Abstract
Drivers of landscape change are crucial to understand processes of landscape and land use
transition. Landscape change is scale dependent; drivers causing changes at international
level are different than those causing changes at the local/farm or regional level. This
paper focuses on drivers at an international scale, differentiated by the Environmental
zones of Europe. Based on the participatory Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping methodology the
cause-effect relationships between drivers and landscape transformation are identified and
assessed. The results show that in southern Europe (Mediterranean) the dominant drivers
of change are related to environmental factors like climate (change) and topography. In
particular the economic and societal boundary conditions for specific land use types related
to topography and required investments for irrigation are decisive in the pathways towards
intensification or land abandonment. With these pathways conversions from traditional
agricultural landscapes to (semi-) natural or semi-industrial landscapes are associated. In
Western Europe (Atlantic region) we observe a small scale, diverse landscape serving food
production, leisure, and living conditions. Urban areas become more interwoven with the
rural areas, which can be linked with an increase in living standard in the rural areas. Northern
Europe and the Alps (Boreal and Alpine Regions) experience in some areas a decline
in population and thus decreasing economic activity, resulting in larger natural areas and
increase in forests, but in other areas an increase in economic activities as a result of mass
tourism results in negative consequences for the landscape. Central and Eastern Europe
(Continental regions) show large economic transformations. Increased demand for food
combined with low production costs is leading here to an intensification of agriculture. It
is concluded that European policies – for instance CAP – could gain in effectiveness when
focusing on the identified drivers of change. Landscape structure, biodiversity and other
ecosystem services could certainly benefit from this approach.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Conference book PECSRL: Unraveling the Logics of Landscape |
Publisher | Permanent European Conference on the Study of the Rural Landscape |
Pages | 48 |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Event | PECSRL2014: 26th session of the Permanent European Conference on the Study of the Rural Landscape, Gothenburg and Mariestad, Sweden - Duration: 8 Sept 2014 → 12 Sept 2014 |
Conference
Conference | PECSRL2014: 26th session of the Permanent European Conference on the Study of the Rural Landscape, Gothenburg and Mariestad, Sweden |
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Period | 8/09/14 → 12/09/14 |