# Earth Observation (EO) for ecosystem services monitoring

## Symposium organisers

Edyta Woźniak (Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences), Mariasilvia Giamberini (National Research Council of Italy), Ioannis Manakos (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas), Lluís Pesquer Mayos (Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications)

## Summary

The symposium will be focused on the use of remote sensing for ecosystem services (ES) monitoring. The access to new kind of satellite data and on-line services, as well as, the development of advanced image-processing technologies have opened novel opportunities to track changes in ecosystems and landscapes and their impact on the provided services. During the symposium, new EO methods and applications will be presented.

## Description

The ecosystem service concept implies a direct link between biodiversity and human well-being. Research addressing Ecosystem Services (ES) has been rapidly increasing since 2005. However, it is still challenging to quantify and value ecosystem services. Assessing ES, like provisioning, regulation and maintenance or cultural ones, require for quantitative, spatially continuous, and timely information. The lack of such data is very often the main constrain in ES studies. As a consequence, ES are addressed using land-cover based concepts. Earth Observation (EO) can play an important role in filling in the gap. EO techniques can supply, alternatively to currently available point data, continuous surface data in a cost-effective way; allowing for studying cross-scale interactions and for the upscaling from point measurements and individual ecosystems to whole landscapes.

Currently, we are living a Remote Sensing Revolution. For the first time, there is regular access to many types of data, which vary in spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions. On the one hand, there is the Copernicus program with the fleet of Sentinel satellites. On the other hand, many constellations of CubeSats are launched (e.g. Planet, ICEYE, etc.). Also airborne and drone technologies have become more accessible. Moreover, advances in data processing possibilities occur such as cloud computing, big data solutions, artificial intelligence development, etc. All these progresses bring novel opportunities for the monitoring of habitats, landscapes, ecosystems and their services.

Despite these advances and high potentials of EO in ES assessment, its assimilation in everyday business is still quite scarce. Currently, the main applications of EO for ES monitoring are focused on CO₂ sequestration evaluation, biodiversity studies and yield estimation. Their limited use is due to a number of reasons – often non-technical. These can be related to training and access to information, or training resources, or policies, as well as with the accounting methodologies of ES and their perception by users. This symposium will bring together experts from fields of remote sensing, life sciences, social sciences and economy to share experiences and new ideas for the use of modern EO technologies in landscape ecology, ecosystem services and their changes' assessment, including the interactions between geodiversity and biodiversity across a range of scales. The latest applications of EO in ES evaluation will be presented. We will try to determine the possibility of filling gaps of information with the use of EO and their assimilation into novel modelling frameworks able to bridge the scale gap between climate projections, landscape dynamics and local ecosystem changes. Thanks to this symposium we will strengthen the collaboration among researches from different fields (landscape ecology, remote sensing, geoscience, economy, etc.), practitioners and decision makers for the better ES assessment using EO.
CORRELATION OF THE FLOODING REGIME WITH THE PRESENCE OF SOLIDAGO
GIGANTEA OVER THE VALLEY OF NAREW IN POLAND

Piotr Archiciński¹ · Szymon Sala¹ · Eleftherios Katsikis² · Marek Ruciński¹ · Rizos-Theodoros Chadoulis² · Afroditi Kita² · Ewa Gromny¹ · Edyta Woźniak¹ · Ioannis Manakos²

¹Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences · ²Centre for Research and Technology Hellas

Mapping of habitats constitutes fundamental element in ecosystem monitoring; especially, when it comes to monitor invasive species and their impact on the ecosystem functions and biodiversity. High biodiversity plays a key role in the delivery of many ecosystem services. The expansion of invasive species into natural habitats tends to lead to a decline in biodiversity, which may negatively affect many ecosystem services. Seasonal abundance of nutrients and water presence constitute significant elements that may favour the expansion or retreat of a species.

Focusing on an invasive species (namely *Solidago gigantea*) that is recently of high concern for the Polish ecological community, this study manages to capture the fluctuation of open surface water extent over the valleys of Narew and Pilica and the degree this may correlate with its presence. This is nowadays facilitated by utilizing time series of multispectral and radar imagery, as freely offered by the Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 mounted sensors.

Initially, land surface phenology metrics, derived from Sentinel-2, are being exploited to the extent that they may differentiate *Solidago gigantea* from the surrounding vegetation community, reaching up to a discrimination saturation point. From that point and on machine learning techniques are being examined for their ability to increase the discrimination capacity. Together with field data from hotspots around the area they constituted the reference information for the presence of *Solidago gigantea*.

Following established workflows, inundation and hydroperiod mapping has been performed over the same area using fused information originating from Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 data analysis. Automated thresholding and random forest classifiers generated a series of maps. These were juxtaposed against the reference data. Phenology driven seasonal patterns have been identified in the water regime, which have a significant correlation with the apparent spatial species distribution.

Synthesis of data, means and methods generated a deeper insight about the pulsing of vegetation through time and provided new tools enhancing monitoring capacity. Limiting factors are also acknowledged, presented and discussed.

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THE ROLE OF URBAN HABITAT CONTINUITY AND LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE ON
INFORMAL GREENSPACE FLORISTICAL DIVERSITY

Piotr Archiciński¹ · Daria Sikorska² · Piotr Sikorski² · Edyta Wozniak¹ · Sebastian Aleksandrowicz¹

¹Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences · ²Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Biodiversity plays an important role in the functioning of ecosystems and the many services they provide. According to the TEEB report, biodiversity and ecosystem services are closely related. Including urban informal green spaces (IGS) as important for biodiversity and recreation requires a deeper knowledge of how they are developed spontaneously under various conditions. A deeper understanding of IGS and their appropriate use can improve floristical diversity in the city.

We studied IGS flora in different areas in terms of type of abandonment, habitat continuity and landscape structure. In the study area, lists of all vascular plants were made twice. On the basis of these data, we calculated: total number of species, Shannon-Wiener biodiversity index, hemeroby and urbanity, % share of species from particular ecological groups, number of ancient forest species and rare species. Habitat continuity has been traced since the beginning of the 20th century on the basis of a series of digitized aerial photos. In order to determine the influence of landscape structure on the IGS flora, we conducted spatial analyzes on the basis of vegetation patches mapped in the field and analysis of vicinity structure using LiDAR and spectral data.

Complete abandonment does not result in greater floristic diversity and total species number, but is essential for the occurrence of a group of rare species. The influence of landscape structure was also observed in vegetation species composition. IGS with a large share of the surrounding forests are clearly richer in forest species. Other types of vegetation patches in the vicinity do not have such a clear-cut effect. Habitat continuity apparently drove the development in total abandoned IGS. The IGS near forests, abandoned for several decades, are becoming important for urban biodiversity.

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THE USE OF UAV IN THE ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN DIGITAL SURFACE MODELS FOR PEATLAND CATCHMENT AREAS

Sebastian Czapiewski · Małgorzata Szczepańska · Danuta Szumińska

Kazimierz Wielki University

Owing to rapid development and increasing availability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), they are frequently used for monitoring the natural environment. This paired with developments in computer analysis techniques allow the imaging performed with UAVs to be used as a basis for creating Digital Surface Models (DSM). DSMs are often employed in studies on geology, environment, engineering, and architecture. In our research, we analyzed procedures enabling the execution of a precise DSM and determined the accuracy of the obtained products in comparison with the existing DSM. Our study sets out to address two research issues. Firstly, the authors assess the plausibility of establishing a DSM based on UAV imaging carried out in unfavorable conditions and indicates whether the results obtained with this method are of sufficient quality to become an alternative to the traditional surveying techniques (LiDAR). Secondly, the article seeks to identify input parameters for a photogrammetric flight that provide the highest accuracy of a resulting DSM. The analyses indicate a strong positive correlation between the DSMs prepared based on UAV imaging with data collected using traditional methods (LiDAR). Mean correlation coefficient ranged from 0.45 to 0.75 depending on the type of land use and input parameters set for a given flight.

Peatlands constitute one of the most prominent natural wetland ecosystems in the world. They cover approx. 2-3% of Earth's land surface and store from 500 to 700 Gt of carbon. Water stored in an undisturbed peatland constitutes a major part of its volume. Therefore, the more water a peatland loses, the greater the decrease in its volume, which in turn causes peat settling, an occurrence consisting in densification and diminishment of organic matter. Available literature offers a number of estimates concerning the rate of CO₂ release resulting from peat settling. Khasanah and van Noordwijk (2019) argue that in the case of subtropical peatlands the peat settling rate of 4.7 cm year⁻¹ can generate up to 121 Mg CO₂ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹.

UAV photogrammetric data used for performing repeated measurements of peatlands elevation may be regarded as an efficient method for monitoring the level of degradation of said objects. Thus, it may potentially aid researchers and organizations in their efforts to observe and contain threats related to greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands into the atmosphere. Admittedly, DSMs generated using this method may reflect a relatively high degree of error if the surveyed area features a thick vegetation cover, which is often the case in the context of peatlands.

Khasanah N., van Noordwijk M. (2019). *Subsidence and carbon dioxide emissions in a smallholder peatland mosaic in Sumatra, Indonesia*. Mitig. Adapt. Strat. Gl., 24: 147-163.

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QUALITY CONTROL OF COPERNICUS HIGH RESOLUTION LAYERS FOR MONITORING AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES AND WETLANDS

Wendy Fjellstad¹ · Svein Olav Krøgli¹ · Linda Aune-Lundberg¹ · Aneta Lewandowska² · Agata Hościło² · Milena Chmielewska²

¹Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research · ²Institute of Geodesy and Cartography

Europe's Earth Observation programme for climate and environmental monitoring, Copernicus, is perhaps best known for its Sentinel satellites. Among the services provided by the programme are ready-made thematic layers in the form of High Resolution Layers (HRL). These come in raster format with a resolution of 10 × 10 m or 5 × 5 m. Examples of thematic layers are *Water & Wetness* and *Small Woody Features*. In a collaborative project with Poland, we are testing the usefulness of these products for monitoring, either alone or in combination with national data. The idea of ready-made datasets, freely available and comparable across Europe is excellent – but are they of high enough quality to be useful? We have checked the accuracy of HRL *Water & Wetness* by comparing with Polish and Norwegian geographical data and conclude that the data set cannot be used for monitoring agricultural landscapes and wetlands. We will also present our latest results from quality control of HRL *Small Woody Features*.

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# MAPPING ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONAL TYPES IN CENTRAL AFRICA USING RADAR SENTINEL-1 DATA

Małgorzata Jenerowicz-Sanikowska¹ · Edyta Woźniak¹ · Ewa Gromny¹ · Cristina Domingo-Marimon² · Anna Foks-Ryznar¹ · Marek Ruciński¹ · Michał Krupiński¹ · Sebastian Aleksandrowicz¹ · Lluís Pesquer Mayos²

¹Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences · ²Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications

Early detection of changes which occur in ecosystem is crucial for its accurate status monitoring, efficient protection and proper management. However, classical structural classifications of ecosystem based on attributes such as vertical vegetation structure or species composition is not sensitive enough to identify the impacts of human activities and climate changes on ecosystem. Therefore, an approach based on functional characteristics of ecosystems, which can quickly identify variations in vital processes of vegetation expressed by carbon, energy and water fluxes, is needed. Traditionally, Ecosystem Functional Types (EFT) are mapped using vegetation indices derived from optical data, mostly NDVI or EVI. However, in frequently cloudy regions, the availability of optical cloud-free data is a challenge that makes almost impossible to obtain a high accuracy annual time series vegetation profile and its derived EFT attributes productivity, seasonality, and phenology.

This study evaluates an alternative technique to map EFTs in Central Africa (north-western Tanzania, Burundi, Ruanda, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo) using images from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Sentinel-1 and Google Earth Engine platform. First, the time series of backscatter images in VH and VV polarizations are compared to time series of NDVI derived from Sentinel-2 for 5 growing seasons over the selected area of interest in order to establish the correlation between these two data sources. Results show that the VH polarization correlates better with NDVI than the VV polarization. Pearson correlation coefficient varies from 0.59 to 0.91 and 0.43 to 0.8, respectively, depending on growing season. Next, the function which correlates VH backscatter values with NDVI is established. Finally, two maps of EFTs, one based on optical Sentinel-2 and another derived from radar Sentinel-1 images are calculated for years 2020 and 2021 in order to encompass a whole growing season.

A good agreement between the EFT maps derived from optical and radar data is obtained. The proposed method is a promising solution for obtaining a continuous time series to map EFTs in cloudy tropical areas permitting the establishment of an early warning system for ecosystem degradation.

Research performed in scope of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under EOTIST project, grant agreement No 952111; and in scope of the Applied Research programme POLNOR2019 under ARICA project, grant agreement No NOR/POLNOR/ARICA/0022/2019-00, funded under the Norway Grants and co-financed from the state budget.

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ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY – SENSOR /EO-SERVICE (ESIS) FOR MONITORING BIO-
AND GEODIVERSITY AND SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS BY SPECTRAL TRAITS,
REMOTE SENSING AND DATA SCIENCE APPROACHES

Angela Lausch¹ · Jan Bumberger¹ · Dagmar Haase² · Tilo Wellmann² · Peter Selsam¹

¹Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research · ²Humboldt University of Berlin

Ecosystems and sustainable agricultural landscapes fulfil a whole host of ecosystem functions that are essential for life on our planet. A huge number of long-standing and standardized ecosystem health and monitoring approaches of bio- and geodiversity exist and are increasingly integrating RS based monitoring approaches. Unfortunately, these approaches in monitoring, data storage, analysis, prognosis and assessment still do not satisfy the future requirements of information and digital knowledge processing of the 21st century. If we want to understand the complexity of our system, we have to apply a holistic RS monitoring approach. Traits and trait variations exist at all spatiotemporal scales. Traits are the crucial interface between different ecosystem domains, coupling of in-situ and RS monitoring approaches and are proxy indicators for ecosystem and human health interactions. RS traits can be used to quantify the genesis, structural, functional, and taxonomic geo- and biodiversity and indicators for monitoring and assessing indicators in social-ecological systems using RS technologies (Anderson et al., 2021; Lausch et al., 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022).

In this presentation, we present the development of an EcoSystem Integrity – RS/Modelling Service (ESIS). The basis of the ESIS idea is that close-range, air- and spaceborne sensors/EO sensors can monitor traits as well as trait variations in vegetation, soil, geomorphology, water quality, land-use-intensity and social-ecological systems. In the future, close-range, air- and spaceborne multisensor and multitemporal RS technologies (optical RS Data, RADAR, TIR Data) will be combined in the ESIS to make modular traits and trait variations quantifiable in a fast and standardized way in only a few steps. ESIS will implement the concepts of data science (Lausch et al., 2018).

Andersson E. et al. (2021). *What are the traits of a social-ecological system: towards a framework in support of urban sustainability*. npj Urban Sustain., 1: 14.

Lausch A. et al. (2022). *Remote Sensing of Geomorphodiversity Linked to Biodiversity – Part III: Traits, Processes and Remote Sensing Characteristics*. Remote Sens., 14: 2279.

Lausch A. et al. (2020). *Linking the Remote Sensing of Geodiversity and Traits Relevant to Biodiversity – Part II: Geomorphology, Terrain and Surfaces*. Remote Sens., 12: 3690.

Lausch A. et al. (2019). *Linking Remote Sensing and Geodiversity and Their Traits Relevant to Biodiversity – Part I: Soil Characteristics*. Remote Sens., 11: 2356.

Lausch A. et al. (2018). *Understanding Forest Health with Remote Sensing, Part III: Requirements for a Scalable Multi-Source Forest Health Monitoring Network Based on Data Science Approaches*. Remote Sens., 10: 1120.

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# SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONAL TYPES IN RELATION TO LAND COVER CHANGES

Lluís Pesquer Mayos¹ · Cristina Domingo Marimon¹ · Josep Maria Espelta¹,² · Joan Pino Vilalta¹,²

¹Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications · ²Autonomous University of Barcelona

Global change affects ecosystem functions and biodiversity through land-use and climate alteration. The characterization of ecosystems in functional units and the monitoring of their dynamics allows to assess the effects of climate and land cover changes (LCC). With this aim, Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) are defined as groups of ecosystems that share functional characteristics including the amount and timing of matter and energy exchanged between the biota and the physical environment. EFT relies on the use of seasonal dynamics of remotely-sensed vegetation indices that can provide key functional aspects of ecosystems functioning, especially those related with ecosystem responses to climatic factors or LCC. Moreover, the analysis of LC transitions and its EFT changes is essential information for the characterization of ecosystems services (ES).

We computed LCC and EFTs in Sahel and Siberia for the years 2005 and 2011. EFTs were obtained from 3 descriptors of MERIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) seasonal curves (7-day composite, 300 m): productivity (NDVI-I), seasonality (sCV) and phenology (MMAX). These attributes were classified in 3 categories based on equal range percentiles for NDVI-I and sCV and the particular seasonal dynamics for MMAX. To assess LCC annual changes were obtained and relevant transitions were identified: tree loss, tree gain, urban growth and crop expansion. Then, we made a cross analysis between LCC and EFTs, according to LC and EFT invariant; LC invariant and EFT change; LC change and EFT invariant; LC and EFT change.

Siberia presented less LCC than Sahel (30.43% of its area remained LCC/EFT stable vs 11.06% of Sahel). Changes in EFTs but not in LC or vice versa demonstrate that changes in ecosystem functioning are not explained only by LCC, but also by climate change (i.e. LC invariant – EFT change: 86.95% of Sahel and 68.42% of Siberia; LC change – EFT invariant: 0.20% of Sahel and 0.21% of Siberia). Changes in LC and EFT were less frequent (1.80% of Sahel and 0.94% of Siberia).

The analysis of LC transitions showed that tree loss in Sahel involves EFT preservation/decrease NDVI-I, preservation/increase sCV, and preservation/shift MMAX. Most of tree gain area presents a decrease in NDVI-I and remains constant for sCV and MMAX. These LC transitions are related to provisioning ES (food-agriculture, fresh water, energy production) or regulating ES (flood control and prevention).

At Siberia, the most frequent transition is tree gain/loss followed by crop expansion involving EFT decrease of NDVI-I, increase of sCV and preservation of MMAX. These changes affect provisioning ES (wild land meat/non meat and timber). Affected regulating ES are mainly related to habitat protection, water treatment and flood prevention.

The EFT dynamics approach based on time series of VI collects the main LC changes plus other disturbances (climate change) that affects the vegetation functioning.

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QUANTIFICATION OF EVAPOTRANSPIRATION AND COOLING FUNCTION OF VEGETATION USING REMOTE SENSING

Tereza Nováková · Vilém Pechanec

Palacký University Olomouc

Evapotranspiration is one of the ongoing cycles sustaining the world hydrological cycle which illustrates water loss to the atmosphere. It is represented as a combination of evaporation (vapour from physical objects) and transpiration (vapour from vegetation). A vast number of methods has been introduced to quantify evapotranspiration and cooling functions, one of them being the Cooling Capacity Index (CCI) developed by InVEST (Sharp et al., 2020) which uses the Penman-Monteith equation (Allen, 1998). The most important influences on evapotranspiration and CCI were determined to be albedo, surface temperature and single crop coefficient. All of these influences were calculated using the Landsat 8 data and further used to measure the CCI. The calculation was done using a custom made Python script for time period from March 2020 to December 2020.

