CORINE Land Cover Database Research Articles

How do the surrounding areas of national parks work in the context of landscape fragmentation? A case study of 159 protected areas selected in 11 EU countries

Europe has unique natural values but also has the highest level of ecosystem fragmentation. Evaluating the effectiveness of protected area management is becoming an increasingly common practice. Our main goal was to assess the dynamics of LULC changes in the buffer zones of 159 national parks in 11 selected European countries on the basis of the CORINE Land Cover database in the period from 1990 to 2018. We used five landscape metrics in order to investigate whether high natural and landscape values in the areas surrounding national parks affect the degree and rate of landscape fragmentation and isolation. We checked the statistical significance of the differences in the measured values among different distances to parks (1, 2 and 3 km) in different years and countries using the two-way ANOVA test. Furthermore, the classical principal component analysis method was applied to measure data grouped by country and then averaged by year and distance factor. We showed that high natural and landscape values in the surrounding areas of national parks affect the degree and rate of landscape fragmentation. The patch density index shows an evident increase, both in dynamic terms (1990–2018) and, mainly, in the spatial aspect. In 2018, there was an increasing rate of the patch density index of approximately 5–7% compared to that in 1990. It should be kept in mind that management efforts focused on the buffer zones of national parks may have limited success. Undoubtedly, the obtained results will contribute to the development of landscape ecology and spatial developments in the context of the effective management of national parks and their surroundings.

An evaluation of urbanisation processes in suburban zones using land-cover data and fuzzy set theory

Abstract The aim of this article was to evaluate urbanisation processes in space using the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) databases. The study was conducted in the rural municipality of Dywity in the direct vicinity of the city of Olsztyn. Basic concepts and methods for evaluating urbanisation processes were determined based on a review of the literature. The article addresses issues related to spatial management and GIS as a data source and a tool for analysing land management activities. The search for new methods for evaluating spatial management and spatial processes plays a particularly important role in rapidly urbanising areas. The study explored the applicability of GIS as a data source and a tool for evaluating urbanisation processes in studies that rely on modern methods such as fuzzy set theory. The intensity and dynamics of urbanisation processes were evaluated based on changes in land cover with the use of CLC databases.

Societal Implications of Forest and Water Body Area Evolution in Czechia and Selected Regions

Land cover evolution is an environmental factor that can be used to characterize forest ecosystem services (FES). This study aims to analyze the change in forest cover and water bodies between 1990 and 2018 in the whole Czech Republic, and in the Central Bohemian and South Moravian regions, and its effects on freshwater provision. Additionally, we attempt to understand the societal implications of water quality, public perception, and environmental investment on natural ecosystems. Forest cover and water body data were obtained from the Corine land cover database, while water quality and investment were compiled from the Czech Statistical Office. Public perceptions on the Czech FES were collected from a national survey. Between 1990 and 2018, forest cover has increased by 3.94% and water bodies by 7.65%; however, from 2014 to 2018, severe droughts were reported that compromised the availability of surface water, presumably on artificial structures, causing an increase in the occupied area. Regarding public perception, respondents with less education, and the older population, obtained an assessment of the low performance of the FES, while the water quality and investment indicate that environmental funding has contributed to improving the quality of outflow water from the wastewater treatment plants, fulfilling all the allowed limits of the urban wastewater treatment directive. Hence, a multidisciplinary approach can help decision makers promote policies that integrate environmental management measures, investment protection, and contribute to sustainable development.

The influence of land use on the spatial distribution and intensity of heat islands in Slovenia

Heat islands (HI) are a common anthropogenic phenomenon and are defined as artificial surfaces (urban areas) that have a higher average temperature than their surroundings (rural areas). The aim of this work was to determine the influence of land use on the spatial distribution and intensity (HIi ) of HI in Slovenia. The MODIS Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Corine Land Cover (CLC) databases were used to perform the analysis. Within the identified HI, two HI levels were determined based on temperature difference. The results revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between HIi and both forest co%ver and forest fragmentation (forest edge density and ratio of mean forest patch size to HI size). Artificial surface was positively correlated with HIi . The results contribute to the understanding of the spatial distribution of HI and HIi and provide informati%on for spatial planning and policy-making to reduce the negative impact of HI.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE ANALYSIS OF ARABLE LAND AND GRASSLANDS FROM THE TIMIS PLAIN

