Prepojenie tradičných agrárnych krajín s pamiatkovo hodnotnými sídelnými štruktúrami – príklady a možnosti zachovania biokultúrneho dedičstva/Interconnection of Traditional Agrarian Landscapes with Protected Monument Territories in Slovakia – Examples and Possibilities of Preserving the Bio-Cultural Heritage

Traditional Slovak agrarian landscapes currently attract major interest for their protection and enhancement because they are an integral part of our natural and cultural heritage. While some traditional agrarian landscapes are located in protected nature and monument areas, current nature and monument conservation does not provide traditional agrarian landscapes due attention and targeted protection. This paper therefore focuses on the territorial and content relationship of the Slovak traditional agrarian landscapes and protected monument areas. Herein, we address the possibilities of protecting those traditional agrarian landscapes linked spatially and in content to protected monument areas. Our results proved the necessity to increase awareness of the importance of traditional agrarian landscapes, and the Slovak bio-cultural heritage in general. Herein, we list examples of traditional European agrarian landscape conservation which UNESCO has declared world cultural heritage sites

Terraced landscapes in Slovakia

This study investigates the distribution of terraced landscapes in Slovakia and analyzes their structural characteristics and land use. We found that traditional farming and terrace building as a part of agricultural intensification resulted in two types of terraced landscapes: historical terraced landscapes and new terraced landscapes. The two types differ in size, structure of various elements, their management intensity, and the impact of these spatial structures on biodiversity. Historical terraced landscapes in Slovakia have been partially preserved in vineyard regions, but they are mainly found in mountainous areas. New terraced landscapes are mainly linked to vineyard landscapes. The plant species composition on the mapped terraced landscapes shows a high diversity of habitats and terraces as agrarian relief forms create islands of species diversity in extensively managed agricultural landscapes

Past, Present and Future of Hay-making Structures in Europe

Hay-making structures are part of the agricultural landscape of meadows and pastures. Hay meadows are still used and found all over Europe, but their distribution patterns as well as their characteristics and regional features depend on geographical area, climate, culture, and intensity of agriculture. Intensively used hay meadows are the most dominant, using heavy machinery to store hay mostly as rounded or square bales. Traditional hay-making structures represent structures or constructions, used to quickly dry freshly cut fodder and to protect it from humidity. The 'ancient' forms of traditional hay-making structures are becoming a relic, due to mechanisation and the use of new technologies. Both the need for drying hay and the traditional methods for doing so were similar across Europe. Our study of hay-making structures focuses on their current state, their development and history, current use and cultural values in various European countries. Regarding the construction and use of hay-making structures, we have distinguished three different types, which correlate to natural and regional conditions: (1) temporary hay racks of various shapes; (2) hay barracks, a special type of shelters for storing hay and (3) different types of permanent construction and buildings for drying and storing hay. Hay-making structures have been mostly preserved in connection with traditional agricultural landscapes, and particularly in the more remote regions or where associated with strong cultural identity

Viticultural landscapes: Localised transformations over the past 150 years through an analysis of three case studies in Slovakia

The transformation of vineyard landscapes is evaluated in this article by assessing the changes in land cover and landscape diversity in selected study areas in two time periods – from 1867 to 1949, and from then to 2016. The study areas are characterised by a long history of viticulture and with important occurrences of old and new agrarian relief forms. Fine-scale land cover and landscape diversity analysis, as well as the study of historical and strategic documents, enabled an accurate interpretation of the viticultural landscape trajectories and their drivers. Landscape diversity was computed using the Shannon diversity index for each 625 square metre grid unit, and applying other metrics for the entire study area. Our research established that the study areas oscillated during this period between extensification and agricultural intensification, and the general trend confirmed the disappearance of traditional vineyards and a decline in modernised vineyard areas after socialism. Although extensification and intensification are seemingly contradictory processes, it is established that these both increase landscape diversity. In addition, landscape diversity changes in the second period are influenced more by changes in quantitative landscape pattern characteristics via edge density than qualitative patterns, e.g. patch richness, which reflect land use diversity

Rozvoj strategie ochrany tradičních zemědělských krajin založené na komplexním krajinně-ekologickém hodnocení (na příkladu horské krajiny na Slovensku)

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DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR THE PROTECTION OF TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES BASED ON A COMPLEX LANDSCAPE-ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION (THE CASE OF A MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE IN SLOVAKIA)

Abstract Traditional agricultural landscapes (TALs

National ecosystem services assessment in Slovakia – meeting old liabilities and introducing new methods

This article provides an overview and results of the pilot national ecosystem services assessment in Slovakia. It follows the MAES process and past ecosystem services (ES) research in Slovakia and is based on original research methodology using spatial and statistical data. The initial step of national ES assessment resulted in the selection of significant ES for the evaluation process, where 18 ES in three groups were selected (five provisioning, 10 regulatory/maintenance and three cultural ES). An original assessment model provided the theoretical and methodological framework for national ES evaluation. The principal result is an assessment of the national landscape’s capacity for ES provision, based on evaluation of the landscape units and selected properties and indicators at the ecosystem level. These inputs included habitat types and watersheds, administrative units, natural topology, geology, soils, climate, water and biota. The ES capacity models were created and evaluated for each ES, for the main groups and, finally, for overall ES provision. The highest capacity to provide ES in Slovakia comes from natural and semi-natural ecosystems, mainly deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests which cover over 38% of Slovak territory. The water ecosystems and wetlands are also significant, followed by grasslands and permanent crops. The research highlights the crucial importance of the mountainous and sub-mountainous areas in Slovakia and confirms the significant contribution of the natural and semi-natural ecosystems for ensuring ES provision