Recuperating our breath in memory of Lucka

The International Terraced Landscapes Alliance Journal serves as a forum for the activities of the various terraced landscape networks and reflects the experiences of ITLA members and their local or national networks for the revitalisation of terraced landscapes and their custodians in different parts of the world - on all continents. Until now with the direction of Prof. Lucka Azman from Ljubljana University we published 4 numbers (2 volumes) with experiences from Japan, Italy, France, Cyprus and Peru. Our friend and colleague Lucka passed away 2 months ago and together with Dr. Tomaž Berčič we have decided to continue with the 3 ITLA publications: Scientific JOTL, Art Journal and ITLA Journal. On our website we also have published the Proceedings of the 4 International Congresses on Terraced Landscapes in China 2010, Peru 2014, Italy 2016, Canary Islands and Madeira 2019. COVID 19 interrupted our plans for international encounters of ITLA and we still are working on the realisation of the next Congress in Bhutan.

In this section on ITLA as an international alliance of local and regional networks, we have opened a forum for deliberation on the experiences, ideas and concepts of the various networks in the world’s terraced lands. We explain the evolution of ITLA as a growing movement of individuals and institutions working to conserve and recover terraced landscapes, support their inhabitants and reaffirm local cultures by promoting the special use of the diversity of products from terraces.

In the coming years, we will continue to reflect on the experiences of ITLA members and their local or national networks to re-enchant terraced landscapes and their guardians in different parts of the world - on all continents. In the ITLA Journal we aim to include articles about our alliance, the governance aspects of a global movement, the activities and events of local and regional networks, the presentation of innovative ways of thinking, acting and feeling, about the head, hands and heart of terraced landscapes and their custodians and builders. In addition to the ITLA Journal, we continue to send out the ITLA Newsletter to members who contribute to the circular newsletter with their announcements, experiences, publications and events. Please consider to send in your contributions to our movement. Please read the instructions for authors if you are willing to present your ideas and experiences within our ITLA Journal.

https://itla.si/itla--instructions-for-authors.html

Third volume Number 1 2024

This number of the Third Volume of the ITLA Journal means a reset for our editorial work following the guidelines we agreed upon with Lucka after the 4th Congress on Terraced Landscapes on the Canary Islands, where Lucka acted as Scientific Coordinator. We start with an obituary of Lucka Azman written by our guest editors Maruja Salas and Lidia Romero Martin. In recent years we have lost several pivotal members of our ITLA movement: Mourik Bueno de Mesquita (Cusco), Enrico Fontanari (Venice), Heather Peters (Bangkok) and now Lucka Azman (Ljubljana).

The first article by Raimund Rodewald deals with Traditional irrigation: Candidature for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. After dry stone walls, another infrastructure of terraced landscapes is in the focus of UNESCO: “Traditional Irrigation in Europe - Knowledge, Technique and Organisation” is the title of the current submission of 7 countries from March 2022 for the attention of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The second article by Sonia Schmid about The terraced landscape of the Terragnolo Valley in Northern Italy, Trentino describes the remains of a terraced landscape and its culture abandoned since World War I. The toponymy of places and oral testimonies help to understand the ancient and recent past of the territory and the new ways of inhabiting the valley. The International Terraced Landscape Festival and Competition, organized by “Sassi e non solo” and held in the Terragnolo Valley since 2017, aims to promote the ancient construction technique. Renato Stedile has given his photos to illustrate the