Renewable energy resource as an indicator of the change in rural areas

The rural countryside performs a variety of ecosystem and living space functions. At the same time it undergoes a high anthropogenic impact pressure. Today a considerable increase in the cultivation of biomass as a renewable energy resource can be observed. It is inspired by national and European strategies for climate protection and securing energy supply. With the currently noticeable increase in the area under cultivation, amongst others on marginal lands and set-asides, an increase in the intensity of land use is associated. Often this is assessed as a positive impulse for the rural areas. Nevertheless, this change and intensification of rural land use due to bioenergy production will have strong impacts on the human and natural environment. Besides pressures exerted on ecosystem functions, goods and services, effects on the social and economic lifeworld must be expected. Moreover, other European and national regulations and frameworks aiming at environment/nature conservation on the one hand, and rural development on the other hand may even be foiled.
Against this background, the change rural regions are currently undergoing is critically analysed and activities for a sustainable socio-ecological land use and development of rural areas, under special consideration of the cultivation of renewable energy products (biomass), are identified. Taking into account synergy and feedback effects between social and natural environment, a draft for a sustainability analysis of case study regions that can be applied to other regions shall be presented and measures towards securing sustainability are deducted. The research is conducted as an interdisciplinary socio-ecological research project by natural and social scientists.