Vegetation mapping in the Netherlands

An overview is given of the history of vegetation mapping in the Netherlands. This history started with a map of Zostera noltii in 1860, while from 1937 the first phytosociological maps were made. Applications of vegetation mapping are discussed, as well as the comparison of sequential maps of the same area for monitoring purposes. The paper ends with an overview of developments in remote sensing, which are used for vegetation mapping, and the recent start of habitat mapping for Natura 2000.