UB Geografia d'Europa: textos de suport  
Main characteristics of 30 European landscapes


Landscape type Landform Vegetation Character Trends
  Tundras
1  Arctic tundra Lowlands covered by ice and snow Permafrost keeps vegetation scattered and low: moss/lichen Desolate treeless wilderness Wetland preservation
2  Forest tundra Hills and lowlands bogs and fens Dwarf shrubs (birch, alder) cover the valleys: heath everywhere Wild, empty scattered forests Fires and overgrazing
  Taigas
3  Boreal swamp Peatland, mires, bogs and fens Mixed, thin forests without production, only preservation Inaccessible uncultivated wetlands Drainage, extraction of peat
4  Northern taiga Hills and plains, lowlands and lakes Coniferous forest (pine, spruce) relics of grazed woodlands Homogeneous forests Clear felling, spruce becoming dominant
5  Middle taiga Plains with sandy soils, moraines and mires Mixed coniferous forests and some pastures or fodder crops Some spaces within forests  
6  Southern taiga Hills and plains of sand, silt and loamy soils Mixed coniferous forests; pastures are in the minority Semi-open forests  
7  Subtaiga Outwash-plains and plateaus of loam/loess Mixed broadleaved and coniferous forests and arable land Silvi- and agricultural domination Drainage and deforestation
  Uplands
8  Northern highlands Hills and mountains, lakes, bogs and fens Heath, grassland, rocks and relics of overgrazed woods Desolate, rough and very open Afforestation
9  Mountains High mountains, glaciers, steep slopes and valleys Moss, heath, grass and forest on slopes; intensive crops in valleys Wild, rough, enclosed versus cultivated, open Abandoning, afforestation and tourism
  Bocages
10  Atlantic bocage Gentle slopes and plateaus of loam on rocks Pastures and arable land surrounded by hedges, walls or trees Enclosed, heterogeneous and cultivated Plot enlargement and removing of hedges
11  Semi-bocage Hills and middle mountains, wet conditions Extensive grassland and crops, mixed forests and hedges Hybrid open­enclosed Abandoning and afforestation
12  Mediterranean semi-bocage Hills and middle mountains, dry conditions Extensive grass, arable and permanent crops, walls/forests Relatively open Extensification
  Openfields
13  Atlantic openfields Loamy and clayey soils on undulating plains Intensive arable land; trees only in valleys Large-scale openness; monoculture Intensification and set-aside
14  Continental openfields Loess and loam on flat and hilly land Mixed arable, grass and permanent crops; forests on hilltops Diverse in scale Diversification
15 Aquitaine openfields Outwash plains and slopes of lime, loam, loess Arable land on plateaus; forests on slopes; horticulture in valleys Open and intensively cultivated  
16 Former openfields Undulating plains with loamy and clayey soils Land suited for arable crops, used for cereal, root crops, grass Intensively cultivated; large-scale openness Removing of trees on plots
17 Central collective openfields Undulating plains with loess and loamy soils Arable land without any other vegetation; pastures on lowlands Large-scale, open and homogeneous Water and wind erosion
18 Eastern collective openfields Flat to undulating plains covered with 'black earth' Treeless arable land and grass on moist lowlands Extremely open, large and dry  
19 Mediterranean open land Hills, plateaus, valleys, water-limited conditions Forests and scrub v. cultivation: extensive crops and transhumance Contrasting patterns between hills and valleys In- and extensification, abandoning
  Steppic and arid landscapes
20 Puszta Salt-affected soils on the Hungarian plain Grassland and arable land Treeless open space; extensive breeding Salinisation, water and wind erosion
21 Steppe Plains with brown earth, valleys and saltmarshes Grassland and arable land, extensively cultivated Treeless, dry, endless, windy, extremely open Overgrazing, salinisation
22 Semi-desert Lowland plains and saltmarshes Grass, ephemeral and halophytic plants Salt, dry, open and extensively cultivated Changing levels of groundwater and sea water
23 Sandy desert Mobile dunes, dry rivers and shifting sands Absence of vegetation, only some ephemeral plants, sedges Uncultivated Pastoral husbandry protection
  Regional landscapes
24 Kampen Undulating plains with brooks and sandy soils Mixed crops, grassland; forests, heath, swamps and trees Enclosed fields, mosaic, small-scale patchwork  Increase of scale and intensification
25 Poland's strip fields Small elongated field systems Mixed crops, horticulture, orchards and forests  Labour-intensive, small-scale diverse  
26 Coltura promiscua Fertile valleys; loamy soils, remnants of traditional use Three layers of permanent crops, cereals, horticulture, fodder crop Heterogeneous and small-scale diverse Homogenisation by in/extensification
27 Dehesa/montado Poor, dry and stony soils on erosive, gentle slopes Open evergreen forest (oak, olive), grazed and cultivated Agro-silvo-pastoral parkland Degradation; growth of shrubs
  Artificial landscapes
28 Polder Estuaries on North Sea coast below sea level (clay, peat) Intensive arable and grassland; trees along roads, canals, dikes Flat, open, fertile, artificial and uniform Intensification, set-aside
29 Delta (artificial forms) Estuaries in coastal lowlands; deltas of large rivers Intensive arable, fodder and permanent crops on irrigated fields Intensive, flat, open, fertile and uniform Salinisation and intensification
30 Huerta Irrigated, fertile valleys on Mediterranean coast Intensive horticulture and permanent crops (eg, fruits) Irrigation, terraces, orchards Expansion

Fuente:
European Environment Agency
The Dobris Assessment
Chapter 08: Landscapes



Última actualització: 30 d'agost de 2000