The results have shown higher cooling potential of different types of vegetation while maintaining lower range of temperatures. Whereas artificial objects, especially dumpsites and construction sites along with urban development have been found to accumulate significantly higher range of temperatures.

Sharp R. et al. (2020). *InVEST 3.10.0.post28+ug.gb377061 User's Guide*. The Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, University of Minnesota, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund.

Allen R.G. et al. (1998). *Crop evapotranspiration: Guidelines for computing crop water requirements*, 56. Rome: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

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# THE ROLE OF RECENT (1985-2014) PATTERNS OF LAND ABANDONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN FOREST ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH OF SECONDARY FOREST THE IBERIAN PENINSULA

Joan Pino¹,² · Marina Palmero-Iniesta¹ · Mario Padial-Iglesias² · Òscar González-Guerrero² · Lluís Pesquer¹,² · Cristina Domingo-Marimon¹,² · Miquel Ninyerola² · Xavier Pons² · Josep Maria Espelta¹,²

¹Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications · ²Autonomous University of Barcelona

Farmland abandonment has widely affected the Iberian Peninsula since the second half of the 20th century, leading to the expansion of secondary forests across the region. We aimed to evaluate changes in the recent (1985-2014) emergence patterns of these forests and examine how environmental factors affected their growth for contrasting in leaf-habit type forests.

We used a combination of Landsat-derived land-cover maps and aboveground biomass (AGB) maps from the European Space Agency to assess the secondary forest establishment and growth, respectively, in the study region. We also obtained a set of topographic, climatic and landscape variables from a set of GIS layers and used them for determining changes over time in the environmental drivers of forest establishment and AGB using general linear models.

The results indicate that secondary forest cover has still increased in recent decades in the Iberian Peninsula at a rate above the European average. Yet, they also indicate a directional change in the emergence of secondary forests towards lower and less steep regions with higher water availability (mean rainfall and SPEI) and less forest cover but are subjected to greater drought events. Moreover, these factors differentially affect the growth of forests with different leaf-habit types: thus, needleleaf secondary forests have been less favoured by high temperature and precipitation, and broadleaf deciduous forests have been most negatively affected by drought. Finally, spatial patterns of forest emergence and the contrasting responses of forest leaf-habits to environmental factors explained the major development of broadleaf evergreen compared to broadleaf deciduous forests and, especially, needleleaf secondary forests. These results will improve the knowledge of forest dynamics in the Iberian Peninsula in recent decades and provide an essential tool for understanding the potential effects of climate warming on secondary forest growth.

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DEVELOPING A SPATIALLY EXPLICIT, NATION-WIDE HABITAT MAP: CHALLENGES, DATA AND METHODS

Bronwyn Price · Nica Huber · Robert Pazur · Marius Rüetschi · Christian Ginzler

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research

Habitat for species is considered a fundamental supporting service within the ecosystem services concept. Mapping the distribution of habitats is therefore vital for successful conservation, management and monitoring of ecosystem services and biodiversity. Within Switzerland, there is strong demand for a spatially explicit and area-wide habitat map for a range of purposes, including informing field surveys, providing base data for ecological research, ecosystem service analysis and for the management of ecological infrastructure projects. The stakeholder group for use of the data is broad including scientific researchers, government agencies, environmental advocacy groups. For such purposes, it is important for the habitat map to reflect not the potential distribution of habitats but the current distribution taking into account landscape management.

Therefore, to develop the habitat map of Switzerland, we take advantage of Earth Observation data, in particular digital aerial photography and high resolution 3D information derived from it, and high temporal resolution Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. We map habitats according to the second level of the classification of Delarze et al. (2015), which is the most widely used in Switzerland. Within the software eCognition, airborne ortho imagery (1 m resolution) was segmented into 'image primitives' on the basis of reflectance in the RGB and NIR bands, and values of the metrics NDVI and NDWI (from the Green and NIR bands). We could then bring together information from habitat distribution models and pre-existing land use maps to assign habitat types to these segments in a rule-based approach. The habitat distribution models used in the assignment procedure were developed via machine learning approaches trained with field data available from large scale Swiss vegetation and biodiversity monitoring programmes, and spatially explicit, area-wide predictors derived from Earth Observation data from the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 constellations, climate, topography, and soil data.

We undertook stakeholder consultation and workshops and implemented stakeholder feedback to ensure that the habitat map was developed to meet the stakeholder needs and will be fit for purpose for the wide variety of end-users. The approach has been developed to be semi-automated so that it can be re-applied with updates of the base data at specified time intervals, enabling use for monitoring purposes.

Delarze R. et al. (2015). *Lebensräume der Schweiz. Ökologie – Gefährdung – Kennarten*. 3rd Edition. Bern: Verlag.

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EXPLORING THE ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS OF HIGH-LATITUDE WILDFIRES

Antonello Provenzale¹ · Sebastian Aleksandrowicz² · Edyta Woźniak² · Alice Baronetti¹ · Anna Foks-Ryznar² · Marta Magnani¹ · Marta Milczarek² · Marek Ruciński² · Gabriele Vissio¹

¹National Research Council · ²Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences

Wildfires play an important role in shaping landscape patterns and ecosystem structure, functions and services. Fires directly disturb the landscape by affecting vegetation and changing the physical and chemical soil properties. The increase of extent and severity of forest fires is expected to increase in the future as a consequence of climate change. High-latitudes and, in particular, Siberia are among the regions which are foreseen to be most affected by the impacts of rising temperatures. For this reason, it is crucial to identify the relationships between environmental conditions and wildfire regimes.

This study discusses empirical relationships on how climatic variables are linked with burned area and number of fires. To describe environmental variables, different sources of remote sensed and modelled data are used, such as: NOAA – snow cover presences, Copernicus – Snow Water Equivalent, MODIS – land surface temperature and droughts, ECMWF – wind, etc. The test sites are characterized by different vegetation covers: forests, grasslands and peat bogs. They were selected basing on MODIS Thermal Anomalies and Fire Product. Fire occurrence is analysed from January 2000 to the present and the areas of low, average and high fire frequency are defined as study areas within vegetation types.

Our findings can support the development of data-driven models for the prediction of wildfire regimes, landscape evolution and changes of ecosystem services.

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# MONITORING OF THE DELIVERY OF RECREATIONAL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES BASED ON PARTICIPATORY AND SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS IN THE GREAT MASURIAN LAKES (POLAND)

Marek Ruciński¹ · Edyta Wozniak¹ · Sylwia Kulczyk² · Marta Derek²

¹Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences · ²University of Warsaw

Recreational ecosystem services (RES) are crucial for human well-being and, at the same time, nature-based recreational activities often support local economies. Contrary to other ES, cultural ones (RES including) are place-based. This means that they are formed and delivered only when direct contact between people and nature occurs. However, we cannot forget the environmental threats related to outdoor leisure activities. Data on spatial patterns of the phenomenon are necessary for RES assessment and management, and consequently a foundation is necessary for long-term sustainable development of the region.

Water is one of the most important recreational assets and is used for both leisure and physical activities in multiple ways. The character of these activities is highly variable in space and time. In particular, in the temperate zone, seasonal climate diversity combined with weather dynamics influences the visitation of both sea and freshwater. Traditional methods of visitors monitoring such, official statistics or surveys offer a general insight of the phenomenon at the regional scale, but are far too general to be helpful on the local scale, where the decision on land management is usually taken. Therefore, if the tourist and recreational flow were to be included in the local planning processes, the development of new tools is urgently needed.

This study focuses on monitoring water recreation (specifically sailing). We compare the efficiency of two methods: one based on field observations and the other on satellite image analysis. We analyze the spatial and time diversity of water recreation in the Great Masurian Lakes (Poland). The spatial distribution of sailing boats for the summer seasons 2015-2021 is described. First, the on-site observations were realized and followed by GIS modeling to establish spatial distribution and daily dynamics of water-based activities (this data set is considered as the reference). Then we analyzed the sets of Sentinel-1 radar satellite images, which provide information on a regular basis (every six days), regardless of light and cloud conditions. Therefore, they are considered suitable for spatial distribution analysis.

Our method of monitoring boat traffic uses Sentinel-1 data, an algorithm based on math morphology and local backscatter analysis. Changes in recreational activity in lakes during the day are established by field observations. This interdisciplinary study conducted by ecologists, social scientists, and remote sensing specialists allowed a holistic view of water RES monitoring and can be easily applied for sustainable management of water-based recreation.

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# THE USE OF HYPERSPECTRAL AND LiDAR DATA OBTAINED FROM THE AERIAL CEILING AND THE UAV PLATFORM FOR THE HYDROMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF EUROPEAN RIVERS, ON THE SCALE OF THE WATERCOURSE SECTION

Paweł Sudra · Grzegorz Wierzbicki · Luca Demarchi · Jarosław Chormański

Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Freshwater ecosystems are considered to be one of the most endangered ecosystems on Earth due to a significant decline in their biodiversity related to economic development, pollution and progressive climate change. In European river systems, this decline is mainly related to river partitioning, watercourse diversion, morphological modification of rivers, pollution, agricultural intensification and poor river management practices. It is necessary to improve the ecological quality and the condition of the ecosystems of river valleys and river beds. The ecological condition of river systems results from biological and chemical quality, but also from hydromorphological conditions (HYMO), defined in particular in the Water Framework Directive of the European Union, obliging the Member States to monitor them on a regular basis. In terms of operational monitoring, this is done by the River Hierarchical Network method developed in the REFORM project to assist river managers in assessing the nature of HYMO of river systems. River ecosystems can be divided into coastal and aquatic (channel) habitats. Each of them can be described with a list of HYMO key indicators controlling the processes and forms that should be monitored.

A new generation of remote sensing technologies has changed the way we look at river systems analysis, increasing our understanding of fluvial processes. Modern river monitoring and management can be optimized through the use of an unprecedented number of continuous measurements and spatial information distributed along river sections. The aim of the HyMoSense project is to define an appropriate operational methodology to characterize the HYMO state of river systems using modern remote sensing technologies. Novel, technologically advanced sensors and platforms will be tested and compared: mainly lightweight hyperspectral and LiDAR sensors, mounted on board airplanes and unmanned aerial vehicles. The project aims to provide knowledge which remote sensing method is optimal for the monitoring of the most important HYMO indicators in an automated, repeatable and cost-effective manner. HYMO indicators have been divided into coastal and aquatic habitats. For each category, both data from the airline ceiling and from the UAV platform will be used. They will be tested and compared for different, representative river systems. The first series of studies included remote sensing of the morphodynamics of the Vistula riverbed in the area of the “Ławice Kiełpińskie” reserve near Warsaw. Multispectral imaging with very high resolution (VHR) and LiDAR data allowed, i.a. to obtain a digital elevation model, digital terrain model, and a model of the height of plant cover, then juxtaposed with the orthophotomap. The research problem was the measurement of river erosion and accumulation at the ‘exit’ of the Vistula from the so-called Warsaw corset. Previously, the method was tested in the section of the Lower Vistula River transformed by the flood in 2010 (Kępa Polska-Świniary-Troszyn). Remote-sensing HYMO indicators will allow to create a geodatabase, describing the habitats that make up the natural corridor of the analyzed river.

The results of the project will have an impact on the development of the fluvial remote sensing discipline, both in the perspective of the expectations of scientists and practitioners managing rivers in the light of the requirements of the Water Framework Directive, by providing a method of periodic assessment of indicators.

This project is funded by the Polish National Science Centre (No. 2017/25/B/ST10/02967).

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FAST VISUALIZATION AND ANALYTICAL OPERATIONS ON THE WEB TO SUPPORT
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Alaitz Zabala Torres¹ · Joan Masó²

¹Autonomous University of Barcelona · ²Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications

In deriving ecosystem services from remote sensing data, big data files that need to be found from different provides come in different formats and resolutions. This requires knowledge about the data providers, but also proficiency in complete GIS desktop toolsets. In this communication, we present a web map solution that offers an organized list of EO products that are shown together and can be manipulated with analytical tools that immediately presents results in the map browser.

A set of EO products are organized in a visualization and analysis map browser that lowers usage barriers and provides functionalities comparable with raster-based GIS. Normally, web map servers provide maps as pictorial representations at screen resolution. Instead, the MiraMon Map Browser takes advantage of some characteristics introduced in HTML5 (binary arrays and canvas) to transfer the real raster data to the client that is later transformed into visual 2D representations on the client side.

The modern approach provides alternative representations of the data as well as statistical analyses, time profiles, filters, layer combinations, pixel-based calculations, etc. directly in the client side without any further interaction with the server. This approach has been applied to the Horizon 2020 project ECOPotential where 20 protected areas mainly in Europe have data exposed in the browser for the benefit of the local stakeholders. In a regular sized PA of about 100-200 km wide products derived from RS high-resolution data (e.g., Sentinel 2, 10 m cell size) require a factor 10 interpolation, to fit in a regular screen.

The main difference between a traditional GIS and this approach is that each time the user pans or zooms on the map, new binary arrays at screen resolution are requested to the server while the client executes the computations, dividing the work load effort between the client and server. All operations are done in real time at pixel level, so the validity of the results of these operations are conditioned by the uncertainties generated by the server-side interpolation and the propagation of the uncertainty in the calculations. We have concluded that common statistical analyses at screen resolution are still representative of the original data: for categorical data uncertainties are commonly below 1%, as for a continuous data common statistics (e.g. mean and standard deviation) results do not vary by more than 1%.

This methodology is valid for exploratory studies, visual representation of results and overall representation of ecosystem services maps and statistical summaries of natural capital and environmental benefits. Full resolution is needed only if full detail is required. Thus, making a preliminary exploration of data at a smaller resolution gives acceptable results and saves computing power. A hypothesis can be rapidly explored and can be carefully quantified at full resolution later.

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LIDAR, SPECTRAL AND SELF-EMPLOYED DATA FUSION FOR CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM
SERVICES ASSESSMENT IN URBAN GREEN SPACES

Edyta Wozniak¹ · Sylwia Kulczyk² · Marta Derek² · Tomasz Grzyb²

¹Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences · ²University of Warsaw

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are formed as an effect of complex relations between people and natural environment. Consequently, both natural and social sciences have developed a variety of methods for ES identification and assessment. What should be perceived as a scientific richness, in many cases appears rather a battle field between social and ecological approaches. In this paper, we argue that combining both perspectives allows for a more detailed understanding of phenomena that influence CES formation and delivery.

The study aims to identify and map aesthetic CES of public green spaces in Warsaw, Poland. To describe the environmental basis of CES, LiDAR and spectral data were used. On this basis the elements of green spaces (trees, bushes, small infrastructure, etc.) and their characteristics (e.g. trees' height, bushes' density, vegetation permeability) were mapped and quantified. The obtained inventory helped to develop X-D landscape indices that describe green spaces' landscape diversity. To explore people's aesthetic evaluation on specific green spaces, self-employed mapping with users of green areas was conducted. The participants were asked to take pictures of the most attractive settings in studied green spaces and select and order 10 the most beautiful places. Finally both datasets were compared in order to verify what is the relationship between landscape indicators and social visual evaluation of the urban natural environment.

The conducted study unveils that LiDAR and spectral data are a rich source of information that can be
successfully used for CES identification of visually attractive places in urban environments.

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LANDSCAPE-SEASCAPE DYNAMICS IN THE ARCTIC GEOGRAPHY AND ECOLOGY

Wiesław Ziaja

Jagiellonian University

Arctic – the polar (cold) climatic zone – undergoes multiannual cycles of global climate. After the Antiquity, there were three main climatic fluctuations: Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age, and the contemporary warming since the beginning of the 20th century. Ice ablation – visible in recession of glaciers, sea ice and permafrost – has been the first environmental reaction to the warming.

Seascape expansion at the cost of terrestrial landscape has been observed as the basic result of the warming intensification (known as so-called Arctic amplification) since the end of the 20th century. At least 44 new straits and islands appeared off the coast of Greenland, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Svalbard and Severnaya Zemlya due to the glaciers' recession from open depressions of bedrock. Hundreds of new fjords originated due to the glaciers' recession from valleys running to the sea. These objects are completely new from both geographical and ecological point of view. They were settled with new biota and became new ecosystems, apart from obtaining new geographical names. Thousands of old fjords were lengthened due to the same process and their environment and biota were changed. A result of this complex transformation is a significant loss of land.

Many seascapes, especially fjords and straits of Greenland and Arctic Archipelago, changed a lot due to seasonal melting of the sea land-fastened ice which covered and blocked them for centuries. Consequently, they are open both to expansion of new biota and navigation with extended human activities.

Landscapes, which survived above the sea level, has also undergone a deep geographical and ecological transformation. New terrestrial landscapes (with new landforms and deposits as well as water bodies, being undergone animal colonization, plant succession and soil formation) have been formed in the areas abandoned by glaciers. Many coastal and inland areas have been completely changed by permafrost erosion, especially if permafrost contained a lot of ice.

All these processes will continue with the climate warming, leading to increase of the landscape and ecosystem differentiation. However, all this contemporary transformation would be reversed, and the landscape and ecosystem structure would be simplified in a case of a deeper climate cooling. Such a transformation could be stopped, leading to a kind of landscape-ecological sustainability, after a long (at least a few dozen years) climate stabilizing (during a shorter period of a climate stabilizing or even small cooling, the current trend will continue due to this geosystem inertia).

These natural regularities had functioned during the aforementioned climatic fluctuations, what is known from both proxy and written or instrumental data. Hence, there is a wide field for development of the polar landscape ecology.

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4. Learning from past landscapes

*When history meets future – future challenges for
historical landscape research*

Symposium organisers

Stig Roar Svenningsen (Royal Danish Library Special Collections), Dominik Kaim (Jagiellonian University), Gregor Levin (Aarhus University), Geoff Groom (Aarhus University), Krzysztof Ostafin (Jagiellonian University), Catalina Munteanu (Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg)

Summary

The session will contribute to the discussion about the main challenges of historical landscape research, applied by different disciplines. We invite geographers, ecologists, historians, but also engineers to join us to indicate the most important aspects which might be reflected and developed by closure of technological gaps, improved data availability, increased collaboration and sharing of knowledge.

Description

In recent years the availability of historical data in digital form has increased and been made more accessible, which makes the analyses of historical landscapes much easier. Obtaining scans of the maps, but also digitised machine-readable versions of map content limits time-consuming procedures and expands the analytical opportunities. This has resulted in more regional rather than just local historical landscape studies being published in the scientific journals. Many people also use advanced modelling techniques to analyse the landscape change over time. However, many research gaps and obstacles are left when obtaining and analysing historical data. During this session, we want to discuss the main challenges, addressing of which can help in future historical landscape research in the overall understanding of cultural landscapes. Are these challenges mainly connected to the difficulties in data acquisition, or are they rather a result of a lack of collaboration and communication among researchers of various disciplines incl. historians, ecologists, geographers, and engineers?

The core question of the symposium is how an interdisciplinary approach when studying historical landscapes can be moved forward and how different disciplines can contribute to the understanding of historical landscape changes? We want to present and discuss examples of techniques of automatic feature extractions, making large historical datasets easily available, but also indicate the remaining barriers of historical landscape research. So, this session will contribute to the discussion about the understanding of the evolution of historical landscapes and the main challenges of historical landscape research. Contributions from different disciplines are welcomed, focussing both on methodological issues as well as on case studies of analysis of historical/cultural landscapes.

