Evaluation of Land Cover Changes in Southwestern Lithuania from 1984 to 2018 Using Medium Spatial Resolution Satellite Imagery

Abstract

In this study, we assess the land cover changes in southwestern Lithuania from 1984 to 2018. These changes were examined using data derived from Landsat 5, Landsat 8, and Sentinel-2 multispectral images. The study area encompasses the Nemunas Delta, which is affected by river-induced floods leading to seasonal variations in water coverage. The water-covered area was found to be quite stable across the years during the dry seasons, i.e., in summer and early autumn. A significant increase in forested areas was observed during the study period (from 15.1% to 19.0% of the total area). During the examined period, the average size of agricultural parcels decreased several times (from approximately 35 ha to approximately 5 ha), which was caused by the transition from socialist to private ownershipbased agricultural practices in the early 1990s. Almost all changes observed had rather positive environmental impacts (for biodiversity and maintenance of wildlife). Positive impacts included the establishment of several new protected territories between analysed periods. Negative impacts included the construction of wind turbines (approximately 50 in the area of study), which were not present at the beginning of the study period and may negatively affect the natural (agricultural and wetland) landscape of the region.

Expert-Based Assessment and Mapping of Ecosystem Services Potential in the Nemunas Delta and Curonian Lagoon Region, Lithuania

“…Compared to the country average (33.7%), forest coverage is relatively low in the terrestrial part of the investigated area (22%). According to historical satellite images of the studied area, a 4% increase in the forested areas could be observed during the 1984-2018 period, this including some shrubland converting into forest and the encroachment of larger forests onto adjacent sandy arable land [50]. Seven forests in the category of Natura 2000 Sites of Community Importance can be found in the area.…”

Land Cover Changes in Selected Areas Next to Lagoons Located on the Southern Coast of the Baltic Sea, 1984–2021

“…This was 30 m for 1984 and 10 m for 2021, which can cause the underestimation of water areas because small water reservoirs can be omitted. Moreover, since a very high seasonal variability in water cover was observed, it is difficult to accurately evaluate the impact of long term changes in water reservoirs [45].…”

Ecosystem Services in the Nemunas Delta: Differences in Perceptions of Farmers, Birdwatchers and Scientists

“…The territory is also important in terms of scientific studies in fields ranging from natural science to engineering and social studies (e.g. Gozdowski et al 2020 ; Valiuškevičius et al 2018 ; Verkulevičiūtė-Kriukienė et al 2018 ), thus we also invited a number of scientists working in the Lithuanian coastal region to take part in the survey regarding ES of the Nemunas Delta. Many other studies have involved scientists as possible stakeholders to evaluate ES at various scales and various ecosystems (e.g., Almeida et al 2018 ; Hummel et al 2017 ), including the Nemunas Delta (Paulauskas et al 2011 ) and Lithuanian territory (Depellegrin et al 2016 ).…”