In Romania, the diversity and specificity of the pedoclimatic systems (in approximately equal proportions - plain, hill, mountain) and the historical and socio-economic particularities generated a land fund structure dominated by the share of agricultural lands (over 61%), being present in all relief units. Romania is one of the European countries with important land resources, per capita returning 0.68 ha of agricultural land and 0.43 ha of arable land. In the last 30 years, in Banat and not only, under the impact of socio-economic, political and natural factors, there have been significant changes in the structure of land use. The general trend was to increase agricultural land and built at the expense of forests and natural grasslands. This paper aimed to make an empirical analysis of land use categories in the Timiş Plain, focusing on grasslands and arable land, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the 2018 Corine Land Cover database. The experimental site is constituted in the form of a transect formed by five territorial administrative units (Lovrin ATU, Cenei ATU, Peciu Nou ATU, Pădureni ATU and Moşniţa Nouă ATU), representative for the geographical unit of which they are part, respectively Timiş Plain. The relief conditions, as well as the geographical position of the analyzed territory, are reflected in the land use and the agricultural activities carried out. The five ATUs analyzed have a significant agricultural potential, characterized by large areas of covered arable land, mostly fertile soils, which allow crop diversification. The area has agricultural potential, the market access being an important factor of development in terms of livestock growth, even if the grassland areas are small. Filling with fodder is made from fodder crops and arable sown grasslands (complex crops).

Landscape Development Types in Central Lika 1980−2012 − Applying Spatial and Process-Oriented GIS Model

This paper presents an analysis and definition of development types and subtypes in the landscape of Central Lika, based on processes of change in the period 1980−2012 CORINE Land Cover database data for 1980 and 2012 were used to establish the landscape types in Central Lika in those years. The landscape types in Central Lika were determined according to land cover/land use. Based on the mutual relations between the established landscape types in the two observed years, we established six landscape development types and three subtypes in Central Lika. The spatial distribution of landscape development types and subtypes in Central Lika was determined using the Standard Deviational Ellipse (Directional Distribution) spatial analysis method. The results obtained showed that in the observation period (1980−2012), most of the area of Central Lika (89.46%) belonged to the Stagnation landscape type. Other development types were present to a much lesser extent (about 5.5%) and were found to be Vegetation succession, Agrarisation, Vegetation degradation and Built-up land. We established a spatial gradation of three phases in the process of vegetation succession, that is, development subtypes from the centre to the margins of the research area. At the same time, in the observation period, the process and trend of extensification of land use in Central Lika was twice as present as intensification.

Using machine learning to produce a very high resolution land-cover map for Ireland

Abstract. Land-cover classifications in the form of maps are required for numerical modelling of weather and climate. Such maps are often of coarse resolution and are infrequently updated. Here we propose a novel approach for land-cover classification using a Convolutional Neural Network machine learning algorithm to segment satellite images into various land-cover classes. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, the CORINE land-cover database and the BigEarthNet dataset are used. A 10 m resolution map, called the Ulmas-Walsh map, has been created for Ireland that outperforms ECO-SG in terms of accuracy, as well as demonstrating a capacity for identifying features not labelled correctly in CORINE. The map can be updated on demand for any time of the year, subject to cloud cover. This is particularly useful for regions with large seasonal variation in land classifications such as Turloughs – seasonal lakes, flood plains and rotational crops.

Changes in the spatial development of flood hazard areas in Poland between 1990 and 2018 in the light of legal conditions

The study presented herein focuses on determining the relationship between changes in the scale of economic losses between 1990–2018 which occurred in areas of high (10 %) and medium (1%) probability of flood occurrence as well as flood hazard areas due to the destruction of a stopbank, and changes in legislation affecting the spatial development of such areas within the said period. The analysis of changes in the development of flood hazard areas was conducted by means of the Corine Land Cover database. The results of the analysis were later used to evaluate potential economic losses on flood plains, and then spatiotemporal analysis was applied to identify areas with clusters of high and low loss values and the trends regarding their transformations. In consequence, the identification of municipality (Polish: gmina) clusters allowed us to verify the dependence of such transformations on those factors that could impact their intensity. For that purpose, we analysed the coverage of local spatial development plans for individual clusters. On the basis of the conducted studies, we concluded that the implemented legal solutions are not entirely effective, which has also been stated by the legislator. Nevertheless, the introduced legislative changes were beneficial, as the example of Poland shows. The implementation of the Floods Directive has, to a certain degree, decelerated the process of land use and its development in flood hazard areas.