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LANDSCAPES IN LANDSCAPE

Iztok Erjavec · Mater Gabriele Dasko · Anton Mlasko

NGO

We are looking but we don't see. In Slovenia a new ethnological phenomena was recognized in the last decade (Čok, 2012; Medvešček, 2015). Pre-Christian spirituality has been preserved until present. Before recognition of this phenomena a few people were aware of it, including researchers. Its presence can be found on old buildings, everyday objects and structures as symbols, number of symbols, geometric structures in landscapes, numbers of objects, geographical names. The phenomena have opened completely new human-scale dimensions for landscape research in Slovenia based on oral tradition with material evidence in landscapes. Material evidence are hidden in material (symbols, architecture, artefacts) and non-material (stories, legends, fairy tales) ethnological heritage.

We will present our research work in the Northeast of Slovenia, in the region called Štajerska and in the landscapes named Slovenske gorice, Haloze, Kozjak and Pohorje. We are finding, especially in forests, unknown phenomena such as ditches, stone walls, stone structures, terraces, groups of stones astronomical aligned, mound and mound cemeteries. A lot of such phenomena have been determined through local ethnological heritage and geographical names associated with pre-Christian spirituality, others were found through conversations with locals, foresters, priests, public employees. Some were found through experiences and publicly available LiDAR scans of Slovenia. This involves registered and unregistered archaeological sites. Structure and purpose of these phenomena can be reconstructed with local ethnological heritage and pre-Christian spirituality which are still present but hidden in landscape. Around such places we are identifying a lot of pre-Christian symbols in traditional rural architecture and a lot of sacral objects. This is also showing the continuity of spirituality and their roots from pre-historic time. First material evidence of human presence from northeast Slovenia are from the Stone Age.

This new research dimension of landscape ecology requires development of new methods involving geographical, geometrical, and astronomical relations of recognized phenomena with their correlations to land use and land cover. There is also a need to reevaluate academic interpretations of land use and landscape structure of Slovenian landscapes due to new ethnological and human-made phenomena found in landscapes which provides additional information about land use and human relation with nature in the past. Our research work is addressing these issues, but research has just started and there is a lot of research work that needs to be done. This is also a new opportunity for landscape protection.

Medvešček P. (2015). *Iz nevidne strani neba*. Studia mythologica Slavic – Supplementa. Ljubliana: Inštitut za arheologijo ZRC SAZU.

Čok B. (2012). *V siju mesečine*. Studia mythologica Slavic – Supplementa. Ljubliana: Inštitut za arheologijo ZRC SAZU.
KEY TECHNIQUES APPLIED IN DELIVERING MACHINE-READABLE GEODATA FROM A
SCANNED SET OF LATE 1800S DANISH HISTORIC MAPS

Geoff Groom¹ · Gregor Levin¹ · Stig Roar Svenningsen² · Mads Linnet Perner³

¹Aarhus University · ²Royal Danish Library Special Collections · ³University of Copenhagen

It is increasingly often now the case that high quality digital raster scan data are available of historic maps. However, further digital processing is required to deliver machine-readable geodata (MRG), as required for GIS-based applied research. That involves application of digital image processing (DIP) methods, which, after over five decades of development, now comprise a vast toolbox of approaches and techniques, albeit all representatives of a rather concise and constant set of core functionalities. The set of techniques applied in any specific “historic map to machine readable geodata” task is just a selective subset from that toolbox. The applied set reflects upon the map material involved, the objectives of the exercise, the applied software environment, the current trends in DIP, reported relevant work, and the predilections of those undertaking the task (possibly, DIP solutions carry a personal signature of their developer?). During 2019, the authors successfully applied DIP to produce MRG from late 1800s historic topographic maps of two areas of Denmark (ca. 300 km²) for six landuse-landcover categories (forest, heath, open water, meadow, dune-sand) (Levin et al., 2020).

This paper aims to distil out of the thousands of individual operations of that DIP solution's workflow
those functional forms that it applied repeatedly, examining their usages, and the reasoning of their
application. The aim is to enable software-environment-independent transfer of the lessons learnt
from this Danish exercise. It is also to broach inquiry as to whether the applied DIP is an additional
factor of the discourse into the methodological and analytical perspectives of producing and using
machine-readable data from historical maps in landscape ecological research.

Levin G. et al. (2020). *Automated production of spatial datasets for land categories from historical maps.*
*Method development and results for a pilot study of Danish late-1800s topographical maps.* Scientific
Report, 389. Denmark: DCE, Aarhus University.

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GEOTOURISM AND MINING TOURISM – AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM (GEMER REGION, SLOVAKIA)

Daniela Hutárová · Ivana Kozelová

Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences

The mining and processing of minerals constitute an integral part of the history of Slovakia; they are of great importance in the context of European history. The processes of extraction, transportation, and industrial production associated with woodworking, metallurgy, and forge furnaces left an indelible mark on the landscape of the Gemer region creating a traditional mining landscape reflecting its land use history. Together with valuable natural geosites, the region offers the high tourist potential. However, law in Slovakia does not protect most of the geologically significant sites and historic industrial structures and many of them have fallen into disrepair. Applying the concept of geotourism and mining tourism through the declaration of geoparks could increase the tourist interest. The geopark should be a sufficiently large area with precisely defined boundaries. Geologically important localities are situated on the territory of the geopark, divided into geological, natural, cultural-historical and recreational localities, while one locality can be a combination of several categories. The sites are systematically maintained and interconnected. The geopark should also offer technical or folk monuments, as well as elements of the intangible cultural heritage (oral traditions, language, performing arts, customs and crafts).

Based on a literature review and field studies we identified the most valuable sites with traditional agricultural landscape, cultural heritage and localities of religious and mining heritage in the Gemer region. As part of the concept of integrated rural tourism, we have elaborated the map of tourism attractions in the Gemer region with emphasis on geosites and areas with mining history. This map meets the condition for geopark declaration in the area of Gemer.
CAN WE COMPARE 19TH CENTURY TOPOGRAPHICAL AND MODERN GEODATA
WHEN ASSESSING LAND DYNAMICS? REFLECTIONS ON A DANISH CASE STUDY

Gregor Levin¹ · Geoffrey Brian Groom¹ · Stig Roar Svenningsen² · Mads Linnet Perner³

¹Aarhus University · ²Royal Danish Library Special Collections · ³Danish National Archives

Historical maps are valuable sources of past land use and land cover (LULC). Numerous studies compare historical with contemporary maps to assess LULC-dynamics. Yet, maps are not objective representations and categorisation of space. Rather, spatial categories in maps reflect the need for spatial information of the organisation or individual requesting production of the map. This also implies that definitions of categories can change over time according to changing purposes of mapmaking. Therefore, analyses of LULC dynamics must account for categorisation of space in historical maps by investigating the mapping practices of the mapmaker.

We apply results from a Danish case study (Levin et al., 2020) to reflect on how changing purposes of mapmaking affect assessed LULC-dynamics. For two study areas covering around 300 km² in northern and central Jutland, Denmark, we applied automated production techniques to extract land categories from Danish 1:20,000 topographical maps from the late 19th century. A comparison with a contemporary map shows overall dynamics, characterised by a decrease in open, non-forested habitat categories, such as heath, dune sand and wetlands at the gain of afforestation and an increasing area of agricultural land. However, a more detailed examination reveals two specific types of dynamics, which cannot be explained by this process of intensification but are, we submit, biased by changing purposes for mapmaking. First: less than 8% of the area, which in the historical maps was mapped as dune sand was in the contemporary map mapped as sand, while around 56% was mapped as grass or herb vegetation. Part of this change can be the consequence of efforts to prevent sand drift or of increased airborne nutrient loads leading to increased vegetation cover. However, this change is also the consequence of a shift from mapping for mainly military interests, where sand was mapped as a category hindering mobility, to modern mapping, focusing on nature conservation and hence vegetation types. Second: around 17% of the area of non-forested semi-natural habitat types contained in the contemporary map was not mapped in the historical maps. The majority of these areas are characterised by dry grassland habitats, which today are critical to nature conservation, but historically did not influence military mobility or visibility and consequently were not included as a category in the historical maps.

We conclude that in order to prevent misinterpretations of LULC dynamics, biases caused by changing mapping purposed between historical and contemporary maps must be addressed, not least when applying 19th century topographical maps, which predominantly where developed for military purposes.

Levin G. et al. (2020). *Automated production of spatial datasets for land categories from historical maps.*
*Method development and results for a pilot study of Danish late-1800s topographical maps.* Scientific
Report, 389. Denmark: DCE, Aarhus University.

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POTENTIAL OF AIRBORNE LiDAR DATA IN DETECTING CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
FEATURES IN SLOVAKIA

Juraj Lieskovský<fnref n="1" /> · Tibor Lieskovský² · Katarína Hladíková<fnref n="3" /> · Dagmar Štefunková<fnref n="1" /> · Natália Hurajtová⁴

The potential of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanning to identify the topographic signatures of past anthropogenic features was initially recognized in archaeology at the beginning of the 21st century. The fundamental benefits of LiDAR are the speed of data acquisition on a landscape scale, the quality of its surface data, and its ability to identify macro- and micro-topographical features undetected by terrestrial surveys. Although LiDAR initially provided data only in the 1-5 points/m² density range, technological advances now enable it to scan large areas at unprecedented point densities. The area of Slovakia is scanned from 2017 at a resolution of 20-30 points/m² and is planned to be completed by 2023.

This study aimed to examine the potential of incoming nationwide LiDAR data in detecting the cultural landscape features in Slovakia. We derived a detailed digital elevation model from LiDAR points and adopted upgraded visualization techniques based on a combination of local relief models, sky view factor, slope steepness, and color blending. We visually identified examples of different anthropogenic landforms groups and confirmed our findings with existing literature. While LiDAR can provide precise measurements of the height, length, and volume of anthropogenic features, the LiDAR images do not provide reliable information on their function, age, and origin. Additional data are therefore essential for accurate interpretation, and interdisciplinary cooperation with geomorphologists, hydrologists, geologists, and other disciplines is often needed.

Aim of the presentation is to: (1) present the examples of different anthropogenic features as they are visualized on LiDAR images, (2) present the potential of LiDAR images for historical landscape research in Slovakia, (3) demonstrate the need of interdisciplinary approach for the LiDAR images interpretation.

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<footnote n="1">¹Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences · ²Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava ·</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³Comenius University · ⁴Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra</footnote>
COMBINING REMOTE SENSING DATA WITH LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Franziska Mohr¹,² · Robert Pazur¹,³ · Matthias Bürgi¹,²

¹Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research · ²University of Bern · ³Institute of Geography, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Historical landscape research has great opportunities to benefit from recent advances in remote sensing. Artificial intelligence, for example, can contribute by enhancing the accuracy of landscape change assessments through facilitating the segmentation and classification of aerial images. This presents interesting opportunities particularly for mapping historical landscape change patterns based on a long time-span of available aerial images. Aside from technical challenges, it also remains difficult to best explain observed changes and identify its impacts on the local communities. We present here an approach that attempts to address these two challenges.

Our work aims to understand agricultural intensification and its driving forces across several European study regions during the 20th century. To study this, we adopted an interdisciplinary approach using aerial photographs, oral history interviews, and agricultural statistics as sources of evidence. In the presentation we illustrate a semi-automated approach that allowed us to identify landscape dynamics on aerial photos including changes in land cover classes and landscape elements (e.g. hedgerows, tree lines). In a second step, we lay out the plausible links between the remote sensing information and the narratives gained from oral history interviews. We hypothesized that insights from oral history interviews provide important information about the nature of farming at the time, as well as information about the background of the farm-level decisions. We identified the central driving forces for land use intensification for the individual study regions. Finally, we discuss first findings and the challenges regarding the availability of (geo-)data over long time periods as well as advantages, pitfalls, and future potential of combining aerial images and oral interviews as two distinct but complementary sources of information. Combining these two data sources provides a unique opportunity to move historical landscape research ahead.

Our work contributes to the ongoing project "Operationalizing Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Pathways in Europe" (SIPATH, https://www.wsl.ch/en/projects/what-is-sustainable-intensification.html).

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# HISTORICAL GEOPORTAL OF GALICIA AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA 1857-1910

Krzysztof Ostafin · Dominik Kaim

Jagiellonian University

Currently large amount of historical digital data become more and more accessible every year. However, without proper preprocessing they are not easily to be used by scholars and practitioners. For instance, georectification and further spatial data acquisition based on scanned documents can be a barrier to scientific problem solving in demography, regional development, or human-environment relations. Therefore, it is necessary not only to digitalize the collections gathered in archives or libraries but also to process them into digital spatial data, which can be used in GIS and shared with the scientific and practitioner communities. The historical geoportal of Galicia and Austrian Silesia 1857-1910 brings together processed spatial data and historical statistical data, which are combined with reconstructed administrative divisions on several levels.

In this paper, we present this geoportal, which allows viewing and downloading of digital spatial data in vector form, such as administrative divisions in very detailed scale, road network, railroad network, location of buildings. For statistical data, the geoportal offers an access to data from Austrian censuses, organized approximately every ten years. These data are available in Excel format and can be combined with the provided layers of historical administrative divisions.

*This research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Republic of Poland under the frame of National Programme for the Development of Humanities 2015-2021, as a part of the GASID project (Galicia and Austrian Silesia Interactive Database 1857-1910, 1aH 15 0324 83)*

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# WATER IN THE LANDSCAPE AS AN INDICATOR OF CHANGES IN THE ELBE RIVER LOWLANDS

Pavel Richter

T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute

The focus of this paper is work to map the development of lowland landscape over last 180 years, related to pressures to use lowland areas for economic purposes including transformation of the wetland habitats, watercourse and water body parts of the landscape into arable land. The Elbe River basin was chosen as the study area because it is currently affected by a lack of water and there is an occurrence of seasonal drying up of small watercourses. This issue will probably be of greater significance in the future particularly in the context of the expected continued extreme climatic phenomena. Therefore, emphasis is placed on the analysis of changes in wetland habitats, watercourses and water bodies based on a comparison of archive maps and current data. The purpose of the study is to use the results as a proposed solution to current and future water management problems. These results can be used for example, for the restoration or revitalization of these landscape (water retention) elements in landscape planning. Moreover, there is an emphasis to highlight the importance of water retention elements in landscape in context of historical and sociocultural development.

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# ANTHROPOGENIC LANDFORMS AS INDICATORS OF PAST LAND USE IN MARGINAL MOUNTAIN AREAS

Michał Sobala

University of Silesia in Katowice

In recent years, the availability of historical maps in digital form has increased, making it much easier to analyze historical landscapes. However, it must be emphasized that one of the main rules of historical analysis is that it is necessary to verify the content of archival maps based on other data sources. This is important when assessing the historical maximal human impact on landscape because the use of cartographic materials makes it possible to reconstruct the state of the landscape for a specific time period, but changes in the landscape that occurred between these time periods are often interpreted by the researcher, and this is associated with a high degree of uncertainty. The poster aims to present the possibility of using anthropogenic landforms to assess the maximal past human impact on landscape in marginal mountain areas.

The detailed study was carried out in the Silesian Beskids and Żywiec-Kysuce Beskids (the Western Carpathians). The following methods were used: analysis of historical land use based on Austrian cadastral maps from 1848 (the period when the deforestation level in the study area was the highest) and detection of landforms typical of arable fields based on LiDAR data and field studies. Afterwards, the ranges of historical arable fields and landforms were compared.

About 1700 anthropogenic landforms related to former land cultivation were identified in a total area of 260 ha. These forms were divided into point (stone mounds) and linear forms (agricultural terraces, lynchets and stone walls), and they were analyzed separately. The relationship between the location of past arable fields and landforms is varied and depends on the test area. In two test areas, the percentage of arable fields was higher among the plots with stone mounds than the percentage among the plots without them. In the third test area, the relationship was reversed. However, in this case, stone walls were detected. Therefore, it can be concluded that, in this area, the stones from the arable fields were mainly deposited in the form of walls, not mounds. Also, lynchets, terraces and stone walls sometimes occur in plots that were not arable fields in 1848.

The range of occurrence of anthropogenic landforms is greater than the range of arable fields visible on archival maps from 1848. Hence, it indicates a greater degree of anthropogenic pressure in the past than results from the content of archival maps. This research gives new insights into the land use structure in the Western Carpathians in the 19th century compared to data obtained from archival maps. It is impossible to determine the historical land use structure precisely. However, detection of landforms can be used to assess land use when historical maps have not preserved or when available maps do not present land use in detail.

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SEGMENTING HISTORICAL MAPS TO BUILD TIME-SERIES OF SETTLEMENT AND HABITAT NETWORKS ACROSS SWITZERLAND

Maarten J. van Strien¹ · Magnus Heitzler¹ · Matthias Bürgi² · Lorenz Hurni¹ · Adrienne Grêt-Regamey¹

¹ETH Zürich · ²Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research

Assessing historical landscape development can increase our understanding of the functioning of social-ecological systems. Whereas settlements and their connecting transport infrastructure (i.e. settlement networks) have grown considerably in the past century, many natural habitats and their connections (i.e. habitat networks) have shrunk over time. Although settlement and habitat networks interact in several ways, the extent and mechanisms of these interactions are not well understood. We will address this research gap in the new EMPHASES project by reconstructing time series of settlement and habitat networks to assess the evolution of these networks and their interactions. These networks will be derived from Switzerland-wide, high quality topographic maps that have been regularly produced since 1870. Although the maps are available in digital and georeferenced format, the map features (e.g. buildings, roads, forests) have not yet been segmented or vectorised, which is necessary to perform spatial and temporal analyses with these maps. To perform the segmentation, we have experimented with several machine learning approaches, which we will present here. In the first approach, we used a convolutional neural network to assign individual raster cells in historical maps to one of six classes: i.e. buildings, roads, forests, wetlands, text labels and other. With this approach, we were able to segment historical maps in several case study areas (accuracy > 94%). In the second approach, we used a fully convolutional network to segment individual buildings (accuracy > 99%), which were subsequently vectorised and geometrically corrected with GIS methods. The latter approach was successfully applied at a Switzerland-wide scale. Furthermore, we will present several challenges that we encountered during the segmentation of these historical maps as well as several examples of how we plan to use these historical maps to create time series of settlement and habitat networks. The segmented and vectorised historical maps will unlock a wealth of information about the landscape development of Switzerland over the past 150 years and about the interactions between coupled settlement and habitat networks.

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LAND AREA CATEGORIES IN LARGE-SCALE HISTORICAL TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS IN
RELATION TO ANALYSING LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGES

Stig Roar Svenningsen¹ · Mads Linnet Perner² · Gregor Levin³ · Geoff Groom³

¹Royal Danish Library Special Collections · ²Danish National Archives · ³Aarhus University

Spatial information about the landscape of the past is a key data source for a range of analyses within landscape ecology, such as identifying persistent habitats or monitoring of landscapes and land use and land cover change (LULCC). Yet, such analysis of historical LULCC of pre-1950s landscapes primarily relies on cartographic documents as the source of spatially explicit information. Methodologically, most historical LULCC studies utilizing historical cartographic documents report on the geometrical precision and correctness of georeferencing and vectorization. However, often less attention is devoted to careful interpretation of land area categories. Thus, information in historical maps is taken for granted or seen as self-explanatory.

