1©Wrbka / univie

Conservative vs. dynamic agricultural landscapes in Austria

– a comparison based on historical development of landscape structure

Dr.Thomas Wrbka

University of Vienna;

Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology

2©Wrbka / univie

Wilderness?

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Matrei in Eastern Tyrol / Austria

Or just another European example for modern landscape transformation?

Global warmingTourism

Forest fragmentationAbandonment

Traffic

Urbanisation

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AUSTRIA ?:

• situated in the “heart of Europe”;

• only 84.000 square kilometers!

• transitional between four biogeographical zones (subatlantic, subcontinental, alpine, submediterranean);

• steep ecological gradients (altitude, precipitation, temperature,...);

• high diversity of bedrock, soil and landforms;

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Austria – cultural perspective:

• situated at the “crossroads” of Europe: Danube corridor, Amber road, Mountain passes through the Alps

• high diversity of cultural traditions: illyric, celtic, romanic, slavic, hungarian, germanic (bavarian, suebian, franconian);

• long history of interaction between humans & nature – earliest artifacts from 30.000 BC !

high diversity of landscape types

Dwelling Houses and Farm Buildings

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Classification of Austrian Cultural Landscapes Main Types

12 Types

and

47 Subtypes

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Example for Group E - Upland dairyfarming

coverage: 17%

Sample Site:Post - Behamberg

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Group I:Cropfarming landscapes

Subgroup 404:Large scale cropfarming in extraalpine Lowlands

coverage: 12%

Sample Site: Teichhof

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Recent Changes in Austrian agricultural landscapes 1:

Fragmentation of the „wet meadow landscape“ in the Vienna Basin between 1900 to 1950

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How to track changes ?

First (Josefinian) Land Survey (1764 – 1787)

First complete land survey of the Austrian territories

Conducted by army officers

Scale: 1 : 28.880

Military map

General information on broad land-cover types

Detailed and very reliable information on features interesting for military purposes („obstacles“): watercourses, swamps, dense forest,..)

>>> Meso-scale

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Franziscan Cadastral Map (1817 – 1871)

Second complete land survey of the total Austro-Hungarian Empire

Conducted by army officers

Scale: 1 : 2.880

Taxation map

Detailed information for every land parcel (yield data, etc.) in paper data-base

>>> Micro-scale

How to track changes ?

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Landscape change in Südburgenland / Talboden der Pinka

1857 1958 1975 1991 2002A cker

G rünland

O bstgärten

W ald

G ew ässer

B rachflächen

geh.fre ie K le instr.

K le instr.m .G eh.

S ied lung

S onderflächen

Verkehr 1

Verkehr 2

S onderb io tope

1%20%

= 1ha

33%

60%

32%

54%

2% 6%

49%

37%

8%

70%

15%

9%

69%

11%

11%

59%

35%3%

59%21%

3%

81%

86%

10%

69%

36%

44%

43%

0,2% 0,5%

91%

92%

7%

30%

67%

48%

28%

97%

91%10

20

31

40

50

60

70

71

81

82

91

92

100

5%2%

48%

35%

10%6%

80%

100%

Ab

b. Süd

burg

enla

nd - Tra

nsform

atio

n de

r Land

nutzung im

Zeitra

um vo

n 1857-2002.A

uswe

rtung a

uf Basis d

es Fra

nz. Kata

sters (2.La

nde

saufna

hme

(1857), histo

rische

n Luftbild

ern (1958-1991) so

wie

eine

r aktue

llen La

ndnutzung

skartie

rung (2002).

Transfo

rma

tionsm

atrix A

uflösung

de

r Basis-G

rids 10x10m

.

Beisp

iel N

aturrä

umlic

he Einhe

it 1 - Pinkab

od

en

Strong increase of cropland

Strong decrease of grassland

Strong increase of settlements

Slight decrease of orchards

>>> Directional change over 150 years

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1857 1958 1975 1991 2002A cker

G rünland

O bstgärten

W ald

G ew ässer

B rachflächen

geh.fre ie K le instr.

K le instr.m .G eh.

S ied lung

S onderflächen

Verkehr 1

Verkehr 2

S onderb io tope

1%20%

= 1ha

33%

60%

32%

54%

2% 6%

49%

37%

8%

70%

15%

9%

69%

11%

11%

59%

35%3%

59%

21%

3%

81%

86%

10%

69%

36%

44%

43%

0,2% 0,5%

91%

92%

7%

30%

67%

48%

28%

97%

91%10

20

31

40

50

60

70

71

81

82

91

92

100

5%2%48%

35%

10%6%

80%

100%

Ab

b. Süd

burg

enla

nd - Tra

nsform

atio

n de

r Land

nutzung im

Zeitra

um vo

n 1857-2002.A

uswe

rtung a

uf Basis d

es Fra

nz. Kata

sters (2.La

nde

saufna

hme

(1857), histo

rische

n Luftbild

ern (1958-1991) so

wie

eine

r aktue

llen La

ndnutzung

skartie

rung (2002).

Transfo

rma

tionsm

atrix A

uflösung

de

r Basis-G

rids 10x10m

.

Beisp

iel N

aturrä

umlic

he Einhe

it 1 - Pinkab

od

en

Grünland wird “v

erackert”

Obstgärten w

erden “verbaut”

>>> Character change: transition between major land-use categories

Landscape change in Südburgenland / Talboden der Pinka

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1857 1958 1975 1991 2002Acker

52% 31% 35% 37% 35%10

G rünland 11% 22% 10% 9% 6%20

G ew ässer50

K le instr.m .G eh.71

S ied lung81

Verkehr 191

Verkehr 292

O bstgärten31 8% 15% 10% 10% 10%

W eingärten31 9% 8% 9% 11% 11%

W ald40 16% 19% 20% 23% 23%

Brachflächen60 9% 4% 6%

geh.fre ie K le instr.70

Sonderflächen82

Sonderb io tope100

10% 20% 35%

Ab

b. Süd

burg

enla

nd - Tra

nsform

atio

n de

r Land

nutzung im

Zeitra

um vo

n 1857-2002.A

uswe

rtung a

uf Basis d

es Fra

nz. Kata

sters (2.La

nde

saufna

hme

(1857), histo

rische

n Luftbild

ern (1958-1991) so

wie

eine

r aktue

llen La

ndnutzung

skartie

rung (2002).

