DEVELOPMENT OF LAND USE AND ECOLOGICAL STABILITY IN SELECTED TRADITIONAL SUGAR BEET-GROWING CADASTRAL AREAS IN OLOMOUC DISTRICT

This article deals with the analysis of historical development of land use change (LAND USE) and the calculation of ecological stability coefficients in several selected cadastral territories. The cadastral territories selected for the analysis were Holice u Olomouce, Velky Tynec and Vsisko as sugar beet growing has a long tradition there. The data for the LAND USE analysis and the calculation of ecological stability coefficient values were obtained from the Database of Long-term Land Use / Land Cover Changes in the Czech Republic (1845-2010). The Michal method of calculation of the ecological stability coefficient was used. The LAND USE development analysis consisted of comparing the percentage of individual parts of the landscape in the historical series and assessing how a given part of the landscape evolved over time. The basic requirement for an accurate developmental evaluation is monitoring of territorial units of the same spatial delimitation. Therefore, two "basic territorial units" (ZUJ) were created by joining the cadastral territories; the first ZUJ was Holice u Olomouce and the second ZUJ was Velky Tynec and Vsisko. Similar trends were observed after evaluation of historical data of LAND USE and calculations of ecological stability coefficients in both units (ZUJ). It is mainly the high proportion of arable land and the increase of anthropogenous areas (built-up and other areas). Another common trend was reduction of area of meadows and pastures. Based on the evaluation of LAND USE historical data and the results of ecological stability coefficients, we can say that both evaluated areas are unstable and both of them belong among areas with a disturbed environmental structure. Low ecological stability can also have practical impacts on agricultural activity in the area. The consequences of these impacts are mostly slow and inconspicuous, but they are reflected in increased soil erosion resulting in reduction of fertility of arable land as well as its price. Therefore, the importance of agri-environmental measures that can be implemented directly on arable land is increasing.