Can Depopulation Stop Deforestation? The Impact of Demographic Movement on Forest Cover Changes in the Settlements of the South Banat District (Serbia)

Abstract

The key problem of rural settlements in the South Banat district lasted into the 21st century through the spread of depopulated areas. Considering that settlements give a cultural landscape its basic features, that they are the main bearers of functional organization, and the hotspots of geo-spatial transformation, based on quantitative-qualitative indicators this paper analyzes the spatial-demographic determinants of the development of 94 settlements, and the impact of depopulation on the changes in the surrounding forest cover. The time span included in the analytical-statistical research of the demographic components and forest dislocation lasted from 1990 to 2018. Geo-spatial data for forest areas were taken from the Corine Land Cover database. The data obtained were then turned into visual representations, or maps, using the GIS ArcMap 10.8. software. The results indicated that total depopulation has been an ongoing, 30-years process in this area on the one hand, while the forest cover in the depopulated settlements located on the outskirts of the Deliblato sands (a special nature reserve) has decreased, and the forest cover in the depopulated settlements in the zone of the Vršac mountains has increased, on the other. These analyses are useful for obtaining more detailed insight into the state of forested areas in this part of Serbia, which is the least afforested one.

Depopulation cluster: Settlements with 20 or less inhabitants in Serbia

“…Uzroci depopulacije u Srbiji su proučavani od početka 20. veka sa različitih aspekata, koji su povezani i mogu se klasifikovati i hronološki i prostorno. Među najznačajnijim se navode: agrarna prenaseljenost, ratovi i prisilne migracije, bolesti, promene granica, promene oblika vladavine, promene administrativnih jedinica, nacionalizacija imovine, emigracija mladog stanovništva, nepovoljna obrazovna struktura stanovništva, pad nataliteta, deagrarizacija, starenje stanovništva (Martinović & Ratkaj, 2015;Manojlović et al, 2021;Велојић & Радовановић, 2003;Мартиновић, 2004;Мартиновић & Шантић, 2006;Миливојевић et al, 2007;Милошевић et al, 2008;Milošević et al, 2010;Milošević et al, 2011;Babović, et al, 2016;Nikitović, 2019;Gatarić et al, 2022;Šabić et al, 2022;Gajić et al, 2022;Grupa autora, 2022;Ranković, 2023). Pomenuta naučna istraživanja ponudila su odgovore na pitanja zašto se sela prazne i do kakvih to posledica dovodi.…”

“…U poslednjih 30 godina depopulacioni prostori u Srbiji vezani su za nekoliko karakterističnih regija: 1. pojas Centralne Srbije uz administrativnu liniju prema Kosovu i Metohiji (Raška, Toplička, Jablanička i Pčinjska oblast), 2. granični pojas prema Crnoj Gori (Raška i Zlatiborska oblast), 3. Jugoistočna Srbija (Nišavska i Pirotska oblast) (Gatarić et al, 2022). Osim što su pogranični, zajednička karakteristika depopulacionih prostora je što su to planinski tereni, uglavnom iznad 700 m nadmorske visine.…”

Depopulated and Abandoned Areas in Serbia in the 21st Century—From a Local to a National Problem

“…Research into abandoned villages in Serbia was carried out in the direction of identifying geographic, demographic and economic factors that led to their emptying. The natural and functional patterns of spontaneously displaced settlements in Serbia, as well as the regions where such settlements occur, have been established [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58]. Among the spontaneously displaced settlements in Serbia, some were also spontaneously populated in some period of history.…”

Evaluating Farm Tourism Development for Sustainability: A Case Study of Farms in the Peri-Urban Area of Novi Sad (Serbia)

“…They were, both around the world and in Serbia, particularly exposed to pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic [8][9][10][11]. The number of people who spend their travel time and holiday time outdoors has increased, as has the desire to preserve the environment and the actualization of issues of sustainable development in conditions of increasingly greater air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, deforestation, fire, floods, and other catastrophes that have long-term effects on the climate of our planet [12][13][14]. That is why concepts of sustainable tourism, rural tourism, green tourism, ecotourism, nature-based tourism, low carbon tourism, and others have become dominant topics in the tourism literature [15][16][17][18][19].…”