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Landscape and Nature Conservation Issues in Human-Altered Environments

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 16522

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ákos Malatinszky

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Guest Editor

Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Management, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Interests: nature conservation; conservation management; high nature value (HNV) grasslands; Hungarian flora; landscape history

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Landscapes all over the world are at a growing rate affected by agricultural intensification, forest management activities, industry, transport, water regulation, and urbanisation, as well as the abandonment of rural areas. Intensive management, especially during the past century, has seriously altered human‐dominated landscapes and caused severe biodiversity loss. Exploring historical management reasons and their various consequences is inevitable for developing and implementing conservation efforts. In this special issue, we invite case studies to describe some top issues on the potential drivers of landscape change that provide evidence to underpin future policy development and conservation management.

An approach through landscape history is crucial and should respond to how we proceed to sustain landscape and biological diversity. Although recent papers refer to several human-induced landscape changes that have resulted in the transformation of natural habitats which still preserve outstanding botanical and zoological values, studies that provide a perspective on the required land management and/or necessary interventions in order to maintain them sustainably are scarce. With this Special Issue, we call for contributions to fill these gaps.

Dr. Ákos Malatinszky
Guest Editor

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Keywords

biodiversity
conservation management
historical land uses
human interventions
lanscape history
land management
land use change

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1469 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

How Many Real Islands Have Existed along a Mid-Danube Section during the Past 250 Years?

by Szilvia Ádám and Ákos Malatinszky

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1829; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031829 - 5 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1737

Abstract

The consequences of river regulation work and other human interventions from the past can still be followed and cause various effects on the Danube river, especially on the formation and state of the islands. We aimed to compile an inventory of the islands along the Hungarian Danube stretch between Vének (1797 rkm) and Budapest (1647 rkm) during the past 250 years, focusing on their landscape history. Real islands were defined as gravel bars that are permanently covered with pioneer woody vegetation, constantly surrounded by water (side-branch is not closed), and their surface remains unflooded at an average water level. We identified 123 real islands that existed on this 150 km long river stretch in the last centuries. These were real islands for a shorter or longer period between the 18th and the 21st century. A total of 66 of them existed at the same time about 200 years ago, i.e., before the large-scale water regulation works, while today this number is only 18, meaning that 73% of current potential Danube islands are at a stage of side-branch succession. Before the river regulation works, the natural successional changes of a real island occurred over hundreds of years, but today they happen rapidly. The formation of new islands became very limited compared to the past due to the lack of sediments and the altered river dynamics. In order to conserve this unique ecological corridor and green infrastructure element in the long run, and restore its damaged floodplain habitats, no more hard-tech interventions should be allowed in the fluvial system. These aspects need to be taken into consideration in decision-making processes with an integrated approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Nature Conservation Issues in Human-Altered Environments)

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18 pages, 6295 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Half of the Ancient Trees in Hungary Stand in Human-Altered Environments

by Márton Takács and Ákos Malatinszky

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12803; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212803 - 19 Nov 2021

Viewed by 2287

Abstract

Big trees contribute to various ecosystem functions and spiritual values are given to them by local people, yet they are endangered. We compiled the health status, accessibility, and local habitat categories of the 2000 biggest (considering girth) trees in Hungary in 531 settlements. A total of 1550 specimens belong to 29 indigenous species, while 450 are non-indigenous (43 species). Most of them stand in a forest or park (not as a solitary tree), in the North Hungarian Range. Altogether, half of the ancient trees in Hungary stand in human-altered environments. Three-quarters are in a fair health condition. However, only 10.3% of the biggest white willows and 24.5% of the biggest sweet chestnuts are in good or excellent condition. A number of 121 big trees should no longer be listed in the nationwide online database because they died, or no longer reach the girth criteria (e.g., due to breakage). This number proves that any kind of documentation is important. More than half of the trees are easily accessible, while 9% are very difficult to reach. Only a very few big trees receive legal protection at the local or national level, on their own or in the habitat where they stand. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Nature Conservation Issues in Human-Altered Environments)

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22 pages, 57265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Land Use and Landscape Pattern Changes in a Marshland of Hungary

by Gergő Németh, Dénes Lóczy and Péter Gyenizse

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12664; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212664 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2601

Abstract

This paper presents the trends of landscape change in the marshes on the southern shore of Lake Balaton, a wetland profoundly transformed by human activities. The study does not only deal with alterations in the areal proportions of land use classes but also quantitatively analyses landscape pattern, comparing landscape metrics on different dates. Based on the findings, proposals for rehabilitation are made. Through the restoration of wetland habitats, the provision level of ecosystem services can be raised. Landscape change was investigated from 1783 to 2020. For this purpose, archive maps were digitized, CORINE land cover datasets corrected by Sentinel-2 imagery were employed and from the vector data, the proportions of land use classes were calculated. For landscape pattern perimeter, area, neighbourhood and diversity metrics were used, calculated by ArcGIS vLATE plugin. It was pointed out that in land cover, the share of wetlands considerably declined over the centuries but in recent decades somewhat expanded. In the 20th century, grasslands were the predominant land use class, but with the spread of other categories, land use has become more complex. Landscape metrics show an increased fragmentation of natural habitats, a higher number of patches and edge density, leading to higher landscape diversity. Rehabilitation proposals include the establishment of rainwater retention reservoirs, the conversion of arable land which cannot be cultivated profitably to close-to-natural classes (first of all, grasslands) and the plantation of gallery forests of native tree species along canals. In comparison with other regions, similar temporal trends and spatial distributions are observed. For instance, the internationally well-known transformation of the Doñana wetland started later but was more intensive than in Hungary. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Nature Conservation Issues in Human-Altered Environments)

