Variations in the Landscape Along the High-Speed Rail Route

The development carried out in the last decades is degrading the ecosystems, damaging the existing biodiversity. One of the elements that is having the most impact on the deterioration of natural areas is the construction of transport infrastructures, among which are high-speed routes. These linear infrastructures are contributing to the deterioration of biodiversity enclaves, which contribute to providing highly relevant ecosystem services. Among these deteriorations are the processes of fragmentation and alteration of the landscape. This chapter analyses a situation that occurs in Spanish territory related to high-speed railways. This transport system began in Spain on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of Seville 1992. By this transport activity, the changes suffered in the landscape are calculated and analysed through Corine land cover data since its inception until the last report of 2018.

Metodología para evaluar el efecto del cambio de coberturas sobre la regulación hídrica

La deforestación es un proceso que ha aumentado en diferentes zonas del mundo que corresponde directamente a las actividades humana, este es uno de los factores que afectan a la regulación de las cuencas hídricas. El objetivo es el desarrollar una metodología para hacer la evaluación entre esta actividad y el índice de la regulación hídrica ver la incidencia que tiene sobre una cuenca hidrográfica que contiene el PPN las Orquídeas. Contrastando la evaluación de regulación hídrica y el estudio multitemporal de coberturas siguiendo la metodología Corine Land Cover adaptada para Colombia hasta un tercer nivel evaluando diez coberturas. Se identifica el cambio de coberturas nos tiene ninguna incidencia sobre la cuenca.

Cambio de cobertura y uso de la tierra por actividades antrópicas en el distrito de Chota, periodo 2003/2019

Se tuvo por objetivo evaluar el cambio de la cobertura y uso de la tierra por actividades antrópicas en el distrito de Chota-Perú, durante los años 2003 y 2019. Se usó análisis de imágenes satelitales Landsat, se utilizó la metodología Corine Land Cover, en un nivel II y III. Se identificaron nueve coberturas de la tierra: tejido urbano continuo, cultivos transitorios, pastos, bosques plantados, herbazal, arbustal, afloramientos rocosos, tierras desnudas y lagunas, lagos y ciénagas naturales permanentes. En total, el cambio producido fue de 6 804,06 ha (25,36%), mientras que 20 022,77 ha (74,64%) no experimentó cambio alguno. En el mismo periodo, las coberturas de la tierra que aumentaron su área fueron los cultivos transitorios en 10,94% (2 934,35 ha), tierras desnudas en 1,11% (298,91 ha), el tejido urbano continuo en 0,73% (196,33 ha) y los bosques plantados en 0.53% (143,34 ha); en tanto las coberturas que disminuyeron su área fueron el herbazal en 6,91% (1 853,57 ha), el arbustal en 4,79% (1 284,86 ha), los pastos en 1,55% (416,02 ha), el afloramiento rocoso en 0,06% (16,25 ha) y lagunas, lagos y ciénagas naturales permanentes en 0,01% (2,03 ha). El factor principal de los cambios ocasionados sobre la cobertura y uso de la tierra en el distrito de Chota es el crecimiento poblacional de 7%, ejerciendo presión sobre estas áreas, con una clara tendencia hacia el incremento de las áreas agrícolas y el crecimiento urbano, produciéndose un cambio de cobertura y uso de la tierra del 25,36%.

Experimental mapping and assessment of ecosystem services based on multi-level landscape classification

The importance of the landscapes for the development of recreation and ecotourism is significant but very little studied. Usually, scientists use spatial units to map and assess the ecosystem services CORINE land cover or similar classifications. Traditional multi-level landscape classifications, very well-known and developed in the XXth century in Bulgaria, Russia, and other Eastern and Central European countries, could give valuable information for various indicators for ecosystem services assessment. From another hand, these classical landscape ecological maps are very little- known for the international scientific audience. We decided to conduct an experimental mapping and assessment of ecosystem services based on multi-level landscape classification. For this, we have chosen a case study area with hilly karst relief, which is part of the inner Predbalkan Region, located in North-Central Bulgaria. The site represents a scientific interest in terms of its transitional position between the Stara Planina Mountain and the Danube Plain and the presence of various anthropogenic changes. The study aimed to develop and test an original methodology for mapping and assessment of the capacity of the contemporary landscapes in the Strazhata syncline upland and Melovete hills to provide cultural ecosystem services – recreation and ecotourism. The results showed that 70% of the territory has medium or higher capacity, dominated mainly by karst areas with natural vegetation in protected sites.

