Landscapes in Eastern Germany at a turning point - linkages between population decline, ageing and land consumption

Since 1990, eastern Germany has been facing not only economic transformation but also demographic change. Two components of demographic change are population decline and ageing. They have a strong influence on landscapes, for example on land consumption by housing and industry. Three rural case study areas in eastern Germany are analysed which have been facing a strong population decline and ageing process over the past 20 years. Expert interviews were carried out and statistics as well as documents were analysed. It is argued that demographic change can be seen as a characteristic of instability in social systems. Moreover, it is an important driving force of landscape change, weakening the socio-ecological resilience of landscapes.