IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v12y2023i5p990-d1136749.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Anthropocene in the Aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark Schelde Delta Area: Geological History, Human Resilience and Future Landscape Management

Author

Listed:
  • Sjoerd Kluiving

    (Faculty of Humanities, Department of Art & Culture, History, and Antiquity/Faculty of Science, Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, NL-1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Ronald Waterman

    (Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, NL-2628 CN-1 Delft, The Netherlands)

Abstract

In north-western Europe, the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt rivers have created a large river delta over the past 3 million years. Geological phenomena in the Scheldt region in north-western Belgium and in the southern Netherlands testify from a highly dynamic landscape, showing a range from very old (50 MY) to very young (recent) geological processes. The great diversity in geological processes and resulting landscapes is unprecedented on a global scale and has had its impact on the region’s cultural and economic history, shaping today’s reality in the global polycrisis. However, the area is usually observed by people as a flat and featureless type of terrain, although sometimes, unexpected elevation differences and sharp contrasts in landscapes occur alternating with omnipresent waterways. Therefore, here, the seven most conspicuous landforms are reviewed and presented in conjunction with the geological history of the area, including the typical lowland theme of the human battle against water. This study aims to (a) reconstruct the Tertiary and Quaternary to Holocene Dutch–Flemish Schelde Delta history, (b) review a cultural history that evolves into the present of the Anthropocene, and (c) project the desired future for sustainable landscapes in the aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark Schelde Delta between plural landscape management scenarios of Revitalised Land- and Waterscape and Improved Biodiversity.

Suggested Citation

  • Sjoerd Kluiving & Ronald Waterman, 2023. "The Anthropocene in the Aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark Schelde Delta Area: Geological History, Human Resilience and Future Landscape Management," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-19, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:5:p:990-:d:1136749
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/990/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/990/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simon L. Lewis & Mark A. Maslin, 2015. "Defining the Anthropocene," Nature, Nature, vol. 519(7542), pages 171-180, March.
    2. Johan Rockström & Will Steffen & Kevin Noone & Åsa Persson & F. Stuart Chapin & Eric F. Lambin & Timothy M. Lenton & Marten Scheffer & Carl Folke & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Björn Nykvist & Cynthia , 2009. "A safe operating space for humanity," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7263), pages 472-475, September.
    3. Paul J. Crutzen, 2002. "Geology of mankind," Nature, Nature, vol. 415(6867), pages 23-23, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rodrigue, Michelle & Romi, Andrea M., 2022. "Environmental escalations to social inequities: Some reflections on the tumultuous state of Gaia," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    2. Heikkurinen, Pasi & Ruuska, Toni & Wilén, Kristoffer & Ulvila, Marko, 2019. "The Anthropocene exit: Reconciling discursive tensions on the new geological epoch," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-1.
    3. Ethan Gordon & Federico Davila & Chris Riedy, 2022. "Transforming landscapes and mindscapes through regenerative agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(2), pages 809-826, June.
    4. Rachel Mazac & Hanna L. Tuomisto, 2020. "The Post-Anthropocene Diet: Navigating Future Diets for Sustainable Food Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Stefano Bianchini & Giacomo Damioli & Claudia Ghisetti, 2023. "The environmental effects of the “twin” green and digital transition in European regions," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(4), pages 877-918, April.
    6. Willamo, R. & Helenius, L. & Holmström, C. & Haapanen, L. & Sandström, V. & Huotari, E. & Kaarre, K. & Värre, U. & Nuotiomäki, A. & Happonen, J. & Kolehmainen, L., 2018. "Learning how to understand complexity and deal with sustainability challenges – A framework for a comprehensive approach and its application in university education," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 370(C), pages 1-13.
    7. Tatsuyoshi Saijo, 2022. "Future Design for Sustainable Nature and Societies," Working Papers SDES-2022-1, Kochi University of Technology, School of Economics and Management, revised Jan 2022.
    8. Sylvie Ferrari & Félix Garnier & Alain Alcouffe & Cécile Batisse, 2023. "L’Anthropocene Comme Rupture De L’Histoire De L’Economie," Post-Print hal-04099238, HAL.
    9. Ugo Bardi, 2016. "What Future for the Anthropocene? A Biophysical Interpretation," Biophysical Economics and Resource Quality, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-7, August.
    10. Noble, Andrew, 2012. "The slumbering giant: land and water degradation," 2012: The Scramble for Natural Resources: More Food, Less Land?, 9-10 October 2012 152413, Crawford Fund.
    11. Wang Shijin & Qiang Wenli & Liang Qiaoxia, 2023. "Key Pathways to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals in Three Polar Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-13, January.
    12. Jean-Yves Heurtebise, 2017. "Sustainability and Ecological Civilization in the Age of Anthropocene: An Epistemological Analysis of the Psychosocial and “Culturalist” Interpretations of Global Environmental Risks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-17, August.
    13. Bartkowski, Bartosz, 2017. "Are diverse ecosystems more valuable? Economic value of biodiversity as result of uncertainty and spatial interactions in ecosystem service provision," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 50-57.
    14. Abhik Chakraborty, 2022. "Geodiversity and Tourism Sustainability in the Anthropocene," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-13, June.
    15. Svartzman, Romain & Dron, Dominique & Espagne, Etienne, 2019. "From ecological macroeconomics to a theory of endogenous money for a finite planet," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 108-120.
    16. Jordi López Ortega, 2022. "How Anthropocene Might Save the World: Metamorphosis," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-37, February.
    17. Grainger, Alan, 2017. "The prospect of global environmental relativities after an Anthropocene tipping point," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 36-49.
    18. Jeff Rose & Adrienne Cachelin, 2018. "Critical sustainability: incorporating critical theories into contested sustainabilities," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 8(4), pages 518-525, December.
    19. Laura Pereira & Timothy Karpouzoglou & Samir Doshi & Niki Frantzeskaki, 2015. "Organising a Safe Space for Navigating Social-Ecological Transformations to Sustainability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, May.
    20. Nelson, Ewan & Warren, Peter, 2020. "UK transport decoupling: On track for clean growth in transport?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 39-51.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:5:p:990-:d:1136749. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.