ABSTRACT
In common with other West European countries West Germany has experienced very substantial pressures for change in the fabric of its rural landscape over the last three decades. Extensions to the built-up areas of towns and villages, the intensification of the road network, and the development of new sites for modern land uses, such as energy generation and specialized recreational activities, have been the main sources for Landschaftsverbrauch, the consumption of the rural landscape, as the process has been described by Rach (1987). Proposals for meeting these land requirements have stimulated debate at local levels but more especially at national level where federal government policies have been questioned and, in some cases, tested severely (Hucke 1985). Media coverage of environmental issues has widened public awareness and interest but has also increased concern about the nature and impact of contemporary changes. This concern was manifested through the rapid emergence and political success of the Green Party (die Grüen) in the 1983 election when it captured 27 seats in the Bundestag and took 5.6% of the total vote (Capra & Spretnak 1984). Inevitably, and paralleling this environmental questioning, there has emerged a mix of conservation measures and planning restraints from both federal and state governments to guide land-use change and to soften the landscape impact of new developments.
