Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Croatian Islands Since the Beginning of the Twentieth Century—Drivers and Consequences
Authors: Blaće, A., Cvitanović, M., Čuka, A. and Faričić, J.
Volume: 17
Pages: 141-165
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-56089-7_6
Abstract:Croatian islands form an archipelago of 1244 islands, islets, rocks, and rocks awash along the eastern Adriatic coastline, only 50 of which are permanently populated. Karst environment and climate conditions predetermined them as areas of traditional Mediterranean agriculture. Even though some of the islands have been inhabited since prehistoric times, existing historical documents enable us to reconstruct specific land use types from the nineteenth century onwards. The aim of this paper was to determine the main factors that influenced land use changes and landscape development during the twentieth century. The methodology was based on a comparison of land use categories from different periods and sources like archival cadastral data and CORINE land cover. Results indicate the peak of agriculture activities and land use at the turn of the twentieth century as a result of a population growth and a conjuncture in wine production. Islands’ population started to decline during the 1920s, which resulted in the land abandonment and secondary succession. Nowadays, only a small share of land is being cultivated and mainly by cash crops such as olive trees and grapes. As a result, Mediterranean maquis and forests cover the majority of islands’ surface which increases the risk for summer fires and threatens traditional agricultural landscape. This research contributes to the understanding of complex social processes on the Croatian islands during the twentieth century and their influence on the formation of different land use patterns.
Source: Scopus