Der rezente Landschaftswandel im westlichen Mediterranraum – Herausforderungen für Natur-und Landschaftsschutz

The western Mediterranean landscape is subject to considerable change. Biomass accumulation, mostly due to pro-cesses of rural abandonment, has increased the risk of forest fires, especially of uncontrollable large ones. The increasing bio-mass leads to decreasing biodiversity, also causing changes in the macrofauna. These processes are a great challenge for na-ture conservation in mediterranean France. Traditional nature conservation in the sense of preserving nature, with climaxvegetation being the guideline (monoclimax in French), has led into a cul-de-sac. An intensive discussion on guidelines in natureconservation has started. The question as to which type of landscape or which type of nature should be preserved is clearly un-solved, and there is a highly controversial discussion going on among scientists as well as a large part of the populace. Thepaper presents some exemplary analyses of these problems of nature conservation in mediterranean France – loss of open hab-itats due to increasing biomass accumulation, ecological evaluation of forest fires, wolves vs. highland farmers (highland prai-ries), different perceptions of nature of the urban and rural population (gens du bas, gens du haut). ... mehrIn regions where the popula-tion and the scientists can converge on a common vision of nature (guidline), there are examples for very successful natureconservation projects, such as the reintroduction of the vulture in the Cevennes, or the successful use of prescribed burning forrangeland management in the Pyrenees. Changing cultural landscapes, biodiversity, biomass accumulation, forest fires, macrofauna, wolves, guidelines fornature conservation, mediterranean France