Post-socialism and Environment: Change of cultural landscape in the Drava Valley and Osijek in the Last 50 Years

Authors: Lončar, J. and Cvitanović, M.

Journal: Sociologija i Prostor

Volume: 50

Issue: 3

Pages: 327-343

ISSN: 1846-5226

DOI: 10.5673/sip.50.3.3

Abstract:

Socio-economic and social changes affect the environment. The changing structure of population (work and education) and changing economic conditions of production indirectly change the environment. This can be seen in the disappearance of traditional land cultivation, the intensification of agriculture, spreading of urban way of life into rural areas or, on the other hand, certain areas are abandoned and left to secondary succession. Consequently, landscape loses its identity and is left to inadequate improvement or degradation. The EU, however, insists on the efficient introduction and implementation of measures to protect the landscape. In the recent years a lot of interdisciplinary reasearch has focused on the analysis of the changing cultural landscapes. In this work we examine the changes in the Drava valley and the town of Osijek in the period between 1961 and 2011 which also includes the following settlements: Tenja, Brijest, Briješće, Višnjevac, Josipovac, Tvrd{stroke}avica, Sarvaš, Klisa, Nemetin and Podravlje. Methods of remote research and statistical data processing were used. The town of Osijek went through significant social and economic changes in the observed period. They directly and indirectly affected the state of land and its usage and thus the cultural landscape. Processes of the physical alteration of the landscape were noted as well as socio-economic, demographic and other elements which caused those changes. The obtained results show the significance and extent of the changes. © Institute for Social Research in Zagreb Sva prava pridržana - All rights reserved.

Source: Scopus