In Europe, a broad variety of agricultural landscape types have originated as a result of traditional farming activities and landscape diversity maintenance over centuries. The rapid development of socio-economic activities during the twentieth century caused significant loss of traditional rural landscapes. Traditional/historical European agricultural landscape types (EALs) represent a type of cultural landscape with many specific unique cultural, historical, and biodiversity patterns. Despite their high value, maintenance in practice is lacking. European farmers and landowners need to learn how to implement innovative multifunctional farming techniques within these landscapes. An online interactive educational tool of the ERASMUS+ FEAL project (FEAL: multifunctional Farming for the sustainability of European Agricultural Landscapes) deals with these topics. Case studies from the FEAL project showed the best examples of sustainable agricultural management practices in different types of EALs. The aim of this article was to evaluate case studies within coordination of information on the environment (CORINE) Land Cover (CLC) 2012 classes representing traditional land use forms, nature and landscape protection areas, and ecologically important areas, as well as High Nature Value (HNV) farmland. Results based on 28 case studies from five European countries interpreted the positive external effects of farms on values of EALs. A prevailing number of farms exhibited a coincidence between CLC 2012 classes with traditional land use forms and HNV farmland and protected areas. Regarding land cover classes with traditional land use forms, key words selected by farmers gave importance to recreation and tourism, furthering of biodiversity, direct sale, social farming, renewable energy, and traditional building. The highest frequencies of the key words were achieved in CLC 2012 classes concerning (to some degree) natural and semi-natural ecosystems.
Climate change could be seen as a 21st century phenomenon. This topic has been taken up equally by professionals as well as the general public. Adaptation and mitigation actions are needed, especially in cities where the concentration of population and an increased demand for resources (e.g., water, food, land) are expected in the coming years. Already, 400 cities have been declared to be in a "climate emergency" state. There are no longer any doubts that current environmental state requires actions and solutions for both the alarming climate situation and urban quality life development. If such action is not going to be taken, the environmental state will deteriorate. One possible solution could be the use of green infrastructure. This research compares approaches to green areas and green infrastructure development in Bratislava (Slovakia) and Wrocław (Poland). A comparison was made for projects realized between 2013 and 2018-i.e., since the publication of the European Union (EU) Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change in 2013. The research presents an overview of delivered projects regarding land use. The overview, which is supported by a density map of implemented green projects, verifies whether the new greenery fits and fills in the existing natural areas. Secondly, the green projects were analyzed according to years and land use types using Tableau software. Moreover, the legislation of climate adaptation mechanisms and practical aspects of green infrastructure implementation are shown. Finally, actions concerning the greening of the cities were categorized into practical, educational, and participatory ones, and the potential of green infrastructure as a positive landscape, micro-climate, health, and aesthetic influence was examined.
Healing and therapeutic landscape design proposals are particularly suitable for medical facilities and, in general, facilities for people with health disorders, where they become a major support in difficult situations and can serve as a supplement to treatment. They do not replace medical help and different therapies, and neither do they exclude their need. However, their effects can improve and accelerate the recovery process in patients. In Slovakia, medical facilities do not often meet modern medical care requirements in terms of their technologies and equipment. For this reason, it is necessary to mainly transform hospital facilities and their exteriors in order to create the required natural foundation for patients in the form of healing and therapeutic landscape design. Using the example of the Philippe Pinel Psychiatric Hospital in Pezinok (Slovakia, Central Europe), we present a proposal for a green vegetation-scaping using the existing space, adding elements that highlight and support the therapeutic effect of the proposed space. The aim of the proposal is to create an environment that will bring positive changes for patients while serving as a relaxation space for employees.
A natural channel differs from a prismatic one by its rich variability. Regulated rivers have a geometrically regular shape that is not suitable for the instream biota. The morphology of a regulated river is the main cause of habitat changes. The article provides the results of research that was focused on assessing the impact of a channel's morphology on the instream habitat preferences by ichthyofauna. In the article the ichthyofauna is represented by brown trout (Salmo trutta m. fario). During the years 2015 and 2016, research was carried out for 13 reaches of mountain watercourses in Slovakia. These reaches were geodetically measured, and a hydraulic model was created. The ichthyological survey was focused on the fish's habitat preferences. A set of data was created from the results that was statistically evaluated by cluster analysis, and the correlation relations for the abiotic and biotic characteristics of the watercourses were evaluated. The individual evaluations provide mutually compatible results. It can be concluded from the results that bioindications by fish provide reliable results in relationship to the changes in habitats in regulated rivers. There was an unambiguous statistical correlation in the preferences of brown trout in the regulated and natural rivers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.