Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
2.5 Present Trends in European Rural Landscapes:
Intensification and Extensification
The secondary landscape structure formed by the use of land has changed repeatedly
throughout history, depending on political, economic, technological and demo-
graphic changes (Rabbinge, van Latesteijn, & Smeets 1996). Agricultural as well
as other cultural landscape types are among those that change most rapidly. The
transformation of the European agrarian society into an advanced industrial one
accelerated after World War II. In recent decades, European agriculture has become
increasingly industrialised and more specialised. Thus, traditional rural landscapes,
which were the result of the agrarian society, transformed into modern, industrial or
even post-industrial landscapes according to Lemaire (2002 in Antrop, 2008).
For most European countries, agriculture is still the most important land-
use activity influencing landscape character and biological diversity (Mander &
Jongman, 2000). The modernisation of agriculture brings about changes in the
landscape. Recent and present developments in the Czech as well as the European
rural landscape are characterised by two antagonistic tendencies: intensification and
extensification. These different trends can be followed up from the mid Twentieth
century. Intensification of food production is a key modern agricultural activity. The
use of fertilisers and fossil fuels have made it possible to produce more on less
land and this has had - and will continue to have - implications for land use and
landscape character. A significant decrease in the area of both arable and agricul-
tural lands in Europe during the last 50-60 years has been accompanied by the
generally enormous increase in the intensity of farming on plots that remained for
agricultural use, especially in regard to arable lands. Large-scale blocks of arable
lands have been regarded only as a monofunctional production space with the aim
of maximising agricultural production.
At the same time the process of extensification manifested by marginalisation and
abandonment of agricultural lands began to appear in rural landscapes in Europe. In
the marginalisation process, land is managed less intensively or it is abandoned.
Less intensive use of agricultural lands began to be practiced more with the creation
of the EU agricultural policy in the 1980s. In many areas the farming practices
associated with landscapes have lost their competiveness. In these areas, typically
with a low productivity of soils, land management is at risk (Raes, 2008).
The decrease of anthropic pressure on the landscape is certainly positive from
the view of landscape ecology. There are, and in the future certainly will be con-
siderable regional differences between regions of intensive agriculture in the fertile
lowlands with primary productive functions on one hand and highlands, mountains
and foothills on the other hand. Farmland in these regions being not able to compete
in terms of food production can be expected to be released for other land-use forms
and functions. Afforestation is the first measure, however it cannot be considered
as a universal solution and the only use of land unsuitable for intensive agricultural
production. Afforestation and grassing will certainly represent a positive feature in
the areas declared as zones of water source protection.
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