Suchergebnisse

Intensified anthropogenic pressures contribute to land degradation and devastation around the globe. Land degradation leads to a temporary or a permanent decline in the productive capacity of land. Degraded agricultural land is often converted to non-agricultural uses, as the result areas with natural land cover (arable land, meadows, pastures) are transformed into anthropogenic landscapes. The objective of this study was to analyze the changes in the area of degraded land in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodship based on the scope of implemented land reclamation measures. The area of land converted for non-agricultural purposes, the revenues generated from conversion fees and their distribution were also evaluated. The analyzed data covered the period of 2007–2012.

The development of housing, services and industry as well as the accompanying infrastructure leads to the intensification of urbanisation processes and changes in land use structure. The area of land characterised by urban use is increasing. The above trend is also observed in Eastern Poland despite its predominantly rural character and the absence of metropolitan areas exerting great pressure on the local landscape, contributing to regional development and enhancing the region's competitiveness. The paper discusses changes in land use structure in developed and urban areas in Eastern Poland. The analysis includes five Polish voivodeships (Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie) characterised by the lowest GDP per capita in the EU-25. For this reason, Eastern Poland will receive aid as part of the 'Development of Eastern Poland' Operational Program 2007-2013. This is the only supra-regional program in the European Union which promotes social and economic growth in underdeveloped regions by co-financing projects in urban development, road construction and tourism promotion. The analysis of changes in the share of developed and urban areas in total land area as well as changes in local land use structure (subgroups) covers the period of 2007-2013. The data relating to land use structure was supplied by the Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography. It was used to determine the scale and rate of urbanisation in the analysed voivodeships (regions) and their constituent poviats (counties) with special emphasis on suburban areas. The results were presented in the form of cartograms and thematic maps with the use of GIS tools. The GIS tools support the visualisation of the spatial distribution of the analysed phenomena.

The development of housing, services and industry as well as the accompanying infrastructure leads to the intensification of urbanisation processes and changes in land use structure. The area of land characterised by urban use is increasing. The above trend is also observed in Eastern Poland despite its predominantly rural character and the absence of metropolitan areas exerting great pressure on the local landscape, contributing to regional development and enhancing the region's competitiveness. The paper discusses changes in land use structure in developed and urban areas in Eastern Poland. The analysis includes five Polish voivodeships (Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie) characterised by the lowest GDP per capita in the EU-25. For this reason, Eastern Poland will receive aid as part of the 'Development of Eastern Poland' Operational Program 2007-2013. This is the only supra-regional program in the European Union which promotes social and economic growth in underdeveloped regions by co-financing projects in urban development, road construction and tourism promotion. The analysis of changes in the share of developed and urban areas in total land area as well as changes in local land use structure (subgroups) covers the period of 2007-2013. The data relating to land use structure was supplied by the Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography. It was used to determine the scale and rate of urbanisation in the analysed voivodeships (regions) and their constituent poviats (counties) with special emphasis on suburban areas. The results were presented in the form of cartograms and thematic maps with the use of GIS tools. The GIS tools support the visualisation of the spatial distribution of the analysed phenomena.

Landscape protection and planning have attracted the attention of experts in many branches of science and industry. The growing interest in landscape management reflects concerns over environmental degradation that deteriorates the quality of life. Undesirable landscape changes result mostly from civilizational development, inappropriate land use and spatial planning. Further adverse landscape transformations should be prevented at local, regional and national levels. On 24 June 2004, Poland ratified the European Landscape Convention (ELC), which was opened for signature in 2000 in Florence (Italy ). The ratifying countries have committed themselves to enhance the quality of local landscapes which are the basic components of Europe's natural and cultural heritage. Despite several attempts that resulted in the development of preliminary analytical reports, the Convention has not been implemented in Poland to date. For the Convention to be implemented, landscapes on Polish territory have to be identified and assessed. A systemized approach to landscape evaluation can provide a basis for creating landscape maps. This paper discusses selected methodological assumptions underlying landscape classification (typology ) and quality assessment, which could be used in the implementation process. The proposed method for assessing the esthetic value of landscape may become an integral part of landscape auditing, which is an important legal aspect of implementing the Convention. A landscape audit involves the identification of priority landscapes of particularly high scenic value.