Anthropogenic Effects in Landscapes: Historical Context and Spatial Pattern

Abstract

Bio-cultural landscapes are characterized by anthropogenic pattern fea-tures, of which the measurement constitutes a key step in landscape analysis. Metrics and strategies for this measurement of anthropogenic patterns and their dynamics are discussed, considering the pattern/process paradigm, the patch-corridor-matrix model and the complementarity of landscape composition and configuration as conceptual benchmarks. Historically, noticeable anthropogenic effects are accepted to have appeared in landscapes after the invention of agricul-ture and further trends of landscape change could be linked to the development of agriculture. Through time, a sequence of landscape dynamics with three stages is expected, in which a natural landscape matrix is initially substituted by an agricul-tural one; urban patch types will later on dominate the matrix as a consequence of ongoing urbanization. The importance of the development of agriculture and its productivity for the evolution of settlements, villages and cities is emphasized. Anthropogenic change of landscapes confirms the status of geographical space as a limited resource.