“Don’t Know What You’ve Got ‘Til it’s Gone”: Loss of Landscape Activities After Dramatic Landscape Change

The value of everyday landscapes often remains implicit until the norm is disrupted, revealing the significance of practices previously taken for granted. This paper examines how sudden landscape loss shapes perceptions of importance and attachment, drawing on two studies in Sweden: one conducted after a wildfire and another on everyday landscapes across rural municipalities. Findings indicate that while many recreational activities are transferable treating the landscape as a backdrop, others, are deeply place-specific and relational. After the wildfire, respondents reported heightened recognition of the significance of these activities, demonstrating that people often only appreciate what they have once it is lost. The results highlight a spectrum of landscape engagement, from replaceable activities to those inseparable from place identity, with implications for planning, conservation, and disaster recovery. The findings also reveal that effective landscape management must go beyond surface-level consultation, attending to the tacit, practice-based values that structure human–landscape relationships.