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Special Issue "Identification and Assessment of Landscape Change and Landscape Services for Sustainable Landscape Planning and Management"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

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Special Issue Editors

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Piotr Krajewski
E-Mail Website1 Website2

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Guest Editor

Institute of Spatial Management, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Grunwaldzka 55, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: landscape management; landscape services; driving forces of landscape change; land use/land cover change; landscape protection; landscape sensitivity; landscape capacity

Dr. Iga Solecka
E-Mail Website

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Guest Editor

Institute of Spatial Management, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Grunwaldzka 55, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: landscape management; landscape assessment; public participation; PPGIS, spatial planning; land use change; land use policy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few decades, an intensification of landscape changes has been observed due to strong socio-economic transformations, including changes in agriculture, industry, and transport. Traditional agricultural landscapes, urban and industrial landscapes, as well as those with high levels of tourism have undergone large transformations. Therefore, knowledge about sustainable landscape planning and management systems needs to be enhanced. In this regard, more attention is being paid to analysis of the forces driving noticeable changes in the landscape that are significantly influencing the direction of further transformations as well as to the analysis of landscape sensitivity and capacity. The need to develop research methods for identifying and assessing landscape services, defined as goods and services provided by the landscape to society, is also being discussed. The concept of ecosystem services has become extremely popular. From this perspective, many theoretical and practical studies have been completed. Fewer studies considered the identification and assessment of landscape services. Systematization is lacking of the types of research in which the concept of ecosystem services and landscape services should be used. Understanding the phenomenon that lies behind a specific type of landscape transformation and changes in human demand for various landscape services is crucial in the context of sustainable landscape planning and management.

This Special Issue is focused on multidisciplinary approaches and methods of landscape change and landscape services analysis as well as social participation in landscape studies that can be used for sustainable landscape planning and management. Relevant topics include but are not limited to both theoretical papers and case studies. Papers should provide the best examples of landscape change analysis and its driving forces as well as identification, mapping, and valuation of landscape services or ecosystem services in landscape perspective. Papers related to landscape sensitivity and capacity as well as landscape history and cultural heritage transformations are also invited. Research including social participation in landscape analysis and landscape protection are consistent with the theme of the Special Issue.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Piotr Krajewski
Dr. Iga Solecka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Geospatial analysis of landscape change
Driving forces of landscape change
Monitoring landscape change
Identification and mapping of landscape services
Mapping ecosystem services in landscape perspective
Multidisciplinary approach to landscape valuation and assessment
Assessment of land use/land cover change
Landscape sensitivity and capacity
Landscape dynamics
Social participation in landscape planning and management
Decision support system for sustainable landscape management
Sustainable landscape planning and management
Landscape history
Cultural heritage transformations
Landscape protection

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Tuscany Landscape Structure According to the Regional Landscape Plan Partition

and

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5424; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105424 - 12 May 2021

Viewed by 399

Abstract

The landscape is considered a strategic asset by the Tuscan regional government, also for its economic role, meaning that a specific Landscape Plan has been developed, dividing the region into 20 Landscape Units and representing the main planning instrument at the regional level. Following the aims of the Landscape Plan and the guidelines of the European Landscape Convention, it is necessary to develop an adequate assessment of the landscape, evaluating the main typologies and their characteristics. The aim of this research is to carry out an assessment of the landscape diversity in Tuscany based on 20 study areas, analyzing land uses and landscape mosaic structures through the application of landscape metrics: number of land uses, mean patch size (MPS), Hill’s diversity number, edge density (ED), patch density (PD), land use diversity (LUD). The results highlight a correlation between the landscape typologies (forest, agricultural, mixed, periurban) and the complexity of the landscape structure, especially in relation to MPS and PD, while the combination of PD and LUD calculated on the basis of a hexagonal grid allows obtaining landscape complexity maps. Despite the phenomena of reforestation and urban sprawl of recent decades, Tuscany still preserves different landscape typologies characterized by a good level of complexity. This is particularly evident in mixed landscapes, while agricultural landscapes have a larger variability because of different historical land organization forms. The methodology applied in this study provided a large amount of data about land uses and the landscape mosaic structure and complexity and proved to be effective in assessing the landscape structure and in creating a database that can represent a baseline for future monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Assessment of Landscape Change and Landscape Services for Sustainable Landscape Planning and Management)

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Open AccessArticle

Land Cover Change and Landscape Transformations (2000–2018) in the Rural Municipalities of the Upper Silesia-Zagłębie Metropolis

Katarzyna Pukowiec-Kurda

and

Hana Vavrouchová

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9911; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239911 - 26 Nov 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 581