High Resolution Land Cover Integrating Copernicus Products: A 2012–2020 Map of Italy

The study involved an in-depth analysis of the main land cover and land use data available nationwide for the Italian territory, in order to produce a reliable cartography for the evaluation of ecosystem services. In detail, data from the land monitoring service of the Copernicus Programme were taken into consideration, while at national level the National Land Consumption Map and some regional land cover and land use maps were analysed. The classification systems were standardized with respect to the European specifications of the EAGLE Group and the data were integrated to produce a land cover map in raster format with a spatial resolution of 10 m. The map was validated and compared with the CORINE Land Cover, showing a significant geometric and thematic improvement, useful for a more detailed and reliable evaluation of ecosystem services. In detail, the map was used to estimate the variation in carbon storage capacity in Italy for the period 2012–2020, linked to the increase in land consumption

Estimating recent forest losses in Bosnia and Herzegovina by using the Copernicus and Corine land cover databases

The analysis of data from the first two decades of the 21st century shows that the area under forests in Bosnia and Herzegovina is gradually decreasing. In order to gain a detailed insight into this process, the paper will analyse the forest databases of the European satellite monitoring program Copernicus. This program, among other things, monitors the condition of forests in 39 European countries by using the High Resolution Layer (HRL). The HRL Forests database consists of 3 types of (status) products, and additional change products. The status products are available for the reference years 2012, 2015, and 2018. The status layers provide information on the Dominant Leaf Type and the Tree Cover Density at pixel level for the reference year 2018 in 10 m resolution. The Forest Type layer largely follows the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forest definition. Also, the paper will use the data on forests from the CORINE Land Cover project for 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018. The time-series includes a land change layer, highlighting changes in land cover and land use. The CLC Changes database will be analysed separately for three periods: 2000-2006, 2006-2012 and 2012-2018, due to more accurate data on forest losses. The results of the research show that forests in Bosnia and Herzegovina were reduced by 2.95%, in the period 2012-2018, where 2.55% of them were coniferous. Forests are primarily endangered by the process of conversion to transitional forest / shrub and fires.

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

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.

Brief communication: Western Europe flood in 2021: mapping agriculture flood exposure from SAR

In this communication, we present the exposure of agriculture lands to the flooding caused by extreme precipitation in western Europe from 12th to 15th of July 2021. Overlaying the flood inundation maps derived from the near-real-time RAdar-Produced Inundation Diary (RAPID) system on the CORINE land cover map we estimate a 2470 km2 area affected by the flooding, with 57 % representing agricultural land. Among the inundated agricultural land, 36 % of the area is pastures while 33 % is arable land. Most agricultural flood exposure is found in south-eastern France (~1680 km2) along Rhône River and the coastal area of Marseille and Montpellier.

CSI Pollen: Diversity of Honey Bee Collected Pollen Studied by Citizen Scientists

A diverse supply of pollen is an important factor for honey bee health, but information about the pollen diversity available to colonies at the landscape scale is largely missing. In this COLOSS study, beekeeper citizen scientists sampled and analyzed the diversity of pollen collected by honey bee colonies. As a simple measure of diversity, beekeepers determined the number of colors found in pollen samples that were collected in a coordinated and standardized way. Altogether, 750 beekeepers from 28 different regions from 24 countries participated in the two-year study and collected and analyzed almost 18,000 pollen samples. Pollen samples contained approximately six different colors in total throughout the sampling period, of which four colors were abundant. We ran generalized linear mixed models to test for possible effects of diverse factors such as collection, i.e., whether a minimum amount of pollen was collected or not, and habitat type on the number of colors found in pollen samples. To identify habitat effects on pollen diversity, beekeepers’ descriptions of the surrounding landscape and CORINE land cover classes were investigated in two different models, which both showed that both the total number and the rare number of colors in pollen samples were positively affected by ‘urban’ habitats or ‘artificial surfaces’, respectively. This citizen science study underlines the importance of the habitat for pollen diversity for bees and suggests higher diversity in urban areas.