Urban expansion of the largest cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the period 2000-2018

The paper analyses the databases Urban Atlas (UA), Imperviousness, and CORINE Land Cover (CLC) for the largest cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The UA database contains information for five functional urban zones with more than 100,000 inhabitants: Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Tuzla, Mostar, and Zenica. The Imperviousness database is related to the subclasses of the urban atlas because the impermeability percentage has been used for a more detailed classification within the discontinuous urban area. The CLC database provides insight into the intensity of expansion of these cities during three six-year periods: 2000-2006, 2006-2012, and 2012-2018. The research has been used to analyse the expansion of urban zones, the structure, and form of cities, and the impact of urban expansion on the surrounding area. The results of the research show that, despite the negative demographic trends, there is a trend of urban expansion in B&H, mainly over the agricultural land. According to the CLC database in the period 2000-2018, artificial areas increased in spatial coverage from 1.35% to 1.7%, and urban fabric from 0.99% to 1.27%. The Imperviousness database shows that in 2018sealed areas covered 1.59% and built-up areas 0.8% of the territory of B&H. The 2013 census showed that the number of inhabitants in all five functional urban areas decreased compared to 1991, but despite that fact, the expansion of urban zones continues with a weaker or stronger intensity. So far, there has been no research on urban development based on the high-resolution layers UA and Imperviousness database in B&H, so that such research is the most significant contribution of this article.

Mapping Green Infrastructure Elements Based on Available Data, A Case Study of the Czech Republic

Abstract The contribution of Green Infrastructure (GI) in vital areas such as regional development, climate change, agriculture, forestry and environmental protection is already acknowledged and listed as one of the priorities in several key EU policies, and is the basis for the EU Green Infrastructure Strategy. However, the concept is not yet fully integrated into actual planning strategies, in this respect the Czech Republic is no different. A major problem in doing so is a lack of guidelines/ how to identify and map GI using available sources and thus keeping costs down. The existing data sources for land cover or land use often do not fulfil the requirements in terms of thematic coverage, resolution or accuracy. In order to work around such limitations, we analyse the existing land use/land cover data in the Czech Republic from the GI perspective. Furthermore, we propose a GI mapping methodology based on the diagnosis of three mapping approaches at the regional level, grounded on the utilisation and processing of different data sets. We compared GI maps based on European data from CORINE Land Cover Database, Czech national database called Consolidated Layer of Ecosystems (CLE) and combination of Czech national and regional data and manual vectorization. Our results show that CORINE based GI map is suitable for transnational scale but unsuitable for regional scale. The CLE based GI map is good for both national and regional scale but its information on GI in urban areas is lacking. The detailed regional GI map is good for regional and to some degree even for local scale but its creation is time consuming. However, careful combination of existing national and regional data can provide good outcome in creating GI map usable for territorial planning.

The Use of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) Database for Analyzing Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl is generally defined as the urbanization of space adjacent to a city, which results from that city’s development. The discussed phenomenon involves land development, mainly agricultural land, in the proximity of cities, the development of infrastructure, and an increase in the number of residents who rely on urban services and commute to work in the city. Urban sprawl generates numerous problems which, in the broadest sense, result from the difficulty in identifying the boundaries of the central urban unit and the participation of local inhabitants, regardless of their actual place of residence, in that unit’s functional costs. These problems are associated not only with tax collection rights but with difficulties in measuring the extent of urban sprawl in research and local governance. The aim of this study was to analyze the applicability of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database for monitoring urbanization processes, including the dynamic process of urban sprawl. Polish cities with county rights, i.e., cities that implement independent spatial planning policies, were analyzed in the study to determine the pattern of urban sprawl in various types of cities. Buffer zones composed of municipalities that are directly adjacent to the central urban unit were mapped around the analyzed cities. The study proposes a novel method for measuring the extent of suburbanization with the use of the CLC database and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The developed method relies on the overgrowth of urbanization (OU) index calculated based on CLC data. The OU index revealed differences in the rate of urbanization in three groups of differently sized Polish cities. The analysis covered two periods: 2006–2012 and 2012–2018, and it revealed that urban sprawl in the examined cities proceeded in an unstable manner over time. The results of the present study indicate that the CLC database is a reliable source of information about urbanization processes.

