Land-Cover Changes by Land-Use Changes on the Islands of Elba and Malta, Mediterranean Sea

Bemd Cyffka Institute of Geography, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 5,

There are many reasons for land-use changes in the Mediterranean, some very prominent. But actually only one reason is responsible-land abandonment-triggered by various factors. On the one hand, many western Mediterranean areas (e.g. Spain, Italy) suffered from population loss among the agricultural population; on the other hand, severe economic changes are the driving forces. Both influence the agricultural sector and, therefore, interconnect environmental and socioeconomic features.