engleski

Human Impact, Landscape Change and Fire Risk Incidence: Svilaja Mountain, Dalmatia - Croatia

Considering the fire risk, Mediterranean is the one of the most endangered areas on Earth, apart from North American pine forests and African savanna. Although natural fires are rare, human impact on the occurrence of fire, due to the environmental features of the Mediterranean is extremely large. The research area is southern slope of the Svilaja Mountain, situated in the interior part of central Dalmatia, Croatia. It is a typical Mediterranean karst landscape, with considerable human impact in human-environment interrelations. Based on the original cadastral data as well as on the fieldwork data, the research of environmental change and fire risk incidence was carried out through three main comparative periods, since the 19.th century: initial (1830-1846), transitional (1975) and recent period (2004-2010). Fire risk assessment for all these periods was estimated according to the methodology provided by the official regulation measures (2003).Methodology is based on a number of parameters such as land cover, climate, orography, vegetation type and forest arrangement and anthropogenic factors. The analysis and maps of fire risk assessment since the 19.th century are developed using GIS technology. There is a strong interrelation between the demographic and socio-economic processes, subsistence economy change, landscape change and rising fire risk incidence.

Croatia; fire risk incidence; GIS; landscape change; Mediterranean karst

nije evidentirano