Abstract
Dealing with landscape changes in space and time is an important activity in terms of the process of future development of the selected area. In particular, it is necessary to focus on territories that are exposed to the effects of extraction activities. The main objective of the paper was the mapping of spatio-temporal changes in the landscape in connection with the extraction of minerals due to mining activities on the landscape using satellite images and data from the Corine land cover (CLC) database in the environment of geographic information systems. The selected study area is specific to the presence of four mineral deposits (three of which are under active mining). The Rohožník-Konopiská deposit was abandoned and the area was subsequently reclaimed. The study used Corine land cover (CLC) data and Landsat 5, 7, 8 satellite images for selected years in the period 1990–2021. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was calculated for vegetation cover analysis, which was further combined with the forest spatial division units (FSDU) layer. Areas in the immediate vicinity of the open-pit mine were selected for detailed analysis of vegetation changes. Using the FSDU data, an average NDVI index value was calculated using the Zonal statistics function for each plot. The results showed that over the selected period there have been changes indicating an improvement in the landscape condition by reclamation operations at two deposits, Rohožník-Konopiská (inactive) and Sološnica-Hrabník (active). The analyzed CLC data detected the change at the Rohožník-Konopiská deposit, but the active deposit Sološnica-Hrabník was not detected in these data. The loss of vegetation on the other two deposits is mainly due to pre-mining preparatory work, which causes the removal of soil and vegetation layers.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
Article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union [3] sets out the objective of preserving, protecting, and improving the quality of the environment, and the rational use of natural resources and of mineral resources in the context of the principle of subsidiarity
This study focused on the analysis of Corine land cover data and Landsat multispectral imagery
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. In order to secure sufficient non-energy raw materials for construction and manufacturing activities in Europe, it is paramount that ongoing mining activities comply with the principles of EU policy legislation and directives [1,2]. Article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union [3] sets out the objective of preserving, protecting, and improving the quality of the environment, and the rational use of natural resources and of mineral resources in the context of the principle of subsidiarity. EU environmental policy is primarily based on the principles of preventive action, remediation at the source, and the polluter-pays principle [4]
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