Land use and land cover changes in the Lower Neretva Region from 1990 to 2020

Changes in land use and land cover are the result of complex interactions between humans and their environment. This study examines land use and land cover changes in the Lower Neretva Region between 1990 and 2020. Political and economic changes in the early 1990s resulted in changes in the landscape, both directly and indirectly. Multispectral image processing was used to create thematic maps of land use and land cover for 1990, 2005, and 2020. Satellite images from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 were the main source of data. Land use and land cover structure was assessed using a hybrid approach, combining unsupervised and manual (visual) classification methods. An assessment of classification accuracy was carried out using a confusion matrix and kappa coefficient. According to the results of the study, the percentage of built-up areas increased by almost 33%. Agricultural land and forests and grasslands also increased, while the proportion of swamps and sparse vegetation areas decreased.

Application of spatial- and diachronic-process analysis of landscape development in Central Lika, Croatia from 1980 to 2012

The paper presents structural features and the process and intensity of landscape changes in the Central Lika Region of Croatia, in the transitional, post-socialist and post-war periods (1980–2012). The aim of this paper is to analyse regularities and interrelations between the changes in structural features and the intensity of the processes that cause change. By using GIS spatial analysis methods, the shape, position, and condition of landscape patches were defined for each year. The diachronic process analysis, with the application of a specially-developed index — the Landscape Development Index (di) — made it possible to determine the intensity of development of individual landscape elements. The landscape was observed using the concept of Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) and, for this purpose, data from the CORINE Land Cover database were used for 1980 and 2012. The results showed fragmentation and an increase in the number and complexity of patches, as well as a decrease of the core patch area. Consequently, the increase of the share of edge areas has increased vulnerability to external influences and changes. Applying the Landscape Development Index (di) showed advantages compared to a standard comparison of the two conditions or synthetic indices, enabling the intensity of each observed phenomenon/process to be determined, and allowing for deeper spatial and temporal analysis as well as better understanding of landscape development.

Pink consumption areas: research accomplishments and future perspectives

Pink consumption areas are a collection of places that were created and/or stand out for their openness towards the LGBT community. Research of pink consumption first arose in the 1990s and took place in an urban context almost without exception, and was largely geographically limited to Anglo-America and Western Europe. Night clubs have been identified as the starting points of pink consumption, but pink consumer spaces are becoming increasingly diversified with the liberalisation of social relations in the Western world. However, entertainment remains the dominant domain and the most research attention has been focused on this area. Purchasing systems, including consumption management called rainbow washing, has also been well studied, though studies on culture and health related to this area are strongly lacking. Research of pink consumption spaces shares a common methodology with this issue. A central issue is the lack of a public list of LGBT persons, which makes it virtually impossible to have any form of probability sampling. Accordingly, qualitative research based on the interview method, focus group discussions, and geosemiotic analyses are more frequently used than quantitative research.

Teaching methodology of geography and educational geography in Croatia over the last fifty years

The teaching methodology of geography is a relatively young scientific discipline within the scientific field of geography, that has only been experiencing its full scientific affirmation in the last few decades. In the early years, scholarly production focused on works that primarily dealt with geography education, but further development of the discipline showed a tendency to single out educational geography as a distinct scholarly entity and branch within the field. Given the aforementioned, there is a need to recapitulate scientific production and the most important findings of this geographical scientific discipline from the last fifty years. A review of scientific and scientific-expert papers on the teaching methodology of geography and educational geography indicates a thematic and methodological paradigm shift toward covering topics and objects of research significantly wider than those covered in the classroom and during geography lessons. The noticeable changes in the prevailing scientific interest in the curriculum and organization of teaching according to human resources research, the organization of education in certain areas and student achievement indicate a continuous and stable development.

The methodological concept of geoheritage valorization: Blidinje Nature Park – case study

U Bosni i Hercegovini nedostaje istraživanja na području valorizacije georaznolikosti, što je rezultiralo zanemarivanjem njezinih znanstvenih vrijednosti, ali i nedovoljnim razvojem geoturizma. Cilj je ovoga rada valorizirati odabrane geomorfolokalitete Parka prirode Blidinje s obzirom na njihovu geoturističku vrijednost. Primijenjeni metodološki koncept nastao je kao rezultat analize postojećih metodoloških koncepata valorizacije georaznolikosti, pri čemu su objedinjeni kriteriji za procjenu osnovne, dodane, zaštitne i turističke vrijednosti. Jedan od ciljeva rada jest i doprinos boljem razumijevanju i primjeni metodoloških koncepata turističke valorizacije, posebice u okviru zaštićenih prirodnih područja. Tijekom istraživanja izdvojena su 44 lokaliteta, a na osnovi rezultata preliminarne procjene kreirana je lista s ukupno 23 lokaliteta koji su valorizirani, od čega se njih osam izdvaja većom ocjenom od prosječne. Rezultati ovoga istraživanja upućuju na potencijal za razvoj ponude geoturizma PP Blidinje, čiji bi temelj trebali biti najbolje ocijenjeni geomorfolokaliteti.

