# Intensity and Driving Forces of Land Abandonment in Eastern Poland
## 1 Introduction  
Changes in land use, including the forest cover, are among the most distinct effects of human activity on the environment. A decrease of the intensity of agriculture along with an increase of forest areas can be observed throughout Europe; currently these are the most important land cover changes in this continent [1; 2; 3]. One of the reasons behind a forest cover increase is the abandonment of land that was previously used for agricultural purposes. This is because the succession of climax communities--mixed forests in Central Europe--is a long-term effect of the cessation of the agricultural use of fields. An area subject to land abandonment is defined as \"land used for agricultural purposes until recent times but not currently cultivated, with a noticeable cover of shrubs\" [4]. The process of land abandonment affects the entire area of the European Union (EU) and is the subject of special reports [5; 6]. Based on the analysis of satellite data, [PERSON] et al. [7] estimated that 128.7 million ha were affected by land abandonment in Europe. [PERSON] et al. [8], on the other hand, estimated that land abandonment affected ca. 14% of cultivated land in north-eastern Poland between 1990 and 2000. Transformations in the land cover observed in Europe today are primarily a result of socio-economic changes. In Central Europe, including Poland, processes of land abandonment have intensified during the last 30 years, after the change of the social and economic system [9; 10]. In the socialist era, farmerswere obliged to cultivate land and a large part of the production was exported to the Soviet Union. In addition, population density in rural areas was higher, and multi-generational families lived on farms. Currently, due to the decreasing demand for land and the increased development of high-yield farming, intensive land use for agricultural purposes is concentrated in areas with favourable conditions for farming, while it has decreased in other areas. Land abandonment in Poland is mainly caused by a lower profitability of agricultural production, since much higher profits can be achieved in other areas of economic activity [11; 12]. This is especially observed in areas where there are small family farms. This process became slightly less intensive after 2004 thanks to Poland's accession to the European Union and direct area-based payments [13]. The abandonment of land is a complex process of land use change, influenced by various natural and socio-economic factors [8; 14]. [PERSON] et al. [15] indicated three main groups of factors influencing land abandonment: (a) ecological (land, relief, soil, erosion, and climate); (b) socio-economic (market, depopulation, technological progress, land ownership, and accessibility); (c) inadequacy of agricultural systems and poor land management. From the perspective of the rational use of natural resources, it is crucial to understand whether land abandonment affects exclusively areas that are the least favourable to agricultural production. So far, the problem of the impact of the natural environment on land use changes has been studied primarily with regard to changes in forest cover. Economic factors are usually identified as the main driving forces of this process [16; 17]. Some researchers also emphasize the role of environmental components such as soil cover or land relief that may impact the spatial changes in forest cover [18; 19; 20; 21]. The present study indicates that the abandoned fields in the Baltic states and Poland are mainly concentrated in regions with poor soils (peat or soils on morainic deposits) due to their high water content [22]. Although there is extensive international literature on land abandonment, very few studies deal with the scope, stages, and factors determining the abandonment of land [23]. It should be stressed that Poland is a peculiar example of a post-socialist country, where agriculture was not fully nationalised after the Second World War and private ownership dominated in the land ownership structure.