Enhanced land use datasets and future scenarios of land change for Slovakia

The presented datasets relate to the research article entitled “Land changes in Slovakia: past processes and future directions” [8]. The datasets include the land use and cover (LUC) maps of Slovakia for the years 2006 and 2012 and maps of five future land use scenarios for 2040 developed along the axes of globalisation vs. regionalisation and low vs. high policy intervention (IPCC). Datasets were produced in raster format by combining thematic maps, outputs of models defining particular LUC sector and statistical data taken from European and national predictions of future land change development.The maps have a spatial resolution of 20 

Grassland degradation by shrub encroachment: Mapping patterns and drivers of encroachment in Kyrgyzstan

Shrub encroachment is one of the major phenomena of grassland degradation throughout the world. One of the largest grassland areas is found in Central Asia. This area is playing an important role for biodiversity and food security, especially in a context of climate change. While sustainable land management is critical to avoid shrub encroachment, the dynamics of such encroachment are often unclear, especially in remote areas. We assessed the spatial and temporal dynamics of shrub encroachment in Suusamyr valley in Kyrgyzstan and analysed how these patterns relate to abiotic and social factors. To assess the extent of shrub encroachment we performed a random forest classification with Google Earth Engine to depict shrub encroachment between 2000 and 2019. By using a combination of vegetation indices and digital elevation derivatives in the classification model, the overall classification accuracy reaches above 90%. The mapping of temporal changes revealed an increase in shrub encroachment of 48% within the valley, adding up to an overall coverage of 2% of the grassland area. The spatial patterns of shrub encroachment are more strongly associated with anthropogenic factors, such as locations of roads and settlements, than with variations in precipitation and amount of organic carbon in soils. Around 45% of shrub encroachment occurs close to main roads and local paths, and within around 5 km distance from temporal settlements. This degradation is probably caused by overgrazing near settlements and the loss of grasslands in those areas puts additional pressure on local livestock farming, potentially leading to further degradation in neighboring areas. A shrub encroachment susceptibility map was created to identify areas vulnerable to further shrub expansion, affecting valuable grassland area. The identification of these areas at risk may inform sustainable grassland management by better allocating pastures according their capacity and reducing pressures on those places most susceptible to degradation

Abandonment and Recultivation of Agricultural Lands in Slovakia—Patterns and Determinants from the Past to the Future

Central and Eastern Europe has experienced fundamental land use changes since the collapse of socialism around 1990. We analyzeanalyzed the patterns and determinants of agricultural land abandonment and recultivation in Slovakia during the transition from a state-controlled economy to an open-market economy (1986 to 2000) and the subsequent accession to the European Union (2000 to 2010). We quantified agricultural land-use change based on available maps derived from 30-m multi-seasonal Landsat imagery and analyzeanalyzed the socioeconomic and biophysical determinants of the observed agricultural land-use changes using boosted regression trees. We used a scenario-based approach to assess future agricultural land abandonment and recultivation until 2060. The maps of agricultural land use analysis reveal that cropland abandonment was the dominant land use process on 11% of agricultural land from 1986 to 2000, and on 6% of the agricultural land from 2000 to 2010. Recultivation occurred on approximately 2% of agricultural land in both periods. Although most abandoned land was located in the plains, the rate of abandonment was twice as high in the mountainous landscapes. The likelihood of abandonment increased with increased distance from the national capital (Bratislava), decreased with an increase of annual mean temperatures and was higher in proximity to forest edges and on steeper slopes. Recultivation was largely determined by the opposite effects. The scenario for 2060 suggests that future agricultural land abandonment and recultivation may largely be determined by climate and terrain conditions and, to a lesser extent, by proximity to economic centers. Our study underscores the value of synergetic use of satellite data and land-use modeling to provide the input for land planning, and to anticipate the potential effects of changing environmental and policy conditions

A review of studies involving the effect of land cover and land use on the urban heat island phenomenon, assessed by means of the MUKLIMO model

The urban heat island phenomenon occurs in urban areas. It is characterized by increased temperature of both the air and ground surface, compared to the surrounding rural landscape, and is a typical feature of the urban climate. As this phenomenon may affect quality of life in the cities, a variety of scientific studies have been carried out. The article provides a review and evaluation of selected published studies devoted to the issue of the urban heat island, from the point of view of the application of land cover and land use data in the 3-dimensional microscale urban model. Part of the review brings into focus the MUKLIMO model, which computes the atmospheric conditions in urban landscapes and predicts thermal and other climatic characteristics. Evaluated studies confirmed the correlation between the land cover / land use classes and occurrence of the urban heat islands, i.e. a higher percentage of impermeable surfaces within the urban heat island causes more intensive thermal manifestation. 0e urban heat island effect diminishes when there are less impermeable surfaces and a greater representation of urban greenery in land cover / land use classes.8310

Effects of landscape changes on species viability : A case study from northern Slovakia

Urbanization, increasing road networks, agricultural intensification, and land abandonment are widespread land change processes found in most European landscapes. As land changes affect animal species and their populations, there is a need to evaluate the effects of future developments on the viability of protected species. In this paper, we model population size and viability of selected indicator species for a selected area in Slovakia. Our results indicate that selected species are viable in the current landscape composition. However, the expected spread of settlement and the increase of road density in this area would likely lead to decline and loss of viability of species. Similarly, continuous land abandonment followed with spontaneous reforestation would likely trigger a decline of grassland species. In contrast, developing a biocorridor and restoration of existing green elements as modeled in our conservation scenario would strongly improve the viability of all species and avoid the impact of the expected developments. Our results underline the actions that prevent further loss of biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes and, thus, have particular importance for landscape planning and decision-making processes.</p