Landscape changes and human–landscape interaction during the first millennium AD in the Netherlands

The first millennium AD encompasses the Roman period (12 BC to AD 450) and the Early Middle Ages (AD 450 to 1050). In the Netherlands, this millennium saw population growth, steep decline and subsequent revival. In addition, many changes occurred in the physical landscape, marking a transition from a mainly natural prehistorical lowland landscape to an increasingly human-affected landscape. This paper synthesises the main landscape changes and human–landscape interactions in the Netherlands during this dynamic period. The degree of landscape change is compared between the coastal plain, the delta and the Pleistocene sand area. Human activities caused major often unintended geomorphological changes in all studied landscapes. Landscape sensitivity to human impact, however, strongly varied as a function of preceding landscape state. The most prominent changes took place in many parts of the coastal plain, where back-barrier peatlands transformed into open tidal basins. Presence of compaction-prone peat and intensified artificial drainage led to subsidence. This precondition and slow anthropogenic forcing combined, made the area more sensitive to stochastically occurring storms, which could serve as tipping points for large-scale drowning. Eventually, major peatlands turned into tidal areas that for many centuries would remain unsuitable for habitation. Human-induced peatland subsidence also led to the formation of the new Hollandse IJssel and Lek river branches. This marked a major reorganisation of the river network in the lower Rhine–Meuse delta. In the middle and upstream parts of the delta, the landscape was more stable. Yet, settlements on the natural levees show adaption to increasing flooding frequency from the Late Roman period onwards. The settlements shifted towards higher positions, while route networks between them largely remained intact. Smaller-scale landscape changes were found in the Pleistocene sand area. Here, local sand drifting occurred, most frequently occurring close to human movement corridors. Drift sand intensity became larger as population density increased after c.AD 900.

The Holocene landscape sensitivity of the central Bavarian Jura foothills towards climatic and human influences

<p>There is an ongoing debate about the main drivers of the Holocene landscape dynamics in Central Europe, i.e. when and where these were dominantly controlled by climatic (e.g. rapid climate changes) or anthropogenic factors. Investigations of colluvial and fluvial deposits are ideal to contribute to this discussion, given that the formation of colluvial deposits in Central Europe is often controlled by human activity, whereas the formation of alluvial deposits might be more influenced by climatic fluctuations.</p><p>In the forefront of a road construction intercalated colluvial and fluvial sediments with thicknesses up to 4 m were outcropped and studied during archaeological excavations led by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Conservation near Dettenheim in central Bavaria (southern Germany) in 2015. This investigated site is located next to the Fossa Carolina (Karlsgraben), a canal that was built at the end of the 8<sup>th</sup> century AD to bridge the watershed between Rhine and Danube but that was never finished. We investigated the sediments using sedimentological, archaeological and geochronological (OSL) methods. After a period with fluvial activity during the Early Holocene, the landscape was mostly stable between ca. 10 and 2.5 ka, allowing the formation of soils. Although human activities next to the investigated sites originate from the Hallstatt period, the first interruption of the stable period only occurred during the La Tène Period when fluvial and colluvial deposits were formed. Subsequently, intensive colluviation occurred during the Migration Period/Early Middle Ages, followed by intensive colluvial and fluvial deposition that started since the High Middle Ages and continues until today. Our investigations indicate that human disturbance obviously led to an intensive landscape degradation during the La Tène Period, and the landscape was subsequently much more sensitive towards human and climatic fluctuations than before.</p>

RISCOS GEOMORFOLÓGICOS E SENSITIVIDADE DA PAISAGEM NA BACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DO RIO PARATIBE (BHRP) – REGIAO METROPOLITANA DO RECIFE

