Two millenia of Land use transformation in Europe

Land use in Europe has undergone a profound and non-linear transformation since Roman times, shaped by demography, technology, and policy. In the presentation I delivered during Session 3 (CAP and land use) at the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, I illustrated these changes using a 25-meter rope with movable colored flags representing three categories: nature and forest (green), agriculture (yellow), and urban/industrial areas (red). This simple visual made clear not only the scale of change, but also the structural rebalancing of land functions over time.