Abstract
Agricultural developments have led to a decrease in diversity of plant species in western Europe (Anonymus, 1985; Wolff-Straub, 1985a). This also holds for the peat district of the western Netherlands which is among the most intensively exploited areas of western Europe. Nowadays the peat grasslands, originating from the reclamation of wild fenlands, are used for dairy farming (Bijlsma, 1982). At present, the average livestock intensity is about two dairy cows per ha, nitrogen input (by application of fertilizers and animal manure) is 300–400 kg/ha/year and milk production is 12 000 kg/ha/year (Van Burg et al., 1980; Clausman and Melman, 1991). The intensification has caused an impoverishment of the diversity of plant species on the dairy farms. Even plant species that until recently were common in the peat district are rapidly declining, such as Trifolium pratense, Rumex acetosa and Caltha palustris (De Boer, 1982; Clausman and Groen, 1987; Van Strien, 1991).
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Melman, D.C.P., Van Strien, A.J. (1993). Ditch banks as a conservation focus in intensively exploited peat farmland. In: Vos, C.C., Opdam, P. (eds) Landscape Ecology of a Stressed Environment. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2318-1_6
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