This paper presents an analysis of land area categories in Danish historical large-scale topographic maps from the second half of the 19th century in relation to a recent research project focused on the development of automated methods for vectorization of historical maps (Levin et al., 2020). Results reveal that the classification of land area categories is complex and that categories in the legend cannot necessarily stand direct comparison to modern LULC categories. Despite a similar appearance (i.e. sharing the same name as categories in current official geo-data), the categorization of land in the maps discussed here originally rested on a military oriented assessment of landscape trafficability. This result implies that thorough analysis of categories in historical maps is needed if data are to be used for LULCC studies. Thorough historical analysis of the development of the mapping and representational practices of land area categories in historical maps can reveal both a more consistent understanding of the relationship between map categories and the historical LULC, but it can also assist the development of automated methods for extracting vector data.

Levin, G., Groom, G. B., Svenningsen, S. R., & Perner, M. L. (2020). Automated production of spatial datasets for land categories from historical maps—Method devel-opment and results for a pilot study of Danish late-1800s topographical maps. (No. 389; Scientific Report from DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy). Aarhus University, DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy.
http://dce2.au.dk/pub/SR389.pdf

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# The past as a source of knowledge, experience and a cause of change

## Symposium organisers

Rafał Zapłata (Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University), Mariusz Lamentowicz (Adam Mickiewicz University), Krzysztof Stereńczak (Forest Research Institute), Michał Słowiński (Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences)

## Summary

Symposium „The past as a source of knowledge, experience and a cause of change” within the IALE European Landscape Ecology Congress is part of the Holistic, landscape approach to the complex cultural and environmental systems, taking into account the processes and remnants of the past, in order „to better understand the diverse phenomena and processes around us and to predict and properly manage them”. We will pay special attention to formerly and now forested areas – as areas extremely valuable for today's and future environment.

## Description

As part of „the interdisciplinary platform linking past, present and future”, we propose to continue the discussion that will allow to build knowledge and collect data on past experiences and activities. "Making the future, learning from the past" is understood literally by analyzing, inter alia, past phenomena, as various examples of natural and human influence on the environment, and analyzing the remains of past interventions, often with long-lasting legacy effects. The symposium is inspired by the idea that knowledge about past human activities can prevent similar negative environmental impacts today and in the future. The practical dimension of knowledge and data about the past is one of the key elements of the symposium. Our understanding of the past climate, human and environmental interactions in the European landscape has made significant progress over the past decade, thanks to advances in multiproxy studies. We propose to pay special attention to the forested areas that are valuable for today and future environment.

The only palaeoecological long-term view can provide detailed understanding complexity of ecosystem processes and the landscape legacy that occur in the past. When coupled with ecology, history, archaeology and statistical modelling, such approaches potentially provide stakeholders with visualizations of past and future scenarios. We propose to look to the future, taking into account the experiences and processes of the past – from the Anthropocene and Holocene. Archaeological and historical research – in conjunction with the natural sciences – in the formula of interdisciplinary projects, constitute initiatives that allow the analysis of the above-mentioned past processes. In the context of developing methods and generated data, including remote sensing, it is current research that provides new information about the past and the current situation in a specific area. The goal of the session is to critically evaluate and improve models of anthropogenic pressure on landscape informed by the palaeoecological view and current understanding of past societies' activity, land-use, and history.

The main topics and the aims of the symposium:

* analyzing interdisciplinary projects aimed at integrated activities related to the protection of cultural and natural heritage,

* discussion on the role, meaning and possibilities of comprehensive approaches – including the sciences of the past in landscape ecology,

* discussion on the resilience and resistance of ecosystems to disturbances and their primaeval nature,

* discussing the acquisition of contemporary, archival data and validation proxies (especially remote sensing),

* analysis of the inclusion of research results and data to shape sustainable landscapes and societies of the future,

* discussion on education (including non-formal education) and the promotion and popularization of natural and cultural heritage.
# LONG-TERM, COUNTRY LEVEL ASSESSMENT OF SEMI-NATURAL AND SECONDARY FOREST COVER CHANGE IN HUNGARY

Marianna Biró¹ · Kinga Öllerer¹,² · László Demeter¹ · János Bölöni¹ · Zsolt Molnár¹

¹Centre for Ecological Research · ²Institute of Biology, Romanian Academy

Semi-natural forest areas are highly valuable for today and future nature conservation and sustainable forest management. However, the generally declining trend of semi-natural forests may be obscured by the increase of total forest area in Europe, which results mostly from new plantations and spontaneous forest expansion. This increase of forest cover in Europe is emphasized mainly in short-term time series, while long-term analyses – going back until the 18th century – generally detect that the extent of forest cover reached a minimum during the studied time period.

We assessed changes in semi-natural and secondary forest cover since the 18th century in Hungary, focusing on the continuity of semi-natural forests. Historical and recent datasets were complemented with field data to estimate forest cover change for seven time periods between the 1780s and the 2010s in 5000 randomly selected sample localities. The application of a point-based GIS analysis and the method of ‘iterative information transfer between historical sources’ made it possible to conduct a habitat-level analysis of long-term forest cover change on a national scale in Hungary (93,030 km²).

We found that semi-natural forests and secondary forests, which have substantially different histories and ecological values, showed opposing trends in their cover change. In the 18th century, 25% of Hungary was covered with forests (all semi-natural). For today, the total forest area has reached once more the forest area of the late 18th century, but today approx. 64% of the Hungarian forest cover is secondary forest. Between the two dates, forest area showed a U-shaped curve with a forest minimum of 13% in the first half of the 20th century. The most important direct driver of semi-natural forest loss was the conversion to arable land, detected in nearly half of the lost localities. Habitat-level analysis revealed the specificities of the drivers causing semi-natural forest loss. At present, 36% of forests are semi-natural and 33% are semi-natural continuous forest in Hungary. This means that 88% of the actual semi-natural forests have remained continuous forest since the 18th century.

Our results showed that when reconstructing landscape-scale historical forest cover change and continuity, the loss of semi-natural forests remains hidden if the calculations are limited to ‘total forest cover change’. We argue that it would be immensely important to distinguish between semi-natural and secondary forests and also between different kinds of forest continuity in assessments used for landscape-level conservation strategies, landscape planning and sustainable forest management. While this may be methodologically challenging, the greater availability of cartographic databases and digitized historical sources, together with more detailed recent data sources that cover larger areas, means that it is possible to make such a distinction in the majority of European countries.

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# HUMAN AND CLIMATE DRIVERS OF CHANGES IN THE USE OF PEATLANDS THROUGHOUT THE 20TH CENTURY IN NORTH WESTERN POLAND (THE TUCHOLA PINEWOODS)

Sebastian Czapiewski¹ · Danuta Szumińska¹ · Piotr Sewerniak² · Tomasz Giętkowski³

¹Kazimierz Wielki University · ²Nicolaus Copernicus University · ³Geofabryka, Toruń

Peatlands are considered exceptionally valuable on account of their communities of unique fauna and flora, which include many protected species. The main aim of this study is to identify the trends in the use of peatlands from the end of the 19th century to late 20th century. The research was conducted in the Tuchola Pinewoods (TP) (A=3550 km², afforestation rate=70.3%) located in north western Poland (young glacial zone, moderate climate).

The analyses were performed based on 1:100,000 Prussian topographic maps from the years 1876-1879 and 1:50,000 Polish topographic maps from the years 1966-1986. The GIS database was developed with the use of GIS software and included peatland boundaries as well as several geographical features (geology, precipitation, land use of surrounding area, water network, drainage, groundwater intake stations). Additionally, the authors performed a redundancy analysis (RDA) to further supplement the results. Each peatland was classified into one of seven classes of changes (1 – no distinctive change; 2 – partial or 3 – complete change into woodland; 4 – partial or 5 – complete change into arable land; 6 – partial or 7 – complete change into water).

A total of 744 peatlands were identified in the TP, with a total area of 10,762 ha, which constitutes 3.03% of the studied region. Peatlands occur in clusters whose location is related to geomorphological (the presence of depressions and a favourable geological structure) and hydrological conditions; numerous clusters of peatlands occur in watershed zones. Small peatlands (<15 ha) are the most numerous, however, the largest share in the area of all those identified is represented by very large peatlands (>100 ha), which together account for 32% of the total area of all peatlands. As found in this study, peatlands found in the region have been largely transformed in terms of their use and hydrological conditions due to drainage – mainly for agricultural purposes. The most frequent changes included: change into arable land (53.5% of the total number, 73.4% of the total area), and change into woodland (38.8%, and 23.5% respectively). RDA analysis revealed that the most important environmental factors influencing the directions of changes in the use of peatlands are: (1) the land-use type of the surrounding area, (2) implementation of anthropogenic drainage systems, and (3) location in a lake catchment or catchments drained by rivers or streams. However, no relationship was found between the type of peatland transformations and the spatial variability of precipitation sums. Considering that 85.7% of total peatland area had been drained by 1986, the risk of greenhouse gases being released from peatlands should be assessed as high. Peatlands, due to their capacity for storage of water and organic matter, may be regarded as a part of sustainable water management and greenhouse emissions control both on a regional and global scale.

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# THE USE OF THE CHOSEN SOIL CHARACTERISTICS IN GETTING TO KNOW PALAEOENVIRONMENT AND PALEOLANDSCAPE

Marek Degórski

Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences

Soil, as an integral component of geo-ecosystems, is formed and shaped by all elements of the natural system, and itself influences their properties. At the same time, soil 'stores' traces of successive phases of landscape development, including climate change and human activity. Therefore, the pedosphere can be treated as a kind of 'mirror' of multidimensional geographical space, in which the history of phenomena and processes that shape it is 'reflected' and recorded, and as a source of information enabling the tracking of changes taking place over time. The use of soil research in the interpretation of the functioning of palaeoenvironment and landscape evolution is more and more common, especially in the reconstruction of the properties of the Pleistocene and Holocene environment. In the analysis of palaeoenvironmental development, soils are used as pedostratigraphic markers of landscape evolution, and their selected physical and chemical properties as indicators of specific lithomorphological processes in which a given soil and landscape developed. Increasingly, paleo-soil analyses also support archaeological research, both in the identification and delimitation of areas of human activity in the past, as well as in determining the development time of a given material culture in the sequence of palaeoenvironmental and historical phenomena.

The aim of the paper is to present the potential possibilities of using soil research in the interpretation of the sequence of palaeoenvironmental development, which may be helpful, inter alia, in determining the environmental and anthropogenic conditions for the development of a paleo-landscape. The results of selected three methods of soil research were discussed in detail, i.e. mineralogical analyses of the soil substrate, ultramorphoscopy and the relationship between different forms of iron in the soil, which the author used during many years of research carried out over the twenty years in Central and North Europe and some parts of Asia. The research was conducted in soils belonging to Spodosols and Ultisols according to USDA Soil Taxonomy. All of the presented research results are also confirmed by studies conducted by other authors, which confirms their diagnostic value. Among the features important for determining the relative age of the soils and their location in relation to each other, the content of non-resistant minerals in the substrate, the content of free, amorphous and crystalline iron as well as ultramorphic characteristics of sand grains expressed in terms of grain shape, as well as and textural features were indicated.

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# LANDSCAPE MONITORING OF LARGE PROTECTED AREAS IN CZECHIA

Tomáš Janík

Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening / Charles University

Changes of the landscape is key for understanding development of the studied ecosystem. Here, we present the results of long-term project, which is called “Landscape monitoring” and is focused on land cover and anthropogenic structures development in Czech large protected areas. This project ends this year, thus we have already analysed almost all protected areas – protected landscape areas, national parks and selected Natura 2000 sites. Protected landscape areas and national parks created 15.9% of Czechia (circa 12,540 km²) and furthermore we analysed circa 2555 km² of Natura 2000 sites and areas to potential protection.

We prepared geodatabases of land cover, anthropogenic structures (built-up and recreational areas, roads) from topographic maps and aerial imageries for four milestones in development of nature protection, society and landscape as well: (1) 1950s as the beginning of the socialist era and also the founding of the first large protected areas, (2) around the year 1990 as a transformation from socialism and communism to a free market economy, capitalism, and democracy, as well as new environmental legislation, (3) around 2004 as EU accession, together with requirements of EU legislation, and (4) 2016-2019 as the present state. Subsequently, we analysed development for each study area to stress main trends and for help to manage areas based on objective data and analyses. In this phase of the project, we can compare areas with each other and summarize our results.

Almost in all areas we can see enlarging of forested and also built-up areas, on the other hand, arable land has been replaced by permanent grassland on the vast areas. Furthermore, there are clusters of areas with similar tendencies and path dependency – for example mountainous areas are characterized by enlarging forest, low level of built-up areas in first two horizons and an increase of built-up and recreational areas especially after 1990; lowlands areas are situated often close to large cities with stable level of more intensive agricultural use during the study period and continuous and significant increase of built-up areas. Somewhere between abovementioned types we can find rural protected areas especially with replacing of arable land by permanent grassland and growth of built-up areas. Military areas are special type of protected areas almost without anthropogenic structures. Furthermore, structure of landscape was analysed and it has been becoming more homogenous during the time – mean patch size increased in the majority of the areas, on the other hand, level of landscape fragmentation by hard anthropogenic structures as roads and built-up areas increased. Our project gives a general overview of landscape development in Czech large protected areas and is a tool for appropriate management.

Website of the project including the geoportal (in Czech): https://www.monitoringkrajiny.cz/
SEMI-NATURAL GRASSLANDS IN THE LANDSCAPE OF KARKONOSZE NATIONAL PARK (POLAND) OVER 130 YEARS, DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODERN AND ANCIENT GRASSLANDS

Hubert Kasprzak¹ · Małgorzata Raduła² · Tomasz Szymura² · Zofia Nocón² · Filip Borkowski²

¹Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences · ²University of Wrocław

Semi-natural grasslands provide a wide range of ecosystem services, however, their area and quality are still diminishing in Europe. The reason for this is the conversion of grasslands to other forms of use, abandoning or degradation in result of too intensive use. Numerous ecosystem services delivered by the grasslands are related to their biodiversity, which, in turn, is related to age of particular grasslands. It is known that grassland with long-lasting continuity in time is usually rich in more species and hosts plant species typical to grassland habitats. Therefore, by analogy to ancient forest, 'ancient' grasslands are distinguished and are considered as more valuable for nature conservation (Raatikainen et al., 2018).

Although grassy communities are of high value for nature conservation in the European Union, the possibilities of their protection are relatively small (Szymura, Szymura, 2019). Knowledge about the historical patterns of grasslands area and distribution increases our ability to predict future changes in a landscape structure. Therefore, studies on historical ecology give a reference point for nature conservation planning providing insights to the appropriate i.e. sustainable landscape management.

In this study, we reconstructed semi-natural grasslands spatial distributions in Karkonosze National Park, over the last 133 years, with four time thresholds: 1888, 1930, 1970 and 2020, using historical maps. Analysed was landscape structure in particular historical periods regarding grasslands area and spatial structure including connectivity. The patches of ancient grasslands were distinguished. In order to find differences in habitat characteristics between four groups of semi-natural grasslands (ancient, old, medium, and recent semi-natural grasslands), we established a set of 300 random sampling plots for each group. Then, to each point, we assigned measures of 13 environmental factors representing soil, topography, and climate characteristics.

Szymura T.H., Szymura M. (2019). *Spatial structure of grassland patches in Poland: implications for nature conservation*. Acta Soc. Bot. Pol., 88(1): 3615.

Raatikainen K.J. et al. (2018). *Contemporary spatial and environmental factors determine vascular plant species richness on highly fragmented meadows in Central Finland*. Landsc. Ecol., 33(12): 2169-2187.

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# IDENTIFICATION OF DRIVING FORCES BEHIND LANDSCAPE CHANGES: CASE STUDY OF SOBÓTKA COMMUNE IN POLAND

Piotr Krajewski · Joanna Karpiel · Iga Kołodyńska

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences

The landscape is the combination of many factors and interactions, for which specific driving forces of change within the landscape are responsible. The method of studying the driving forces of landscape change is based on a study of the history of the landscape by using different kind of research methods.

The main aim of the study was to identify main driving forces of landscape change in Sobótka commune by combination of quantitative data obtained from analyses of cartographic resources and conclusions derived from qualitative data obtained through social research, including face-to-face interviews. The study area was selected due to the relatively high diversity of land cover and landscape type – it is an agricultural commune, mostly lowland, with almost all villages having rural character, and a large area of forest cover in the south, where the magnificent Ślęza Massif is located, at the foot of which the town of Sobótka is situated.

The study period was 1905-2020. Map analyses consisted of analysis of land cover changes on cartographic materials from 1938, 1983, and 2020. An equal part of the work was to conduct face-to-face interviews with witnesses of landscape changes. Seven interviewees of different ages were asked what changes in different types of landscape took place in Sobótka municipality over the time period specified for this study. The interviews revealed that cultural forces were the most significant drivers of landscape change. Until the beginning of the Second World War, the local culture was responsible for the shape of the landscape. A number of other driving forces for minor changes resulted from the strong rootedness of the residents in the area. After the war, the area was shaped mainly by political forces, which strongly influenced cultural changes, and technological forces, associated with the development of technical infrastructure. The last analysed period was dominated by political forces associated with political transformations and Poland's accession to the European Union, as well as economic forces associated with changes in the employment structure of the rural population.

This research was funded by the National Science Centre, Poland, grant number 2018/31/D/HS4/00659.
LANDSCAPES OF THE MIDDLE DNIESTER RIVER VALLEY DURING THE GRAVETTIAN
AND EPIGRAVETTIAN OCCUPATION – FINDINGS FROM THE DOROSHIVTSI III CAMP
(UKRAINE)

Maria Łanczont¹ · Przemysław Mroczek¹ · Dariusz Bobak² · Larissa Kulakovska³ · Marta Połtowicz-Bobak⁴ · Laëtitia Demay⁵ · Olesia Kononenko⁶ · Anna Lemanik⁷ · Adam Nadachowski⁷ · Vitaly Usik³

¹Maria Curie-Skłodowska University · ²Foundation for Rzeszów Archaeological Centre · ³Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine · ⁴University of Rzeszów · ⁵National Museum of Natural History · ⁶Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine · ⁷Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences

Settlement processes in Europe during the LGM period are a hotly debated issue. In Eastern Europe we observe several major settlement centres including the camp at Doroshivtsy III located in the Middle Dniester valley. It is one of the very important sites to understand the settlement processes at LGM and the importance of refugia, as well as studies of Palaeolithic landscape changes.

The 2019 excavation season at the Doroshivtsy III site is a continuation of the work carried out in 2007-2010, directed by Larissa Kulakovska, the results of which showed significant differences between the area studied earlier and in above-mentioned year. These differences concern both geological record, the data determining the absolute chronology and also palaeontological and archaeological artefacts. Therefore it was not possible to closely correlate the geological layers and cultural levels delineated during the earlier and current investigations. These may be due to both post-settlement geological processes and, in the case of archaeological and palaeontological data, functional variation of the site.

