TRACKING VIOLATIONS IN VISUAL RESOURCES IN THE LANDSCAPE OF ASVEJA REGIONAL PARK

Jelena Vaitkevičienė,Aušra Kumetaitienė

doi:10.3846/20296991.2015.1011856

Abstract

Research on landscape stability of regional parks, the status and conditions of the objects and attributes of natural and cultural heritage serve a significant contribution to the survey of the properties of the national heritage possessed in the preserved areas of the Republic of Lithuania. The objective of this article is the analysis of visual landscape resources of Asveja Regional Park in terms of the current state and conditions, changes and modifications within territorial sites as well as with regard to the accumulation and concentration of the objects, their scope and extent. It is possible to assess the efficiency and expediency of an environmental impact taking into consideration research observations. The area of Asveja Regional Park significant for an intense anthropogenic environmental impact and defined in monitoring data sheets and records of Asveja Regional Park referring to 2005–2010 has been selected. Monitoring has been carried out by the Authority of Asveja Regional Park according to the Lithuanian State Environmental Monitoring Program. In order to solve the conflict between society and the environment, the project preconditioned by the use of natural resources and the preservation of valuable objects has been developed. Study on landscape monitoring has been carried out at the local level. It has been fixed within the selected territories, namely, standardised reference sites chosen on the basis of the geosystem and targeted on geophysical–geochemical sensitivity and technogenization with preference for the analysis of the most vulnerable geopotencial territories, i.e. nature reservations, protected areas, shores and the coastlines of lakes providing a wide range of recreational potential. Natural and cultural heritage objects violating regulations on requirements for landscape preservation have been observed in the determined standardized areas as visual resources of the regional park landscape. In order to determine the territorial dispersion of the infringements of requirements for landscape protection, the authors have performed a spatial distribution analysis of visual observation targets calculating nuclear or kernel density. Weight points of requirements for the items violating landscape protection have been attributed thus considering the monetary value of the prescribed fines (following regulations on the specific type of the caused damage). The analysis of the study on specified spatial distribution has been accomplished involving some groups of objects violating requirements for landscape protection. Within the conducted research, the authors investigated the targets that violated requirements for landscape protection and made use of the recorded data. The available findings derive a conclusion that a major part of infringements are considered as recreation violations (40%); violations in usage, trespassing, visiting forests and woodlands (5%) comprise a minor part. In general, the greatest accumulation of infringements are determined to be located in the western and south-eastern part of Asveja Regional Park where their intensity exceeds more than 6 times the concentration of infringements in other investigated areas and territories.

Highlights

The landscape is a sensitive territorial easy vulnerable formation reacting to changes in the environment and human interference, in the territories where the activities of population are restricted or completely forbidden
Asveja Regional Park is a preserved area established by Resolution No I-2913 ‘On the Establishment of Regional Parks and Reservations’ (Žinios 1992) issued by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania or Restitution Seimas on 24 September 1992 and agreeing on the preservation of Asveja Lake landscape, its natural ecosystem and cultural heritage properties
By using Kernel Density calculations and applying data obtained from the set of points used in monitoring, the equivalent surface the values that depend on the accumulation of the points of the sites of the investigated field have been combined (Antrop, 1988; Sevenant, Antrop 2007; Silverman 1998). This method of calculation has been selected in order to be able to determine locations where infringements concerning requirements for landscape protection appear to be in abundance

Summary

Introduction

The landscape is a sensitive territorial easy vulnerable formation reacting to changes in the environment and human interference, in the territories where the activities of population are restricted or completely forbidden. The article analyses the landscape of Asveja Regional Park that signifies itself by a noticeable increase in its attendance and intensification of recreational potential, i.e. an evident anthropogenic impact on the environment. Asveja Regional Park is located not far from Vilnius, which influences the possibilities of attendance. Despite the fact that there is a shortage of campsites, an increasing number of visitors and frequent attendance of the park are registered. Within the boundaries of Asveja Regional Park, ten reserves and one reservation are located, the total area of which comprises 50,4% of the overall area of the park. Information on the landscape, the Earth’s Crust and land use has never been accumulated at regional and local levels. Any information regarding the internal aspects of changes in the ecosystem that could assist extensive analysis and might forecast the transformation of the landscape has never been available (DRL 2005)

The subject matter and methodology

Findings of the research study

Conclusions