Long term changes in water areas and wetlands in an intensively farmed landscape: A case study from the Czech Republic

Šantrůčková Markéta (), Demková Katarína (), Weber Martin (), Lipský Zdeněk () and Dostálek Jiří ()
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Šantrůčková Markéta: CSc., Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Květnové náměstí 391, 252 43 Průhonice, Czechia
Demková Katarína: CSc., Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Květnové náměstí 391, 252 43 Průhonice, Czechia
Weber Martin: CSc., Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Květnové náměstí 391, 252 43 Průhonice, Czechia
Lipský Zdeněk: CSc., Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 128 00 Praha 2, Czechia
Dostálek Jiří: CSc., Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Květnové náměstí 391, 252 43 Průhonice, Czechia

European Countryside, 2017, vol. 9, issue 1, 132-144

Abstract: The landscape of the Czech Republic currently faces droughts that are caused by several factors. One of the reasons for drought is landscape development and land cover changes. Changes in water and wetland areas and streams were studied by comparing old military maps and the present state. Water and wetland areas in fertile lowlands significantly decreased over time; the landscape was continuously dried out with the aim of increasing agricultural and woody production. While water and wetland areas occupied nearly one-third of the study area (Nové Dvory and Žehušice micro-regions in Central Bohemia) at the end of the 18th century, the present share of these areas is only 3.5%. There was a decrease of approximately 10% in each period, and nearly all of these areas disappeared by the end of the 19th century. Water and wetland areas were changed primarily to arable land. The length of streams decreased by the end of the 19th century. Drainage and irrigation channels were built during the 20th century, and although they are only periodic or episodic streams, these channels increased the total length of streams.

Keywords: streams; still waters; wetlands; land use changes; drought; central Europe; vodní toky; vodní plochy; mokřadní plochy; změny využití krajiny; sucho; střední Evropa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:eurcou:v:9:y:2017:i:1:p:132-144:n:8

DOI: 10.1515/euco-2017-0008

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