Ivan Bičík

Land-use changes and their social driving forces in Czechia in the 19th and 20th centuries

Abstract This paper is an overview of the major land-use changes in Czechia over the past 150 years, with a focus on the social forces driving these changes. Sources of land-use data are also discussed. Though economic development is seen as the key impact on land use before 1945, under communism (1948–89), the importance of political decisions was crucial. The post-war period is analysed in greater detail as this was the era of the most significant landscape changes. The most recent period encompassed a return to market conditions, resulting in environmentally favourable land-use changes.

Landscape transition after the collapse of communism in Czechia

ABSTRACT The paper deals with mapping of landscape transition after the collapse of Communism in Czechia on national and local levels. Three maps demonstrate the main trends of landscape transition on the national level (by cadastral units) in the period 1990–2010. The Main Map shows the four most important Processes of landscape change (afforestation, grassing over, intensification, and urbanization). The second map demonstrates the proportion of area where any kind of land use change occurred (Index of change) and the third map (Extensification) indicates the shift to less intensive use of land (increase of forests and grasslands). Two main processes were mapped on the local level, that is, by parcels. The case of Jirny showed strong sububanization: fertile agricultural land has been turned into residential and commercial areas, roads; soil sealing was taking place. On the contrary, grassing over and afforestation was detected in Hošťka where arable land almost disappeared – it was either abandoned or replaced mainly by pastures between 1990 and 2010.

Analysis and expert assessment of the semantic similarity between land cover classes

Products of CORINE Land Cover (CLC), the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD), the FAO/UNEP Land Cover Classification System (LCCS), etc. currently provide an important source of information used for the assessment of issues such as landscape change, landscape fragmentation and the planning of urbanization. Assuming that the data from these various databases are often used in searching for solutions to environmental problems, it is necessary to know which classes of different databases exist and to what extent they are similar, i.e. their possible compatibility and interchangeability. An expert assessment of the similarity between the CLC and NLCD 1992 nomenclatures is presented. Such a similarity assessment in comparison with the ‘geometric model’, the ‘feature model’ and the ‘network model’ is not frequently used. The results obtained show the similarity of assessments completed by four experts who marked the degree of similarity between the compared land cover classes by 1 (almost similar classes), 0.5 (partially similar classes) and 0 (not similar classes). Four experts agreed on assigning 1 in only three cases; 0.5 was given 33 times. A single expert assigned 0.5 a total of 17 times. Results confirmed that the CLC and NLCD nomenclatures are not very similar.

Overview of Changes in Land Use and Land Cover in Eastern Europe

This chapter presents an analysis of land cover changes in Eastern Europe between 1990 and 2006, assessed using CORINE (Co-ORdination of INformation on the Environment) Land Cover (CLC) datasets. The plethora of potential land cover change categories were condensed into seven categories of major land use change processes: urbanization, agricultural intensification, agricultural extensification, afforestation, deforestation, construction and management of water bodies, and other changes. The amounts of each change category and their spatial distributions are summarized, and the change categories were also mapped to show the relative amounts of change (per 3 × 3 km2) between 1990 and 2000 and between 2000 and 2006. The results showed that while more afforestation than deforestation was observed in the first period, the reverse was true in the second period, when deforestation outpaced afforestation. Urbanization and suburbanization were major processes in Eastern Europe, particularly around existing major cities, and the speed of this process generally increased from the first to the second period. Both the intensification and extensification of agriculture were common during both periods, but a larger effect was observed in the first period. Overall, land use changes were highest in central Europe and the Baltic countries and lowest in southeast Europe.

Land Use Changes in Czechia 1845–2010

The history of land use changes on the Czech territory since the very beginning is outlined; each subchapter deals with one important historical period. The emergence of organized agriculture (Neolithic revolution) is seen as the first period when humans began to influence nature on a certain scale. For thousands of years, however, land use changes were largely limited to inhabited lowlands. The transition from wilderness towards largely agricultural landscape accelerated only during the German plantation (eleventh–fourteenth centuries) when many forests were cleared in the frontier. As a whole, however, changes were rather modest until the eighteenth century. Really important economic and social changes that fundamentally influenced land use patterns have been taking place since the eve of Industrial Revolution. In that time, agricultural society was being gradually transformed into the industrial one at the beginning of the 20th century. The second half of the nineteenth century brought general modernization; agricultural land and arable land expanded to maximum. Since the turn of nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, reverse trends are recorded: decrease of agricultural land (due to more intensive farming) and gradual expansion of forests. Land use patterns during the twentieth century were much influenced by turbulent political events like Czechoslovak independence (1918), World War II (1939–1945), Communist coup d’etat (1948), and restoration of democratic conditions (1989). The Communist legacy included outdated technology and production-oriented agriculture that could not compete on the international markets. The post-Communist period brought restitution of confiscated property (including land) and return to market-oriented conditions. In the most recent period, the accession of Czechia to European Union (2004) has also had profound effects on land use changes.

Land-Use Changes Along the Iron Curtain in Czechia

The aim of this article is to examine land use changes along the former Iron Curtain, using two different methods, data sources, time horizons and studied territories. The first approach describes land use changes in Czech regions adjoining former West Germany and Austria in the years 1948–1990 and 1990–2000, on the basis of cadastral statistics. The second part of this article uses the CORINE land cover database to assess changes of land cover in a 30 km wide belt along the former Iron Curtain (15 km on each side), stretching from the Baltic Sea to former Yugoslavia, between the years 1990 and 2000. Results are presented in tables and graphs. The authors explain obtained results and give basic ideas for interpretation of observed land use structure and its changes in all studied border areas.

