The Emergence of an Environmental Cartography in Denmark

Within the history of cartography, relatively little attention has been devoted to the study of the growing body of maps and spatial data focusing on environmental issues. This is rather surprising, considering the importance of this type of cartography in the handling of the complex environmental problems of modern society. This paper analyses the development of thematic maps and spatial data focusing on the terrestrial environment of Danish landscapes. The paper is introduced with a review of the concept of environmental cartography, followed by a historical analysis of the development of environmental mapping in Denmark. Results suggest that there has been a change in the content and aim of environmental cartography in the twentieth century, from an initial focus on mapping potentials for land use improvement and optimization of the economic outputs from engagement with terrestrial ecosystems, to a focus on monitoring ecosystems and regulation of human intervention. Finally, the usefulness of the concept environmental cartography to frame analytical work dealing with the still increasing number of maps produced for environmental purposes within the history of cartography, is evaluated.