landscapes concern how they are constructed, why they are constructed, and how
they affect the behavior and attitudes of those who live within them.
Landscape ecology is a field closely related to geography that attempts a holis-
tic analysis of the interaction between human activity and the natural environment.
Studies in landscape ecology often are vital to understanding the methods and
dynamics of achievingsustainable development. Geographers, ecologists, and
regional planners use landscape ecology to construct a broad image of the changes
brought to an ecosystem over time by human settlement and economic develop-
ment. Landscape ecologists are concerned with thescaleat which changes in the
landscape take place. For instance, the landscape under study might be no larger
than several fields, or it could be as large as a county, state, or province. Various
areas within the landscape that are spatially similar are termedpatches,andthe
number and variety of these determine the degree ofheterogeneitya specific land-
scape indicates. Heterogeneity is an indicator of the spatial diversity of the land-
scape, which landscape ecologists consider vital to maintaining its stability and
avoiding the degradation of local ecosystems.
Organizing space through the spatial structure of the “landscape” has applica-
tions and importance beyond academic geography. The recognition and preserva-
tion of “cultural landscapes” is a major component of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage
Program. The World Heritage Program designates regions that fit a specified group
of characteristics as “cultural landscapes,” which do not fit either strictly “cul-
tural” or “natural” criteria. Cultural landscapes in this context are a blend of “natu-
ral” features and “cultural” features (which is precisely how Carl Sauer conceived
them) and show the interaction of both over a considerable stretch of time. One of
thefirstlocationsawardedthisstatusbytheWorldHeritageProgramwasthe
national park that surrounds Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia. This is perhaps the
quintessential cultural landscape because it represents a combination of spectacu-
lar natural features with thesacred spaceof Australia’s native people. This land-
scape has been utilized and modified by humans for thousands of years, and
today continues to be changed by human activity through the visitation of tourists.
The single constant that all landscapes share is the element of change brought
about by both natural and human processes.
Latitude and Longitude
Understanding of the location of physical and cultural features ofEarthis based on
knowledge of the geographic grid, otherwise known as latitude and longitude. This
Latitude and Longitude 199