Comparison of landscape changes in protected and unprotected sites on the outskirts of Prague metropolis (the Czech Republic), 1990–2006

Abstract

The Czech landscapes have been shaped by many driving forces such as sub/urbanisation, construction of transport and logistics infrastructure, afforestation or agriculture extensification. The outskirts of Prague belong to some of the most affected regions despite two protected landscape areas (PLA ) spread out here, protecting unique nature in the national context. The key question is whether and how the land cover changes, their direction and magnitude, differ inside and outside of these two protected landscape areas and thus, whether legislative landscape and nature protection fulfils its role, preventing negative changes e.g. caused by urban sprawl. Therefore two groups of study sites were defined – inside and outside the PLAs – in order to test whether undergoing land cover changes differ. The CORINE land cover layers were used to quantify landscape structure and its change using landscape metrics and land cover changes during the time period of 1990–2006. Obtained data were analysed using methods of direct ordinations (redundancy analysis). The results showed that two groups of study sites differed in landscape structure and landscape composition in the year 1990, but trajectories and intensities of land cover changes since then have been very similar, however landscape structure unlike landscape composition have still remained different. It seems that socio-economic development influenced both groups in comparable ways and though, legislative landscape and nature protection doesn’t restrict land cover changes even those caused by urban sprawl; however, further analyses are necessary.