International Consortium ALTER-Net Environmental History Project University of Life Sciences in Lublin Department of Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation Polesie National Park LANDSCAPES OF THE WEST POLESIE REGIONAL IDENTITY AND ITS TRANSFORMATION OVER LAST HALF CENTURY Authors: Tadeusz J. Chmielewski, Szymon Chmielewski, Agnieszka Kułak, Malwina Michalik-ŚnieŜek, Weronika Maślanko International Coordinator of the ALTER-Net Environmental History Project: Andy Sier Lublin – Urszulin 2015 Affiliation Tadeusz J. Chmielewski, Agnieszka Kułak, Weronika Maślanko, Malwina Michalik-ŚnieŜek: University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Department of Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation Szymon Chmielewski: Contents University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Institute of Soil Science, Engineering and Environmental Management Andy Sier 1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………….………....4 Centre of Ecology & Hydrobiology; Lancaster Environmental Centre; Lancaster, UK 2. Characteristic of the Polish study area …………………………………….……….……..7 3. The unique landscape identity of the West Polesie region…………………..…………..21 4. Changes in land use structure and landscape diversity in the area of the ‘West The reviewers Polesie’ Biosphere Reserve over a last half century ….……………….....…...……...….43 Prof. UAM dr hab. Andrzej Macias 5. A model of landscape ecological structure in the central part of the Biosphere Reserve..79 Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań 6. A preliminary assessment of landscape physiognomy changes of West Polesie Institute of Physical Geography and Environmental Planning from the half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century ………………..…91 7. A preliminary evaluation of changes in landscape services potential ………………....109 Prof. SGGW dr hab. Barbara śarska 8. Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………….115 Warsaw University of Life Sciences SGGW, 9. References………………………………………………………………………………119 Department of Environmental Protection Cover graphic design Agnieszka Kułak Photographs on the cover Tadeusz J. Chmielewski Printed by Poleski Park Narodowy ISBN:83-905476-8-6 2 3 Affiliation Tadeusz J. Chmielewski, Agnieszka Kułak, Weronika Maślanko, Malwina Michalik-ŚnieŜek: University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Department of Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation Szymon Chmielewski: Contents University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Institute of Soil Science, Engineering and Environmental Management Andy Sier 1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………….………....4 Centre of Ecology & Hydrobiology; Lancaster Environmental Centre; Lancaster, UK 2. Characteristic of the Polish study area …………………………………….……….……..7 3. The unique landscape identity of the West Polesie region…………………..…………...21 4. Changes in land use structure and landscape diversity in the area of the ‘West The reviewers Polesie’ Biosphere Reserve over a last half century ….……………….....…....................43 Prof. UAM dr hab. Andrzej Macias 5. A model of landscape ecological structure in the central part of the Biosphere Reserve..79 Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań 6. A preliminary assessment of landscape physiognomy changes of West Polesie Institute of Physical Geography and Environmental Planning from the half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century ………………..….91 7. A preliminary evaluation of changes in landscape services potential ……………….....109 Prof. SGGW dr hab. Barbara śarska 8. Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………….115 Warsaw University of Life Sciences SGGW, 9. References………………………………………………………………………………119 Department of Environmental Protection Cover graphic design Agnieszka Kułak Photographs on the cover Tadeusz J. Chmielewski Printed by ISBN: 2 33 1. Introduction on biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe’ was established. Under this umbrella, a set of sub-projects could be supported. In 2012 the ALTER-Net Management Board were encouraged to suggest a new The following sub-project ideas were accepted for realization [Sier 2013]: activities that Consortium ALTER-Net could undertake. These ideas were presented to the P 1. Changes in landscape diversity, landscape connectivity and land use structure in the ALTER-Net Council. Andy Sier suggested two ideas. One was an unspecific suggestion that ’West Polesie’ Biosphere Reserve over the last half century ALTER-Net should promote a collaborative internal scientific project. The other suggestion Proposed by: Tadeusz J. Chmielewski, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland; was dubbed ’back to the future’, and suggested running a project inspired by another, ALTER-Net partners involved: ICE PAS (in Łódź); similarly-named project, that took place in Arctic