Land use changes and landscape pattern dynamics of a peatland area under diversified human impact: the Grójec Valley (Central Poland)

Abstract

The paper aims to assess the land use changes and the dynamics of the landscape pattern of the Grójec Valley in the scope of diverse anthropogenic impacts. The study site is located in the border of the Koło Basin and Kujawy Lakeland, Central Poland. This area was originally covered with wetlands. Since the beginning of the 20th century it has been influenced by intensive agricultural use, peat extraction and open-pit mining. The research is based on cartographic materials from 1941, 1981 and 2012. The most relevant finding was that in the first study period (1941–1981) the most common changes in land use (transformation of wetlands into grasslands with shrubs) took place. These were caused mainly by a change in hydrological conditions due to drainage for agricultural use (meadows and pastures) and peat extraction. The study confirmed that these land use changes significantly influenced the landscape structure in each of the analysed parameters (patch density and size, edge, shape and diversity metrics).

Recent changes in soil properties and carbon stocks in fen peatlands adjacent to open‐pit lignite mines

“…In the previous 20‐year period (1985–2004), MAAT was 8.7°C and MAP was 520 mm (Stachowski, Oliskiewicz‐Krzywicka, & Kozaczyk, ). Peatland management in GV can be divided into three periods: (1) At the beginning of 20 th century, drainage ditches were constructed to facilitate agricultural use and peat extraction (Glina et al, ). The ditches were connected to the Grójec Channel (mentioned for the first time on local maps in 1934 ‐ Polish Military Geographical Institute, 1934), which comprises the hydrographic axis of the valley and connects Lubstowskie Lake in the north‐east with the Warta River to the south.…”

“…The impact of human activity in the fen (what characterizes fen peat cf other peats) peatland area in the Grójec Valley (GV) in central Poland has been observed since the beginning of 20 th century (Glina, Sykuła, & Mendyk, ). Peatland degradation caused by different, overlapping anthropogenic pressures (mainly agricultural use and lignite mining), emphasizes the importance of conducting research within the GV area (Glina, Gajewski, et al, ).…”

Research Progress in the Field of Peatlands in 1990–2022: A Systematic Analysis Based on Bibliometrics

“…This view, which singles out the direct supply value of peatlands, has led to a focus on the exploitation of peatlands in many areas and has caused serious damage to their local ecosystems, triggering environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, nutrient loss, and water-quality and -quantity declines [33]. Although other ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, and farmlands, have been recognized for their service values [100,101], relatively few studies have focused on the ecological service values of peatlands. Since the 1990s, research estimating the ecological service value of peatlands has gradually increased, but due to the limitations of outdated technical methods and the difficulty of obtaining data, often only simple estimates were made of the service value of a single element.…”