Historical land use and hydrology. A case study from eastern Noord-Brabant

Abstract

The historical geography of the landscape of a lowland brook valley in the sandy Kempen area (eastern Brabant, Netherlands) shows the interaction of ecological processes and land use, and helps to understand processes in the present landscape. In this location the human influence, especially on the groundwater hydrology, played a major role in the development of the landscape. Levels and flow of different types of groundwater interacted with vegetation development and human interference, to produce landscape patterns. Four main stages have been identified. In the prehistoric period, a natural deciduous forest covered the higher grounds, ombrotrophic peat was formed in the valley, and groundwater was relatively deep. In the medieval stage man settled on the edge of the valley, cleared parts of the forest and dug part of the peat. Groundwater levels were raised, which increased the rate of groundwater discharge and increased the amount of associated lowland peat formation in the valley. This tendency continued in modern times, when the area was completely deforested. Groundwater levels increased further due to decreased evapotranspiration, which gave rise to the use of ponds for fish and for water mills. Finally, in the most recent period the groundwater level has been lowered by extensive artificial drainage, partly on a regional scale. It was concluded that evaluation of historical changes in the landscape help provide landscape planners with a sound idea of the nature of the landscape.