Lessons that nature urges people to learn : experience from open drain research

Abstract

Landscape changes turned drastic in 20th Century. In the agricultural, it was challenged by the need of rapid growth of agricultural production that in tum required too wet soils to be drained. Thus land reclamation significantly changed the structure of the former landscapes. The mosaic and patchiness, comprising of natural grasslands, bushes and groves, wetlands and water-bodies, as well as numerous small land-tenures, disappeared; heterogeneity was lost. The canalization of streams, which deprived them of diversity of biotic and abiotic conditions, was followed by physical destruction of riparian zones. Erosion and deflation increased; the competence of the landscape to preserve the genetic heritage of biodiversity and prevent fluvial systems from pollution as well as nutrients to be transferred into other geo-systems was restricted. Referring to the data collected over last 15 years, the attempt was made to highlight the landscape efforts to recover. It was found that these efforts involve various components of geodynamic, eolian, hydrological, biological processes leading to soil conservation, bed process stabilization, biota diversity, sedimentation prevention and water quality improvement. These alterations are also discussed as the bi-directional effect of self-renaturalisation processes in landscape on the environment and practice, and as nature's invitation to people to collaborate improving ecological situation in agro-landscapes.