Correlations between soil organic carbon, land use and soil type in Serbia

Correlation between soil organic carbon (SOC) and land use and soil type were investigated in the soils of the Republic of Serbia. The database included a total of 1,140 soil profiles. To establish the correlation between organic carbon content and soil type, a soil map of Serbia was adapted to the WRB classification and divided into 15,437 polygons (map units). The SOC stock values were calculated for each reference soil group based on mean values of SOC at 0-30 and 0-100 cm and their areas. The largest SOC stocks for the soil layers 0-30 cm were found in Cambisol 194.76 x 1012 g and Leptosol 186.43 x 1012 g and for the soil layers 0-100 cm in Cambisol 274.87 x 1012 g and Chernozem 230.43 x 1012 g. Using the Corine Land Cover (CLC) database, the major categories of land use were defined. Based on the obtained mean values of organic carbon content for the soil layers 0-30 and 0-100 cm and the areas indicated by Corine Land Cover categories of land use, the organic carbon stocks in agricultural soil, forest soil, semi-natural areas, and artificial areas were calculated. The correlation of organic carbon stocks and the different land use categories, soil reference group, and soil depth was studied for reference groups that occupy the major part of central Serbia, such as Cambisol (taking up 37.76% of the territory) and Leptosol (22.22% of the territory), and have a sufficient number of sites that were required for this type of analysis.

Land cover types and changes in land use in Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) over the period 2000-2018

Republic of Srpska (RS) covers an area of 24,666 km2 or about 48.5% of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territory. Spatial and environmental changes accelerated due to dynamic historical period upon the RS formation and the following development period. The extent of these changes can be determined by comparing satellite images obtained from different acquisition periods. By processing images, with the support of geographic information systems, it is possible to create a database that aims to analyze spatial processes in a specific area in order to determine quantitative and qualitative parameters. In this way, the trends of spatial development (e.g. excessive logging, land cover damage, water pollution, etc.) and potentially vulnerable components of the environment can be monitored. The data for Bosnia and Herzegovina were collected from CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database for 39 European countries. The CLC is a project launched by the European Environment Agency (EEA) more than thirty years ago with the aim of collecting, coordinating and ensuring the consistency of information on natural resources and the environment. The goal of the paper is to identify land cover types and determine environment changes in the territory of Republic of Srpska over the period 2000–2018 as a consequence of the land use conversion.

Modelling land use/cover change to assess future urban sprawl in Romania

The current paper aims at assessing future urban sprawl in Romania based on predicted land use/cover change (2007–2050) simulated using CLUE-S model (the Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at Small regional extent) and CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database. Given the regional particularities of land use/cover change, the CLUE-S model was applied for each Development Region of Romania (NUTS 2 level). The authors analysed various biophysical and socio-economic explanatory variables associated with the current patterns of urban expansion and assessed future urban sprawl based on historical built-up expansion. The model shows increasing built-up areas mainly in relation to the decreasing in agricultural lands, especially inside and outside the cities limits, with significant differences at the regional level. The results provide support for the decision-makers and local communities in promoting less consumption of land resource and the protection of the environment.

Spatial modelling of deforestation in Romanian Carpathian Mountains using GIS and Logistic Regression

