Common holocene plant macrofossiels in Flanders

Wetlands in temperate regions, mires, bogs, marshes and most terrestrial waterbodies originate in the extraordinary climatic changes which occurred in the last 15 000 years. These phenomena were the object of one of the very successful Unesco Programs, I.G.C.P. 158: Palaeohydrology of the temperate zone in the last 15 000 years. Here are united some international contributions to this project as presented in a Symposium held in Leuven from 25 september to 2 october 1986. The title alludes as well to the treatment of this problem in the host region, most specifically in the First articles which bring the condensed results of three doctoral theses.

This collection of papers uses predominantly a geomorphological and sedimentological approach to unravel the intricate changes of the wetland environment. Costantly however it appeals to palaeobotanical technics for their direct palaeoclimatic significance and their power in dating the stratigraphy.