Mediterranean landscape changes: evidence from old postcards

摘要: Summary Recent, rapid and often underestimated landscape changes have occurred over large areas in Mediterranean Europe. They are the result of major rural depopulation. Old photographs landscapes taken at beginning twentieth century (i.e. old postcards) present-day same places were compared a 2500-km2 area southern France. Vegetation analysed using transition matrices. During 80-year study period, land uses vegetation changed dramatically. Woodland cover tree height increased; but contrast, extent cropped lands rangelands decreased. Forest spread was heterogeneous, depending on initial composition vegetation, locally dominant ecological socio-economic conditions. Our data show that forest can re-establish under humid climatic conditions within century, despite severe prior exploitation several decades. These dramatic liable to biological consequences (e.g. woodland species, threat against open habitat fire regime modification, deterioration water resources), some them being already perceptible.