The World’s Major Regions as Part of Regional Geography Courses?

The chapter focuses on the division of the world into major geographical regions and related matters. At the beginning, geographical paradigms and globalisation are discussed. Various concepts suggested by geographers, economists, linguists, ethnologists and experts in political studies are outlined. Different approaches towards major geographical regions are discussed and evaluated; many are shown in maps. The last section analyses “mental maps”. These show how students from three different countries perceive the possible division of the planet into major geographical regions. The results are compared with commonly used regions of the world. Many secondary school students and even university students are unable to cope with this task. The students did not succeed in filling in the questionnaire properly or did not do so completely. Some 40 % of Czech students returned it in such a state that any kind of evaluation was impossible. This is quite surprising, especially when one takes into account that major world regions must have been presented in some way in geography courses at secondary schools and also at universities.

Influence of Natural Conditions on Land Use

This chapter deals with the influence of natural conditions on land use patterns. It also examines the human impacts on land use. Basic overview of natural conditions in Czechia is outlined with special regard to geology, climate and soils. Geological conditions are seen as the key factors that form landscapes and influence the diversity of soils. Climate, of course, also has profound influence on regional farming patterns; very warm (VW) and warm climatic regions are best suitable for agriculture. The biggest part of the Czech territory is covered by moderately heavy soils. Soil types are crucial for the spatial distribution of forests, arable lands, and permanent grasslands. Climatic zones and soil types are shown in maps. Regional patterns of Czech agriculture are discussed and the so-called less-favoured areas (LFA; important for allocation of EU subsidies) are explained. The history of human impacts on land use patterns over the past two centuries (covered by this research) has three phases. First, important changes in agriculture were taking place (changing balance between extensive and intensive farming). Second, forests began to shrink as more agricultural land was needed; with the advance of intensive farming, however, this process was reversed (“forest transition”). Third, new technologies and pressures exerted by the modern society brought a significant rise of built-up land and “other” areas. The ways how recent trends influenced the natural environment are explained. Changing political climate, especially the collapse of Communism and reintroduction of market conditions, has had profound effects on land use. The same applies to mining that caused large-scale devastation in some areas. Conservation programmes that accelerated after 1990 are seen as a “return to nature”.

Influence of Socio-Economic Conditions on Land Use

The main focus of this chapter is put on driving forces of land use changes. Authors distinguish among political, economic, social, technological, and cultural driving forces; the importance of different types much depends on how developed the society is. The greatest attention is devoted to social driving forces as these were behind the land use changes over the last 200 years especially in Europe and North America. Different phases of the “Complex Revolution of the Modern Age” are outlined and the spatial diffusion of new technologies are shown. In the nineteenth century Czechia, technological advance in agriculture and farming innovations were crucial and allowed to cultivate land in a more intensive way. Political driving forces of land use changes were especially important in the second half of the twentieth century. After Communists had seized the power in Czechoslovakia (1948), cooperatives and state-owned estates prevailed, private farming was suppressed. Later on, following the collapse of Communism in 1989, rural areas were significantly influenced by economic and social transformation. Socio-economic conditions in Czechia are outlined in brief, with special emphasis on geographical location and transport infrastructure. The concepts of centrality and peripherality are seen as crucial; core areas, neutral, and peripheral (marginal) regions are defined. The steady urban growth meant that most of the decision-making processes moved from rural areas to cities and towns—process that keeps continuing. The effects of transport infrastructure are studied too. The advance of railways seems to have a big influence on land use patterns in the fertile regions especially in the nineteenth century; later on, highways and modern roads became more important.

Land Use Changes in Selected Model Areas

Land use changes between mid-nineteenth century and present in four selected model areas are outlined. The analyses are based on research by individual plots and bring detailed results that cannot be obtained using conventional statistical methods. The model areas were chosen so that they would represent different landscape types in different parts of Czechia. The first one, Abertamy-Hřebecna, is a remote village located in the border mountains. The place has poor natural conditions and has been much influenced by the expulsion of German speaking population after World War II. In other words, human activities decreased significantly over the past 160 years; shift towards permanent grassland and forests was typical. Second, Kutliře is found in the fertile Elbe Plain in Central Bohemia and typifies the long tradition of farming. Unlike many other regions, farming remains crucial also nowadays, with emphasis on grain and other crops that require favourable soils and climate. Third, Cestlice is located near Prague adjacent to the main freeway, also in a quite fertile area. Due to the proximity of the capital city, however, the place has been recently much affected by suburbanization. In land use terms the result was a significant expansion of built-up and remaining areas. The last model area, Břekova Lhota, represents the so-called “inner periphery”, placed outside the major economic zones and part of the Less Favoured Areas (LFA). The traditional reliance on subsistence agriculture has been replaced over the past 150 years by a mix of agriculture and leisure activities (second homes). Changing patterns of land use are shown in tables for each of the model areas that include eight basic land use classes. Importance of aerial images as an evidence of land use/cover change is documented using an example of the mountainous cadastre Horni Rokytnice nad Jizerou.