Mountain landscapes

Mountains are formed through tectonic forces or volcanism. These forces can locally raise the surface of the earth as peaks or larger geographical areas. The natural vegetation is clustered in altitudinal zones, subject to temperature, humidity, soil composition, and solar radiation.

We differentiate between

a) Middle Mountain areas (500 to 1500 m altitude) and

b) High Mountain areas (> 1500m altitude).

Agricultural land use is characterised by scattered farms, small, alternating plots, steep slopes, huge differences according to inclination within short distances. Traditional land use is transhumance (vertical and horizontal) with different cattle, grasslands (meadows and pastures), often still today as common fields. Agricultural activity is often combined with (summer and/or winter) tourism.

Source: Definition elaborated by EUCALAND, based on: Meeus, H.A., M.P. Vijermans and M.J. Vroom (1990): “Agricultural Landscapes in Europe and their Transformation”, In: Landscape and Urban Planning, 18 ( 1990) 289-352, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam; Wikipedia, Oxford Dictionary