Deforestation process represents a wide concern mainly in the mountain environments due to its role in global warming, biodiversity loss, land degradation and natural hazards occurrence. Thus, the present study is focused on the largest afforested landform unit of Romania and, consequently, the most affected area by forest losses: Carpathian Mountains. The main goal of the paper is to examine and analyze the various explanatory variables associated with deforestation process and to model the probability of deforestation using GIS spatial analysis and logistic regression. The forest cover for 1990 and 2012, derived from CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database, were used to quantify historical forest cover change included in the modelling. To explain the biophysical and anthropogenic effects, this study considered several explanatory factors related to local topography, forest cover pattern, accessibility, urban growth and population density. Using ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) and 500 controlling sampling points, the statistical and spatial validations were assessed in order to evaluate the performance of the resulted data. The analysis showed that the area experienced a continuous forest cover change, leading to the loss of over 250,000 ha of forested area during the period 1990–2012. The most significant influence of the explanatory factors of deforestation were noticed in case of distance to forest edge (β=−4.215), forest fragmentation (β=2.231), slope declivity (β=−1.901), elevation (β=1.734) and distance to roads (β=−1.713). The statistical and spatial validation indicates a good accuracy of the model with reasonably AUC (0.736) and Kappa (0.739) values. The model’s results suggest an intensification of the deforestation process in the area, designing numerous new clusters with high probability in the Apuseni Mountains, northern and central part of the Eastern Carpathians, western part of the Southern Carpathians and northern part of the Banat Mountains. The study could represent a useful outcome to identify the forests more vulnerable to logging and to adopt appropriate policies and decisions in forest management and conservation. In addition, the resulted probability map could be used in other studies in order to investigate potential environmental implications (e.g. geomorphological hazards or impact on biodiversity and landscape diversity).

Monitoring of Landscape Transformations within Landscape Parks in Poland in the 21st Century

One of the most problematic forms of nature protection in Poland relates to landscape parks. They include the most valuable landscapes, but the areas within the landscape park still have economic uses. Therefore, the monitoring of landscape changes within landscape parks is necessary in order to properly manage these forms of protection. The main objective of the study was to monitor the scale and nature of landscape transformations within the boundaries of landscape parks in Poland during the period 2000–2018 and to assess the possibility of using the landscape change index (LCI) to monitor the intensity of landscape transformations within this type of protected area. Preliminary analyses of the transformations within all landscape parks in Poland showed an upward trend, both in terms of the number of types of identified landscape changes as well as their area. In spite of the large diversity and degree of transformation in landscape parks, several dominant processes can be observed. The largest number and area of changes during each of the analyzed periods were found in transformations within forest landscapes (temporary and permanent deforestation and forest maturation), which constitute the dominant type of land cover within most of the landscape parks. In open landscapes, changes mainly relate to afforestation and natural succession in meadows, pastures, and arable land, as well as the transformation of arable land into mining areas. Twelve case studies, covering all landscape parks in Lower Silesia, have shown that the LCI is an excellent tool for monitoring the intensity of landscape changes, but it is dependent on the accuracy of the source data. The analyses confirmed that, during the study periods, the changes in all 12 Lower Silesian landscape parks were at a low level, but their particular intensification took place in the years from 2012 to 2018. The highest LCI was found in the area where a natural disaster had occurred (air tornado), which destroyed huge areas of forest in landscape parks. After changes in the forest landscape, the most frequently identified type of change in 2006–2012 was the transformation of non-forest landscapes into forest landscapes. The main reason for such changes was the expansion of forest into abandoned arable land, meadows, and pastures. The use of the Corine Land Cover database to calculate the LCI and monitor the intensity of landscape change revealed a low usability of the database for the year 2000 and a high usability for data from 2006 to 2018.

Urban sprawl and land conversion in post-socialist cities: The case of metropolitan Budapest

Former state-socialist cities were described by the literature as compact and relatively dense urban forms. However, the political transition of 1989–90 has changed the spatial characteristics of these cities, partly due to urban sprawl. Yet, we do not know if such a phenomenon as “sprawl” did exist before 1989. The main aim of this paper is to assess urban expansion in the metropolitan region of Budapest during state-socialism and after the political changes, and measure the intensity of urban sprawl. The main thesis is that urban sprawl did not start with the advent of market forces in 1989–90, but it was already present during state-socialism, however the tempo of sprawl was considerably increased by suburbanization, the dominant form of urban expansion, after 1990. In order to explore the longitudinal land use changes in the Budapest metropolitan region we analyse standardised databases and maps (e.g. military topographic map from 1959, Corine Land Cover database from 1990 and European Urban Atlas from 2012). The discussion is focused, on the one hand, on the growth of urbanized land as an outcome of urban sprawl and the main underpinning factors in different epochs and, on the other hand, on the main driving forces of suburbanization and sprawl. Research results clearly show that urban sprawl has intensified around Budapest after the political changes. This was the result of a complex interplay of socio-economic and political factors, a process driven by the free movement of residents, firms, as well as the reshuffle of the regulatory framework. The study demonstrates that urban sprawl has several negative impacts on social, economic and environmental sustainability in the investigated metropolitan region, which is in line with findings of the literature.

