Spatiotemporal Change Analysis of Land Cover on Soil Resources in Kosova Plain

Abstract

Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) are the main components that indicate the coverage of land and its use. Kosova Plain, a flat and gentle plain with an altitude between 450-600 m, is one of the central plains in Kosova, where the human impact and environmental changes are very high. As a terrain with land with high-quality soils, it was one of the main areas of agricultural production in the past. With the industrialization of Kosova especially with coal surface mining, began an era of employment in other sectors rather than in agriculture, and its consequences were population migration inside Kosova, which is shown by the rising urban population and extension of artificial surfaces towards agricultural areas. Population migration inside Kosova is made mostly towards plain areas where most of the settlements are found, but also where high capability land is found. The article analyzes natural conditions of agricultural land in Kosova Plain and spatial and temporal changes in land cover as one of the consequences of pressure on the environment, especially in soil resources, where with GIS/RS analysis was made possible to use topographic maps and aerial images of different years, to analysis these changes. In 1990, the total area of artificial surfaces in Kosova Plain was 7,157 ha, while in 2020, it was increased to 15,881 hectares. There is an increase of artificial surfaces in urban fabric, mineral extraction sites, and road infrastructure, mostly done on agricultural land. Agriculture areas experienced a decrease of 8.76%. The extension of artificial surfaces was primarily made in an unplanned way. The results show that in the future, zoning of built-up areas is needed.