During the last decades, the active participation of the inhabitants in the
interpretation, management and planning of landscape has assumed an increasingly
important role, thanks to the challenges and understandings provided by the European
Landscape Convention which advocated the participation and enhanced the role of the
populations as fundamental sources of information. Despite the difficulties linked to
the valorization of such assets, the comparison between expert and public views can
favour the production of new knowledge as long as these information and sources
could be compared and connected through fruitful approaches. The present contribution
finds his roots in the development of Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Landscape
Plan and, adopting a participatory approach, tried to investigate the perceived landscapes
of risk and degradation. The focus is on three categories of areas and sites perceived
as degraded, specifically those resulting from the massive presence of abandonment
former military areas, hydrogeological problems and, finally, quarry activities.
After presenting the most relevant aspects and the results of the geo-cartographic
analysis, the limits and opportunities of the research are highlighted. On the one hand,
similarly to other participatory projects, the analysis presents problems in terms of
quality and territorial coverage, on the other hand, it offers reflections on the possible
synergies between local and expert knowledge.
