Land use changes in Europe : processes of change, environmental transformations, and future patterns : a study initiated and sponsored by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis with the support and co-ordination of the Stockholm Environm

The patterns of land use that have evolved in Europe reflect the boundaries set by the natural environment and socio-economic responses to the needs of the population. Over the centuries man has been able to overcome increasingly the constraints placed on land use by the natural environment through the development of new technologies and innovations, driven by an increasing population and rising material expectations. However, activities are still ultimately constrained by natural limitations such as climatic characteristics and associated edaphic and vegetational features. A major problem for land management, in its broadest sense, can be a reluctance to foresee the consequent ecological changes. This means that mitigating strategies will not be implemented in time to prevent environmental degradation and social hardship, although in many parts of Europe, over some centuries, demands have been met in a sustainable way, by sound, prudent and temperate expectations that have dictated management regimes. The management of land in Europe has always been a complex challenge: land is the primary, though finite resource. DeciSions regarding the use of land and manipulation of ecosystem dynamics today may affect the long-term primary productivity of the resource. Decisions to change land use may be virtually irreversible; urbanization is an illustration of the influence of population density on the land resource. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Land Resources, Land Use and Projected Land Availability for Alternative Uses in the EC....Pages 1-20 Trends in the Transformation of European Agriculture....Pages 21-47 Future Land Use Patterns in Europe....Pages 49-78 The Role and Impact of Biophysical Determinants on Present and Future Land Use Patterns in Europe....Pages 79-97 Atmospheric Methane: Estimates of Its Past, Present and Future and Its Role in Effecting Changes in Atmospheric Chemistry....Pages 99-126 Perspectives on a Changing Hydroclimate: Land Use Implications....Pages 127-151 Dynamics in Land Use Patterns: Socio-Economic and Environmental Aspects of the Second Agricultural Land Use Revolution....Pages 153-175 Climatic Change and Land Use Impact in Europe....Pages 177-207 Climatic Changes and Land Use Potential in Europe....Pages 209-231 Environmental Constraints on Agricultural Production....Pages 233-252 Potential Effects of Climate and Land Use Changes on the Water Balance Structure in Poland....Pages 253-274 Soil Erosion, Soil Degradation and Climatic Change....Pages 275-292 Salinization Potential of European Soils....Pages 293-315 Changes in Rates of Weathering and Erosion Induced by Acid Emissions and Agriculture in Central Europe....Pages 317-323 Potential for Acidification of Forest Soils in Europe....Pages 325-350 Historical Land Use Changes and Soil Degradation on the Russian Plain....Pages 351-377 Historical Land Use Changes: The Netherlands....Pages 379-401 Historical Land Use Changes: Sweden....Pages 403-426 Historical Land Use Changes: Poland....Pages 427-440 Historical Land Use Changes: Mediterranean Regions of Europe....Pages 441-461 Land Use Statistics in Natural Resource Accounting Systems....Pages 463-483 Analysis of Land Use Determinants in Support of Sustainable Development....Pages 485-514 Back Matter....Pages 515-529