ASSESSMENT OF HISTORICAL BIO-INDEX CHANGES IN RURAL AREAS IN SOUTHERN POLAND – CASE STUDY

Abstract

Intensity of land use could be considered as an indicator of rate of anthropogenic impact on landscape (CAI) and the coefficient of ecological stability (CES). These two bio-indexes are based on the land use categories. The CAI coefficient is the ratio of the sum of percentile areas of land characterized by considerable human impact in relation to the sum of percentile areas of lands with low or none anthropogenic pressure. The CES index describes the structure of land use in one unit according to land use categories weighted by given coefficients. The calculation of the complex integral index enables to know the potential of the environment, i.e. a natural resource reserve with a structure that allows self-regulation of ecosystems and expresses the environment's resistance to bearing anthropogenic loads. The aim of the study is to analyze the historical land use changes (in the period of 1845-2016) in rural areas of Southern Poland using bio-indexes such as the anthropogenic impact on landscape (CAI) and the coefficient of ecological stability (CES). The analysis led to the conclusion about the strong dynamics of changes during this period which is largely due to the growth of the percentile areas of lands with considerable human impact especially after the historical transformation in 1989 in Poland. At the same time, the attention should be paid to the land use changes as an effect of growing suburbanization. The results of the study can be used by public authorities, citizens and governing bodies to form a system of measures to calculate environmental potential and modelling changes which ensure the environmental protection and sustainable development of rural areas.

Keywords: anthropogenic pressure, dynamics of land use changes, environmental potential, environment’s resistance, rural areas, sustainable development

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2017.012