Inland Drift Sand Landscapes

About this book

Man has had a complex relationship with inland drift sands through the ages. For some centuries these landscapes were seen as a threat, especially to agriculture and housing.

This book considers the processes, origin, conservation and restoration of this very special but harsh biotope, one that is characterised by fields of lichens with sparse grasses and heather alongside a range of special animal, fungi and plant species.

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Biography

Prof.dr. J. Fanta is emeritus professor in landscape ecology at the University of Amsterdam and emeritus professor in forest ecology and forest dynamics at Wageningen University, Wageningen UR, studying forest development a.o. on drift sands and prof.dr. H. Siepel is professor in applied animal ecology at Radboud University Nijmegen and head of the Centre for Ecosystem Studies of Alterra and Wageningen University, Wageningen UR. He specializes in animal life-history tactics.

Prof. Josef Fanta did years of research on inland drift sands in cooperation with a number of specialists from various disciplines. Many of them contributed to this book. Meanwhile all of these data are now used for conservation, restoration and management of inland drift sands. In 2010 a comprehensive study on drift sand management and restoration in the O+BN program (development and quality of nature) has been finalized in which prof. Henk Siepel added the expertise on animal ecology and life-history tactics. Both editors present a complete as possible overview of results on drift sand landscapes in Europe in order to underpin restoration of these priority habitats in Natura 2000.