Coastal zone dune area

A small part of Zeeland is occupied by the coastal zone: the area of the dunes and their immediate surroundings. The coastal zone consists of the beach, the sea front, the (Jonge) dunes and the inner dune edge (‘manteling’ or ‘zoom’). On Schouwen-Duiveland this is a wide area, on Walcheren and in Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen only a narrow strip. After the last Ice Age (Weichselien, 73,000-10,000 years ago), sea levels began to rise under the influence of a warmer and humid climate. At one point, along the Dutch coast, a series of parallel beachwalls emerged that expanded further and further. As a result of spraying, low dunes were created, the Old Dunes. In Roman times, the expansion of the western Dutch coast turned into a decline (which continues to date, albeit delayed by coastal defence). The beach walls were inhabited early. On Schouwen-Duiveland archaeological finds from the Neolithic period (4,300 to 2,000 years B.C.) were made. Also in the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, habitation took place, as in Roman times. At the end, the coastal strip became particularly densely populated. In the 3 rd century the population declined sharply, but renewed growth followed in the early Middle Ages. In the early Middle Ages (1000-1200) were formed over the Old Dunes and to the west of it the Young Dunes. These were probably partly created under the influence of man. Several factors were in play. Climate change, over grazing and deforestation led to the release of sand that then began to form new dunes. In the transition area from the dunes to the polder there are common ground in Schouwen-Duiveland and Walcheren: rolling duingra lands, where the sand has stumbled over the underlying clay area. These areas were often used as common pastures. Another typical form of extraction of the dunes was the construction of alder metrics, as was done in the inner dune edge of Schouwen. In the wet terrain areas, plots of 2 to 3 ha were provided with ditches and planted with alder. The wood was used as firewood. Around the Elzenmeet was often a woodwall or ditch. From the 19th century onwards, the dune area became an increasingly interesting residential and recreational area. In addition to the existing estates, villa villages and large seaside resorts developed entirely for tourism, such as Renesse and Cadzand-Bad. Also a 19th-century development is the foundation of dune water supply companies.