Das Projekt "Vegetation dynamics and land degradation of terraced cultivated land in Mediterranean regions (Southeastern France, Alpes-Maritimes)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Zürich, Geographisches Institut durchgeführt. At the transition from the 19th to the begin of the 20th century, the traditional way of land use of terraced surfaces in Southern France (Alpes-Maritimes) changed dramatically. The main reasons are demographical changes, regional and world economic dynamics. These processes lead to land degradation and new risks (surface erosion, decay of terraces) and produced different secondary plant successions on the abandoned surfaces. The project structure can characterizied by following topics: 1. Historical background of land use and development of population. 2. Present situation - Effects of change of land use, land degradation, anthropogenic induced hazards - Vegetation dynamics (change of plant biodiversity, secondary successions) - First attempts of restoration. 3. Future perspectives - New possibilities of land use - Revival of traditional land use in the Alpes-Maritimes ? This project is linked with GCTE (Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems Core Project): Plant functional traits and grazing: Land Use Change.