Legacy effects of historical land use on the vegetation of an Inland Dune Complex and adjacent floodplains in Northern Germany

The Carrenzien Inland Dune Complex (IDC) in the glacial Elbe Valley, Northern Germany, is home to highly endangered nutrient-poor habitat types. We assessed the effect of historical land use on the occurrence of today’s forest habitats by analysing five maps and geographical data from 1714 to 2015, displayed land use on the Carrenzien IDC and in the adjacent river flood plains, created a multitemporal GIS-analysis using the overlay method, and evaluated the effect using a Generalised Linear Model (GLM). The dune field changed from open land biotope and habitat types to an entirely forested area within 300 years. Anthropogenic drainage systems in the river valley transformed the wetland into an agricultural landscape after 1881. The Deschampsia Pinus community shows a significant association with areas of historical arable land and therefore represents a legacy of historical land use. We propose that this historical context should be considered in future nature conservation planning.