Landscape Balance and Landscape Assessment

The book's aim is to present recommendations for sustainable land use and management. The authors follow a hierarchical approach that is inherent in landscape structures and processes as well as in planning practice. During the last decades, landscape ecology has developed tremendously. Future research tendencies are also covered. All methodological approaches are explained with examples from different regions. This volume gives a fundamental representation of landscape ecology, a young, but interesting and very important transdisciplinary science which aims to solve complex enviromental problems. Both the theoretical basis and practical application of landscape ecology are considered. The book addresses all those interested in ecological issues from landscape planners, managers, biologists and geographers to colleges, universitites, local authorities and the public in general. Among the themes are the roots of landscape ecology, problems of scale and dimension, landscape balance with a special focus on the impact of land use changes on water and material fluxes, and how to develop land use variants supporting sustainable development. In order to reach these objectives tools such as remote sensing and information systems are presented.