Land Use Changes In The Czech Republic 1845 2010

The objective of this book is to analyze changes in the landscape of Czechoslovakia / the Czech Republic since the first half of the 19th century. The text focuses not only on describing these considerable changes by means of statistical and spatial data, but also on explaining the processes, societal, economic, political and institutional forces that drive them. Drawing on more than two decades of experience with land use research, the authors have combined methods and approaches from the fields of human geography, cartography, landscape ecology, historical geography and environmental history. The authors understand land use research as a way of analyzing nature-society interactions, their development, spatial aspects, causes and impacts. Czechoslovakia / the Czech Republic serves as an example, combining general processes occurring in landscapes of developed countries with the results of regionally specific driving forces, most of them political (world wars, communism, return to market economy etc.).

The objective of this book is to analyze changes in the landscape of Czechoslovakia / the Czech Republic since the first half of the 19th century. The text focuses not only on describing these considerable changes by means of statistical and spatial data, but also on explaining the processes, societal, economic, political and institutional forces that drive them. Drawing on more than two decades of experience with land use research, the authors have combined methods and approaches from the fields of human geography, cartography, landscape ecology, historical geography and environmental history. The authors understand land use research as a way of analyzing nature-society interactions, their development, spatial aspects, causes and impacts. Czechoslovakia / the Czech Republic serves as an example, combining general processes occurring in landscapes of developed countries with the results of regionally specific driving forces, most of them political (world wars, communism, return to market economy etc.).

Although the content of historical geography may be viewed from different perspectives, there is no doubt that historical geography has interdisciplinary character. The publication represents an outcome of cooperation among geographers and historians within the Historical Geography Research Centre that continues more than forty years old tradition of common researches in Czechia. Beside discussing the disciplinary origins, the most vital research topics of present Czech historical geography are reflected in its contents - transformations of landscapes, historical towns, and of regions.

Prague is a vibrant and growing city facing significant land-use pressures related to rapid peri-urban growth. This report examines land use and governance trends in Prague and the broader metropolitan area, including the formal elements of the planning system and broader governance ...

This is the second of two volumes that together provide a global overview of the impact of agriculture on soil degradation, tracing the most critical drivers like the use and abuse of agrochemicals, mechanization, overgrazing, irrigation, slash and burn agriculture, and the use of plastics. Soil degradation caused by agriculture practices is a complex issue which depends on the interaction of social, economic, political, and environmental aspects. In this book, expert contributors elucidate the extension of the effects of agriculture on soil degradation in Europe, a continent with different cultures and political backgrounds that affect agricultural practices. Readers will also find in this book authoritative solutions to minimize the effects of agriculture intensification and land-use in this continent. Divided into 12 chapters, the book offers a European perspective on soil quality and sustainable management, including case studies about the impact of chemical agents like fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and soil acidification and microplastics pollution in agriculture practices from countries such as Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Germany, Portugal and Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine. Given the breadth and depth of its coverage, the book offers an invaluable source of information for researchers, students and environmental managers alike. Chapter “Agricultural Land Degradation in the Czech Republic” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book identifies and discusses research directions, challenges and achievements in contemporary geography. It also documents the most current theoretical and methodological considerations undertaken by scientists representing various sub-disciplines of geography with particular reference to human geography. It was assumed that the thematic structure of the currently active International Geographical Union (IGU) problem commissions corresponds to the most relevant and current research directions in geography. Reflecting this assumption, the book consists of 14 chapters contributed by geographers representing 14 problem commissions of the IGU, which allows us to examine geography from different perspectives and to provide the reader with a complete overview of contemporary research issues in human geography. The first part discusses contemporary research problems and issues related to scientific methodology and achievements of selected geographical sub-disciplines, including urban geography, agricultural geography, transport geography, and political geography, among others. The second part focuses on the interdisciplinarity of geography and the topics of global dimension undertaken by geographers such as global change, GIS and geospatial technology, marginalization, and environmental change. This part also discusses the internal relations between geographical specializations and their links with other related sciences, including geology, sociology, and economics. The third part discusses the holistic approaches of geography applied to particular regions, territories, or conditions (Africa, costal systems, geomorphology and local development).

This book provides an overview of the typical nature-based solutions (NBS) used for flood mitigation at different scales and in different areas (e.g. from catchment to hillslope scale; from urban to coastal areas). NBS can provide several ecosystem services, such as water regulation and water quality enhancement, and as such offer relevant technical solutions to complement typical grey infrastructures to mitigate flood hazard and water quality problems. In recent years, political awareness and interest from the scientific community have led to increasing implementation of NBS worldwide. In light of this trend, this book provides valuable insights into the environmental aspects of NBS, particularly their effectiveness for flood and pollution mitigation, and discusses socio-economic aspects related to the implementation of NBS, including regulatory aspects, cost, and citizens’ perceptions of NBS. Compiling the latest research, the book furthers our understanding of the role of NBS for flood mitigation and its relation to environmental aspects, to guide scientists and stakeholders in future NBS projects. It is intended for the scientific community and stakeholders, such as spatial planners and landscape managers. Chapter "Nature-based solutions for flood mitigation and resilience in urban areas" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

The research studies included in this Special Issue highlight the fundamental contribution of the knowledge of environmental history to conscious and efficient environment conservation and management. The long-term perspective of the dynamics that govern the human–climate ecosystem is becoming one of the main focuses of interest in biological and earth system sciences. Multidisciplinary bio-geo-archaeo investigations into the underlying processes of human impact on the landscape are crucial to envisage possible future scenarios of biosphere responses to global warming and biodiversity losses. This Special Issue seeks to engage an interdisciplinary dialog on the dynamic interactions between nature and society, focusing on long-term environmental data as an essential tool for better-informed landscape management decisions to achieve an equilibrium between conservation and sustainable resource exploitation.