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18 pages, 5851 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Management of Very Large Trees with the Use of Acoustic Tomography

by Margot Dudkiewicz and Wojciech Durlak

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 12315; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112315 - 8 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2648

Abstract

This manuscript summarizes the process by which large trees are protected in Poland, how they gain protected status, and the use of acoustic tomography to assess the structural soundness of five individual trees. The authors discuss tree stressors and tree care options, and how the outcome of each assessment was used in the decision-making process. Moreover, the use of acoustic tomography as an assessment tool helps to gain public acceptance for the assessment. In sustainable development, there is talk of the conscious management of urban vegetation, and specifically tree populations in the city. In line with sustainable development, actions are taken to manage the existing natural resources, e.g., historic trees, properly. Thanks to using an acoustic tomograph, it is possible to diagnose old tree specimens, take care of the safety of people and property near the natural monument, and to test candidates for their eligibility as monuments. Thanks to the research presented, it was ordered that one poplar tree be left and observed in Lublin, that two linden trees be cut down in Sandomierz and Lublin, that arborist works consisting of lowering the height of a linden tree in Sandomierz be undertaken, and that monument protection be applied for an ash tree in Łęczna. A visual tree assessment (VTA) was the starting point for this research. Each of the trees could endanger the safety of site users, and the diagnostics performed using sound waves were crucial in assessing their health condition. Our results highlight that acoustic tomography is an essential diagnostic method applicable to trees belonging to cultural heritage, such as old trees, and is effective in preventive tree management through the monitoring of mid- to long-term changes in internal decay or cavities that are difficult to diagnose with the naked eye. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Nature Conservation Issues in Human-Altered Environments)

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16 pages, 5387 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is Einkorn Wheat (Triticum monococcum L.) a Better Choice than Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)? Wheat Quality Estimation for Sustainable Agriculture Using Vision-Based Digital Image Analysis

by Edina Csákvári, Melinda Halassy, Attila Enyedi, Ferenc Gyulai and József Berke

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 12005; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112005 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2394

Abstract

Einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum) plays an increasingly important role in agriculture, promoted by organic farming. Although the number of comparative studies about modern and ancient types of wheats is increasing, there are still some knowledge gaps about the nutritional and health benefit differences between ancient and modern bread wheats. The aim of the present study was to compare ancient, traditional and modern wheat cultivars—including a field study and a laboratory stress experiment using vision-based digital image analysis—and to assess the feasibility of imaging techniques. Our study shows that modern winter wheat had better yield and grain quality compared to einkorn wheats, but the latter were not far behind; thus the cultivation of various species could provide a diverse and sustainable agriculture which contributes to higher agrobiodiversity. The results also demonstrate that digital image analysis could be a viable alternate method for the real-time estimation of aboveground biomass and for predicting yield and grain quality parameters. Digital area outperformed other digital variables in biomass prediction in relation to drought stress, but height and Feret’s diameter better correlated with yield and grain quality parameters. Based on these results we suggest that the combination of various vision-based methods could improve the performance estimation of modern and ancient types of wheat in a non-destructive and real-time manner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Nature Conservation Issues in Human-Altered Environments)

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27 pages, 8727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward a High Spatial Resolution Aerial Monitoring Network for Nature Conservation—How Can Remote Sensing Help Protect Natural Areas?

by Gábor Bakó, Zsolt Molnár, Lilla Bakk, Ferenc Horváth, Luca Fehér, Örs Ábrám, Edina Morvai, Csaba Biro, Gergely Pápay, Attila Fűrész, Károly Penksza, Diána Pácsonyi, Krisztina Demény, Erika Juhász, Dorottya Dékány, Lili Csernyava, Gábor Illés and András Molnár

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8807; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168807 - 6 Aug 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4038

Abstract

Aerial surveys have always significantly contributed to the accurate mapping of certain geographical phenomena. Remote sensing opened up new perspectives in nature monitoring with state-of-the-art technical solutions using modern onboard recording equipment. We developed the technical background and the methodology that supports detailed and cost-effective monitoring of a network of natural areas, thereby detecting temporal changes in the spatial pattern of land cover, species, biodiversity, and other natural features. In this article, we share our experiences of the technical background, geometric accuracy and results of comparisons with selected Copernicus Land Monitoring products and an Ecosystem Map based on the testing of our methodology at 25 sites in Hungary. We combined a high-spatial-resolution aerial remote sensing service with field studies to support an efficient nature conservation monitoring network at 25 permanent sites. By analyzing annually (or more frequently) orthophotos taken with a range of 0.5–5 cm spatial resolution and 3D surface models of aerial surveys, it is possible to map the upper canopy of vegetation species. Furthermore, it allows us to accurately follow the changes in the dynamics at the forest edge and upper canopy, or the changes in species’ dominance in meadows. Additionally, spatial data obtained from aerial surveys and field studies can expand the knowledge base of the High-Resolution Aerial Monitoring Network (HRAMN) and support conservation and restoration management. A well-conducted high-resolution survey can reveal the impacts of land interventions and habitat regeneration. By building the HRAMN network, nature conservation could have an up-to-date database that could prompt legal processes, establish protection designation procedures and make environmental habitat management more cost-effective. Landscape protection could also utilize the services of HRAMN in planning and risk reduction interventions through more reliable inputs to environmental models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Nature Conservation Issues in Human-Altered Environments)

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