The European Landscape Convention (ELC), adopted by the Council of Europe in 2000, also known as “The Florence Convention”, is an international legal framework for a political project aimed at sharing and consolidating a new approach to landscape issues continent-wide.
It sets forth principles committing the Contracting States to adopt policies and measures aimed at enhancing the quality of landscapes throughout the entire national territory, involving the people concerned in the relevant public decision-making processes.

In order to contribute to the implementation of the ELC at the scientific level and taken into consideration articles 6B and 8 of the Convention, in 2008 a group of universities from different European countries constituted in Florence (Italy) UNISCAPE – the European Network of Universities for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention.

UNISCAPE intends to support and reinforce scientific interdisciplinary co-operation among European universities regarding landscape issues, notably in the areas of research and teaching. UNISCAPE cooperates with the other Networks already working for the implementation of the ELC, i.e. RECEP-ENELC (www.recep-enelc.net) and CIVILSCAPE (www.civilscape.org) as well as with the competent Council of Europe’s bodies.
The universities members of UNISCAPE are currently forty-five.

UNISCAPE legal and operational Headquarters are located in Florence - Villa medicea di Careggi.

On 12 July 2008, the General Assembly of the association elected Prof. Carlo Magnani, Chancellor of the Venice University - IUAV (Italy) as President of UNISCAPE. On the same occasion, Prof. Bas Pedroli, of the Wageningen University (The Netherlands) was appointed as Director.

For any further information, please consult the documentation available on the present website (in progress) or contact: info@uniscape.org