2 Landscape Change in Europe
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commodities. This in turn translates into increasing pressure on ecosystems and a
specialisation of the service supply of many landscapes (Verburg et al. 2013b).
Globalisation and other related economic drivers have also brought about important changes in land use. The global agriculture market has pushed farmers to intensify their production methods in order to remain competitive, while those that do not
succeed have had to find their livelihood outside agriculture. This has often led to the
abandonment of areas with less favourable conditions (van Vliet et al. 2015). Another
consequence of globalisation is the specialisation of farm production, with the expansion of monocultures and the “outsourcing” of, for example, fodder production not
only outside of livestock farms, but even outside Europe. This decreases the need to
intensification of production in Europe and contributes to the abandonment of those
areas that are less suitable for agriculture (Levers et al. 2015). The technological innovations associated with globalisation have also brought about important changes in
farming systems (Bürgi et al. 2017). Mineral nitrogen application is one of the most
mentioned technological innovations when studying the intensification of agriculture. This has important effects on landscape configuration, with the disappearance
of traditional features and a loss of biodiversity (van Vliet et al. 2015).
Apart from these commonly mentioned drivers of change, growing environmental,
social and political awareness is reflected in land use policies and subsidies, with an
increasing focus on environmental management, nature preservation and landscape
restoration, rather than on agricultural production (van Vliet et al. 2015). But beyond
these institutional levels, farmers’ decisions are also an important factor that can
ultimately lead to diverging land use trajectories (van Vliet et al. 2015). Most of
these decisions are the result of the behaviour of land owners and land managers
responding to market prices and policy incentives in varying ways (Verburg et al.
2013b). While farmers’ attitudes (e.g. productivist or environmentalist) may not be an
important driver of land cover changes, they do influence the intensity of management
practices (van Vliet et al. 2015).
2.4.3 Spatial and Natural Factors
In the context of urbanisation and globalisation, accessibility is another important
factor when explaining the geographic distribution of more intensively or less intensively managed areas. In areas with good accessibility, land use management is often
more intensive; in more remote areas, land abandonment is more frequent (Levers
et al. 2015). Bürgi et al. (2017) analysed narratives on the driving forces of landscape change, using oral history interviews with local residents in six case studies.
They found that access and infrastructure (e.g. railways and highways) were important drivers in most of the cases (Bürgi et al. 2017). With respect to agricultural
and forestry production, this means that local products can be exported and therefore, production patterns might change. However, at the same time farmers reported
that they needed to become more competitive against products that came from the
outside. The flow of people also increases with better accessibility and can bring
31
commodities. This in turn translates into increasing pressure on ecosystems and a
specialisation of the service supply of many landscapes (Verburg et al. 2013b).
Globalisation and other related economic drivers have also brought about important changes in land use. The global agriculture market has pushed farmers to intensify their production methods in order to remain competitive, while those that do not
succeed have had to find their livelihood outside agriculture. This has often led to the
abandonment of areas with less favourable conditions (van Vliet et al. 2015). Another
consequence of globalisation is the specialisation of farm production, with the expansion of monocultures and the “outsourcing” of, for example, fodder production not
only outside of livestock farms, but even outside Europe. This decreases the need to
intensification of production in Europe and contributes to the abandonment of those
areas that are less suitable for agriculture (Levers et al. 2015). The technological innovations associated with globalisation have also brought about important changes in
farming systems (Bürgi et al. 2017). Mineral nitrogen application is one of the most
mentioned technological innovations when studying the intensification of agriculture. This has important effects on landscape configuration, with the disappearance
of traditional features and a loss of biodiversity (van Vliet et al. 2015).
Apart from these commonly mentioned drivers of change, growing environmental,
social and political awareness is reflected in land use policies and subsidies, with an
increasing focus on environmental management, nature preservation and landscape
restoration, rather than on agricultural production (van Vliet et al. 2015). But beyond
these institutional levels, farmers’ decisions are also an important factor that can
ultimately lead to diverging land use trajectories (van Vliet et al. 2015). Most of
these decisions are the result of the behaviour of land owners and land managers
responding to market prices and policy incentives in varying ways (Verburg et al.
2013b). While farmers’ attitudes (e.g. productivist or environmentalist) may not be an
important driver of land cover changes, they do influence the intensity of management
practices (van Vliet et al. 2015).
2.4.3 Spatial and Natural Factors
In the context of urbanisation and globalisation, accessibility is another important
factor when explaining the geographic distribution of more intensively or less intensively managed areas. In areas with good accessibility, land use management is often
more intensive; in more remote areas, land abandonment is more frequent (Levers
et al. 2015). Bürgi et al. (2017) analysed narratives on the driving forces of landscape change, using oral history interviews with local residents in six case studies.
They found that access and infrastructure (e.g. railways and highways) were important drivers in most of the cases (Bürgi et al. 2017). With respect to agricultural
and forestry production, this means that local products can be exported and therefore, production patterns might change. However, at the same time farmers reported
that they needed to become more competitive against products that came from the
outside. The flow of people also increases with better accessibility and can bring