The article outlines the issues of rural land degradation and protection and presents the system of rural landscape creation, with particular considera-tion for planning instruments and implementation measures. It also defines the possi-bilities of rural landscape transformation within the scope of rural areas devel-opment. Agricultural landscape degradation mainly concerns the deterioration of soil quality, water regimes, the reduction of space suitable for particular crops, etc. The author distinguishes two interconnected fields jointly forming the idea of cultural landscape creation: protection (conservation, maintenance of par-ticular features) and shaping which involves landscape planning and management. Protection and shaping of agricultural areas, beside built-up areas and forests, form a subsystem of rural landscape creation. Spatial planning (particularly local planning) and rural areas develop-ment form the basic tools of rural landscape creation. On the other hand, the most significant measures of landscape creation involve soil sanation activi-ties, which improve their functional value (agricultural and anti-erosion meliora-tions, recultivation, land consolidations and exchanges). Apart from improving spatial and organisational conditions of agricul-tural production, comprehensive rural areas development activities generally im-prove land relief and soil quality (erosion reduction), landscape and aesthetic as-sets (woodlots), or microclimatic conditions. The past decade has brought a significant increase in the ...
