Which sustainability objectives are difficult to achieve? The mid-term evaluation of predicted scenarios in remote mountain agricultural landscapes in Slovakia

Abstract

The Poloniny National Park (Poloniny) is a forest/grassland-dominated ecosystem, peripherally located on the Slovakian border with Ukraine and Poland, with low population density, economic insufficiency and high natural and cultural values. Three different scenarios for agricultural landscape development were outlined for Poloniny in 2005 under the BioScene project and their likely contributions to achieving participatory-selected sustainability objectives were assessed. Our current research aims to evaluate the recent trends in achieving these sustainability objectives in a socio-ecological context and within the scope of the 2005 scenarios. In addition, we searched for generic and site-specific interventions that could halt the collapse of the socio-ecological system of such landscapes, paying attention to tourism which has appeared to be a promising factor in the region’s socio-economic progress in recent times. We employed information from key planning documents, statistical data on demography, changes in agricultural land use, changes seen from geo-tagged photos, and two questionnaire surveys with local stakeholders. The first survey included feedback on achieving the 2005 sustainability objectives and perceived changes in land use and management; the second aimed to find out the number of accommodated visitors in recent years. Based on sustainability appraisal, we conclude that there has been a mixed impact on biodiversity and natural resources, and a negative or stagnating trend for most social and economic aspects, especially social infrastructure for promotion of local job creation and maintaining the local population. Furthermore, changes in agricultural land use reflect farming activities optimised to local biophysical conditions and toward reaching farm efficiency under the conditions set by the Common Agricultural Policy. Nevertheless, ecotourism was found to be an opportunity in stimulating multi-functional and sustainable landscape management: ecotourism has significantly expanded in the last few years, especially due to local initiatives, and has been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its long-term maintenance is uncertain since its linkage to the well-being of the local community is absent. For achieving this objective, we recommend systematic design of targeted rural policy which respects the needs and character of peripheral mountain regions, provides better conditions for sustainable farming, especially in connection with nonproduction benefits from agricultural landscape such as recreation and biodiversity, and considers local actions and knowledge.