1 Landau, Germany. 2 GeoEcoP/an, Kemmern, Germany. 3 Institute of Earth Sciences, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland. INTRODUCTION.
Institute of Earth Sciences, Maria Curie-Sktodowska University Polish Geographical Society, Lublin Branch
HUMAN IMPACT ON UPLAND LANDSCAPES OF THE LUBLIN REGION
Edited by
Justyna Warowna and Anne Schmitt
Lublin 2010
Reviewers
Institute
ISBN 978-83-89720-59-7
Reviewers
Institute
ISBN 978-83-89720-59-7
L
CONDITIONS OF
Oagmara Kociuba OF LANDSCAPE
6 Ewa Skowronek
7 .............. 09
Section 3
OF HUMAN ACTIVITY
8 31 9
Justyna Warowna 10
Anne Schmitt Markus Dotterweich, Jan
Wojciech
4 AGRICULTURAL IMPACT ON THE EROSIVE GEOSYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT in
Roztocze
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95 Jan Rodzik 11 List
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8
Phases of gully erosion in the vicinity of Kazimierz Dolny (Doty Podmularskie gully)
MARKUS DOTTERWEICH 1, ANNE SCHMITT2, JAN RODZIK 3, WOJCIECH ZGtOBICKP 1 Landau,
Germany
2 GeoEcoP/an, 3
Kemmern, Germany
Institute of Earth Sciences, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland
INTRODUCTION How did mankind influence the ecosystem in former times? What do we know about past land use and their effects to soil erosion and gullying? Are there correlations between sedimentation sequences and human activity as well as geomorphologically significant floods in occurrence with climate change? We know that the anthropogenic formation of the central European landscape dates back to the Neolithic revolution, around 7500 years ago. Since then, many phases of agricultural expansion and regression occurred with land clearance and reforestation. As a result, in many areas of central European soil has been washed downslope by anthropogenic soil erosion and gullies have incised, leading to the development of colluvial and alluvial deposits (Lang 2003; Dreibrodt, Bork 2005, L ang, Bork 2006; Dotterweich et al. 2008). As a result the today's landscape and the soil cover in Europe as it appears today were strongly altered directly and indirectly by mankind/human activities. The understanding of the scale and dynamics of soil erosion processes in the past allows help us to understand of impact of present land use systems. This is especially important for regions where traditional land use systems are changing rapidly as it is happening in south-east Poland. During the socialist regime only very small part of the land was collectivised and in south-east Poland traditional agricultural systems continued to exist until today. Due to the joining of Poland with the European Union significant changes in the agricultural structures are in progress. The area around the Nalcrczow Plateau is one of the last areas in Europe where the traditional agricultural systems are still in use on loess sediments. Small field plots, often only a couple meters wide and less than hundred meters long are typical. Until today, farmers use horses or small tractors and machines like it was common in central Europe 50 years ago. As a result, the effects ofland collectivisation or the use of heavy machines to landscape structure respectively to soil degradation didn't take place. Additionally, the traditional field structure, sunken roads and gully systems
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Markus Dotterweich, Anne Schmitt, Jan Rodzik, Wojciech Zglobicki
were not destroyed like at many other areas in central Europe during the last 50 years. Therefore historical soil and sediment sequences are well preserved on the Nal
