The manifold cultural landscape of Central Europe has changed during the 20th century. The introduction of fertilisers and the use of advanced agricultural machinery has led to an equalisation of nutrient and humidity conditions and to much bigger land parcels, thus reducing biodiversity. The former border prevented big areas from this development, providing habitats that have become rare. But soon after the political changes the pressure to intensify land use in the Green Belt areas increased significantly.
Images: 1: Field in the Green Belt, Wiesenfeld, Thuringia, Klaus Leidorf, 2: A tree row is the only relict of the Green Belt, Hohengandern, Thuringia, Karin Kowol