The section at site is a sequence of calcareous, layered deposits, with admixtures of fine debris of local rocks, of aeolian and solifluction/colluvial origin. Among the faunal remains identified were those of reindeer, horse, mammoth, wolf and vulpine, and also a crow was. The representation of mammoth was higher than expected with individuals dead in situ. The small archaeological inventories, containing, for the most layers with artefacts, mainly blades and flakes, are analogous to those known from cultural layers identified in 2007-2010, but far scarcer.

OSL dates from this sequence provide grounds to assume that a major part of this profile may be correlated with MIS 2, more specifically with LGM-b. Most of the calibrated radiocarbon dates obtained from cultural layers during the 2019 season specify the time of settlement to the Heinrich Stadial (HS-2) corresponding to the cold GS-3 stage within LGM-b. The results from chronological modelling point to a relatively short period of occupancy of the site but an open question is the length of individual settlement horizons. The LGM was the period when the Palaeolithic people, who until then had settled in the uplands surrounding the Dniester valley, moved from their very cold, windy and open landscapes into the narrow and deep canyon of this river. Most of the archaeological finds were associated with soil cover composed of gleysols or cambisols, which was formed under steppe or tundra vegetation, with the presence of trees. The environmental conditions of the site area were favourable for the primary settlement – a place was sheltered from winds, with access to flint raw materials, water, and game.

*This research was supported by the Polish National Science Centre under Grant No. 2018/31/B/HS3/03125 "Environment and culture of the Gravettian and Epigravettian gatherers and hunters in the Middle Dniester valley".*

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## SIGNALS FROM THE PAST: PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE ON THE ROLE OF ANCIENT AND HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE CHANGES ON POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE OF MACEDONIAN OAK (QUERCUS TROJANA WEBB) IN PUGLIA (ITALY)

Paola Mairota¹ · Alessio Pollice¹ · Claudia Mattioni² · Luca Mangiacapra¹ · Mattia Labella¹ · Nicola Difonzo¹ · Marcello Tropeano¹ · Antonella Marsico¹

¹University of Bari Aldo Moro · ²National Research Council - Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems

The study aimed at investigating the possible environmental factors that have led to the presence of three genetic pools, defined in previous population genetics analysis (Carabeo et al., 2017), in Macedonian oak germplasm (Quercus trojana Webb) of a disjunct part of the species distribution range (Puglia, Italy). A paleogeographic analysis and a landscape genetics approach, based on specific methods for multivariate spatial data analysis (Dray et al., 2006; Borcard et al., 2011; Legendre, Legendre, 2012), were applied. These allowed to verify the isolation by distance hypothesis and to generate other hypotheses likely to underlie different evolutionary processes (gene selection and gene flow). The results confirm the population genetic structure previously observed and suggest its very ancient origin, probably due to geodynamic and phytogeographic events as from at least late Miocene times (Tropeano et al., 2002; Bache et al., 2012), only subsequently influenced by land use changes that in historical times have led to the fragmentation of forests and of Macedonian oak habitat (Francini Corti, 1966). These are preliminary, yet important, findings relevant to strategies aimed at the conservation and the adaptive forest/landscape management, of this endemic species, in the context of climate change.

Carabeo M. et al. (2017). *Estimating the genetic diversity and structure of Quercus trojana Webb populations in Italy by SSRs: implications for management and conservation*. Can. J. For. Res., 47(3): 331-339.

Borcard D. et al. (2011). *Numerical Ecology with R*. New York: Springer.

Legendre P., Legendre L. (2012). *Numerical Ecology*, 3rd edition. England: Elsevier.

Dray S. et al. (2006). *Spatial modelling: a comprehensive framework for principal coordinate analysis of neighbor matrices (PCNM)*. Ecol. Model., 196: 483-493.

Bache F. et al. (2012). *A two-step process for the reflooding of the Mediterranean after the Messinian Salinity Crisis*. Basin Research, 24: 125-153.

Tropeano M. et al. (2002). *Filling and cannibalization of a foredeep: The Bradanic Trough, southern Italy*. In: S.J. Jones and L.E. Frostick (Eds.). Sediment flux to basins: Cause, controls and consequences (pp. 55-79). London: Geol. Soc. London.

Francini Corti E. (1966). *Aspetti della vegetazione pugliese e contingente paleogeico meridionale nella Puglia*. Ann. Acc. Ital. Sci. For, 15: 137-193.

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# SOIL CHANGES WITHIN THE MODERN FOREST-STEPPE ZONE OF UKRAINE AS A REFLECTION OF THE EVOLUTION OF LANDSCAPES IN THE PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE

Zhanna Matviishyna · Serhii Doroshkevych · Anatolii Kushnir

Institute of Geography, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

The study of the history of nature development in the past has an important theoretical and applied significance. Our work is devoted to the study of fossil Pleistocene and Holocene soils within the modern forest-steppe zone of Ukraine. The methodological foundation for the paleogeographic reconstructions based on paleosoil research is taking into account the fact that soil is an integral part of the landscape, and morphogenetic differences of different soils in each section reflect the evolution of landscapes due to changes in physical-geographic conditions.

The research is based on the results of a comprehensive paleopedological method using micromorphological analysis. It involves the study of the soil at the micro level and the diagnosis of elementary soil-forming processes in Pleistocene and Holocene soils within different key areas of the modern forest-steppe zone of Ukraine (Middle Pobuzhye, Dnieper Left-bank and others). Diagnosed micromorphological features of different soil formation processes in Pleistocene and Holocene soils made it possible to identify genetic types of fossil soils and, accordingly, to trace the evolution of natural changes over time.

For the paleogeographic reconstructions of the Holocene, within certain areas, we also used a geoarchaeological approach, the essence of which is to study the buried ('preserved') soil under a certain dated archaeological site and compare its features with modern soil background. In particular, the buried Holocene soils within the Bilsk hillfort (2600-2400 BP), Storozhove mound complex (4100 BP, 3800 BP, 1600 BP, 300 BP) (Poltava region), Trypillia settlement near the village of Likareve (5800-5300 BP) (Kirovohrad region), Voitsekhivka mound complex (3600-3400 BP, 5500-5100 BP) (Zhytomyr region) and others were studied.

The reproduction of the evolutionary features of soil development is based on the results of our own field and laboratory research, as well as the analysis of materials of other researchers. The obtained results are also reflected in the form of maps of soil cover of some key areas within the modern forest-steppe zone of Ukraine for different stages of the Pleistocene (Middle Pobuzhye) (Doroshkevych, 2018) and in separate Holocene chrono intervals (forest-steppe Dnieper Left-bank) (Matviishyna, Kushnir, 2018).

Doroshkevych S.P. (2018). *The nature of the Middle Pobuzhya in the Pleistocene according to the study of fossil soils*. Kyiv: Naukova dumka, 175.

Matviishyna Zh.M., Kushnir A.S. (2018). *Geoarchaeological approach in paleosoil research of archeological monuments*. Ukrainian Geographical Journal, 4: 10-15.

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PLEISTOCENE LANDSCAPE HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE DNIEPER RIVER VALLEY
(UKRAINE) BASED ON LOESS COVER STUDIES

Przemysław Mroczek¹ · Maria Łanczont¹ · Maryna Komar² · Jerzy Nawrocki¹ · Karol Standzikowski¹ · Beata Hołub¹ · Oleksyi Krokhmal³ · Kateryna Derevska⁴

¹Maria Curie-Skłodowska University · ²National Museum of Natural History · ³Institute of Geological Sciences, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine · ⁴Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

The contemporary landscape of the Middle Dnieper Valley is characterized by pronounced asymmetry on both sides of a wide flood plain now occupied by dam reservoirs. The high and steep right bank – the edge of the hilly plateau of the Dnieper Upland, contrasts with the left bank – gently sloping and low of the Dnieper Terraced Plain. In this area, loess-soil sequences with thicknesses up to 50 m are widespread. The role of the stratigraphic marker horizon is played by the moraine of the Dnieper glaciation (Saalian). Loess and loess-glacial sequences constitute an important record of paleoenvironmental dynamics and valuable long-term archives of Pleistocene landscape development in the area, the record continuity has great potential for correlation on a continental scale.

Here we discuss the sedimentary record exposed in several sites located on both sides of the river using multi-proxy tools. The greatest dynamics of landscape changes in the Middle Dnieper Valley was characterized by the period of advance, stagnation and recession of the glacial lobe. The different morphological-dynamic situation of the ice sheet of the marginal zone on both sides of the river is the reason for the different altitude of the glacial till exceeding 100 m. This situation reflected locally different accumulation conditions of loess sediments east and west of the river accumulated before, during, and after glaciation of the area. The complete cycle of events accompanying the entry of the glacial lobe into the lower Sula River valley, left Dnieper tributary, is recorded in the Klishchintsi section, where the phases of transformation of the aeolian/loess landscape into the glacial one and vice versa can be precisely distinguished.

The post-recession loess-soil sequences are characterized by a complex layering, with locally discontinuous soil horizons that wedge out in the elevated areas. They represent successive stages of transformation of the original glacial landscape by erosional processes and aeolian sedimentation, which took place after the period of stabilization and formation of soil cover. The Pleistocene landscape after deglaciation was characterized by a mosaic of steppe and subordinately tundra with small patches of cold-tolerant trees and shrubs in sheltered areas; the vegetation cover diversified at the end of the glacial period. Interglacial periods were characterized by the lack of complete forestation; rich grassland communities played a significant role in the vegetation cover, but in the right bank of the Middle Dnieper Area the occurrence of deciduous trees was greater.

Research carried out as part of the grant of National Science Centre, Poland as the project no. 2018/31/B/ST10/01507 entitled "Global, regional and local factors determining the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental record in the Ukrainian loess-soil sequences along the Dnieper River Valley - from the proximal areas to the distal periglacial zone".

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LANDSCAPE CHANGE EXPERIENCES IN AN INNER-GERMAN BORDER AREA
(EICHSFELD) USING HISTORICAL MAPS – BETWEEN DIVISION AND REUNIFICATION
AND FUTURE TASKS

Marco Neubert

Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development

The inner-German border area is characterized by an eventful history, which resulted in extensive land use changes. After the Second World War, the division of Germany and the development of massive, almost impassable border fortifications with additional, frontier zones with restrictions took place from 1945 onwards. The main driver of changes in land use during the socialist GDR period was agriculture (collectivization, intensification, mechanization, chemization, melioration, etc.) (URANIA-Bildungsgesellschaft Eichsfeld, 2003), e.g. leading to an almost complete loss of wetland areas.

With the opening of the inner-German border on November 9, 1989, and reunification on October 3, 1990, new processes became spatially effective. The previously peripheral region was suddenly of central importance and many developments were caught up. This concerned in particular the restoration of the previously interrupted, connecting technical infrastructure (especially road and highway connections). The border fortifications were almost completely dismantled and these areas now form the ‘Green Belt’ nature conservation project in the area formerly known as the ‘Death Strip’ (BUND, 2021). The agricultural structures, on the other hand, remained almost unchanged.

The research is exemplified by the rural Eichsfeld region in the heart of Germany, the tri-border area of Thuringia, Hesse and Lower Saxony. To picture the development of division and reunification including the resulting and accompanying land-use changes historical maps and digital data in scale of 1:25,000 in five stages from 1939 till 2014 have been analyzed using GIS (Kim, Neubert, 2018, 2019). The backward editing method (Kienast et al., 1991) was used to digitalize land use features (polygons and lines) by respective overlaying and editing. Thus, the changes can easily being located and quantified.

BUND (2021). *The BUND connects the Green Belt – Long-term work for a vision.* Available from: https://www.bund.net/fileadmin/user_upload_bund/publikationen/gruenes_band/gruenes_band_green_b_elt_jubilaeum_broschuere.pdf

Kienast F. et al. (1991). *Analyse raum-zeitlicher Daten mit einem Geographischen Informationssystem*. Berichte der Eidgenössischen Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft 328, 36.

Kim O.S., Neubert M. (2018). *Construction of a historical map database as a basis for analyzing land-use and land-cover changes, exemplified by the Korean Demilitarized zone and inner-German green belt (part 1).* Sejong, Korea: Korea Environment Institute.

Kim O.S., Neubert M. (2019): *Construction of a historical map database as a basis for analyzing land-use and land-cover changes, exemplified by the Korean Demilitarized zone and inner-German green belt (part 2).* Sejong, Korea: Korea Environment Institute.

URANIA-Bildungsgesellschaft Eichsfeld (2003). *Die Entwicklung der Landwirtschaft des Landkreises Eichsfeld im Zeitraum von 1945 bis 2000*. Germany: Worbis.

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# LIVESTOCK GRAZING IN TEMPERATE FORESTS REVISITED – WHAT DOES SCIENCE KNOW AND WHAT CAN BE LEARNT FROM HISTORICAL LITERATURE?

Kinga Öllerer¹,² · Zsolt Molnár¹ · László Demeter¹ · Anna Varga³ · Andrea Dénes⁴ · Alexander Fehér⁵ · Alen Kiš⁶ · Klára Szabados⁶ · Marianna Biró¹

¹Centre for Ecological Research · ²Institute of Biology, Romanian Academy · ³University of Pécs · ⁴Janus Pannonius Múseum · ⁵Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra · ⁶Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province

Multifunctionality is an important aspect of historical forest use and included livestock grazing for centuries. Still, highly increased stocking rates, development of forestry and reduction of forested areas have led to overall restriction and even total ban of forest grazing in many European countries from the mid-19th century onward. While our knowledge on the traditional practice of this land-use is limited, there is an increasing recognition that it can be more finely tuned between the extremes of intensive grazing and total ban of livestock. Properly managed, targeted livestock grazing has been shown to benefit forest management and biodiversity, maintaining a cultural practice generating income for local communities.

Our objective was to review the current scientific literature and historical knowledge on livestock grazing in forests in order to assess the contemporary relevance of traditional silvopastoral practices to biodiversity management. We conducted a broad literature review, addressing both recent (Web of Science) and historical publications (prior to mid-20th century), in this second category focusing on the Carpathian Basin.

We identified 71 recent and over 160 relevant historical publications, covering mainly the 17th century–present period. Both source types concur that livestock can cause significant damage to tree seedlings, but provide examples that if done with care, under the surveillance of a competent herder, grazing can also support forest management. We found over 960 historical records mentioning effects of grazing by livestock in forests. These records present cases of cattle and sheep grazing applied for weed control in plantations, facilitating the regeneration of target tree species, by favouring seed germination through trampling and grazing out competitors. Pig grazing was used to prepare the soil for acorns, thus favouring oak regeneration. Reported effects varied greatly depending on forest type and stocking levels, livestock species and age, availability of alternative forage, grazing season, herder attitude and other activities taking place in the forest.

We argue that considerate livestock grazing can contribute to increased patchiness and habitat diversity resulting from a reduction in the cover of monodominant shrubs and pioneer vegetation, leading to higher diversity of herbaceous vegetation. While recent experiments mainly focus on intensive grazing vs. non-grazing situations, several historical sources provide recommendations for the practice of careful forest grazing. We thus urge the use of historical literature as a complementary source for developing tradition-based innovative nature conservation management methods. Widening the temporal scale of our understanding on the benefits and dis-benefits of livestock grazing in forests would support their multifunctional use.

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FORESTS OF THE EEMIAN INTERGLACIAL AND THEIR CLIMATE-DRIVEN CHANGES
WITH NO HUMAN INTERFERENCE

Irena Agnieszka Pidek¹ · Anneli Poska²,³ · Anna Hrynowiecka⁴ · Dorota Brzozowicz⁵ · Marcin Żarski⁴

¹Maria Curie-Skłodowska University · ²Tallin University of Technology · ³Lund University · ⁴Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute · ⁵University of Lodz

The aim of the study was to estimate the range of forest cover variability in Central Poland during the Eemian Interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5e; dated to ca. 127,200-109,500 BP acc. to Brauer et al., 2007). High resolution pollen records are available for several profiles of the fossil lakes in the region of the Garwolin Plain, which allowed for a detailed reconstruction of changes in forest composition through 17 thousand years without any anthropogenic influence. The combination of the plant indicator method and the modern analogue technique helped to estimate also several climate variables. Special attention was paid to the interglacial optimum consisting of three phases: oak-, hazel- and hornbeam-dominated forests (acc. to Mamakowa, 1989) and to the transition between Middle- and Late-Eemian. The latter is characterized by the drastic fall of deciduous trees and the predominance of conifers: fir, spruce, and finally pine.

The results suggest that highest total precipitation was observed in the hazel phase, and this was
followed by a decrease in temperature in the Late Eemian together with a significant drop in
precipitation. It coincided with a marked lowering of the water level in lakes and their transformation
into different types of marshlands. The last part of the Eemian is characterized by a further
decreasing temperature, particularly during the coldest month. Rising water levels due to a
combination of lower evaporation and higher air humidity was noted.

Research financed by the National Science Centre in Poland project No. 2017/27/B/ST10/01905.

Brauer A. et al. (2007). *Evidence for last interglacial chronology and environmental change from Southern Europe*. Proceedings of the National Acad. of Sci., 104: 450-455.

Mamakowa K. (1989). *Late Middle Polish Glaciation, Eemian and Early Vistulian vegetation at Imbramowice near Wrocław and the pollen stratigraphy of this part of the Pleistocene in Poland*. Acta Palaeobot., 29: 11-176.

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# IDENTIFICATION OF TOURISTIC ROUTES AND CREATION OF HERITAGE MAPS FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE. THE HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE OF THE LEONARDO DA VINCI'S GIOCONDA

Francesco Piras · Beatrice Fiore · Mauro Agnoletti

University of Florence

With the growing attention to historical landscapes, it becomes necessary to study and promote rural areas neglected in the recent past and considered less important or disadvantaged due to their reduced economic performance, but that still preserve peculiar features that be crucial for the valorization of these areas.

This study deals with the enhancement of one of these landscapes, the Valmarecchia. This valley, located in central Italy, is characterized by pastures and forest in the upper part and by agricultural areas divided by hedgerows in the central part. Traditional agricultural activities, which due to the local territory morphology are necessarily non-intensive, are unable to support the local economy. However, these practices have contributed to the formation of an extremely varied and unique landscape. Moreover, the widespread presence of castles and historical tows, together with a peculiar morphology, creates a landscape of significant historical and cultural importance, that some researchers identify with the one represented in the background of Leonardo da Vinci's Gioconda.

The study has been commissioned by the Local Action Group with the aim of promoting rural tourism and to strengthen the links between the historical built heritage (villages and castles) and the historical rural landscape. The research is based on the VASA (Historical and Environmental Approach) methodology, that is the official methodology chosen by the Italian Ministry for Agricultural Policies for the inscription in the National Register of Historical Rural Landscapes. This methodology, based on the multitemporal analysis of the landscape, allows to identify the historical features of the territory, their evolution and the measurement of the level of integrity of the historical landscape, representing a fundamental tool for landscape planning at local level.

