Dynamic ecotopes in the river region

The areas flanking the large rivers in the Netherlands have been transformed by human interference, with the result that landscape elements produced by dynamic riverine processes have declined in area.

Trends

The construction of dikes and dams has confined the large rivers to narrower floodplains. The gradient from wet to dry habitats is now confined to a very narrow zone parallel to the rivers, usually bounded sharply by the line of the summer dike (the dike delimiting the washlands). As a result, there has been a decline in the area of many of the characteristic landscape elements of a dynamic river, such as backwaters and floodplains with swamp and swamp woodland.

On average, approximately 6% of the river landscape around the Rijn (which splits into three in the Netherlands) and Maas currently consists of landscape elements (ecotopes) of a dynamic river (see figure). In 1850, 23% of the river landscape was comprised of these dynamic landscape elements, but these dynamic units have since been replaced by arable fields, intensively managed grasslands and built-up areas.