Influences of Environmental Drivers on Land Cover Structure and its Long-Term Changes: a Case Study of the Villages of Malachov and Podkonice in Slovakia / Vliv Environmentálních Podmínek Na Strukturu Krajinného Pokryvu A Její Dlouhodobé Změny: Případová Studie Obcí Malachov A Podkonice Na Slovensku

The influence of environmental drivers on long-term land cover changes in two mountainous villages in Central Slovakia is assessed in this paper using generalized linear models (GLM). Historical cadastral maps and aerial photographs were analyzed to describe the land cover change over five time horizons ranging from 1860 to the present, using the CORINE Land Cover classification. The hypothesis that higher slope, elevation and distance to settlement strongly influence lower intensities of land use was mostly confirmed, but geology was also identified as an important factor. The category of ‘forests’ was the most accounted for land cover class, while arable land and grassland were only considerably affected by the drivers in some periods. On the other hand, shrubs were almost completely unrelated to the investigated drivers. The areas of land cover change were not so well explained by the GLMs.