Revista Murciana de Antropología (Dec 2023)
The NW German Heathland: A Threatened Landscape?
Abstract
The term heath generally means wasteland. In the early modern period, extensive areas of heathland were created in north-west Germany, mainly through deforestation and subsequent grazing. This meant that the people living here had to practise a special shortage or wasteland economy. The economy of scarcity had not only had economic consequences, but also shaped society and mentality. For example, use boundaries and forms of use had to be defined. Meliorations were carried out. These and other processes are illustrated by a regional example from northwest Germany (Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony). Since late 19th century, a completely new, positively connoted meaning and perception of heathland emerged. The heath areas threatened with disappearance became the focus of a completely different perspective of use. They were seen –alongside the meliorations– as supposedly "primeval" and "original" landscapes that required special protection.