The results of the comparison between 1976 and 2019, allowed to identify the territory portions that still preserve the traditional landscape structures more intact, in order to enhance the touristic sector through the identification of specific routes. The applied methodology, based on open source resources, led to the production of Heritage Maps, cartographic representations of the territory, that highlights both the cultural and rural heritage of the valley, promoting the knowledge of the close relationship existing between historic villages, castles, museums and the agricultural, forest and pastoral features. Moreover, specific touristic routes have been identified, in order to facilitate the access and the fruition of the most significant parts of the rural territory.
# EXPLORING HOW SOCIOECONOMIC SYSTEMS AFFECT VEGETATION: THE CASE OF THE SUMMIT FOREST OF GRAN CANARIA (SPAIN) DURING THE 20TH CENTURY

Aarón M. Santana-Cordero

University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Landscapes evolve over time according to regional/local socioeconomic and environmental settings. During the 20th century, the agrarian-based socioeconomic system of the Canary Islands (Spain) was replaced with one based fundamentally on tourism. Under the former system, natural and rural countryside landscapes were exploited through an agrarian economy which most notably involved intensive deforestation, while under the latter (from the 1960s onwards) the main economic activities were progressively relocated to coastal zones. This triggered a revaluation of the coasts and the progressive abandonment of crop cultivation in other parts of the island. Additionally, in the 1987 the Canary Government increased the protection of natural and rural environments and the trajectory of landscapes changed course. The aim of this work is to study the changes in vegetation cover associated to land uses of the landscape of the summit of Gran Canaria (Spain), which has an extension of 2224 ha and is about 1550 m above sea level. The main data, derived from vegetation maps from the 1998 and cultural heritage elements (CHEs) of the 20th century, were used to model land uses through the Voronoi method.

A nearest neighbour analysis that was calculated over CHE points yielded a value of 0.45, indicating that the variable displays a strong spatial concentration. Land use intensity (LUI) was calculated by counting the number of CHEs per km². Results showed that high LUI values were concentrated in the north and south-east sectors of the study area. No patterns were detected when relating LUI and vegetation structure (grassland, shrubland and trees). Approximately, half of each LUI degree is constituted by trees. No patterns were also detected when relating land use types and vegetation structure. Finally, a comparison of current and potential vegetation in terms of structure showed that trees were the dominant vegetation (53.85% and 98.95%, respectively). Apart from natural recolonisation, other drivers in the evolution of the vegetation need to be taken into account, including the protected status of the area since 1987 and reforestation tasks.

The findings of this research demonstrate that land uses strongly modify vegetation dynamics. The most important findings are the non-existence of spatial patterns in vegetation and the significant differences between current and potential vegetation.

The main conclusions are that human activities have not resulted in defined spatial patterns in vegetation structure and that, in this case, an anthropized landscape shows more biodiversity than a natural one (potential vegetation).

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# DIVERSITY OF HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE STRUCTURES AND WAYS OF THEIR IDENTIFICATION

Marketa Santruckova

Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening

Historical landscape structures play very important role for biodiversity conservation and we could find great variety of these structures in landscapes. Origin of the historical landscape structures is in traditional agriculture, forestry, small scale industry, water management, landscape designing, etc. We can assume that human activities in the landscape in past produced many landscape structures. When these historical landscape structures are still function or visible in the landscape and are not destroyed by modern intensive human activities, we could identify historical cultural landscapes based on the preserved landscape structures.

The paper presents two main points. First, sources and methods how to identify historical landscape structures on the national level will be present. We suggest how to excerpt different geographical databases, such as CORINE Land Cover or the fundamental base of geographic data (of the Czech Republic) that are available on national or European level and which features are important for identification of historical cultural landscapes. Our method is proposed for the first identification historical cultural landscapes on national level and gives us preliminary results about existence of the historical landscape structures. It is relatively easy for data preparation and processing.

Second, diversity of the historical cultural landscapes based on the cluster analysis of historical landscape structures will be present in the paper. We propose several general categories for methodological framing historical cultural landscape studies. These general categories are useful for both, nature and heritage conservation because different historical landscape structures and landscapes need different (intensity of) management.
CHARCOAL PRODUCTION IN MEDIEVAL CENTRAL EUROPE AND ITS
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

Michał Słowiński¹ · Krzysztof Szewczyk¹ · Agnieszka Halaś¹ · Jerzy Jonczak² · Agnieszka Mroczkowska¹ · Dominika Łuców¹ · Sandra Słowińska¹ · Sebastian Tyszkowski¹ · Anna Kowalska¹ · Ewa Kołaczkowska¹ · Paweł Swoboda³ · Aleksandra Chojancka⁴ · Tomasz Ważny⁴ · Barbara Gumińska-Nowak⁴ · Mateusz Kramkowski¹ · Cezary Kardasz⁴ · Vincenzo Barbarino⁵ · Agnieszka M. Noryśkiewicz⁴ · Bogusława Kruczkowska⁵ · Dariusz Brykała¹ · Tomasz Związek¹

¹Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences · ²Warsaw University of Life Sciences · ³Institute of Polish Language, Polish Academy of Sciences · ⁴Nicolaus Copernicus University · ⁵Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Charcoal in the Middle Ages and early modern was an important economic resource in Central and Eastern European countries. Charcoal production causes severe consequences of the vegetation compositions, soil properties, microclimate, hydrology and finally erosion that, in turn, affects adjacent lakes and peatlands ecosystems. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how charcoal hearths functioned and what role they played in the evolution of medieval and early modern landscapes. Therefore, for this purpose we have combined historical, paleoecological, onomastics, phytosociological, microclimatic, dendrological and soil science data. Our preliminary results show intermediate disturbance connected with charcoal hearths operation affected the short-term and long-term changes in the ecosystems, which had a cascading nature. This research addresses the emerging issue of the impact of charcoal hearths legacies of past human activity and the impact of shaping trajectory of landscape transformation during medieval and early modern period.

*This project is funded by the Polish National Science Centre (No. 2018/31/B/ST10/02498).*
# INDICATORS AND DRIVERS OF CHANGES IN SLOVAK AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE

Jana Špulerová · Zita Izakovičová

Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences

The current land use is the result of a long-term historical development and represents the real use of the landscape by human society. Various socio-economic, technical or political drivers have caused land use changes. The aim of the paper is to evaluate land use changes in the Slovak republic over the last 100 years, to identify key periods of land-management practices and prevailing drivers, based on the various indicators.

We organized a workshop with guided brainstorming to identify individual eras of agricultural development and their impacts, as well as selection of the most important indicators reflecting the land use changes. The workshop was attended by 25 experts and stakeholders in agriculture, who were representatives of scientific organizations, department organizations in the scope of agriculture, NGOs as well as representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In total, we identified five main periods of agricultural landscape development and specified the characteristic landscape structure. Indicators for measuring changes in the agricultural landscape and its effects on the landscape, biodiversity, agriculture, socio-economic environment and rural life were used for characterization of main development trends.

Knowledge of the basic drivers of land use change as well as knowledge of impacts is important to develop effective policies and to ensure effective protection of the values of a traditional agricultural landscape.

This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV-17-0377: Assessment of recent changes and trends in agricultural landscape of Slovakia) and by the Integrated Infrastructure Operational Program funded by the ERDF (ITMS2014+ 313011W580 – Scientific support of climate change adaptation in agriculture and mitigation of soil degradation).
FROM FLOODPLAIN TO REPETITIVE FLOOD AREA: LANDSCAPE CHANGE OF THE FLOODPLAIN IN THE LOWER YOM RIVER BASIN IN KONG SUB-DISTRICT, THAILAND

Pakkasem Tongchai¹ · Danai Thaitakoo²,³ · Ignacio Ortinez¹ · Asan Suwanarit³

¹Urban Climate Resilient Infrastructure + Strategic Planning (UCRISP) · ²Chulalongkorn University · ³Thammasat University

The floodplain in the Lower Yom River Basin has been misidentified by a number of governmental agencies as a “repetitive flood area”. This misrecognition leads to ecological mismanagement of the floodplain. To recognize aptly the floodplain, we need to understand its ecological history. This research uses a historical ecology approach to study the structure, function, and changes, from both natural and human, in the floodplain of the Lower Yom River, specifically in the Kong sub-district.

This research use data from geographic information systems, such as geomorphological maps, past and present topographic maps, high-resolution digital terrain map, and satellite images, combined with information from research on the landscape's physical geography, flora and fauna, and local community, to understand the structure, function, and changes in the floodplain. We also interviewed a sample of the local population.

The floodplain in the Lower Yom River Basin is situated at the bottom of Thailand's Upper Central Plain. This characteristic leads to annual inundation during raining season. In this period, the floodplain becomes the natural habitat for aquatic fauna which are essential to the livelihood of locals in Kong sub-district for many generations. However, the floodplain habitats in the floodplain including brushwood, grasslands, shrublands, and swamps have decreased significantly, from 64% in 1959 to 2% percent in 2011. This change occurs in conjunction with a decrease in water surface area and an increase in rice fields, roads, dikes, and levees.

Rice Intensification Program implemented by the government leads to the transformation of forest areas into off-season rice fields. With the rice fields expanding extensively, the natural inundation events turned into a "flood disaster" and the floodplain becomes the "repetitive flood area". Being categorized as such, the management of the floodplain by the government focuses heavily on creating flood control infrastructure. These changes are the cause of the decrease in water surface area and so disrupt the dynamic process in the floodplain. This may harm the flora and fauna depending on the ecosystem services provided by the process, which could lead to further negatively affect the livelihoods of the local population in Kong sub-district.

The development policies implemented by the government, especially the Rice Intensification Program, lead to the expansion of irrigation and flood control infrastructure. The natural process within the floodplain becomes a problem with a solution that ends up deteriorating the natural abundance of the floodplain. The management without understanding leads to the decrease in water surface area and the disruption of the floodplain's dynamic processes. Ecosystem services, which are the process' products, are then also disrupted. Lives dependent upon the services could in turn be harmed by this management.

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# A POLICY ANALYSIS ON SECURING TENURIAL RIGHTS OVER ANCESTRAL DOMAIN: CASE OF AGTA-DUMAGAT TRIBE OF POLILLO ISLANDS

Leajim Villanueva · Merlyne Paunlagui

University of the Philippines

The importance of the issue of tenure is associated with the bundle of rights it accorded to holders ranging from access and use rights to management, exclusion, and alienation (Larson et al., 2010). In the absence of it, Indigenous People (IP) are without the legal right to access, withdraw, manage, exclude and alienate. Therefore, the issue of tenure towards their ancestral domain is central to the IP's struggle to be recognized and to have their rights respected (Erasga, 2008).

The study was conducted to do the following: (1) describe the implementation of Indigenous People's Rights Act (IPRA) relative to Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) application of Agta Dumagat Tribe within Polillo Islands, 2) determine the Institutional, Political and Social influences to policy reform, and (3) identify the strategic responses based from the analysis. The macro and meso level analysis of the policy reform on the tenurial instrument for the ancestral domain of the IP communities using the case of Polillo had been helpful in understanding the intricacies of the political, social, and economic environment of the country which influences how policy perform at the ground level. While IPRA law was hailed as a 'landmark legislation' which challenged for the first time, the western conception of land ownership, however, the implementation arm, the NCIP, had been wanting, resources wise, to fully promote the recognition on the rights of the IPs to their ancestral domain. In the case of Polillo, assistance from other institutions had been helpful to facilitate the application. However, the limitations of these kinds of support and their sustainability remain a cause of the struggle.

Further, the result shows that support from civil society organizations and the local government unit helped with completing 15 steps of the CADT process. The challenge has been negotiating with other mandated agencies the extent and scope of the Ancestral Domain given that there is already existing tenure in the area. NCIP provincial officer pointed out that the bottleneck in the application has always been this part of the process, the issue of common projection. Based on the analysis, there are recommended strategic responses relating to social inclusion, empowerment, accessing funding opportunities, advocacy, and increase of NCIP visibility with the Local Government Unit to ensure sustained support all throughout the process of application.

Larson A.M. et al. (Eds.) (2010). *Forests for People*. London: Earthscan Ltd.

Erasga D. (2008). *Ancestral Domain Claim: People in Muslim. The Case of the Indigenous People Mindanao (ARMM)*. Asia-Pacific Soc. Scien. Rev., 8(1): 33-44.

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# RECONSTRUCTION OF THE HYDROGRAPHIC NETWORK IN JELENIA GÓRA BASIN (SW POLAND) AS A TOOL OF GEOHAZARDS PREDICTION AND PROPER SPATIAL PLANNING

Iwo Wieczorek · Agnieszka Latocha-Wites

University of Wrocław

Reconstruction of historical landscape based on archival maps provides us with important information about location and usage of various landscape elements by humans in the past. Especially the analysis of past hydrographic network gives us an opportunity to study how humans dealt with geohazards such as floods, and how they used water resources in the past. The aim of the study was to reconstruct the changes in hydrography in the Jelenia Góra basin in the Sudetes Mountains since the 18th century, and to assess the importance of these findings for prediction of potential geohazards and for proper spatial planning.

In our research we used maps made by Ludwig Regler in scale ca. 1:24,000 (1764-1770), topographic maps Messtischblatt 1:25,000 (1919-1944), topographic maps 1965 1:25,000 (1975-1986), The National Database of Topographic Objects 1:10,000 (2015) and a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of 1 m resolution (2015). By digitalising the hydrographic network presented in each set of maps we acquired a quantitative data of an area, length and location of different hydrographic objects. Next they were compared with the database from 2015 and with the theoretical hydrological model based on the DTM.

Results of the cartographic analysis has been additionally checked during field work which allowed us to verify the information about usage of different parts of Jelenia Góra basin nowadays and also to identify the possible marks of past exploitation of water resources. The largest area covered by ponds was observed at the end of the 18th century what is connected with well-developed fish farming. At the beginning of the 20th century the situation has diametrically changed – the area of ponds has decreased measurably but the total length of rivers has increased. Till nowadays, number of ponds and total length of rivers has increased again. All of these changes are strictly related to human activity in different times.

The study area was subject to changing human impact on the environment in the last 250 years, which is well presented by the changes in the hydrography. The knowledge on past usage and management of water resources, for example the assessment of the location of historical ponds or old riverbeds, can help us to indicate places which are under risk of geohazards, such as floods or ground subsidence, which is an important information for future spatial planning. Additionally, the understanding of past functioning of the water system can help to better adapt to the current environmental challenges, such as flash floods or droughts, by re-using the historic water infrastructure or to reconstruct the former one, for example by extending the number of water bodies.

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# 5. Planning future landscapes

## Future landscape development: forecast, visions and scenarios

### Symposium organisers

Michał Sobala (University of Silesia in Katowice), Krzysztof Badora (Opole University), Urszula Myga-Piątek (University of Silesia in Katowice), Katarzyna Pukowiec-Kurda (University of Silesia in Katowice), Anna Żemła-Siesicka (University of Silesia in Katowice)

### Summary

Contemporary global processes are the factors that have consequences in landscape transformation. They can be analysed at various spatial levels: local, regional and global, which determines the accuracy and probability of predictions. Predicting landscape changes is challenging. Despite some difficulties concerning that issue, it seems obvious to try to predict what the landscape in the future will be. This session focuses on presenting the results of research on that issue – the prognosis for landscape development.

### Description

Global demographic, social, cultural, political and economic changes that are developing ever more quickly, and also the disturbing effects of climate change are the factors that are likely to have consequences for dynamic landscapes' transformation in the immediate future. These transformations will take place at a different rate in many parts of the world. Therefore, determining them should take place at various spatial levels: local, regional and global. These spatial scales will determine the accuracy and probability of the predictions that are made.

A detailed study of the effects of driving forces determines the high probability of an accurate assessment of future landscape effects. What is more, it makes distinguishing between visions and high-precision scenarios possible.

Predicting landscape changes is challenging and has so far been undertaken very rarely in research. Nevertheless, it is a vital element of theoretical scientific research. There are many difficulties arising primarily from the need to take into account a large number of variables. These variables are often difficult to determine. The magnitude and direction of future driving forces that determine the dynamics and pace of landscape changes are unknown. Furthermore, it is also impossible to predict all the future driving forces in accordance with the current state of knowledge. Nevertheless, these difficulties do not exempt scientists from attempting to create scenarios for the development of future landscapes. It seems obvious to develop the prognosis for landscape development and to try to predict what the landscape in the future will be.

This subject area includes:

* analysing the driving forces that will affect landscape changes at various spatial levels (local, regional and global),

* analysing possible directions of the transformation of cultural landscapes – case studies,

* estimating the pace and dynamics of landscape changes.
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON EXTENT OF TREE CROP PLANTATIONS IN
SOUTHEAST ASIA

Jonas Appelt¹ · Thatheva Saphangthong² · Žiga Malek¹ · Jasper van Vliet¹ · Peter Verburg¹

¹Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · ²Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Perennial tree crop plantations are some of the dominating landscape types in Southeast Asia. Together, coconut, oil palm and rubber plantations take up 8% of the total land area and 31% of the existing cropland in the region, while they contribute to agricultural livelihoods of millions of people. Expansion of tree crop plantations has been a significant driver of ecological transformation in recent decades, causing loss of natural areas and biodiversity across the region. At the same time, they are an integral part of the national and local economies, contributing to the livelihood of local households. Climate change has the potential to drastically affect local agricultural landscapes and hence the societies relying on these, for better or for worse, through their impact on the conditions for crop cultivation and yields.

In this study, we use a modified EcoCrop model to create a 1 km resolution map of crop suitability for coconut, oil palm and rubber in Southeast Asia under current and future conditions, based on projected climate data from a suite of Generalized Circulation Models. This mapping is used to assess how changes in climate variables will impact their suitability under different climate scenarios, as well as the agricultural landscapes they are part of.

We find that projected increases to temperature and rainfall in the insular parts of Southeast Asia will decrease the suitability of the existing production areas of coconut and oil palms, while increasing temperature in the mainland parts of the region will improve suitability for many existing rubber areas. Loss of suitability for existing coconut areas can be expected in Indonesia and to a lesser extent in the Philippines, which may cause a move of production northward, to parts of Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Areas with existing oil palm plantations will generally see decreasing suitability, in particular in southern Sumatra, but with little increase in suitability on the mainland. Climate change may therefore further exacerbate the pressure on natural landscapes in the insular parts of Southeast Asia, with large oil palm producers looking to move production to frontier areas in Borneo and New Guinea. In the mainland parts of the region, improvement in rubber suitability may be advantageous for both smallholder and larger plantation producers in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand. However, it is not clear if increasing suitability of rubber in these areas will keep up with increasing demand. Based on these data we can project that climate will increasingly be a limiting factor for perennial tree crops in certain parts of Southeast Asia, and this may induce significant movement of production towards other landscapes in the region that are currently predominantly natural.

<figure><img src="image_152.png" /></figure>
# THE GEOGRAPHY OF MEGATRENDS AFFECTING EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE

Niels Debonne¹ · Matthias Bürgi² · Vasco Diogo² · Julian Helfenstein³ · Felix Herzog³ ·

Christian Levers¹ · Franziska Mohr² · Rebecca Swart¹ · Peter Verburg¹ · Tim Williams¹

¹Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · ²Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research · ³Agroscope

The future of European rural regions is highly dynamic and contested. Megatrends – long-term driving forces that are observable today and will likely have transformational potential in the future – are building up pressure towards transformational change. However, Europe is highly diverse, and different sets and intensities of megatrends are present in different regions. Additionally, the likely impacts of these megatrends can range from reinforcing a systemic lock-in, to driving desirable or undesirable transformations.

