Kai Tobias, Beate Jessel

• Impacts of agricultural land use on the environment are various and do not contribute to modifications of the ecology of central European landscapes. They do not only cause a progressive reduction of the number of plant ans animal specis typical for central Europe. Ever since the increasing intensification of farming, from the application of large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides to the use of increasingly larger machinery and progressive specialization there has also been an increase of other, hitherto little noticed environmental impacts. Heavy machinery and cultivation during disadvantageous weather will provoke soil compaction. Unvarying crop rotation systems and plouging of terrain too steep for it will increase water erosion. Due to groundwater lowering former peat lands are increasingly prone to desiccation and thus extremely susceptible to wind erosion. High rates of fertilizer application contiuously increase the risk of nitrate eluviation into the groundwater. These hazards are explained and measures of reduction areImpacts of agricultural land use on the environment are various and do not contribute to modifications of the ecology of central European landscapes. They do not only cause a progressive reduction of the number of plant ans animal specis typical for central Europe. Ever since the increasing intensification of farming, from the application of large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides to the use of increasingly larger machinery and progressive specialization there has also been an increase of other, hitherto little noticed environmental impacts. Heavy machinery and cultivation during disadvantageous weather will provoke soil compaction. Unvarying crop rotation systems and plouging of terrain too steep for it will increase water erosion. Due to groundwater lowering former peat lands are increasingly prone to desiccation and thus extremely susceptible to wind erosion. High rates of fertilizer application contiuously increase the risk of nitrate eluviation into the groundwater. These hazards are explained and measures of reduction are shown. The latter are indeed compatible with the aims of intensive farming but with less negative consequences for the environment. Above all they make sure that future generations will be able to continue farming the agricultural lands of central Europe that have been under cultivation for thousands of years.…