Land abandonment and restoration in the Polish Carpathians after accession to the European Union

Abstract

Abandonment of cultivation particularly applies to mountainous areas, characterized as less-favorable areas. In addition to natural conditions, changes in land use are also influenced by socioeconomic factors and systemic transformations. One factor that affected the agriculture of post-socialist countries in Europe was their accession to the European Union. A study of changes in land use that occurred during this period can thus offer interesting insights related to the contemporary landscaping process. To this end, this research analyzes Dukla, a small commune located in the Polish Carpathians for which land-use maps were made based on aerial imagery. These maps recorded the landscape just before Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2003, and its current status as recorded in 2018. Abandoned land area was found to have decreased by 17% in the studied region over that time, with a simultaneous 12% decline in agricultural land area. In contrast, forest and settlement area had increased. In this commune, a clear division was seen between the foothills area, with distinct increase in the area of abandoned land; and the mountainous region, characterized by a decrease in abandoned land. It seems that in mountainous areas, the lack of potential for a non-agricultural livelihood induced farmers to restore abandoned fields. The analysis conducted also showed a reduced impact of environmental factors on abandoned land area. In 2003, this parameter was affected by topography, distance from forest, and soil quality; while in 2018, this only correlated to topography.