Published in Scientific Papers. Series E. Land Reclamation, Earth Observation & Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Vol. XIV
Written by Raluca Lucia DINCULOIU, Daniel SIMULESCU, Carmen Otilia RUSĂNESCU, Mihaela BEGEA, Gigel PARASCHIV, Sorin Ștefan BIRIȘ, Maria CIOBANU
The identification and assessment of the pressures and threats to which protected areas are subjected is crucial in order to plan, implement and assess conservation actions. Our study aimed to assess the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use/land cover changes that occurred in the Olteț Piedmont between 2012 and 2018 and identify the main threats that anthropogenic activities pose to natural protected areas. The major changes in land use that took place between 2012 and 2018 had a great impact on the landscape. The disappearance of large surfaces of vineyards (‒8150 ha), orchards (‒2400 ha), watercourses (‒700 ha), beaches, dunes and sand plains (‒140 ha) and inland marshes (‒40 ha) are the most significant. These terrains were occupied by complex crops (+4350 ha), deciduous forests (+2900 ha) and transitional woodland shrub (+750 ha). Also, the built-up areas, especially near cities like Craiova, Filiași, Balș and Drăgășani, had an increase in surface. The results revealed that the expansion of arable land and urban areas have a great impact in the conservation of biodiversity in natural protected areas from the Olteț Piedmont.
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