Assessing forest degradation in Slovakia
Forests are key ecosystems for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provided to society. They are a source of wealth and jobs in rural areas and also contribute to the quality of the environment, because they contribute to water retention, flood protection, reduce climate change by absorbing and storing 10% of carbon emissions in the EU. EU forests and other wooded land now cover 155 million ha and 21 million ha, respectively, together more than 42% of EU land area EU, 2015 . Forests are not evenly distributed. Similarly, the qualities of forests and their management types in the various regions and countries are diverse. Despite the high value services that forests provide, they are not always adequately protected and effectively utilized. According to FAO about 13 million hectares of world forest are lost every year. Competing and conflicting demands for land use are likely to grow further towards 2050, when 9 billion people will be sharing one planet and its limited resources, under changing climate patterns and socio-economic conditions. The reasons of forest ecosystem degradation are diverse. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC, 2007 secretariat, the overwhelming direct cause of deforestation is agriculture. Subsistence farming is responsible for 48% of deforestation; commercial agriculture is responsible for 32% of deforestation; logging is responsible for 14% of deforestation and fuel wood removals makes up to 5% of deforestation. Threats to forests also threaten biodiversity hotspots, economic prosperity and development. From this aspect due attention should be given to the protection of forests not only at European level but also nationally. The paper is focused on the current status of forest degradation in Slovakia
Keywords:
representative geoecosystems, forest ecosystems Slovakia, degradation of forests, stress factors,
___
- Balej, M. 2004. Ecological stress on a landscape: case study from Eastern Ore Mts. In Michalczyk, Z.: Badania geograficzne w poznawaniu srodoviska. UMCS, Lublin (Poland), 461–469.
- Bürgi, M., Hersperger, A. H., Schneeberger, N. 2004. Driving forces of landscape change – current and new directions. Landscape Ecol. 19, 857–868 Brandt, J., 2000. The landscape of landscape ecologists. Landscape Ecol. 15, 181– 185.
- Charvát, J. 1969. Life, adaptation and stress (in Czech). SZN, Praha, 138 pp.
- Csorba, P. 1996. Landscape-ecological change of the land use pattern on the east foothill area of the Tokaj Mountains (Hungary). Ekológia (Bratislava), 15 (1), 15–127.
- EU 2015. The EU forestry strategy, www. europa.eu
- FAO 2014. State of the world´s forest. Enhancing the socioeconomic benefits from forests. Food and agriculture organisation of the United Nations, Rome, 133 pp.
- Izakovičová, Z., Miklós, L., Drdoš, J. 1997. Landscape-ecological condition of sustainable development. VEDA Bratislava, 183. pp.
- Izakovičová, Z., Oszlányi, J. 2013. The impact of stress factors, landscape loads and human activities: implications for sustainable development. In International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, vol. 11, no. 2, p. 111- 128.
- Jensen, J. R. 2000. Remote Sensing of the Environment: An Earth Resource Perspective, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 544.
- Lanly, J. P. 2003. Deforestation and forest degradation factors. Congress proceeding. XII. world forest Congress, Canada.
- Miklós, L., Izakovičová, Z. at. all. 2006. Atlas of the representative geo-ecosystems of the Slovak republic. ILE SAS, Ministry of Environment SR, Ministry of Education SR: 123 pp..
- Ministry of Environment SR, 2014. Report on the state of the environment in the Slovak Republic. 223 pp.
- Scharpf, H. 1980. Die Belastungsproblematik im Rahmen der Freizeitplanung. In: Buchwald, K., Engelhardt, W., ed.: Handbuch für Planung, Gestaltung und Schutz der Umwelt. München (BLV), 345-360.
- Selye, H. 1966. The Stress of Life (in Slovak). Obzor, Bratislava, 226 pp.
- Turner, M. G., Gardner, R. H., O’Neil, R. V. 2001. Landscape ecology in theory and practice. pattern and process. Springer-Verlag, New York, 416.
- UNECE/FAO. 2000. Forest resources of Europe, CIS, North America, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Main Report. ECE/TIM/SP/17. Geneva. 445 pp.
- UNFCCC 2007. Investment and financial flows to address climate change (PDF). Unfccc.int. UNFCCC. p. 81.
- WRIR, 2015. http://www.wri.org/our-work/project/global-restoration-initiative. .
- ISSN: 1308-5301
- Yayın Aralığı: Yılda 3 Sayı
- Başlangıç: 2008
- Yayıncı: Ersin YÜCEL