O estudo sobre riscos ambientais vem mais significância à medida que a ocupação dos espaços urbanos vem se intensificando e se adensando consideravelmente. Estes riscos têm uma relação direta com os fatores socioeconômicos, pois além das características naturais do espaço, o nível de exposição à vulnerabilidade de populações tem grande influência para tais situações. A área da bacia hidrográfica do rio Paratibe, localizada nos municípios de Paulista, Abreu e Lima, Olinda, Recife, Camaragibe e Paudalho está submetida a diferentes fatores de risco, diretamente relacionados com o tipo de ocupação de setores desta bacia, como encostas interfluviais e leitos fluviais. Mesmo a bacia tendo grande parte de sua área com ocupação incipiente, vários pontos estão sujeitos a processos que podem submeter um considerável contingente populacional ao risco. A partir da análise de mapas de declividade e altimetria, conjugados com o mapeamento da área urbanizada, foi realizada uma análise das características e das alterações impetradas as encostas e aos canais fluviais, que causam, ou podem vir a causar intensificações de determinados tipos de eventos, os quais já resultam, e podem agravar, perdas materiais e até de vidas. Palavras-chave: Riscos Geomorfológicos. Sensitividade da Paisagem. Bacias Hidrográficas. LANDSCAPE SENSITIVITY AND MANAGEMENT GEOMORPHOLOGICAL RISKS IN PARATIBE HYDROGRAPHIC BASIN - PORTION OF THE MIDWEST REGION METROPOLITAN OF RECIFE ABSTRACT The study of environmental risks is gaining increasing significance as the occupation of urban spaces has been intensifying and increasing considerably. These risks have a direct relation with the socioeconomic factors, since besides the natural characteristics of the space, the level of exposure to the vulnerability of populations has great influence for such situations. The area of the Paratibe river basin, located in the municipalities of Paulista, Abreu e Lima, Olinda, Recife, Camaragibe and Paudalho, is subject to different risk factors, directly related to the type of occupation of sectors of this basin, such as interfluvial slopes and river beds. Even the basin having a large part of its area with rare occupation, several points are subject to phenomena, or processes, that can submit or submit a considerable population contingent to the risk. From the analysis of slope and altimetry maps, combined with mapping of the urbanized area, an analysis was made of the characteristics and alterations of the slopes and river channels that cause or may cause certain types of events or processes which already result, and can aggravate material losses and even lives. Key-words: Geomorphological Risks. Landscape Sensitivity. Hydrographic Basin. RISCOS GEOMORFOLÓGICOS Y SENSITIVIDAD DEL PAISAJE EN LA BACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DEL RIO PARATIBE (BHRP) - REGIÓN METROPOLITANA DE RECIFE RESUMEN El estudio sobre riesgos ambientales viene más significante a medida que la ocupación de los espacios urbanos se está intensificando y se adentra considerablemente. Estos riesgos tienen una relación directa con los factores socioeconómicos, pues además de las características naturales del espacio, el nivel de exposición a la vulnerabilidad de poblaciones tiene gran influencia para tales situaciones. El área de la cuenca hidrográfica del río Paratibe, ubicada en los municipios de Paulista, Abreu y Lima, Olinda, Recife, Camaragibe y Paudalho está sometida a diferentes factores de riesgo, directamente relacionados con el tipo de ocupación de sectores de esta cuenca, como laderas interfluviales y lechos fluviales. Incluso la cuenca con gran parte de su área con ocupación incipiente, varios puntos están sujetos a procesos que pueden someter un considerable contingente poblacional al riesgo. A partir del análisis de mapas de declividad y altimetría, conjugados con mapeamiento del área urbanizada, se realizó un análisis de las características y de las alteraciones impetradas a las laderas ya los canales fluviales, que causan, o pueden venir a causar intensificaciones de determinados tipos de eventos, los cuales ya resultan, y pueden agravar, pérdidas materiales e incluso de vidas. Palabras clave: Riesgos Geomorfológicos. Sensibilidad del Paisaje. Cuencas Hidrográficas.

Sustainable Leisure Landscapes in Icelandic Rural Communities: A Multidisciplinary Approach

The rapid increase of tourism in the Arctic highlights the critical importance of holistic planning of land use for tourism to ensure that recreational activities are only developed where natural and cultural environment is able to sustain their impact. This paper aims to devise a holistic plan for use of land for Icelandic tourism based on landscape analysis and stakeholders’ perceptions, and to critically discuss the role of holistic approaches and zoning principles in such planning with regard to different market groups of visitors. A case study was conducted in Skaftárhreppur municipality in southern Iceland. Geographical information systems (GIS) were used to analyse its suitability for the various forms of recreational activity based on stakeholders’ perceptions, landscape sensitivity, the area’s recreational opportunity spectrum (ROS), and visitor type according to the purism scale model. The results reveal a lack of balance between the area’s current recreational use and its landscape sensitivity, something which reflects many of the negative aspects of the exponential growth within Icelandic tourism which has taken place over the past decade. The results further stress the importance of appropriate infrastructure to channel the increasing flow of mass tourism and to direct this flow to carefully chosen focal points. In seeking to develop site-specific zoning for the different market groups, focal points have proven to be a critical management tool. By controlling the number, type and location of visitors, their flow is regulated, and thereby the impact of tourism is managed. The use of well-defined focal points in the zoning procedures will reduce the environmental and social pressure from tourism, reduce the cost of maintaining infrastructure incurred by communities, ensure visitor satisfaction, and protect the most sensitive areas from overexploitation by tourism.