CONCLUSIONS - SUGGESTIONS

The inventory and assessment of cultural landscapes is challenging. There are various methods of inventorying and classifying landscapes. Here we promote the inclusion of agroforestry systems in such inventory and classification work.

For protected areas in Greece, some suggestions are summarized in the following flow chart (Figure 3):

The cultural landscape should be investigated with mixed methods research for comprehensive identification, inventory and cartography.

Cultural Ecosystem Services may help in inventories, analyses, and assessments.

Increasing knowledge and understanding of agroforystry systems should help manage protected areas with new initiatives to protect and promote various types of cultural landscapes.

Finally, the landscapes of the Mediterranean are by their nature complex and “multifunctional”, something like a palimpsest that includes natural and cultural formations and their myriad combinations. Greater understanding of the presence and functioning of agroforestry systems should play an important role in the protection of cultural landscapes.