Small landscape elements
Small landscape elements, particularly the "green and blue arteries" are major determinants of a landscape's identity. The green arteries of trees and bushes are particularly characteristic of sandy terrain, whereas the blue arteries of water is primarily characteristic of the carr peat areas and the marine clay and river regions.
Current situation
The green and blue arteries in the landscape are the network of semi-natural landscape elements that criss-crosses the countryside. The green arteries comprise elements that are dry, such as lines of trees, spinneys, wooded banks, hedges and shelter belts, dikes and roadside verges.
The blue arteries comprise wet elements, such as brooks and ditches, and their waterlogged edges.
The green and blue arteries are extremely important for the "nature quality" of the countryside.
Green arteries
Lines of trees with a ground cover solely of grass occur mainly along roads. They are a feature of the landscapes on sandy soils, in the peat settlements, and in some marine clay areas such as Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, where trees planted on the dikes accentuate the pattern of empoldering.
Hedges, shelter belts, and linear plantings of shrubs with few trees are most common along the border between Groningen and Friesland provinces, and in the Gelder Valley, and in Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland. Hawthorn hedges are a feature of the washlands of the large rivers. Wooded banks are a feature of the landscape on sandy soils. In the peat areas, shrubs and trees have been planted on the bunds.
Spinneys can be found throughout the Netherlands, particularly in the south and east of the country.
Blue arteries
The density of ditches is highest in the carr peat areas and the northwestern marine clay areas. The pattern of closely-spaced parallel ditches is typical of the peat areas.
Trends
The maps show the current green and blue arteries and the changes that have occurred in various landscape types over the century in terms of various green and blue landscape elements.
Technical note
The map is based on Alterra's HISTLAND GIS database. The smallest units in this database (some 5000 areas) are landscape units delineated on the basis of their history and pattern. Per region, the density of a given landscape element has been determined. The landscape elements have been derived from the digital topographical map.
References
- Geertsema, W. (2002). Het belang van groenblauwe dooradering voor natuur en landschap. Achtergrondrapport Natuurbalans 2002. Reeks 'Planbureau-werk in uitvoering', Werkdocument 2002/02. Natuurplanbureau/Alterra. Wageningen.
