The Status of commons in the changing landscape in the Czech republic

0544699 - ÚVGZ 2022 RIV CZ eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Vosmíková, Alžběta - Křenová, Zdeňka
The Status of commons in the changing landscape in the Czech republic.
European Journal of Environmental Sciences. Roč. 11, č. 1 (2021), s. 12-20. ISSN 1805-0174
Grant CEP: GA MŠMT(CZ) LM2018123
Institucionální podpora: RVO:86652079
Klíčová slova: farmland * area * aerial images * commons * historical maps * land use changes
Obor OECD: Biodiversity conservation
Způsob publikování: Omezený přístup
https://ejes.cz/index.php/ejes/article/view/736

Commons were ancient pastures, which once occurred in every village in many countries, including the Czech Republic. They have been a landscape and social phenomenon for decades. However, social and economic changes brought an end to community ownership and traditional management of these commons. The number of commons has been decreasing since the middle of the 19th century and currently very few remain. This paper evaluates the status of former commons in 35 cadastres in south-western Bohemia and describes the changes they have undergone in the last two hundred years. Three historical periods were identified as the main drivers in the changes in the status of commons. We started with a period from the middle of the 19th century to the 1950s, the second from 1950s to 1990s and the last from 1990s to 2019. Aerial images and field surveys revealed that 93% of former commons disappeared due to afforestation, conversion to fields and natural succession occurring on abandoned commons. The social and economic aspects associated with these changes are mentioned. Some of the commons are part of the Territorial system of landscape ecological stability (Ecological networks) and we suggest that more of the remaining commons should be included in this network. They could play a role in maintaining biodiversity and providing stepping stones in a uniform agriculture landscape. We propose to evaluate the conservation and ecosystem value of these commons in more detail and set up the appropriate management essential for the preservation or restoration of commons, an indisputable part of our biological and cultural heritage.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0321525