Assessment of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes in a Rural Cultural Landscape: A Case Study of a Polish Municipality

Abstract

AbstractThe determination and assessment of changes in the rural cultural landscape may provide insight into the complexity of the landscape and environmental transformation dynamics. Land-use and cover changes (LUCC) are caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors. Polish rural areas feature numerous endangered valuable cultural landscapes that require special protection. The comprehension of changes in the cultural landscape over time is vital for the correct programming of actions aimed at preserving such landscapes. The present study analyses, vector land cover maps and official cadastral land, use data for a rural municipality of Wiśniowa (in central Lesser Poland) in order to investigate potential changes in its cultural landscape. The study area features high-value environmental and landscape qualities typical of a tourist and leisure destination. It furthermore has numerous and diverse landscape mosaics that constitute its unique rural cultural landscape. LUCC from a period of 18 years (2000–2018) were assessed using the cadastral data and maps from Corine Land Cover. The study can be a point of reference for the development and implementation of sustainable spatial policies or programmes for managing the rural cultural landscape.KeywordsLandscape transformationRural areasCorine Land coverCadastral dataSpatial analysesGIS