Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 149-163 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Landscape ecology |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
This study analyses changes in the landscape of a sector of Upper Franconia (Bavaria, Germany) by comparing land use changes over four time periods (1850, 1900, 1960, 2000). Geodetic and other data derived from the Bavarian real estate tax and land register were entered into various temporal layers of a land register-based vector GIS. This multitemporal GIS permits a precise analysis of the historical structure and development of landscapes on the basis of land plots. In 1850, the study area was almost exclusively agricultural in structure. Woodlands made up only 18% of the total surface. Rough pastures and wastelands, which covered about 9% of the total surface, were used for grazing. During the first half of the 20th century, the proportion of wooded areas increased considerably. The rough pastures that had formerly been a typical feature of the region nearly disappeared during this period. Agricultural use declined to less than 50% of the total area. In the course of the period between 1960 and 2000, the livestock industry has become an almost exclusively indoor activity. Village development has started spilling over into the adjacent fields. The causes and background of these changes are discussed in detail. From an ecological standpoint, the land use categories surveyed in this analysis of landscape change can be regarded as vegetation types, thereby constituting habitats for specialized biota. The intensity and frequency of any type of land use creates a certain disturbance regime, which disrupts and controls the succession in a certain way. The concept of categories of change incorporated into the GIS helps to evaluate these habitat types and the rate of change more accurately, e.g. for nature conservation purposes.
Keywords
- Cadastral maps, Cultural landscape, Disturbance regime, Germany, Grazing, Human disturbance, Landscape history, Multitemporal GIS
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Nature and Landscape Conservation
Sustainable Development Goals
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Landscape ecology, Vol. 20, No. 2, 02.2005, p. 149-163.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of land-use change in a sector of Upper Franconia (Bavaria, Germany) since 1850 using land register records
AU - Bender, Oliver
AU - Boehmer, Hans Juergen
AU - Jens, Doreen
AU - Schumacher, Kim P.
N1 - Funding Information: We thank the Institute of Development Research on the Rural Area of Upper and Central Franconia (Institut für Entwicklungsforschung im ländlichen Raum Ober-und Mittelfrankens e. V.), Heiligenstadt, Bavaria, for financial support. In addition, we would like to thank Birgit Felinks, Dagmar Haase, Dieter Mueller-Dombois, Laura O. Petrov, Alison R. Sherwood, Ann M. Wieben, and three annonymous reviewers for help comments on the manuscript.
PY - 2005/2
Y1 - 2005/2
N2 - This study analyses changes in the landscape of a sector of Upper Franconia (Bavaria, Germany) by comparing land use changes over four time periods (1850, 1900, 1960, 2000). Geodetic and other data derived from the Bavarian real estate tax and land register were entered into various temporal layers of a land register-based vector GIS. This multitemporal GIS permits a precise analysis of the historical structure and development of landscapes on the basis of land plots. In 1850, the study area was almost exclusively agricultural in structure. Woodlands made up only 18% of the total surface. Rough pastures and wastelands, which covered about 9% of the total surface, were used for grazing. During the first half of the 20th century, the proportion of wooded areas increased considerably. The rough pastures that had formerly been a typical feature of the region nearly disappeared during this period. Agricultural use declined to less than 50% of the total area. In the course of the period between 1960 and 2000, the livestock industry has become an almost exclusively indoor activity. Village development has started spilling over into the adjacent fields. The causes and background of these changes are discussed in detail. From an ecological standpoint, the land use categories surveyed in this analysis of landscape change can be regarded as vegetation types, thereby constituting habitats for specialized biota. The intensity and frequency of any type of land use creates a certain disturbance regime, which disrupts and controls the succession in a certain way. The concept of categories of change incorporated into the GIS helps to evaluate these habitat types and the rate of change more accurately, e.g. for nature conservation purposes.
AB - This study analyses changes in the landscape of a sector of Upper Franconia (Bavaria, Germany) by comparing land use changes over four time periods (1850, 1900, 1960, 2000). Geodetic and other data derived from the Bavarian real estate tax and land register were entered into various temporal layers of a land register-based vector GIS. This multitemporal GIS permits a precise analysis of the historical structure and development of landscapes on the basis of land plots. In 1850, the study area was almost exclusively agricultural in structure. Woodlands made up only 18% of the total surface. Rough pastures and wastelands, which covered about 9% of the total surface, were used for grazing. During the first half of the 20th century, the proportion of wooded areas increased considerably. The rough pastures that had formerly been a typical feature of the region nearly disappeared during this period. Agricultural use declined to less than 50% of the total area. In the course of the period between 1960 and 2000, the livestock industry has become an almost exclusively indoor activity. Village development has started spilling over into the adjacent fields. The causes and background of these changes are discussed in detail. From an ecological standpoint, the land use categories surveyed in this analysis of landscape change can be regarded as vegetation types, thereby constituting habitats for specialized biota. The intensity and frequency of any type of land use creates a certain disturbance regime, which disrupts and controls the succession in a certain way. The concept of categories of change incorporated into the GIS helps to evaluate these habitat types and the rate of change more accurately, e.g. for nature conservation purposes.
KW - Cadastral maps
KW - Cultural landscape
KW - Disturbance regime
KW - Germany
KW - Grazing
KW - Human disturbance
KW - Landscape history
KW - Multitemporal GIS
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=21644433114&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10980-003-1506-7
DO - 10.1007/s10980-003-1506-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:21644433114
VL - 20
SP - 149
EP - 163
JO - Landscape ecology
JF - Landscape ecology
SN - 0921-2973
IS - 2
ER -