and alpine locations. The idea was to bring P 2. Impact on landscapes under the pressure to produce resources for war young and old scientists together to revisit field sites, and make use of old datasets, old Proposed by: Verena Winiwarter, Institute of Social Ecology, Austria; photos, maps, etc. for the new generation of scientists to use. The Management Board ALTER-Net partners involved: ISE (UNI-KLU); subsequently agreed to combine these, and work on developing a single activity [Sier 2013]. P 3. Drivers of long term biodiversity change in a range of Scottish habitats The project “Retrospective and Prospective Vegetation Change in the Polar Regions: Proposed by: Alison Hester, James Hutton Institute, UK; Back to the Future, BTF”, was endorsed as an International Polar Year (IPY) activity. Polar ALTER-Net partners involved: JHI and others and alpine environments are changing rapidly due to increases in temperature, which are P 4. Long-term land use changes in the Carpatho-Pannonian area amplified in the Arctic, as well as changes in many local factors. The impacts on ecosystems Proposed by: Dr. Ľuboš Halada, ILE-SAS, Slovakia; and their function have potential consequences for local residents and the global community. ALTER-Net partners involved: ILE-SAS. Tundra areas are vast and diverse, and the knowledge of geographical variation in environmental and ecosystem change is limited to relatively few locations, or to remote This monograph presents an extended version of the Final Report of the P 1. – sensing approaches that are limited mostly to the past few decades. The IPY provided a Polish sub-project; supplemented by the results of the latest landscape studies of the context, stimulus and timely opportunities for re-visiting old research sites and data sets to authors team. The objectives of the Polish sub-project were: collate data on past changes, to pass knowledge from old to new generations of researchers • To evaluate changes in landscape diversity in the area of the West Polesie Biosphere and to document environmental characteristics of sites to facilitate detection and attribution of Reserve over a last half century; future changes. With national funding support, teams of researchers re-visited former sites • To build a model of landscape ecological structure in the central part of the Biosphere and data sets throughout the Arctic and some alpine regions. These efforts led to a range of Reserve; ‘‘BTF’’ studies covering many locations and disciplines [Sier 2013]. • To evaluate changes in land use structure in selected lake and peatbog catchments over When studying present environmental conditions in a location, it is necessary to know the last half century; about past conditions to understand how the place has changed. Equally, an historical • To conduct a preliminary assessment of landscape physiognomy changes of the West perspective is helpful when predicting how the environment at a location may change in the Polesie from the half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. future, given certain scenarios. For well-studied sites there may be long-term time series of The main research questions were: data available, but such sites are relatively few in number (such as Long-Term Ecosystem • How has the structure and functioning of the landscape in the West Polesie Biosphere Research - LTER – sites), and the range of data available may be limited. Reserve changed in time and space? Rather than addressing a single specific research question, an umbrella project with • How may these changes influence landscape services potential? the title ‘Exploring historical drivers of land use and environmental history and their impacts Andy Sier, Tadeusz J. Chmielewski 4 4 5 1. Introduction on biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe’ was established. Under this umbrella, a set of sub-projects could be supported. In 2012 the ALTER-Net Management Board were encouraged to suggest a new The following sub-project ideas were accepted for realization [Sier 2013]: activities that Consortium ALTER-Net could undertake. These ideas were presented to the P 1. Changes in landscape diversity, landscape connectivity and land use structure in the ALTER-Net Council. Andy Sier suggested two ideas. One was an unspecific suggestion that ’West Polesie’ Biosphere Reserve over the last half century ALTER-Net should promote a collaborative internal scientific project. The other suggestion Proposed by: Tadeusz J. Chmielewski, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland; was dubbed ’back to the future’, and suggested running a project inspired by another, ALTER-Net partners involved: ICE PAS (in Łódź); similarly-named project, that took place in Arctic and alpine locations. The idea was to bring P 2. Impact on landscapes under the pressure to produce resources for war young and old scientists together to revisit field sites, and make use of old