Abstract
The communication presents the pieces of information of the ecosystem services estimation of the four research localities transformed from an arable land to vegetation features—bosks. These bosks should dispose several ecological functions, primarily anti-erosion measures, additionally the local biodiversity increase, unfavorable microclimate mitigation, shelter provision for small game, birds and insects, or wood and fruit production, etc. One of these benefits, the biodiversity increase, can be evaluated using the Habitat Valuation Method (HVM) and expressed by the financial value obtained on the basis of a combination of expert valuation and cost replacement method. The various combinations of local woody plants and bushes within the project Multifunction anti-erosion measures as a part of adaptable landscape were planted or sown at the project localities (South Moravia and Žďárské vrchy, Czech Republic) in March 2019. Ecosystem services evaluation was one of the fundamental outcomes of the project. The most important result was the calculated value increase of the service termed “environment for the species life providing and genetic diversity conserving”. The increase means the difference between the state prior to planting and the expected target state after 30 years as specified in HVM. In total, the increase of this ecosystem service of the four bosks was valued at 2,633,809.64 CZK (97,206.48 EUR/114,399.06 USD).
Highlights
The landscape value increase in the sense of ecosystem services provision is the topical key issue for conserving its natural functions needed, especially in disturbed areas with very intensive human activities [1,2,3,4]
In the Czech Republic, the drought caused by temperature rise, precipitation reduction and unsuitable arable land and forest management is monitored by Intersucho program of the Global Change Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences [81] presenting drought intensity, water deficit, soil moisture saturation, impacts on the vegetation, agriculture, and forests [82]
It can be included in close to nature habitats class according to Habitat Valuation Method (HVM), as the most suitable class is “woody vegetation on agricultural and other land” with the point value of 20 pts/m2
Summary
The landscape value increase in the sense of ecosystem services provision is the topical key issue for conserving its natural functions needed, especially in disturbed areas with very intensive human activities [1,2,3,4]. The main issue is the disruption of these natural processes, caused by intensive interventions, which have fundamentally influenced and altered the environment into the visual aspect and form that neither visually nor remotely resemble the original state at all In this case, the problem was caused by original natural habitats transformation into arable land, with contemporary intensive conventional agricultural management [5]. Other resulting problems are significant suppression in biodiversity [8,9,10,11], water retention capacity reduction [12], rise of undesirable elements from agricultural fertilizers in the soil [13,14], etc Almost all of these facts result in bad coherence of soil particles and in easier erodibility and huge organic matter loss from widespread arable land areas [15,16,17]. This phenomenon (large blocks of monocultures and unsuitable management) is typical for countries in Central Europe (mainly Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, or Hungary) as a remain of the intensive agriculture during the 1950–1990 Soviet era [19], compared to Austria with agriculture based on small arable land blocks and diversity of cultivated crops as an example [20]
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