Petr Sklenicka

Earthworm assemblages in an ecotone between forest and arable field and their relations with soil properties

The objective of this work was to assess the effects of a forest-Þ eld ecotone on earthworm assemblages. Five sites (blocks) differing in the type of crop rotation used in the Þ eld were studied in Central Bohemia, Czech Republic. In each block, sampling was carried out in seven parallel rows perpendicular to a transect from a forest (oak or oak-pine) to the centre of a Þ eld, both in spring and autumn 2001-2003. Individual rows were located in the forest (5 m from the edge), in the forest edge, and in the Þ eld (at 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 m distances from the forest edge). The density and biomass of earthworms were lowest in the forest, increased markedly in the forest edge, decreased again at 5 or 10 m distance from the forest edge and then continuously increased along the distance to the Þ eld boundary. The highest number of species was found in the forest edge and in the Þ eld boundary. Individual species differed in their distribution along the transect. Both density and biomass of earthworms were correlated with distance from forest edge, soil organic matter content, soil porosity, and water inÞ ltration rate.

How does the representation rate of features in a landscape affect visual preferences? A case study from a post-mining landscape

Previous studies of visual preferences for landscapes have been dominated by papers monitoring the presence of individual landscape features or their physical attributes. The objective of our study has been to evaluate how the representation rate of these features affects visual preferences for a landscape. We have studied a post-mining landscape that provides component physical features of a diverse and contrasting character. On the basis of an analysis of surface images, in combination with a questionnaire survey, our study has determined that the representation rate of most evaluated features affects the aesthetic value of the entire landscape scene. It has been established that certain groups of features in a post-mining landscape evoke various preferential tendencies among the public. The aesthetic value of a landscape decreased with increasing representation of surface quarries and urban structures, while increased representation of water and of rural structures resulted in an increasing aesthetic value. Woody vegetation and arable land were most preferred when they were represented non-dominantly, while mining infrastructure features were evaluated most negatively when they were non-dominant features of the landscape. Our findings thus point to the importance of the representation rate of features in the landscape as one of the key factors influencing the visual perception of the entire landscape scene.

The effect of landscape type and landscape elements on public visual preferences: ways to use knowledge in the context of landscape planning

This study deals with an assessment of the visual quality of landscapes, and specifically with the perception of selected elements in the landscape. The aim of the study was to find out how particular elements are perceived in various landscape types, whether this perception is affected by the landscape type in which the elements are placed, and to what extent the respondents’ characteristics affect the assessment. The study was carried out with a sample of respondents of various ages, educational levels and types of employment. The respondents came from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The preferences of the respondents were determined using an online questionnaire, in which they rated landscape photographs on a 21 point rating scale with a range from −10 to +10 points. Using generalised linear mixed effect models, it was found that the perception of an element is most affected by the landscape type, since the same element was assessed differently according to the landscape in which it was situated. The results confirmed that selected elements which do not disturb the harmony of the landscape are generally positively perceived, and the selected elements of a technical character are generally negatively perceived. Among the characteristics of the respondents, only gender and the respondents current place of residence have an effect on their visual preferences.

A Webcast of Bird Nesting as a State-of-the-Art Citizen Science

The quality of people’s knowledge of nature has always had a significant influence on their approach to wildlife and nature conservation. However, direct interactions of people with nature are greatly limited nowadays, especially because of urbanization and modern lifestyles. As a result, our isolation from the natural world has been growing. Here, we present an example of a state-of-the-art Citizen Science project with its educational, scientific, and popularizing benefits. We conclude that modern media and new forms of education offer an effective opportunity for inspiring children and others to have fun learning to act like scientists. This approach provides broad opportunities for developing the hitherto neglected educational potential of Citizen Science.

Rural identity and landscape aesthetics in exurbia: Some issues to resolve from a Central European perspective

Abstract Although perceptions of landscape aesthetics are currently attracting great research interest, some aspects of the topic have remained almost unexamined. This review highlights some less studied areas that are of particular importance for landscape management, with special focus on rapidly growing exurban areas. While the visual quality of the environment is undoubtedly one of the drivers that has been spurring the exurban development of rural settlements, much remains unknown about the perception of the visual quality of these settlements. Another pressing issue is the need to determine general principles of consensus formation concerning visual landscape preferences. This study concludes that in order to preserve the rural character of exurban landscapes, there is an urgent need to identify the aesthetic values that define the character of rural settlements and their importance to the stakeholder groups.