Climate change, demographic changes, (post-) productivism shifts, and the decreasing environmental action space are four megatrends that we identified to be relevant and highly variable across Europe. The megatrend direction and intensity differs by region. In our research, we map these megatrends, analyze where they coincide, and explore the potential system responses. We find that in most European regions, megatrends are converging towards instability, meaning that the current status quo is being undermined by megatrends. In other regions, megatrends combine to reinforce the current system (persistence), or to make it unviable (marginalization).

This study is a novel approach towards continental-scale explorations of the future of landscapes because we explicitly look at drivers of change that have a less well understood theory of change but which are expected to become engines of systemic change in the future nonetheless. For example, it is still speculative what the exact impacts of climate change could be on rural regions, but we can assume that these trends will be among the most impactful dynamics in the future. This study is currently under review in Global Environmental Change.

An already visible outcome of demographic change is that a shrinking supply of farm labor is being supplanted by migrant labor in a process that we call the ‘Californisation’ of European agriculture. In a study, we use COVID-19 related newspaper articles on labor shortages due to border closures, in combination with existing data, to map californisation across Europe, establish its trends, and analyze the role of Californisation as a force of landscape change. We find that, in most countries, the use of migrant labor is increasing, and this can lead to very rapid intensification processes that would not be possible without californisation.

Lastly, environmental actions space denotes the increasing stringency of environmental regulations and the increasing difficulty for farmers to meet these regulations. This research is ongoing, and will map, for Europe, where and to what extent regions are overshooting a range of sustainability targets. In discussing the various sustainability targets that are being proposed by different actors, this research moves from forecasts and scenarios to visions.

<figure><img src="image_153.png" /></figure>
# FILLING A GAP IN DOURO PROTECTED AREAS NETWORK. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CREATION OF THE LOWER SABOR NATURAL REGIONAL PARK

Cláudia Fernandes · Margarida Medeiros · Rita Raposo · Paulo Farinha Marques · Pedro Beja · Nuno Ferrand

University of Porto

The Douro is a unique region of deep valleys and Mediterranean character, nestled between two important Portuguese mountains and the Iberian plateau. The original geological, morphological, and climatic characteristics allow for the survival of an extraordinary diversity of plants and animals, which is why this territory has been occupied, since prehistoric times, by successive waves of people who have gradually left their mark creating today a unique and valuable landscape.

The originality of this territory and richness of natural and cultural values have led to an impressive extension of various protected areas. Douro region currently encompasses, wholly or in part: (1) the Alto Douro Wine Region (ADV), a UNESCO Evolutive and Living cultural landscape, (2) the Côa Valley Archaeological Park, also a UNESCO world heritage protected landscape, (3) the Tua Valley Natural Park, (4) several Natura 2000 sites, (5) the Faia Brava, the first Portuguese private protected area, and also a pilot area for the European Project Rewilding Europe, (6) the Douro International Nature Park, and (6) the Meseta Ibérica Transfrontier Biosphere Reserve.

These protected areas face distinct challenges and have conservation strategies, governance tools, and development goals that are not always convergent. Managing facing such complexity demands a holistic and integrated vision and the definition of a framework to enable best practices in sustainable landscape planning and management. Here we propose the design of a connectivity corridor on the east-west axis in which all the tributaries of the Douro river are included. This system of connectivity routes, internally and with neighbouring landscapes, brings together the best-preserved continuums of each protected area and allows gaps identification in that connection.

The methodology involved identifying and mapping using ArcGIS the biophysical characteristics of each protected area and natural and cultural heritage attributes. The territorial management instruments in force for each protected area were also analysed and compared. It was thus possible to demarcate a connected network of protected areas – the Douro Valleys Park and identify a critical gap between the lower Sabor and Côa with the Douro river that should be filled with the creation of a regional natural park similar to the one existing for the Tua river.

The proposed network of protected landscapes confirms the need for this landscape to have a unique identity, with the conviction that this will contribute to reducing the asymmetries that have been seen in the Douro region concerning the various conservation statutes and protected areas classifications and management models.

<figure><img src="image_154.png" /></figure>
LANDSCAPE CHANGES AND ITS DRIVING FORCES IN THREE LOWER SILESIAN COMMUNES – JELENIA GÓRA, MYSŁAKOWICE AND KĄTY WROCŁAWSKIE IN POLAND – CURRENT TRENDS AND FUTURE PROJECTIONS

Piotr Krajewski · Iga Kołodyńska · Monika Lebiedzińska · Karolina Birnbaum

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences

A crucial element in the analysis of the driving forces of landscape change is the collection of data on the physical transformations of landscapes, as well as information on the causes of these changes as indicated by the public. Only having full knowledge of the types of transformations and their perception by the residents allows to competently plan changes in the following years. Combining social research with analysis of the history of landscape transformation is now the basis for identifying the driving forces of landscape change.

The main objective of the study was to characterize landscape transformation in the period 2005-2020, which includes the time after Poland's accession to the European Union, and to identify its current and possible future driving forces through social research – surveys and face-to-face interviews. Three communes from Lower Silesia in Poland were selected as study areas: the city of Jelenia Góra, the rural commune of Mysłakowice and the urban-rural commune of Kąty Wrocławskie. Research areas were selected because of the diversity of landscape types existing within their borders. Landscape changes were characterized for the periods 2005-2010, 2010-2015 and 2015-2020 in terms of the number and size of changes and types of transformations. The landscape change index (LCI) was also determined, which showed in the case of Jelenia Góra city and Mysłakowice commune, a systematic increase in the level of landscape changes in consecutive periods. The opposite situation occurred in the municipality of Kąty Wrocławskie, where the highest index was recorded for the years 2005-2010. The spatial policy of individual study areas contained in planning documents was also analyzed and the main areas of future landscape transformations were identified. Using an online survey made available to volunteers through social media and organizations associated with the study areas, proximate and underlying driving forces behind landscape change were identified and planned landscape changes were assessed. The surveys were supplemented by face-to-face interviews with local leaders, which provided a broader perspective on the identified and planned landscape changes. The research resulted in the development of a list of driving forces identified by residents as the main drivers of transformation, along with an attempt to identify forces that may affect the landscape in future years.

This research was funded by the National Science Centre, Poland, grant number 2018/31/D/HS4/00659.
COMBINING MODELS WITH SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL STUDIES FOR UNDERSTANDING
THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES IN CENTRAL EUROPE, AND OPTIONS
FOR NBS IMPLEMENTATIONS

Kinga Krauze¹ · Renata Włodarczyk-Marciniak¹ · Katarzyna Izydorczyk¹ · Wojciech Frątczak²

¹European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology, Polish Academy of Sciences · ²Marshall Office of Łódź Voivodeship

Agricultural lands in Poland have served for centuries as refuges of biodiversity, simultaneously preserving numerous supporting and regulatory ecosystem services. This has been a consequence of the land use structure favouring diversified mosaic of cultivations, rooted in local tradition and empowered by market-dismantled socialist economy.

Almost two decades after Poland's accession to European Union, we applied a cascading thresholds model by Kinzig et al. (2006) to define the regime shifts over social, economic and ecological domains and to derive the scenarios of agricultural landscape development together with the key drivers of change. The model was fed with the results of extensive socio-ecological study carried among the farmers of the Pilica River catchment (Central Poland). The additional aim of the study was to understand their attitudes towards traditional landscape elements and their decisions over future land use practices which will impact the provision of ecohydrological regulatory services. Additionally we analysed the hot-spots of nutrient leakages in the catchment applying the SWAT model, and collaboratively identified agricultural practices feasible to serve as preventive measures.

Kinzig A.P. et al. (2006). *Resilience and regime shifts: assessing cascading effects*. Ecology and Society, 11(1): 20.

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ECO-REVITALIZATION – INNOVATIVE AND ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF REVITALIZATION PROJECTS ON THE EXAMPLE OF ŁÓDŹ

Rafał Michaś

University of Lodz

The subject of the article concerns the introduction of innovative ecological solutions in implemented urban regeneration projects. The aim of the presentation is to present such practical solutions that can adapt the revitalized areas of cities to current and future climate problems, etc., to the principles of sustainable development. Presentation of the standards of design and implementation of revitalization projects on the example of Łódź in the context of preparing cities for drastically changing climatic conditions (droughts, floods, etc.) and improving the conditions for the development of the existing urban greenery and defining methods for increasing the amount of greenery in cities and most urbanized zones. Selected revitalization projects implemented in Łódź will be subject to a detailed analysis in terms of the applied ecological solutions and implementation of projects in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Topics of the paper concerning the implementation of innovative ecological solutions in implemented urban regeneration projects. The currently used solutions aimed at adapting the renovated urban spaces to the current and future climate problems, etc.

The results of the research determine the possibilities of adapting modern cities to climate change, and the implementation of regeneration projects based on the principles of sustainable development. The results of the work will determine the types of innovative ecological solutions that can be used by local governments and other entities as part of revitalization and a catalog of ecological solutions that should be used as part of urban revitalization. The conducted literature research and analysis of implemented projects confirm the need and the possibility of using ecological solutions in revitalization projects. Thanks to the preparation and implementation of revitalization in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, projects of this type respond to the current and future needs of cities in terms of adapting to climate change, increasing biodiversity or increasing the biologically active area. The results of the research confirm the need for sustainable preparation of revitalization projects, taking into account the broadly understood ecological aspect and impact on the environment.
# FORECAST CULTURAL LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS BETWEEN VISIONS AND SCENARIOS

Urszula Myga-Piątek

University of Silesia in Katowice

The evolutionary approach is quite frequently presented in cultural landscape research carried out by geographers. This makes it possible to explain the current condition of the landscape as a result of changes that took place over previous centuries. Based on historical and iconographic resources, but mainly on archive cartographic materials, it is possible to recognize differences in landscape structure over a period of time and, consequently, to identify critical events that determine the time ranges of clearly distinct stages of landscape development. Landscape forecasting is one of the aspects of the evolutionary approach and an essential element of theoretical geographical research. Such research has been highly attractive in scientific terms, especially in recent decades, when it has been supported by modern computer-aided technologies and methods, as well as GIS tools. That is why the evolutionary approach to landscape analysis is dominated by research on changes, mainly in land cover and land use in various space and time ranges.

Many practical actions, including land use and landscape protection, are based on forecasts. The landscape approach to forecasting is synthetic and holistic but also difficult. The difficulties result mainly from a number of unknown variables: the intensity of the future impact of each landscape-shaping factor that determines the dynamics and pace of landscape changes is unknown, as is the vector return in direction of their impact. The observation of a change itself, although obvious and necessary in this analysis, is not enough to fully research landscape evolution. It is very important to understand the historical contexts of the landscape as well. Analysis is only an approximate vision, not a specific and detailed development scenario. Consequently, the following question seems to be justified: is it possible to forecast landscape changes at all and is it scientifically reasonable? These basic unknowns do not stop geographers from taking up studies in the creation of possible development scenarios for future landscapes. The aim of this presentation is to outline matters related to the forecasting of cultural landscape development by defining its preconditions. It also aims to define the factors which should be taken into consideration – as highly probable – because of pre-existing detailed analytical forecasts, including climatic, demographic and economic ones. Most forecasts regarding changes in landscape-forming factors are qualitative rather than quantitative.

The important stages in forecast development involve setting explanatory variables and estimating how they will affect the components of the current landscape structure in the analyzed period, and how they will modify current processes occurring in the geosystem and social system.
# EVOLUTION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE IN POLAND – THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE CHANGE

Anna Żemła-Siesicka

University of Silesia in Katowice

The archaeological landscape is a sub-type of cultural landscape. It can be defined as a landscape in which archaeological sites of their own landform are the dominant element. The term refers to current landscapes which, historically, were transformed and which have a specific contemporary form, function, and physiognomy.

The archaeological landscapes in Poland are preserved in varying conditions, depending on the history of their discovery and the method of research carried out upon them (invasive or non-invasive). Some structures have been reconstructed after excavations, some preserved in their current condition, or not protected at all. Many of these sites are currently adapted for tourism and equipped with tourist facilities. In order to protect and correctly plan the development of these sites, it is necessary to identify the past changes that have occurred in them and to analyze both the current conditions and the directions of transformation that may happen in the future.

The aim of this research was to identify models of the evolution of archaeological landscapes based on an analysis of current landscapes and their past changes. The study was conducted on several sites with legible landscape forms – barrows and cromlechs located in different regions of Poland (dating from the Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages). Changes in land cover, as well as the main processes and threats were identified based on an analysis of historical and contemporary topographic maps and a literature review. Inventories of current developments were also taken during field visits.

Two main groups of changes were distinguished: those induced by humans and natural ones. In the first group, three models of evolution were identified, depending on the activities undertaken in relation to archaeological landforms: A. conservation of an existing form (A1. conservation of an unexcavated form, A2. conservation of an already excavated site without reconstruction), B. reconstruction of an archaeological landform (B1. partial reconstruction, B2. total reconstruction), C. abandonment (C1. abandonment of a protected form leading to its slow destruction and a possible change of land use, C2. abandonment of the tourist function – in the case of sites already adapted for tourists), D. development of tourism (D1. sustainable development – a limited number of facilities well integrated into the landscape, D2. intensive tourist infrastructure related to the site, D3. intensive tourist infrastructure with other tourist attractions, producing negative landscape effects). Two models were identified in the changes due to natural factors: E. changes related to natural hazards, e.g. storms, and F. slow, natural changes, such as climate change.

These models allowed us to determine the current stage of development of a particular archeological landscape and to identify possible scenarios of future changes. The presented results will be helpful in future landscape planning and protection.
# Planning and policy approaches for future landscapes: learning from past experiences to develop novel pathways

## Symposium organisers

Simona R. Grădinaru (University of Bucharest), Anna M. Hersperger (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research), Ana Beatriz Piërri-Daunt (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research)

## Summary

Worldwide, land transformations have contributed to amplifying environmental challenges such as depletion of food providing areas, climate change effects, or soil degradation. Efforts need to be put in improving the capacity of governments and authorities to formulate and implement policies which tackle these challenges. This symposium aims to assemble talks that discuss innovative approaches for integrating landscape ecology principles, concepts, methods into planning and policy for better addressing these challenges. We encourage papers which address all steps of the planning cycle.

## Description

Worldwide, we experience fast and profound alteration of our human and natural environment. Arguably one of the most important processes therein are land transformations and their associated impacts on the landscapes. The resulting challenges, including rapid global urbanization, depletion of green spaces and food providing areas, climate change, and soil degradation, among others, are critical in our time. It is in this context that great effort needs to be put in understanding how to improve the capacity of the worldwide governments and authorities to formulate, adopt and implement policies that tackle these challenges.

Spatial planning and policy, in its various forms ranging from integrated strategic approaches for setting long term visions to targeted policies, has been proven to influence patterns of land transformations. Thus, current environmental challenges need to be integrated into the planning agendas.

We welcome presentations which follow the general congress theme – making the future, learning from the past, and present:

* evidence on the role of planning in landscape transformations,

* lessons learned from participative/collaborative planning processes,

* novel methods through which landscape ecology could support addressing current challenges during the planning process,

* integration of landscape ecology concepts into planning and policy,

* approaches for mainstreaming ongoing challenges such as landscape changes, and food security, into planning documents,

* developing scenarios of future landscapes.

We invite papers that address various steps of the planning cycle, from goal setting to implementation and evaluation procedures. Presentations can address, for example, the role of the actors during the planning process, the efficacy of the planning instruments, or the impact of plans and policies on the landscapes. A focus on urban landscapes and the use of new tools for integrating the ecological and human dimensions within a spatial framework (e.g. digital plans) are particularly welcomed. We encourage contributions that present both theoretical endeavours and empirical results.
TOWARDS TRANSFORMATIVE LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR PEOPLE AND NATURE: A
CRITICAL REFLECTION

Christian Albert<fnref n="1" /> · Christopher M. Raymond²,³ · Marleen Buizer⁴ · Claudia Bieling⁵ · Tobias Plieninger⁶,⁷ · Blal Adem Esmail<fnref n="1" /> · Thomas Beery⁸ · Nora Fagerholm⁹ · Natalie Gulsrud¹⁰ · Maria Garcia-Martin¹¹ · Silviya Korpilo² · Anton Stahl Olafsson¹⁰ · Stefan Schmidt<fnref n="1" /> · Mario Torralba⁵ · Jingxia Wang<fnref n="1" /> · Esther Turnhout⁴,¹²

In recent decades, many landscapes in Europe and elsewhere have suffered substantial degradation that leads to loss of biodiversity and undermines the capacity of landscapes to provide essential contributions to people. It is increasingly recognized that fundamental, transformative change is required to halt these trends, and to develop landscapes towards more sustainable pathways. Landscape planning, as a forward-looking action to enhance, restore or create landscapes, could arguably take a leading position in these efforts, but must itself be re-thought to effectively support the needed transformations. This contribution aims to explore how landscape planning might be advanced to better support transformative change for nature and people.

Our starting point is a well-known transdisciplinary framework that identifies planning's
contributions to systems, target, and transformation knowledge, but may promote hindering,
technocratic approaches. We recommend that landscape planning moves away from the ambition to
develop comprehensive system knowledge and instead aims at fostering a constructive dialogue
around people-place relations. Second, we suggest target knowledge to ensure equity and justice by
aiming at provisional visions and avoiding premature consensus. Third, we propose that
transformation knowledge should link visions and people-place relations with actions, while still
allowing for disagreement and differences. We conclude that if landscape planning succeeds in
focusing on people-place relations, justice, and contestations, it can foster the connections between
knowledge and action that support transformative change.

<figure><img src="image_156.png" /></figure>

<footnote n="1">¹Ruhr University Bochum · ²University of Helsinki · ³Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences · ⁴Wageningen University & Research · ⁵University of Hohenheim · ⁶University of Kassel · ⁷University of Göttingen · ⁸Kristianstad University · ⁹University of Turku · ¹⁰University of Copenhagen · ¹¹Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research · ¹²University of Twente</footnote>
MAKING CONNECTIONS — GREEN SPACE ACCESSIBILITY AS AN INDICATOR OF WEALTH DISTRIBUTION

Tereza Aubrechtová · Ondřej Slach · Lenka Paszová · Vojtěch Bosák · Alexandr Nováček

University of Ostrava

New trends in urbanisation show on one site depopulation of the countryside, and on the other hand depopulation of city centres driven by suburbanization or peri-urbanisation. It has a negative impact either on the economic or on the social and environmental dimensions of urban areas. To avoid these negative effects, nature and its ecosystem services should be considered as a very important aspect of city attractiveness. But policy statements relating to landscape planning and urban nature restoration are rather formal or vague. Robust environmental data expressing inhabitants' quality of life are needed as a database for evidence-based strategic and further urban plans.

In our research, we focus on the accessibility of public green space as a potential donor of benefits increasing the quality of life with a special emphasis on social justice. The availability of green spaces, especially for people with low adaptation capacity (low income, elderly people), is supposed to be the main input for strategic planning and further investment plans, setting the maintenance priority. Our study aims to provide a quantitative approach to detect areas with worsened accessibility of green spaces and lower quality of life. To do so, we are using three categories of green spaces: (1) public parks in current good condition, (2) public parks in current weak condition, and (3) private greenery with a potential use.

