190
during the selected period. The application of HVM to the Corine LC data was
enabled by converting the CLC categories into habitat categories. This conversion
was based on overlapping analyses which determined the average representation
and representation of individual habitat types according to the HVM classification
for each CLC category. For better clarity of the HVM results, the CLC categories
were grouped into formations.
The HVM method was also applied to data from the Habitat mapping of NCA
CR from 2004 and 2014, which included only natural and near natural habitats.
Again, the habitat types were grouped into formations and the values from the two
mapping times were compared.
3 Results
3.1 Changes in the Area and Biodiversity Value of the Land
Cover Categories in the Czech Republic Since 1990
The most significant change in the last three decades concerning land cover is the
conversion of arable land to pastures. This result was partly due to the end of the
communistic period (1989), with the resulting end of centralized farming on agricultural land and privatization of previously collectivized land, but largely it was
due to the introduction of state subsidies for this conversion in 2000 whose aim was
to rectify intensive farming in the communist era and protect the soil against erosion. Between 2000 and 2006, the change of arable land to pastures was detected on
1869 km
2
, while it was only 124 km
2
between 2012 and 2018 (Table 1).
Recently, urban area expansion has become dominant, especially the growth of
the discontinuous urban fabric (increase of 368 km
2
since 1990) and industrial and
commercial fabrics at the expense of arable land. The increase of all urban land
since 1990 is almost 557 km
2
. The highest increase was between 2000 and 2006,
which later slowed down, but recently, since 2012, it has started growing steeply
again (Fig. 1).
The amount of arable land decreased significantly, by 6836 km
2
since 1990,
being mostly converted to the category “Pastures” (all cultural meadows and pastures). However, the role of urbanization in this process has been recently increasing
(Table 1, Fig. 2).
The area of pastures and meadows increased from 2528 km
2
in 1990 to 8068 km
2
in 2018. However, the area of natural grasslands decreased from 405 km
2
in 1990 to
252 km
2
in 2018, which means that it represented (according to CLC data) only 3%
of all grasslands in 2018, while in 1990 it was almost 14% (Table 1, Fig. 3).
According to the HVM based on the Corine LC data, the biodiversity habitat
value of the Czech Republic (1990–2018) has increased since 1990, mainly due to
the transfer of a large area of arable land to pastures and meadows after 2000. These
meadows were mostly intensively managed and therefore their biodiversity was not
P. Cudlín et al.
during the selected period. The application of HVM to the Corine LC data was
enabled by converting the CLC categories into habitat categories. This conversion
was based on overlapping analyses which determined the average representation
and representation of individual habitat types according to the HVM classification
for each CLC category. For better clarity of the HVM results, the CLC categories
were grouped into formations.
The HVM method was also applied to data from the Habitat mapping of NCA
CR from 2004 and 2014, which included only natural and near natural habitats.
Again, the habitat types were grouped into formations and the values from the two
mapping times were compared.
3 Results
3.1 Changes in the Area and Biodiversity Value of the Land
Cover Categories in the Czech Republic Since 1990
The most significant change in the last three decades concerning land cover is the
conversion of arable land to pastures. This result was partly due to the end of the
communistic period (1989), with the resulting end of centralized farming on agricultural land and privatization of previously collectivized land, but largely it was
due to the introduction of state subsidies for this conversion in 2000 whose aim was
to rectify intensive farming in the communist era and protect the soil against erosion. Between 2000 and 2006, the change of arable land to pastures was detected on
1869 km
2
, while it was only 124 km
2
between 2012 and 2018 (Table 1).
Recently, urban area expansion has become dominant, especially the growth of
the discontinuous urban fabric (increase of 368 km
2
since 1990) and industrial and
commercial fabrics at the expense of arable land. The increase of all urban land
since 1990 is almost 557 km
2
. The highest increase was between 2000 and 2006,
which later slowed down, but recently, since 2012, it has started growing steeply
again (Fig. 1).
The amount of arable land decreased significantly, by 6836 km
2
since 1990,
being mostly converted to the category “Pastures” (all cultural meadows and pastures). However, the role of urbanization in this process has been recently increasing
(Table 1, Fig. 2).
The area of pastures and meadows increased from 2528 km
2
in 1990 to 8068 km
2
in 2018. However, the area of natural grasslands decreased from 405 km
2
in 1990 to
252 km
2
in 2018, which means that it represented (according to CLC data) only 3%
of all grasslands in 2018, while in 1990 it was almost 14% (Table 1, Fig. 3).
According to the HVM based on the Corine LC data, the biodiversity habitat
value of the Czech Republic (1990–2018) has increased since 1990, mainly due to
the transfer of a large area of arable land to pastures and meadows after 2000. These
meadows were mostly intensively managed and therefore their biodiversity was not
P. Cudlín et al.