Landscape change

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a landscape change refers to changes in the landscape due to anthropogenic causes. In the course of time , natural landscapes develop into cultural landscapes of various forms ( agricultural landscape , industrial region , urban landscape , tourist destination ). The causes of the landscape change are primarily the population growth (e.g. that of Switzerland ) and the associated expansion of the settlement area and the transport and energy infrastructure , as well as the large-scale redesign of the agricultural area .

Causes using the example of Switzerland

As a result of economic growth and structural change in the economy and society, the demands placed on the landscape as the basis of human existence are steadily increasing. The cultural landscape with the rural and urban settlements is the result of economic and social development. Agricultural areas are at the center of the landscape change. They are subject to structural change in agriculture, are being settled, renatured or turned into forests. The landscape change in highly developed countries is described here using the example of Switzerland.

Settlement growth

The causes of settlement growth in Switzerland are on the one hand population growth and on the other hand the increased space requirement per person. Settlement growth can be clearly demonstrated using the example of the ten largest Swiss cities.

Agricultural structural change

In the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, general improvements were carried out in many places in Switzerland (similar procedures are known as land consolidation in Germany and amalgamation in Austria ). At first it was about job creation and the expansion of the agricultural area. Later, overall improvements were also used to procure land (national highways, railroad construction) and as an instrument for spatial planning, nature and landscape protection and structural improvements in agriculture. The corresponding measures included amalgamation of goods, erosion protection and pathways. Ultimately, the rural area was reorganized, taking into account a variety of, increasingly also ecological, aspects.

Infrastructure expansion

With the increase in population and the further development of society, the infrastructure must also be adapted and expanded.

The first autobahn was opened in Switzerland in 1955; the motorway network is expected to be completed in 2020 (original plan: 1985). Between 1985 and 2009, the total road area in Switzerland increased by 14.7%. Today's road network in Switzerland is 72,000 km long (as of 2014). The first road tunnel in Switzerland, the so-called Urnerloch , was built in 1707. Tunnel construction has developed significantly since then; With 1300 tunnels, Switzerland is one of the countries with the highest tunneling density. The first railway line in Switzerland, the so-called “ Spanish Brötli Railway ” between Baden and Zurich, went into operation relatively late in 1847 . Today Switzerland has one of the densest rail networks in the world. The development of the energy and water supply is also changing the landscape; the energy supply mainly through the construction of high voltage lines ( overhead lines ). Most of the Swiss energy and water network was built between 1950 and 1980.

Compared to other countries, Switzerland today has a very modern infrastructure, but various renovation work will be necessary in the near future.

Water corrections and renaturation

Under river corrections refers to the channeling and straightening of rivers. In Switzerland, such interventions in the 19th and 20th centuries prevented regular flooding, drained wetlands and created new cultivated land. This could then be used as an agricultural or settlement area. A good example of this is the Jura water correction . In addition to the change in the landscape areas adjacent to the rivers, the rivers themselves were also changed: the irregularly curved and shallow rivers with various river beds / tributaries became straight, deeper, concrete-dammed rivers with a larger cross-section, which led away the water more quickly. If possible, these canals were also diverted to larger lakes, such as the Hagneck Canal, in order to have a “compensation basin” in the event of a flood. Because of the straightened rivers, which allowed the water to drain away more quickly, the water level of some lakes sank. So is St. Peter's Island in Lake Biel through the Jura waters correction to a peninsula become.

The faster flow of rivers, increased erosion and the loss of floodplains have also created problems. This means that fewer plants and animals can settle, which means that biodiversity on the edge of the rivers and lakes is reduced. Today attempts are being made to counteract these deficiencies in some places through renaturation .

Acquisition methods

The landscape change can essentially be recorded using three methods. On the one hand, qualitative statements about changes in the landscape can be made by comparing old and new maps or images. Furthermore, quantitative statements on land use and its development are made with the area statistics. In addition, the interactions in the impact structure of a landscape can be examined with a DPSIR analysis.

Compare maps or pictures

The change in landscape in Switzerland can be seen from maps of the same place from different years. Above all, the water corrections and the infrastructure expansion can be clearly seen in the following two examples:

  • The city expansion of Bern in all directions with almost complete preservation of the three large forests around the city (Bremgarten and Könizbergwald and Ostermundigenberg) is very noticeable. Motorways have been built outside the city center and the rail network has been expanded.

Area statistics

→ See also: Swiss land use statistics

The Swiss land use statistics are published by the Federal Statistical Office. Every 12 years, information on land use and its cover in Switzerland is provided. The basis for this is provided by aerial photographs from the Federal Office of Topography. The area statistics also use statistics and geographic reference data from the federal government, the cantons and universities. The federal constitution serves as the legal basis. 4.1 million sample points are made in a grid of 100 × 100 meters. The total area of ​​Switzerland is recorded on the levels of Switzerland, cantons, districts, municipalities and hectares as well as any spatial units. The area statistics are divided into settlement, agricultural, wooded and unproductive areas and their vegetation. There are 72 sub-categories based on the four main areas. The Swiss land use statistics have been carried out every twelve years since 1979. The statistics are created one or two years after the corresponding aerial photographs.

DPSIR analysis

The interactions in the impact structure of a landscape are analyzed with the DPSIR model. DPSIR stands for Driving forces, Pressures, States, Impacts and Responses. In the "Landscape Observation Switzerland" (LABES) program, a total of 39 indicators are used to monitor the state and development of landscape qualities in Switzerland.

Literature and Sources

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Roth et al. 2010, p. 31 ff
  2. ↑ Geography: Knowledge and Understanding / Ed .: Hans-Rudolf Egli et al. : a manual for the upper secondary level. - Bern: hep, 2013
  3. ^ State and development of the Swiss landscape ( memento of February 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) 2011/2012 edition, Federal Statistical Office, accessed on January 23, 2014
  4. ↑ a b The ten largest Swiss cities in time-lapse storymaps from the Geoportal des Bundes. Accessed January 24, 2014
  5. ^ Thomas Glatthard: Merging of goods. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . October 15, 2014 , accessed June 28, 2019 .
  6. ↑ a b Thomas Glatthard: Melioration. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . November 29, 2016 , accessed June 28, 2019 .
  7. ^ History of the Swiss Railways
  8. ↑ Switzerland goes to waste in Observer 7/2010 from March 31, 2010. Accessed on January 22, 2014
  9. ↑ Daniel Vischer: Water corrections. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . December 11, 2006 , accessed January 28, 2014 .
  10. ↑ Daniel L. Vischer: The history of flood protection in Switzerland. (PDF, 4165 KB) From the beginning to the 19th century. Federal Office for Agriculture, 2003, accessed on January 28, 2014 .
  11. ↑ a b Comparison of the Dufour map and the national map 1: 25,000 excerpt from the Bernese Seeland federal geoportal. Retrieved January 25, 2014
  12. ↑ Comparison of the Dufour map and the national map 1: 25,000 excerpt from the Federal Geoportal of Bern . Accessed January 24, 2014
  13. ↑ Area statistics of Switzerland, profile ( memento of November 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) at the Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved January 22, 2014
  14. ↑ Roth et al. 2010, pp. 25-26