Geospatial analysis of land cover changes in Bačka from 1990. to 2018.

The area of Bačka is located in northwestern part of Serbia. Although it is predominantly a lowland area, Bačka is characterized by several relief forms that differ in altitude, geological and pedological composition, hydrological conditions, various anthropogenic influences and, therefore, land cover. For the study period, sociogeographical characteristics are more important than natural ones. Human has largely influenced the spatial changes in this region, first of all by forming agricultural areas in all suitable places, then by expanding urban areas caused by population growth, and also by woodcutting and pond formation. Research is focused on the period since there is more accurate and comparable data on the land cover of Serbia in order to detect and analyze the changes faithfully. This paper uses geospatial data from Corine Land Cover (CLC) database that shows the state of land cover from 1990 to 2018 for most of Europe. The aim of this paper is to recognize spatial changes in these data using geographic information system (GIS) and to identify the factors that caused these changes. Motive for this research is still a small number of papers on this topic in Serbia.

How relevant are local climate zones and urban climate zones for urban climate research? Dijon (France) as a case study

Several typologies of urban surface properties have been proposed, in recent years, for urban heat island studies and climate modeling. Some were specifically developed for cities and urban climate issues, like the Urban Climate Zones, and the more recent Local Climate Zones. The initial objective of this paper is to evaluate the capacity of these two typologies to identify thermal environments in and around cities, and to determine which typology best captures the daily spatio-temporal patterns of surface and urban canopy heat islands. To simulate urban climate with a model, LULC data based on a given typology are required. To avoid circularity, we combined the Corine Land Cover database, with data for the whole of Europe, and the BD TOPO database, for France, to form a new tool, CLC_USGS, which we used as input for the WRF limited-area model, with a 150-m grid resolution. The capacity of each typology to identify coherent thermal zones was estimated for Dijon, a medium-sized French city, during a three-week heat wave, over a 24-hour period, in conditions favorable to urban heat island development. The comparison was based on hourly air temperatures directly output from the WRF model, those obtained from the purpose-built MUSTARDijon 47-sensor meteorological network, and NDVI values and land surface temperatures estimated from Landsat images for 11 July 2015 at 1030 UTC. Typical diurnal variations and spatial contrasts of surface and air temperatures were identified in both simulations and observations. As both typologies show significant capacity for identifying thermally coherent intra-urban areas, this study suggests that they could both be useful for urban climate applications. The typology that is most generally applicable in worldwide contexts is Local Climate Zones.

Effect of land use change on ecosystem services in Lake Balaton Catchment

Land Use and Land Cover Changes (LULCC) are interrelated with other global processes like global climate change, population growth, land degradation etc. Land use structure of a given area, region is adapted to the requirements of human society since the appearance of human beings. Land use structure is understood as the proportion of land use types orruring in a given area. The objective of the paper is to analyse land use changes in Lake Balaton catchment, Hungary and to present the role of changes of one ecosystem service, i.e. recreation and tourism by quantitative methods, based on spatial and statistical databases of land use and tourism in Lake Balaton catchment, Hungary between 1990 and 2012. The study area is a frequented touristic region of Hungary with variegated and beautiful landscape mosaics. The lake (595 km2) is exposed to various kinds of environmental impacts including agricultural activities and tourism. For the quantification of the Recreation and Ecotourism Ecosystem Service potential the Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) method was applied.Land use changes between 1990 and 2012 were identified from the CORINE Land Cover Database and evaluated from ecological aspects and from the aspect of ecosystem services. The main changes include a continuous increase of the forest area and a remarkable on-going decrease of arable land. Soil erosion as the main land degradation process in the area endangering the quality of ecosystem services. The remarkable decrease of arable fields reduces erosion risk. Ecosystem services provided by each land use type were analysed. The main conclusion is that long term trend of land use changes is beneficial for ecosystem services.