Two Centuries of Land Use Changes Influenced by Intensive Mining and Smelting Activities (Middle Spis, Slovakia)

Aims Mining activities and mining-related industries in the Middle Spis area (Slovakia) contributed significantly to the irreversible changes of landscape structure. The aim of this study is to analyze and detect the landscape changes in four former mining villages during four-time horizons. Total landscape structure changed - for over 200 years was detected using landscape matrix. Materials & Methods Four land indices/coefficients (Shannon diversity index, the coefficient of ecological stability, the coefficient of anthropogenic pressure, and the coefficient of landscape originality) were used to evaluate the landscape state for each research period landscape matrix expressed the course of transition changes. Evaluation of land structure in different time horizons and land use/land cover changes between different time horizons were performed using QGIS. Findings The most significant land use changes were identified between 1785 and 1986 when mining activity was the most extensive. The forest area decreased about 363 km2. On the contrary, the area of technical units increased about 82.9 km2, and residential areas tripled their area. After 1986 processing plants were closed and mining activities reduced, but landscape stayed disrupted by mining bodies. Nevertheless, a slight increase in the forest area (almost 50 km2) was determined. The values of indices and coefficient did not show the positive trends even after the end of activities. Conclusion Mining activities and mining-related industries significantly disrupt the landscape that negatively affects the quality of the environment and the quality of life. After the end of mining activities, the situation became better, but the actual state of the landscape could be changed only by demanding reclamation.