Presentation Matters: Causes of Differences in Preferences for Agricultural Landscapes Displayed via Photographs and Videos

This study shows the importance of landscape scene composition in relation to aesthetic ratings used in preference research where static and dynamic presentation methods substitute landscape onsite evaluation. We aimed to evaluate whether the method of presenting a landscape scene influenced aesthetic ratings and whether these potential differences in ratings were affected by the composition of the static presentation. Using a questionnaire for rating the same scenes of agricultural landscapes presented both in photographs and in videos, it was determined that the presentation method used significantly affected ratings. Respondents (N = 145, age 20-25 years, students) rated scenes presented in photographs higher than videos. Concerning the effect of composition, well-composed photographs had higher mean ratings than poorly composed photographs. Moreover, the difference in ratings between static and dynamic presentation methods determined for well-composed scenes was larger than that for poorly composed scenes, always in favor of photographs. The results indicate that preference ratings can be influenced both by the medium and by composition. This is a crucial aspect for environmental assessments using a visual preference approach as part of planning and management strategies, and it should always be taken into account.

Equilibrium dynamics of European pre-industrial populations: the evidence of carrying capacity in human agricultural societies

Human populations tend to grow steadily, because of the ability of people to make innovations, and thus overcome and extend the limits imposed by natural resources. It is therefore questionable whether traditional concepts of population ecology, including environmental carrying capacity, can be applied to human societies. The existence of carrying capacity cannot be simply inferred from population time-series, but it can be indicated by the tendency of populations to return to a previous state after a disturbance. So far only indirect evidence at a coarse-grained scale has indicated the historical existence of human carrying capacity. We analysed unique historical population data on 88 settlements before and after the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), one the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, which reduced the population of Central Europe by 30–50%. The recovery rate of individual settlements after the war was positively correlated with the extent of the disturbance, so that the population size of the settlements after a period of regeneration was similar to the pre-war situation, indicating an equilibrium population size (i.e. carrying capacity). The carrying capacity of individual settlements was positively determined mostly by the fertility of the soil and the area of the cadastre, and negatively by the number of other settlements in the surroundings. Pre-industrial human population sizes were thus probably controlled by negative density dependence mediated by soil fertility, which could not increase due to limited agricultural technologies.

Effect of water features proximity on farmland prices in a landlocked country: the consequences for planning

Sekáč P., Šálek M., Wranová A., Kumble P., Sklenička P. (2017): Effect of water features proximity on farmland prices in a landlocked country: the consequences for planning. Soil & Water Res., 12: 18−28. Conversion of farmland to non-farm uses significantly influences the spatial variability of farmland prices. We tested 12 factors of land prices that experienced real estate brokers indicated to be the most important determinants for the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural use. Five factors can be described as landscape, four as geographic, and three as climatic explanatory variables influencing farmland prices. Our results indicate that the two most powerful factors in explaining the sales price per square metre were proximity to a river and proximity to a lake. In both cases, the price of land diminished significantly with the increasing distance from the edge of water bodies, so the prices in their immediate vicinity are 3.5 to 3.7 times higher than the prices of similar lands more than 5 km from the edge of a water body. The other significant factors were population size of the nearest municipality and percentage representation of forest. The fact that the two most powerful factors indicate the distance to a river, brook, lake or pond shows how important are these freshwater features as determinants of farmland prices in a landlocked country such as the Czech Republic, where this study was performed. The consequences of this finding for water resources planning and management are discussed.

Dominance Level of Significant Features in Post-mining Landscapes as a Predictor of Perceived Scenic Beauty

The reclamation of post-mining landscapes presents a unique opportunity to create beautiful landscapes. Public participation in the design of new landscapes is possible if assessing landscape preferences is treated as a part of the reclamation process. During reclamation, emphasis should be given to particular landscape features because people tend to pay more attention to these features when perceiving a landscape. Most previous studies have evaluated only the effect as to the presence of features in a landscape upon its attractiveness, not the effect of their dominance levels. Moreover, this issue has not been studied comprehensively in post-mining landscapes, which are unique not only for the degree of human influence but especially for the occurrence of specific landscape features. This study therefore focuses specifically on the dominance level of the relevant features in post-mining landscapes as one of the factors affecting visual preferences for this landscape type. Based on spatial image analysis of ground photographs of post-mining landscapes in the North Bohemian Brown Coal Basin in combination with a preference questionnaire survey, we found that the dominance level of most of the studied features affects the aesthetic value of the entire landscape scene. The attractiveness of the scene diminished with increasing dominance of the active surface coal mine and of urban structures in the surrounding landscape, while the attractiveness of the scene increased with rising dominance of water features and rural structures. Other selected landscape features increase or decrease landscape scenic attractiveness only when their levels of dominance are low. Our findings thus point to the importance of the dominance level of essential features in post-mining landscapes as one of the key predictors of the landscape’s attractiveness to the public and thus, to some extent, to the success of the reclamation process.