and live on it, or simplyuse it as a second residence. Itmust also become easier toextend existing farms by offeringprivate individuals the possibilityof investing in the countryside.
- Building and re-creating ruralareas, by respecting local buil-ding traditions and striking abalance between architecture,economy and ecology.
Contributing to developmentand a balanced co-existence bet-ween consumers, users, managersand landowners in the countrysideis the focus of FPG's work withELO, which bases its approach ontrust and mutual respect.
Manifesto for the vitality of the Netherlands and programme for the future
In 1995 six organizations with the common goal of promoting the management of private land and of supporting the positions of landowners got together to set up a new organization called "FederatieLand Bos Natuur," more commonly known as "Federatie Particulier Grondbezit".
