Heathland, Scrub and Savanna: Overview,
Recent Trends and Outlook
Nadja El Balti
Abstract This contribution provides an overview of the ecology and distribution of
the various habitat types which are dominated by small and intermediate-sized
woody plants.
Compared to other ecosystem types such as forest or freshwater ecosystems,
heaths and scrub have only fairly recently become a central theme of ecological and
biogeographical research, and have only been the subject of comparatively few
studies to date. Furthermore, these habitats cover only a small proportion of land
compared, for example, with forest and grassland. In contrast to the amount of
research, and despite the small area of land they cover, these habitats are rich in
species and endemics.
Heathland, scrub and savanna comprise a variety of different habitat types and are
found from polar regions to the tropics, and from oceanic to continental zones. In
general, they occur as transition zones between open landscapes and forest or form a
late succession stage in regions with environmental conditions that are unfavourable
for tree growth.
Heathlands, especially in Europe, are often the result of long-term anthropogenic
influence. Savannas can be found in subtropical and tropical regions and are
characterised by a combination of tree and herbaceous species. Both heathlands
and savanna provide habitat for many rare, threatened and endemic animals.
The degree of degradation and fragmentation of these habitats varies considerably. Urbanisation, the intensification of agriculture and exploitation for natural
resources are the main threats to heath, scrub and savanna worldwide. As the
usage of European heathlands for anthropogenic purposes decreases, succession
results, thus leading to a reduction in the total area covered by this habitat type.
It is difficult to predict what these very dynamic ecosystems will look like in the
future. However, the relatively high number of different habitat types, structures, and
species highlights the importance of conservation planning and management of these
habitats.
N. El Balti (*)
Department of Ecology and Environmental Education, University of Flensburg (EUF),
Flensburg, Germany
e-mail: nadja.el-balti@uni-flensburg.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. Hobohm (ed.), Perspectives for Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Environmental
Challenges and Solutions, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57710-0_15
361
Recent Trends and Outlook
Nadja El Balti
Abstract This contribution provides an overview of the ecology and distribution of
the various habitat types which are dominated by small and intermediate-sized
woody plants.
Compared to other ecosystem types such as forest or freshwater ecosystems,
heaths and scrub have only fairly recently become a central theme of ecological and
biogeographical research, and have only been the subject of comparatively few
studies to date. Furthermore, these habitats cover only a small proportion of land
compared, for example, with forest and grassland. In contrast to the amount of
research, and despite the small area of land they cover, these habitats are rich in
species and endemics.
Heathland, scrub and savanna comprise a variety of different habitat types and are
found from polar regions to the tropics, and from oceanic to continental zones. In
general, they occur as transition zones between open landscapes and forest or form a
late succession stage in regions with environmental conditions that are unfavourable
for tree growth.
Heathlands, especially in Europe, are often the result of long-term anthropogenic
influence. Savannas can be found in subtropical and tropical regions and are
characterised by a combination of tree and herbaceous species. Both heathlands
and savanna provide habitat for many rare, threatened and endemic animals.
The degree of degradation and fragmentation of these habitats varies considerably. Urbanisation, the intensification of agriculture and exploitation for natural
resources are the main threats to heath, scrub and savanna worldwide. As the
usage of European heathlands for anthropogenic purposes decreases, succession
results, thus leading to a reduction in the total area covered by this habitat type.
It is difficult to predict what these very dynamic ecosystems will look like in the
future. However, the relatively high number of different habitat types, structures, and
species highlights the importance of conservation planning and management of these
habitats.
N. El Balti (*)
Department of Ecology and Environmental Education, University of Flensburg (EUF),
Flensburg, Germany
e-mail: nadja.el-balti@uni-flensburg.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. Hobohm (ed.), Perspectives for Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Environmental
Challenges and Solutions, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57710-0_15
361