Article detail · 2021
Maintaining Natural and Traditional Cultural Green Infrastructures across Europe: Learning from Historic and Current Landscape Transformations
- Year
- 2021
- Type
- article
Data source split
- YÖKSİS YÖKSİS article record
- YÖKSİS venue Landscape Ecology
- Catalog match (ISSN) Landscape Ecology
- OpenAlex OpenAlex enrichment (abstract, citations, topics)
Abstract
OpenAlex · English
Abstract Context Maintaining functional green infrastructures (GIs) require evidence-based knowledge about historic and current states and trends of representative land cover types. Objectives We address: (1) the long-term loss and transformation of potential natural forest vegetation; (2) the effects of site productivity on permanent forest loss and emergence of traditional cultural landscapes; (3) the current management intensity; and (4) the social-ecological contexts conducive to GI maintenance . Methods We selected 16 case study regions, each with a local hotspot landscape, ranging from intact forest landscapes, via contiguous and fragmented forest covers, to severe forest loss. Quantitative open access data were used to estimate (i) the historic change and (ii) transformation of land covers, and (iii) compare the forest canopy loss from 2000 to 2018. Qualitative narratives about each hotspot landscape were analysed for similarities (iv). Results While the potential natural forest vegetation cover in the 16 case study regions had a mean of 86%, historically it has been reduced to 34%. Higher site productivity coincided with transformation to non-forest land covers. The mean annual forest canopy loss for 2000–2018 ranged from 0.01 to 1.08%. The 16 case studies represented five distinct social-ecological contexts (1) radical transformation of landscapes, (2) abuse of protected area concepts, (3) ancient cultural landscapes (4) multi-functional forests, and (5) intensive even-aged forest management, of which 1 and 4 was most common. Conclusions GIs encompass both forest naturalness and traditional cultural landscapes. Our review of Pan-European regions and landscapes revealed similarities in seemingly different contexts, which can support knowledge production and learning about how to sustain GIs.
Topics
Citations
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38 citations
OpenAlex cited_by_count (cache / database)
3 publications in the local catalog that cite this work (OpenAlex reference match; not the full global list).
- Meeting places and social capital supporting rural landscape stewardship: A Pan-European horizon scanning 2021
- Exploring the Future of Forest-Based Cultural Heritage Tourism: A Scenario Planning Approach 2026
- Bibliometric Analysis of Masters Theses in the Field of Landscape Architecture in Türkiye 2025