Estimation of land loss in the Czech Republic in the near future

Abstract

The study presents an estimate of how many hectares of soil will be removed from the farmland fund in the coming years around the biggest towns for non-agricultural use, such as for residential purposes and industrial zones. To estimate suburban area spreading, so called "buffers", i.e. packing zones around towns, were established. For the capital city of Prague the buffer width was set at 3 km, for regional towns at 2 km, and for district towns at 1 km. In this area, as well as on the territory (intravilan) of towns, the estimate of the future acreage removal of farmland for building purposes was calculated. The study also quantifies the changes in acreage of different soil types. The results show a significant decrease in acreage of the best quality soils, primarily because the largest towns are usually built on the best soils, and these towns are spreading much more than small towns. The results were statistically processed for (a) total, (b) each regional town, (c) each district town, and (d) total always separately for urban areas, for suburban areas (buffer zones), and for their combinations. Cambisols represent the soil group with the largest loss of land, followed by Luvisols and Chernosols.