Transfo

rma

tionsm

atrix A

uflösung

de

r Basis-G

rids 10x10m

.

Beisp

iel Bra

chflä

che

n in de

r Na

turräum

liche

Einheit 3 - Rie

de

lflanke

= 1ha

Fallo

ws

are

getti

ng

culti

vate

d, b

ut n

ew fa

llow

s

are

occu

rring

Fallo

ws

are

getti

ng

culti

vate

d, b

ut N

O n

ew

fallo

ws

are

occu

rring

Fallo

ws

are

inva

ded

by

shru

bs o

r affo

rest

ed, f

ew a

re

culti

vate

d ag

ain

Landscape change in Südburgenland / Hillsides (“Riedelflanken”)

>>> Oscillation and slow change

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1764 - 1787

1817–1861

1984

1994

2000

From change detection to change analysis

1857 1958 1975 1991 2002A cker

G rünland

O bstgärten

W ald

G ew ässer

B rachflächen

geh.fre ie K le instr.

K le instr.m .G eh.

S ied lung

S onderflächen

Verkehr 1

Verkehr 2

S onderb io tope

1%20%

= 1ha

33%

60%

32%

54%

2% 6%

49%

37%

8%

70%

15%

9%

69%

11%

11%

59%

35%3%

59%

21%

3%

81%

86%

10%

69%

36%

44%

43%

0,2% 0,5%

91%

92%

7%

30%

67%

48%

28%

97%

91%10

20

31

40

50

60

70

71

81

82

91

92

100

5%2%

48%

35%

10%

6%

80%

100%

Ab

b. Süd

burg

enla

nd - Tra

nsform

atio

n de

r Land

nutzung im

Zeitra

um vo

n 1857-2002.A

uswe

rtung a

uf Basis d

es Fra

nz. Kata

sters (2.La

nde

saufna

hme

(1857), histo

rische

n Luftbild

ern (1958-1991) so

wie

eine

r aktue

llen La

ndnutzung

skartie

rung (2002).

Transfo

rma

tionsm

atrix A

uflösung

de

r Basis-G

rids 10x10m

.

Beisp

iel N

aturrä

umlic

he Einhe

it 1 - Pinkab

od

en

Transformation matrix

Konservative L.

Gerichtet dynamische L.?

Trend analysis

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VOITSAU

Reconstruction of land-use from

digitized historical

cadastrial map

Some landscape elements persist over

long periods >>> PELs / persistent landscape

elements

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Percentage of PELs is regionally very different:High percentage (= conservative l.) vs. Low percentage (= dynamic

landscapes)

Grossarl

Theyern / Nussdorf

Voitsau

Sampling design for in depth studies on formation and function of agricultural landscapes

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Transgressing the map age boundary

Reconstruction of land-use from

written sources: archive of

monastery Göttweig

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Vegetation Survey 1995Digital Elevation Model 1995

PLANNED ONLY: soil profiles (esp. in erosion areas)Palaeobotanical Data (e.g. pollen profiles)Dendrochronological DataMalakological DataArchaeological Data….

Parish registers from 17.C onwards

POPULATION CENSUS from 1869 onwards

Investigated entity (Village, settlement)

PARCELS HOLDINGS PERSONS

Plans and Maps, from 2.H. 17C. Municipality Account Books, 1.H. 19.C Kastenamts- Accounts, 16.-19. CVillage Law (Custumal), 16. CForste Regulations, 16. and 18. Cstatistical data on cultivation, 20. C

Notes on traditio 11.-13. C.Charters, 12.-15. C.

Urbarial Books, 13/14. Jh. Peasant Labour books, 15. C. Property registers, 16.-19. C ---Theresianian „Fassion“, mid-18 C Josephinian „Fassion“, 1780Franziszeian Cadastral Map, ca. 1820-1840+ Cadastral Estimation Registers etc. Gewährbücher, 15.-19. C

Tithe register: Tithes on Wine, 16.-19. C„Local Urbarii- Description“, 1733

Integration of data from different sources

Example: Theyern, Nussdorf

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How pre-industrial agricultural systems work and thus should be studied

PRODUCTION technology, social

organi- sation

AGRO-ECOSYSTEM

crops, soils, water, animals

POPULATION

mode of demo-graphic behavior

environmental factors (climate, etc.)influence

external connections

Farm households

nutrient transfer

human

constitution

Raw products

seed

products

money

labor

draught power

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Landscape types with different nature value in Austria – Percentage of the whole territory Alpine and

Subalpine Landscapes

Forested Landscapes

Agricultural Landscapes

Urbanized Landscapes

Total

Very high

13 2 2 - 17

High - 1 15 - 16 Medium 3 33 9 - 45 Low - - 20 1 21 Very low

- - - 1 1

Total 16 36 46 2 100

Coincidence between

high nature value

and

high percentage of persistent landscape elements

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Vernacular architecture

ancient land management traditions

maintaining green infrastructure

wise use of renewable resources

multifunctional use of forest resources

Conservative agricultural landscapes as “role-models” for sustainable development?

Thank You !

At least: a promising coincidence of

natural, cultural & economic values !