Abstract

Dynamic changes in the landscape have been observed in recent years. They are particularly visible in areas with a high degree of anthropopressure. An example of such areas is metropolitan regions and their immediate rural surroundings. The purpose of this article is to identify changes in land cover in the rural municipalities within metropolises and detect the processes of landscape transformation in rural areas, which are extremely sensitive to anthropopressure. The dynamics of land cover changes in the years 2000–2018 were determined using a change index (ChI), and their directions were determined using the indicator of changes in types of land cover. Corine Land Cover for level 2 groups (1.1–4.2) was used as research material, and the Upper Silesia-Zagłębie Metropolis was selected as the model area. The greatest changes in the landscape were observed in built-up areas, industrial areas, meadows and mining areas. This is due to the disappearance of the mining industry that was traditional for this region and the ongoing suburbanization process, as well as the re-industrialization of modern industry and the abandonment of arable land in rural areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Assessment of Landscape Change and Landscape Services for Sustainable Landscape Planning and Management)

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Open AccessArticle

Changes in the Spatial Structure of the Landscape of Isolated Forest Complexes in the 19th and 20th Centuries and Their Potential Effects on Supporting Ecosystem Services Related to the Protection of Biodiversity Using the Example of the Niemodlin Forests (SW Poland)

Krzysztof Badora

and

Radosław Wróbel

Sustainability 2020, 12(10), 4237; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104237 - 21 May 2020

Viewed by 625

Abstract

This study assesses the changes in the spatial structure of the landscape between 1825 and 2019 in the isolated, protected forest complex of the Niemodlin Forests. Based on the analysis of changes in this structure, a change the supporting ecosystem services related to the protection of biodiversity was proposed. The landscape metrics were used separately for the analysis of the structure of the whole landscape, and individual types of ecosystems were used in the research. There were no major changes in the share of individual types of ecosystems during the period under review. At the same time, a very large increase in built-up areas and tree stands was found in 1825. Landscape metrics point to internal changes in the landscape composition, which is important for the functioning of the landscape and is related to the fragmentation and increasing isolation of ecosystems. Changes in the share of the surface of individual types of ecosystems in the landscape do not provide enough information about the actual structural and functional changes and ongoing ecosystem support services. There has been ecosystem degradation that is associated with freshwater habitats—surface waters, marshlands, meadows and pastures, as well as ecosystem support services related to these habitats. Changes in the spatial structure of the landscape cannot be solely deduced on the basis of changes in landscape metrics that are calculated for the whole landscape. Changes in the spatial composition of individual groups of ecosystems should be analyzed. Landscape metrics are very helpful in studying changes in the structure and function of ecosystem services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Assessment of Landscape Change and Landscape Services for Sustainable Landscape Planning and Management)

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Open AccessArticle

Mountain Meadows and Glades of the Carpathians—Type or Element of Landscape? The Problem of Delimitation and Typology of Mountain Pasture Landscapes

Michał Sobala

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3707; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093707 - 03 May 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 889

Abstract

The typologies of landscapes of individual states that have ratified the European Landscape Convention do not include mountain pasture landscapes. Pasture landscapes in the Carpathians are preserved in a relatively good condition, although their spatial extent has considerably shrunk over the last few decades. The article demonstrates that mountain meadows and glades in the Carpathians meet all the conditions that allow them to be classified as a type of landscape, and thus they should be included in national typologies of landscapes. Firstly, they constitute a set of natural (non-forest vegetation) and anthropogenic (traditional shepherding buildings) objects. Secondly, they are a dynamic system in which natural, social and economic processes take place. They are also a source of stimuli, affecting different human senses and values and are a system that provides various real and potential services. The inclusion of mountain pasture landscapes in national typologies may provide a stronger basis for their protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Assessment of Landscape Change and Landscape Services for Sustainable Landscape Planning and Management)

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Open AccessArticle

Sectoral Analysis of Landscape Interiors (SALI) as One of the Tools for Monitoring Changes in Green Infrastructure Systems

Irena Niedźwiecka-Filipiak

Justyna Rubaszek

Anna Podolska

and

Jowita Pyszczek

Sustainability 2020, 12(8), 3192; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083192 - 15 Apr 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 761

Abstract

The aim of this article was to present Sectoral Analysis of Landscape Interiors (SALI). This method uses the idea of a landscape interior understood as a fragment of a landscape perceived from the level of a person standing at a given point. The analyses were conducted in two stages: stage I—the quantitative stage, and stage II—the qualitative stage. The first part of the research was the analysis of the percentage share of particular elements of landscape interiors in the images perpetuated in photographs, taking into account their level of transparency. The second part was the assessment of their quality based on expert knowledge. The use of the SALI method in the context of the analysis of greenery changes over time was illustrated on the example of the landscape interior of the main street in the village of Psary in Poland. The research was carried out at a time interval of 10 years—for the years 2009 and 2019. The results of the study indicate very large changes and loss of greenery (especially trees) and the associated deterioration of the landscape. The findings confirm the suitability of the method in landscape research at a human scale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Assessment of Landscape Change and Landscape Services for Sustainable Landscape Planning and Management)

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