Land cover changes of the Belgrade area over the past three centuries

  • Zlata Vuksanović-Macura Geographical Institute „Jovan Cvijić“ of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Stojanka Radulović University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Vladimir Macura Belgrade, Serbia
Keywords: land cover changes, landscape history, driving forces, interdisciplinary approach, Belgrade

Abstract

This paper studies land cover changes of Belgrade over the past three centuries. For this purpose we applied an interdisciplinary approach by integrating historical and landscape ecological perspectives. We have produced four reconstruction maps presenting land cover at the turn of the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, based on historical maps and written sources. The conversion of the land cover from historical maps was done based on CORINE Land Cover level 3, while Land Cover level 1 was used for displaying on the reconstruction maps. This allowed us to compare the changes that occurred from the turn of one century to the next. It has been determined that the land cover of Belgrade has transformed from dominantly semi-natural in the 18th century, to agricultural in the 19th century, and artificial in the 20th century. We have determined that the driving forces of the land cover changes were activities that were part of the political agendas of various states that governed Belgrade. The present analysis bridges the gap in the relevant literature on the land cover changes in Belgrade in the long-term, and provides qualitative and quantitative results relevant for research-based management actions, planning processes and restoration ecology.

References

Antrop, M. (2004) Landscape change and the urbanization process in Europe, Landscape and Urban Planning, No. 67, pp. 9-26.

Arandelovic, B., Vukmirovic, M., Samardzic, N. (2017) Belgrade: Imaging the future and creating a European metropolis, Cities, No. 63, pp. 1-19.

Blagojević, Lj. (2007) Novi Beograd: osporeni modernizam. Beograd: Zavod za udžbenike, Arhitektonski fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu, Zavod za zaštitu spomenika kulture. [Blagojević, Lj. (2007) New Belgrade: Contested modernisam. Belgrade: Zavod za udžbenike, Arhitektonski fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu, Zavod za zaštitu spomenika kulture.]

Bossard, M., Feranec, J., Otahel, J. (2000) CORINE land cover technical guide: Addendum. Technical report 40. Copenhagen: European Environment Agency.

Bürgi, M., Russell, E.W.B. (2001) Integrative methods to study landscape changes, Land Use Policy. No. 18, pp. 9-16.

Ćirković, S. M. (2004) The Serbs. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

Ćorović, D. (2015) Beograd kao evropski grad u devetnaestom veku: Transformacija urbanog pejzaža, doktorska disertacija. Beograd: Arhitektonski fakultet, Univerzitet u Beogradu. [Ćorović, D. (2015) Belgrade as European city in the nineteenth century: Urban landscape transformation, PhD thesis. Belgrade: Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade.]

Đurić, V. (1953) Pančevački rit – antropogeografska ispitivanja. Beograd: Srpska akademija nauka. [Đurić, V. (1953) Pančevački rit – anthropogeographical researches. Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka.]

Ellis, E.C., Klein Goldewijk, K., Siebert, S., Lightman, D., Ramankutty, N. (2010) Anthropogenic transformation of the biomes, 1700 to 2000, Global Ecology and Biogeography, No.19, pp. 589-606.

Fuchs, R., Verburg, P.H., Clevers, J.G.P.W., Herold, M. (2015) The potential of old maps and encyclopaedias for reconstructing historic European land cover/use change, Applied Geography, No. 59, pp. 43-55.

Gaćeša, N. (2007) Privredni razvitak Srema u 19. i 20, in Maticki, M. (ed.) Srem kroz vekove. Beograd: Vukova zadužbina, Institut za književnost i umetnosti, pp. 527-568. [Gaćeša, (2007) The economic development of Srem in the 19th and the 20th centuries, in Maticki, M. (ed.) Srem through the centuries. Belgrade: Vukova zadužbina, Institut za književnost i umetnosti, pp. 527-568.]

Gutman, G., Radeloff, V. (eds.) (2017) Land-Cover and Land-Use Changes in Eastern Europe after the Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Haase, D., Walz, U., Neubert, M., Rosenberg, M. (2007) Changes to Central European landscapes–Analysing historical maps to approach current environmental issues, examples from Saxony, Central Germany, Land Use Policy, No. 24, pp. 248-263.

Hirt, S. (2009) Belgrade, Serbia, Cities, No. 26, pp. 293-303.

Jagodić, M. (2004) Naseljavanje Kneževine Srbije 1861–1880. Beograd: Istorijski institute. [Jagodić, M. (2004) Settlement of the Princedom of Serbia 1861–1880. Belgrade: Istorijski institute.]

Ilić, J.M. (2014) Banatska vojna krajina u drugoj polovini 18. veka, doktorska disertacaija. Beograd: Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Beogradu. [Ilić, J.M. (2014) Banat military frontier in the second half of 18th century, PhD thesis. Belgrade: Faculty of Philosophy University of Belgrade.]

Jovanović, B. (1954) O šumama Srbije početkom XIX veka, Šumarstvo, No. VII, pp. 140-158. [Jovanović, B. (1954) About forests of Serbia at the beginning of the XIX. Century, Šumarstvo, No. VII, pp. 140-158. ]

Krunić, N., Maksin, M., Milijić, S., Bakić, O., Đurđević, J. (2014) Population Dynamics and Land Cover Changes of Urban Areas, Spatium International Review, No. 31, pp. 22-29.