Placemaking, local community and tourism

The challenges of modern tourism development increasingly indicate the need for new approaches based on the creative use of intangible assets and heritage, and a more harmonious relationship between the local community and tourists. Placemaking is one such approach, which goes to the core of what builds places and local communities. This paper looks at the evolution of the concept, and its approaches and definitions. Among the tools of placemaking, tangible (physical design), intangible (mental images), and mixed approaches are recognized. The examples in this paper have been selected mainly from tourism and community development studies. Quality placemaking leads to the development of a sense of place, increases social cohesion, and stimulates the long-term regeneration of public spaces, which contributes to tourism attractiveness. In this light, the concept of placemaking can serve as a useful analytical category for more systematic research on spatial transformations and as a development tool in strategic tourism planning.

Landscape research in Croatia from 1945 to 2019

In Croatia, as elsewhere, significant changes have occurred in the landscape over time, due to changes in land use, climate change, and general anthropogenic activities. Accordingly, the need for deeper and more intensive understanding of landscape properties has arisen, in order to ensure adequate land management and protection. The aim of this study is to give an overview of the state of scientific landscape research in Croatia, and determine the stakeholders, methodologies, various research topics, and degree of research and knowledge regarding Croatia’s landscapes. Over the past decade, there has been an increased interest in landscape research, with two clear landscape research approaches emerging: geographic approach and (landscape) architecture approach, that differ in terms of the issues examined, methodologies applied, and spatial context.

The relationship of language and spatial identity in historical geography research: a review of (multi)disciplinary approaches

Language use and spatial identity research are topics of interest in linguistics, geography, anthropology, ethnology, sociology, psychology, and philosophy. Accordingly, there are numerous related terms that originated in one discipline but are also used in other disciplines, making them multi-disciplinary. Research on terminology in the field of language use has shown great diversity (linguistic geography, areal or spatial linguistics, linguistic geography, the geography of language, geolinguistics). The paper analyzes and defines the aforementioned concepts, their connection with individual disciplines, and discusses individual terminological shortcomings. The aim of this paper is to review the field of research regarding the use of language and spatial identity in a broader sense, and especially the position of and approaches to research within historical geography. The paper analyzes a sample of 124 articles (published mainly in Croatian and English) according to author(s), research objective, methodology, and period of publication. Based on this, three characteristic periods during which research developed and changed have been distinguished.

Structural-geomorphological aspects of the Petrinja earthquake M6.2 (Croatia) - preliminary considerations

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.2 with the epicentre near the town of Petrinja occurred on December 29th, 2020 in the fault zone of the right strike-slip Pokupsko Fault in Croatia. The aim of this study was to determine if there are geomorphological indicators of active tectonics in this area. General morphometric methods based on a digital elevation model with a resolution of 10 m were used. Geomorphological indicators of active tectonics were also determined based on topographic maps and hillshade relief. All the collected data were used to reconstruct the traces of the main morpholineaments on the surface and to determine the main morphostructures. It was found that the central part of the studied area, Hrastovička Gora, has morphological features possibly corresponding to a pop-up structure (positive flower) and that it consists of two separate morphostructures. They are separated from each other by an east-west oriented morpholineament, which is a possible segment of the Pokupsko Fault. Comparison of the collected results with the data on the location of the epicentres of the Petrinja series earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 and higher, which occurred in the period from December 28th, 2020 to March 3rd, 2021, indicates the possibility that these earthquakes were related to this restraining bending zone of the right horizontal Pokupsko Fault, which should be studied in more detail in the future.

Second homes in the Municipality of Neum: typological features of buildings, structural features of owners, and the process of internationalisation

The article presents the results of research of the specifics of second homes as a consequence of accelerated tourism development in the Municipality of Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a phenomenon which, primarily due to insufficient data, has not been scientifically researched in more detail. Based on secondary data collected from scant relevant sources, the authors analysed the available data regarding the number of holiday homes/apartments as well as the structural characteristics of holiday home owners. The phenomenon of second homes was analysed from the point of view of its development in Neum, as the only urban-type settlement within the municipality, and in rural settlements in its hinterland. The research showed the expansion of second homes from the narrow coastal zone into the interior and the concentration of holiday home owners in neighbouring municipalities and larger urban centres of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in nearby areas of Dalmatia. The process of internationalisation was also analysed, as a large number of second homes are owned by foreign citizens, primarily those from neighbouring Croatia.