Strategies for network management in an agricultural region

Abstract

The history of agricultural impacts on the environment is just as long as that of agriculture itself. Obviously, to cultivate the land implies interfering with the natural environment (Bouwer and Klaver, 1987). Through the ages, agriculture has brought about major changes in the character of landscapes and in the diversity of plant and animal species. Forests disappeared and were replaced by fields, pastures, meadows and heath. Wild plant and animal species were domesticated. Despite the rigorous character of these changes, it cannot be said that agriculture caused serious environmental problems in the past. In fact, the semi-natural landscapes that agriculture has allowed to emerge under its influence over the centuries are now appreciated for their characteristic ecosystems and plant and animal species. Moreover, farmers have long been considered as ‘guardians’ of the landscape.