The case study area is a central part of Ostrava city (Czechia), facing shrinkage and depopulation of the city centre. The three steps network analysis of green space (1-3) accessibility was calculated. The data of good (< 300 m), worsen (300-500 m) and bad (> 500 m) accessibility zones are combined with socio-demographic data, considering especially the number of elderly people in each zone and proportion of residential and non-residential buildings.

Based on the data, we can spatially express the wealth distribution and potential of each green space to improve the quality of life. The research method creates an analytical governance approach to set priorities for spatial planning and creates a specific dataset connecting human benefits from nature, which may result in informed and data-based landscape and urban planning incorporating aspects of ecosystem services.

<figure><img src="image_157.png" /></figure>
# MAPPING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE AREA OF PLANNED TURNICKI NATIONAL PARK

Mariusz Boćkowski · Marcin Rechciński · Joanna Tusznio · Małgorzata Grodzińska-Jurczak

Jagiellonian University

National parks (NPs) are considered core areas of ecological networks. Since 2001 there has been not created a new national park in Poland and they still cover no more than 1% of the area of the country. Mainly, this is a result of (1) legal environment (local municipalities can veto the creation of NP) and (2) negative attitudes of local inhabitants towards national parks. These two factors correspond both with the alleged conflict of interests between Polish conservationists and the forestry sector as well as with the current global debate on paradigms of nature conservation. The area of long-time planned Turnicki NP is a round-up of ongoing problems with Polish NPs and a very relevant case for studying their future perspectives.

Using the lens of ecosystem services concept, we tried to explore how: (1) various groups of local stakeholders perceive the spatial distribution of ecosystem services relevant for the quality of life of local inhabitants, (2) local stakeholders understand relationships between delivery of ecosystem services from ecosystems to human and management of local resources, and (3) the use of the concept of ecosystem services may help plan a protected area.

To assess the spatial distribution of ecosystem services according to the perceptions and knowledge of stakeholders we organized five exploratory, structured participatory mapping workshops. The results revealed a set of top five priority ecosystem services perceived by specialists of nature conservation, foresters, and three groups of local community leaders. Stakeholders brought an array of perspectives to the table. They varied in: perception of map/space, knowledge understanding of services, seeing relationships of nature and development. All participants appreciated the value of forest ecosystems as service providers. However, they differed in how those ecosystems should be utilized. The participatory mapping proved to serve very well as an introductory and exploratory stage of research on social and economic aspects of the management of natural resources. Also, the workshops showed the importance of the use of proper language and making common definitions when communicating with various groups of stakeholders on nature-related issues. The survey informed the ongoing process of research on relations between humans and nature in the area of planned Turnicki NP.

<figure><img src="image_158.png" /></figure>
# MAPPING AND CLASSIFYING PERVIOUS SURFACES AND CANOPY COVER THROUGH NDVI TO SHIFT TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING

Anna Codemo · Angelica Pianegonda · Sara Favargiotti · Rossano Albatici

University of Trento

Urban green infrastructure (UGI) has a key role in improving human and environmental health in cities. Vegetation contributes to climate adaptation and mitigation in the urban environment by providing microclimate regulation, sustainable water management and energy sustainability. An accurate UGI assessment is envisaged to manage sustainable land-use transformations and to integrate climate strategies into urban planning practices. Technological advancement and simplification of data gathering facilitate urban green areas assessment, management, and planning. Therefore, geospatial data-driven approaches may highlight potential gaps in the current urban system and address new project opportunities. Particularly, it can be a useful tool to shift from the common prescriptive approaches based on traditional zoning towards more flexible and effective urban development, by introducing ecological quality indicators and standards supporting planning decisions. The aim of the study is to contribute to the integration of UGI in current urban planning practices, by mapping and assessing urban green areas and by highlighting potential applications in the policy cycle.

Specifically, a simple process to assess and map permeability and canopy cover in urban areas is developed by using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from high spatial resolution (0.20 m) digital colour-infrared aerial imagery, and Digital Elevation Models. Spatial analyses are performed to classify urban cover, according to land use classes. Moreover, by using a sample area, the use of NDVI is tested to implement a performance-based approach. The approach is tested in the city of Trento, an alpine city in the North of Italy, characterized by an increase of soil sealing in the valley floor. The proposed method is part of the framework of the Trento Urban Transformation research project, aiming to introduce innovative and adaptive tools into current planning practices and to shift towards a performance-based planning approach.

By performing remote sensing and GIS analyses, the study provides high resolution maps of permeability and canopy cover for the Municipality of Trento; quantification of permeability and canopy cover by land use; experimentation of alternative scenarios with different mitigation strategies. Pervious surfaces and canopy cover maps are useful to geovisualize critical areas at a very detailed level and to enable further analyses, for example related to property, distribution pro capita or to temperature regulation and sustainable water management. Hence, their use is a valuable tool for policy makers to manage urban transformations and to integrate climate strategies in planning practices. In conclusion, the contribution provides a case study to enrich the debate about management and implementation of UGI and to give scientific support for sustainable urban planning.

<figure><img src="image_159.png" /></figure>
THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL URBAN AGENDA IN BRAZILIAN STATE CAPITALS: A
SOCIOECONOMIC AND LAND CHANGE ASSESSMENT

Beatriz Pierri Daunt¹ · Dario Domingo²,³ · He Zichao⁴ · Anna M. Hersperger¹

¹Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research · ²University of Zaragoza · ³University of Valladolid · ⁴Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

National urban policies play a crucial role to guide urban growth towards more sustainable and efficient cities. However, the comparison of policy goals and outcomes in terms of an effective land-use change and socio-economic transformation remains a challenge. This study aims to understand the role of the national urban agenda in driving land-use and socio-economic changes in 27 Brazil State capitals from 1990 to 2020. We carried out content analyses to identify five main goals addressed by both the 1988 Federal Constitution (FC) and 2001 City Statute (CS): (1) Economic development, (2) Basic services provision, (3) Housing, (4) Urban Compactness development, and (5) Green and sustainable cities. We calculated socio-economic, demographic and landscape change indicators from 1990 to 2000 and from 2000 to 2020. To assess the link between the policy goals with change indicators, we classified the intended behaviour of the indicators and the observed values into increase (+1), decrease (-1) or no changes (0). To compare the intended and observed changes for each variable and city, we calculated the absolute difference to identify whether an observed change was in full conformance (absolute difference = 0), nonconformance (absolute difference = 1) or strong nonconformance (absolute difference = 2) with the intended change. Finally, we computed the mean score per goal and policy for each city, standardizing the results on a scale from 0% (no conformance) to 100% (full conformance).

Overall, land-use change, and socio-economic transformations conform better with CS (68%) than
with FC (59%). After the implementation of CS in 2001, conformance with Goal 1 increased from 22%
to 83%, and from 67% to 75% with Goal 5. Land-use change and socio-economic transformation in all
cities conformed roughly 85% with Goal 3 in both periods. However, conformance with Goal 2 was
better from 1990 to 2000 (90%) than after 2000 (70%). These findings suggest that most studied
cities in Brazil have grown economically after 2000, but access to basic services has not followed the
same trend. Urban growth was dominated by edge-expansion (>50%) and infill (ca. 40%) while
outlining growth was scarce (ca. 8%) in both periods. The cities showed an increase in urban
compactness after 2000 and thus higher conformance with Goal 4, while the value stayed rather low
(30%). Indeed, we found that fast urban growth occurred mainly at the edge of the studied cities. We
argue that further policies should focus on improving urban development, by regulating land prices,
changing land taxation systems, improving services provision and accessibility.

<figure><img src="image_160.png" /></figure>
Is 3D URBAN MORPHOLOGY EVOLUTION ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIO-SPATIAL PATTERNS? EVIDENCE FROM SPANISH URBAN AREAS FOR THE PAST DECADES

Dario Domingo¹,²,³ · Jasper van Vliet⁴ · Anna M. Hersperger¹

¹Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research · ²University of Zaragoza · ³University of Valladolid · ⁴Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Urbanization is leading to major changes in urban form and socio-spatial patterns around the world, while urban planning aims to shape the built environment for human health and well-being. The increasing availability of three-dimensional (3D) information have become indispensable for the assessment of urbanization trajectories, and therefor for evidence-based urban planning. This study aims to reveal the potential of 3D datasets to characterize change in horizontal and vertical patterns of urban development and to analyse the association of urban form with certain socio-spatial patterns over time in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza.

Firstly, we developed an efficient methodology to depict current and past 3D urban forms based on a unique combination of cadastral data and LiDAR point clouds, which we use to characterize building footprint, height, and volume, at decadal intervals between 1965 and 2015. Subsequently, we characterize urban expansion and densification processes using building volume and Urban Morphological Types. Secondly, we analyse the associations between urban form and socio-spatial patterns using graphical and statistical analysis at census section resolution for the available years 2001 and 2011.

The built-up volume has considerably increased by roughly 350% since 1965, with the highest rates 1975-1985 and 1995-2005. The new developments are often located at the city outskirts or in new urban clusters, characterized by sparsely built-up morphologies which contain a small proportion of the total building volume. At the same time, city-cores have become denser and compact over time and overall, the height of new buildings has remained the same. Preliminary results show that urban form is consistently associated with marital status, the age of inhabitants and the level of education. The study demonstrates the usefulness of cadastral and LiDAR datasets to comprehensively characterize the evolution of urban morphology over time and shows how data on the evolution of urban morphology can help to understand changes in socio-spatial patterns.

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# AN INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT OF ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN AGRO-FORESTRY LANDSCAPES

Cristian Echeverria¹ · Rodrigo Fuentes¹ · Christine Fürst² · Luis Morales³ · Roberto Jara⁴

¹University of Concepción · ²Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg · ³Universidad de Chile · ⁴University of Talca

Land change associated with loss and degradation of natural forests have led to negative impacts on ecological integrity (EI) and diverse ecosystem services (ES). Spatially explicit large scale modelling studies can inform spatial targeting of policies to maximise synergies and minimise trade-offs between ES under future scenarios. Significant challenges remain in developing integrated modelling approaches that adequately include comprehensive cross-scale on ES and their associated uncertainties, while addressing multiple drivers. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of land-use and land-cover change on the EI and the provision of multiple ES in south-central Chile through a spatially explicit integrated assessment approach.

Changes in the study area resulted in a greater homogenization of its land cover/land use in the period 1979-2017, mainly due to the replacement of native forests and afforestation on agricultural land and shrubland for the expansion of forest plantations of exotic species. Native forest fragmentation, mainly due to the substitution of native forests for forest plantations and fuel wood extraction, caused a severe decrease in the core areas of native forests. Over the last three decades, land cover/land use change reduced the landscape's capacity to provide thermal regulating ES by 6%. A similar trend was experienced in the capacity to provide water ES for flow regulation and drinking water quality, which decreased by 12% and 7% respectively. Restoration with native species in headwaters and riparian zones of rivers, lakes and wetlands proved to be the most favorable scenario for the provision of multiple ES, as by 2050 there would be no trade-off between the ES studied. Greenhouse gas regulation would increase by 34%, thermal regulation would increase by 11%, erosion rate control would increase by 9%. In addition, this scenario would improve the landscape's capacity to provide water regulation ES.

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VALUES OF LARGE-VERSUS-SMALL URBAN GREENSPACES AND THEIR ARRANGEMENT

Richard T.T. Forman

Harvard University

Does one large park provide more, or less, value than many small parks of the same total area? Using some empirical data plus ecological principles, I compared one large park (greenspace) versus 16 small ones for air cooling, biodiversity, flood reduction, and recreation.

Based on cooling within and surrounding different-sized parks (in this case in Berlin), one large park cools the area of >70 small ones and lowers the temperature much more. For biodiversity, small parks serve as steppingstones for movement, but large ones support some interior and specialist species, provide a 'species rain' for the surrounding area, and are a food-and-rest stop for migrating birds. So, one large park is better than many small ones for cooling and biodiversity. In contrast, while a large park may have more water infiltration into the soil, many small ones have a much longer upslope edge intercepting more water runoff (which may be channelled into basins in parks). Similarly, although a large park may contain a trail network, many small parks normally have a wider range of recreation resources and are closer to and used by more urban residents. Thus, many small parks are better than one large one for flood reduction and recreation.

Furthermore, a collection of small parks may be converted into a park system, by increasing flows and movements among them. Green corridors, a row of small steppingstones, a cluster of steppingstones, a row of trees, and similar land uses on facing sides of adjacent parks facilitate interconnections.

To compare the values of large and medium-size greenspaces, adjacent to or within the urban area, major values were qualitatively recorded for parks in 27 urban areas: 9 large adjacent (or close-by) edge parks, 9 medium-size adjacent parks, and 9 medium within-city parks. The large adjacent parks had a total of 19 values (mean 4.6), medium adjacent 23 (mean 3.8), and medium within 6 total (mean 2.6). Within-city parks overwhelmingly provide recreation, tourism, and socio-cultural values. Medium and large edge parks adjoining the urban area also provide a wide range of additional values.

In brief, one large park and many small parks both provide important, but different, values. An optimum design or arrangement maintains one large park and many small ones in a small-to-medium-sized city, and in each major section of a large city. Several designs encourage flow among parks, converting a collection into a park system. Medium/large parks within a city provide the same few values in different cities, whereas medium/large parks by the urban edge provide many more values, and differ greatly from city to city.

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# LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT PLANNING IN PROTECTED AREAS OF LITHUANIA: PRESENT CHALLENGES AND LEARNING FROM THE PAST

Zenonas Gulbinas

Nature Heritage Fund, Vilnius

Lithuania has experienced enormous and rapid social and economic changes in the last 30 years. The following processes have had the most impact on the state of protected areas (PAs): land reform and related processes, the development of constructions, intensified use of forests, growth in recreational use, previous landscape damages. The aim of this study is to present experience of more than 20 years of landscape planning in PAs within changing environment and new cycle of updating of territorial planning documents for PAs in Lithuania. Questions addressed:

1. What kind of planning instruments could be used in PAs to achieve sustainable landscape management?

2. Could landscape management planning and implementation of approved management plans for PAs be one of the key issues for land management governance strategies?

3. How land use conflicts among diverse institutional actors, different stakeholders, and local people acting in PAs be solved?

Two methodological approaches – functional zoning and landscape management zoning – are used in preparation of planning documents for PAs in Lithuania. Delineation of functional priority zones for territorial complexes is used in preparation of plans of boundaries of PAs and their zones while designation of landscape management zones intended for regulation of landscape protection and use and their regulations, define directions of and measures for the protection and management of landscape territorial complexes and objects, also landscape formation, development of recreational infrastructure and other management measures. Designation of landscape management zones in PAs could serve as specific spatial typologies with some similarities and differences in preparation of management plans for PAs.

After the restoration of the Lithuanian independence, in 1991-1992 the establishment of a system of national and regional parks was completed, in 1993 the functional zoning schemes for state parks were prepared and approved. Nevertheless, preparation of management plans for PAs took longer period and the last management plan was approved only in 2013. Now a new cycle of updating of territorial planning documents for PAs is ongoing. Stages of the process of special planning: public awareness and collection of planning conditions; analysis of current situation; preparation of draft plan; assessment of impact of solutions; public discussion and approval. No changes have occurred in the planning stages but planning process itself experienced new challenges so main influencing factors could be distinguished: changes in land use and ownership, also in public information and participation process, integration of ecological network Natura 2000 and cultural heritage issues to the landscape planning, harmonization of planning documents at various levels. The last current challenge is the development of the network of PAs of Lithuania through the landscape planning in the context of European Green Deal.

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RURAL FIRE PREVENTION: AN INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE PLANNING SOLUTION

Manuela Magalhães · Selma B. Pena · Natália Cunha · Ana Müller · Inês Adagói · Luísa Franco

University of Lisbon

The transformation of the Portuguese landscape since the 20th century led to the increased presence of rural fires. The traditional multifunction landscape that integrates agriculture, extensive shrublands, and forestlands (ager-saltus-silva) is disappearing. Consequently, and together with the increase of fire risk, there is a loss of different fundamental ecosystem services. Therefore, it is urgent to create an integrated landscape planning solution to deal with rural fire and ecological sustainability.

This work aims to present the FIRELAN model, an ecological-based planning model developed in a Geographic Information System that articulates the ecological and cultural components with a suitable and multifunction land-use plan. The model was developed considering the river basin as a spatial land use planning unit. It is constituted by the FIRELAN Network (FIRELAN N) and the Complementary Areas (FIRELAN CA). According to the ecological land suitability, the FIRELAN N defines a network of native species and agriculture areas, providing a multifunctional landscape and restoring the concept of familiar agriculture near the settlements. This network will ensure the effectiveness of discontinuities in the landscape with less combustible land-uses. On the other side, the FIRELAN CA includes the remaining areas for a wide variety of land-uses, including fast-growing species, such as eucalyptus or maritime pine.

The FIRELAN model is applied to five case studies from the Centre region of Portugal: Leiria, Pampilhosa da Serra, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Pedrógão Grande, and Castanheira de Pêra. Comparing the FIRELAN model application with the current land use and land cover allowed the conclusion that the landscape needs to change drastically to achieve resilience. This tendency is even higher when steep slopes and dominance of eucalyptus and maritime pine are combined characteristics.

The results contribute to the discussion of landscape transformation through policy change and restoration actions, in which ecological landscape planning can provide meaningful contributions.

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# BUILDING ON THE PAST PLANNING CONCEPTS AND EXPERIENCES – MAKING THE FUTURE OF RESILIENT CITY. GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPLEMENTATION IN WARSAW

Gabriela Maksymiuk · Renata Giedych · Agata Cieszewska

Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Evolution of discourses and shifting paradigms result in changing planning concepts or management in cities. These processes are true irrespectively from planning traditions and systems worldwide. In recent years, several planning concepts aimed at maintaining and enhancing green spaces in cities have been applied, e.g. ecological networks, ecological land use complementation, or green infrastructure (GI). The concept of green infrastructure is now considered as one of the key notions in regards to sustainable development at regional and city/local scale and in shaping urban environments through the delivery of ecological services. It is worldwide recognized as an important urban planning instrument.

The aim of presented research is to review and evaluate how the past planning concepts and ideas paved the way for the GI concept implementation in Warsaw. Basing on the review of literature and planning documents, we identified and analyzed various concepts, instruments and measures relevant to green infrastructure. In our study we focused on concepts that mattered for the quality of life in cities, and which related to enhancement of urban areas functioning. The studied concepts and measures in a broader sense followed GI principles.

The performed study allowed us to identify two main approaches / ways of classifying the concepts and measures: (1) those, which are not applied anymore, but their results are still evident in urban fabric, e.g. the green wedges concept, or application of green spaces development standards, and (2) those that are still present in planning practice, e.g. urban natural system, or application of Ratio of Biologically Vital Area (RBVA). On the canvas of identified concepts and ideas, we also studied planning documents, urban studies and policies that can advance GI implementation in Warsaw. The study included mainly Warsaw Study of Conditions and Directions of Spatial Development (2006, amended several times till 2021), environmental study elaborated in a form of Eco-physiographic Atlas (2018) and a project assumptions for a new Warsaw Study of Conditions and Directions of Spatial Development (2021).

Our studies let us point out that the rich traditions in regards to ecological networks and green spaces planning concepts advanced the GI concept implementation in Warsaw.

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