Liu, Z., He, C., Wu, J. (2016) The relationship between habitat loss and fragmentation during urbanization: an empirical evaluation from 16 world cities, PloS One, No. 11(4), e0154613.

Macura, V., Puača, M. (1995) Promene južnog dela beogradskog predela od XVII veka do danas, Glas XXXLVI Srpske akademije nauka i umetnosti, Odeljenje društvanih nauka, No. 27, pp. 169-204. [Macura, V., Puača, M. (1995) Changes of South part of Belgrade’s Landscape from XVII century to today, Glas XXXLVI Srpske akademije nauka i umetnosti, Odeljenje društvanih nauka, No. 27, pp. 169-204.]

Macura V., Ferenčak, M. (rukovodioci tima) (2003) Generalni plan Beograda do 2021. Beograd: Urbanistički zavod Beograda. [Macura V., Ferenčak, M. (team leaders) (2003) Belgrade Master Plan up to 2021. Belgrade: Town Planning Institute.]

Marković, J.Đ. (1980) Regionalna geografija SFR Jugoslavije. Beograd: Građevinska knjiga. [Marković, J.Đ. (1980) Regional Geography of SFR of Yugoslavia. Belgrade: Građevinska knjiga.]

Marcucci, D.J. (2000) Landscape history as a planning tool, Landscape and Urban Planning, No. 49, pp. 67–81.

Matvejev, S., Puncer, I.J. (1989) Karta bioma – predeli Jugoslavije i njihova zaštita. Beograd: Prirodnjački muzej u Beogradu. [Matvejev, S., Puncer, I.J. (1989) Map of Biomes – Landscapes of Yugoslavia and their protection. Belgrade: Prirodnjački muzej u Beogradu].

Nikolić, R.T. (1903) Okolina Beograda, Srpski etnografski zbornik, No. 2, pp. 902-1104. [Nikolić, R.T. (1903) Belgrade’s Surroundings, Srpski etnografski zbornik, No. 2, pp. 902- 1104.]

Plieninger, T., Bieling, C. (2012) Connecting cultural landscapes to resilience, in Plieninger, T., Bieling, C. (eds.) Resilience and the Cultural Landscape: Understanding and Managing Change in Human-Shaped Environments. Cambridge University Press, pp. 3-26.

Plieninger, T., Draux, H., Fagerholm, N., Bieling, C., Bürgi, M., Kizos, T., Kuemmerle, T., Primdahl, J., H. Verburg, P.H. (2016) The driving forces of landscape change in Europe: A systematic review of the evidence, Land Use Policy, No. 57, pp. 204-214.

Quataert, D. (2005) The Ottoman Empire, 1700–1922, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press.

Radulović, S. (2016) Identifikacija i kvantifikacija strukturnih promena u predelima donjeg Srema, doktorska disertacija. Beograd: Univerzitet u Beogradu. [Radulović, S. (2016) Identification and quantification of structural changes in the landscapes of lower Srem, PhD thesis, Belgrade: University of Belgrade].

Ramankutty N., Foley, J.A. (1999) Estimating historical changes in global land cover: Croplands from 1700 to 1992, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, No. 13, pp. 997-1027.

Skaloš, J., Weber, M., Lipský, Z., Trpáková, I., Šantrůčková, M., Uhlířová, L., Kukla, P. (2011) Using old military survey maps and orthophotograph maps to analyse long-term land cover changes – Case study (Czech Republic), Applied Geography, No. 31, pp. 426-438.

San-Antonio-Gómez, C., Velilla, C., Manzano-Agugliaro, F. (2014) Urban and landscape changes through historical maps: The Real Sitio of Aranjuez (1775–2005), a case study, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, No. 44, pp. 47-58.

Škalamera, Ž. (1973) Planovi Beograda 1688 [Maps of Belgrade 1688], Urbanizam Beograda, No. 20, pp. 15–18. [Škalamera, Ž. (1973) Maps of Belgrade 1688, Urbanizam Beograda, No. 20, pp. 15-18.]

Tress, G., Tress, B., Fry, G. (2005) Clarifying integrative research concepts in landscape ecology, Landscape Ecology, No. 20, pp. 479-493.

Vuksanović-Macura, Z. (2015) San o gradu: Mađunarodni konkurs za urbanističko uređenje Beograda 1921–1922. Beograd: Orion art. [Vuksanović-Macura, Z. (2015) Vision of the City: International urban planning competition for Belgrade 1921–1922. Belgrade: Orion art.]

Vuksanović-Macura Z., Macura, V. (2018) The Right to Housing: Squatter Settlements in Interwar Belgrade –The Defense and Demolition of Jatagan-mala, Journal of Urban History, No 44(4), pp. 755–774.

Yang, Y., Zhang, S., Yang, J., Chang, L., Bu, K., Xing, X., (2014) A review of historical reconstruction methods of land use/land cover, Journal of Geographical Sciences, No. 24, pp. 746-766.

Zeković, S., Vujošević, M., Maričić, T., (2015) Spatial regularization, planning instruments and urban land market in a post-socialist society: The case of Belgrade, Habitat International, No. 48, pp. 65-78.

Published
2018-12-28
Section
Professional Paper