Latent Drivers of Landscape Transformation in Eastern Europe: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

Land-use changes in Europe have been influenced by social forces including economic, demographic, political, technological and cultural factors. Contributing to a refined conceptualization of multifaceted processes of landscape transformation in the European continent, the present study proposes an extensive review of land-use trends in Eastern Europe, focusing on past, present and future conditions that may characterize latent drivers of change. Three time periods with a specific institutional, political and socioeconomic context reflecting distinct processes of land-use change were identified including: (i) the rapid transition to a centralized political system since the early 1950s (up to the late 1980s); (ii) a progressive transition from communist regimes to parliamentary democracy in 1989–1990 (up to the early 2000s); and (iii) the subsequent accession of individual countries to the European Union (2004–2007) up to nowadays. The most recent land-use trends are increasingly influenced by European directives on the environment, while national policies continue to shape economic development in member states.

Los paisajes de viñedos. Historia y tendencias de la viticultura en casos de estudio de Eslovaquia

“…Similar processes were indicated also in other European countries, irrespectively whether they were observed in the Eastern Bloc Communist countries (Grigorescu et al, 2012;Novák et al, 2014;Toteva & Atasoy, 2014;Prokopová et al, 2018) or in Mediterranean ones where wine growing has long tradition, dating back millennia (Cots-folch et al, 2006;Olarieta et al, 2008;Salvati & Sabbi, 2011;Narbarte-Hernández et al, 2020).…”

Historical reconfigurations of a social–ecological system adapting to economic, policy and climate changes in the French Alps

“…Numerous capitals were thus reconfigured, such as access conditions to financial capital, modification of power and local agency affecting collective and individual decisions, new perception and relation to nature, or shift in preferences and values of societies. These results reflect the prevalent role of external drivers, especially socio-economic and policies, in SES adaptation dynamics (Prokopová et al 2018).…”

Envisioning Present and Future Land-Use Change under Varying Ecological Regimes and Their Influence on Landscape Stability

“…Irrigation is not only a serious driver of water consumption [129,140,151] but can also cause salinization of soils, leading to biomass reduction and susceptibility to erosion [152]. Construction of massive drainage systems in wetlands and wet meadows has been observed in Czech Republic, mainly in the 1970s and the 1980s [153]. These transformations damaged natural habitats, negatively affecting water regimes, balance of nutrients, water-influenced energy dissipation, and landscape functionality.…”

“…The post-communist period was also characterized by a substantial reduction of agricultural land, making landscapes more vulnerable to different market interests [136]. In this regard, local development was associated with (more or less) subtle forms of suburban expansion and infrastructural development [153]. Urban expansion has both direct and indirect negative effects on the environment.…”