Multitemporal Land Use Changes in a Region of Pindus Mountain, Central Greece

Abstract

Natural ecosystems are renewable resources with special environmental, social and economical attributes and characteristics. The increasing need of the human beings for a better environment leads to the use of new technologies that offer many advantages in detecting changes in the ecosystems. In this study the integration of remote sensing tools and technology and the spatial orientation analysis of Geographical Information Systems (G.I.S.) combined with in situ observations were used in determining any changes in land cover categories along an 18 year period. The study area of 9,287 ha extends to Pindus mountain, in the municipality of Plastira, central Greece. The results have shown that the current technologies can be used for the modelling of environmental parameters improving our knowledge on its attributes, characteristics, situation, trends and changes of natural ecosystems. The multitemporal changes that were observed are mostly due to vegetation evolution and less to socioeconomic reasons. The basic management strategy for the specific area should combine forest, pasture and livestock in such a way that each component produces usable products, while in the same time preserves sustainability.

The Role of Transhumance on Land Use /Cover Changes in Mountain Vermio, Northern Greece: A GIS Based Approach

“…These results indicate a high land use/cover change due to the decrease of anthropogenic activities as transhumance. These findings are in agreement with other studies in mountainous areas (Palombo et al, 2013;Ainalis et al, 2015).…”

Landscape Pattern Changes in Response to Transhumance Abandonment on Mountain Vermio (North Greece)

“…The above increase of other land uses could be attributed to the establishment of a mining field in the southwestern part of the study area near the village Karioxori, which covers the greatest part of Greece's needs for lignite and electricity production. The changes in rangelands and forests were the result of a declining trend in transhumance livestock system in Mount Vermio during the last 30 years [21], common to other mountainous areas, both in Greece and other Mediterranean countries [17,92,93]. The abandonment of transhumance was the result of various socio-economic factors that have significantly influenced the lifestyle of herders and the landscape in mountainous ecosystems and rural areas [21,94].…”

Spatiotemporal analysis of Holiday Climate Index for urban and beach destinations in Greece.

“…Despite the fact that these regions are not the most well-liked for holidaymakers, a portion of tourist searching for alternatives destinations far from beaches, may be greatly impacted. During the 1950-2020 summer period Epirus and West Macedonia are some of the areas where heatwave intensity showed notable increasing trends, as stated Galanaki et al (2023), while Ainalis et al (2015) demonstrated that Pindus Mountain faces significant land use changes caused by both the development of the flora and socioeconomic reasons. These factors may significantly affect precipitation patterns (decreased annual rainfall and/or intense and sporadic rainfall events) and snowfall cover, which thereby influence the variations of the HCI indices.…”