The Nature Reserve "Lüneburger Heide" contains the largest remaining historical heathland areas in Central Europe, a relict of a former widespread landscape developed by heathland farming ("Heidebauernwirtschaft") especially in the middle ages. The origin of this manmade landscape is the use from Bronze Age on. The heathland is characterised by its wide and open savannah-like occurance in connection with several biocoenosis adapted to these special conditions.

Besides, there exist some bogs of different types, old forests and brooks which mostly are only little influenced by man. A huge area was afforested with pines during the last decades of the 19th century.