Lubos Halada

Slovak Academy of Sciences | SAV · Institute of Landscape Ecology

Recognition of invasive species and their distribution is key for managing and protecting native species within both natural and man-made ecosystems. Small woody features (SWF) represent fragmented patches or narrow linear tree features that are of high importance in intensively utilized agricultural landscapes. Simultaneously, they frequently serv...

Local biodiversity trends over time are likely to be decoupled from global trends, as local processes may compensate or counteract global change. We analyze 161 long-term biological time series (15–91 years) collected across Europe, using a comprehensive dataset comprising ~6,200 marine, freshwater and terrestrial taxa. We test whether (i) local lo...

The authors have prepared a detailed map of Slovakia’s ecosystems, which identifies individual ecosystems and their spatial distribution, status, and selected properties. The impetus for the production of this map is the need of various stakeholders, especially nature protection bodies, forestry management, agricultural management and public admini...

Distributed environmental research infrastructures are important to support assessments of the effects of global change on landscapes, ecosystems and society. These infrastructures need to provide continuity to address long-term change, yet be flexible enough to respond to rapid societal and technological developments that modify research prioritie...

The authors have prepared a pilot nationwide assessment of ES in Slovakia using detailed data from different areas, including a detailed map, monetary assessment for ES as well as summaries and statistics for those areas at national level. The basis was the preparation of a detailed map of ecosystems - more than 1,000,000 polygons associated with h...

The political change from socialism to democracy in countries of Central and Eastern Europe at the end of the 20th century induced broad changes in agriculture mostly due to land ownership changes and strong reduction of subsidies to agriculture. This resulted in agricultural decline, including grassland abandonment, which influenced grassland biod...

The Carpathian region represents an ideal showcase of several land change theories and their implications for conservation because this region shares the long geo-political and socio-economic history of Eastern Europe while also being a biodiversity hotspot. With a long history of abrupt socio-economic and institutional shifts , the Carpathians exe...

The International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network comprises > 600 scientific groups conducting site-based research within 40 countries. Its mission includes improving the understanding of global ecosystems and informs solutions to current and future environmental problems at the global scales. The ILTER network covers a wide range of...

Changes in the landscape and biodiversity result from the past and current socio-ecological interactions. Socio-ecological research must bridge mismatches in various scales: spatial (from local to national), temporal (different time horizons) or disciplinary (number of disciplines) and harmonisation of results of each scale is inevitable to conside...

The paper provides information about experimental research on consequences of increased nitrogen deposition to the ecosystem of alpine meadows in Jalovecká dolina (Western Tatra Mts., Slovakia). In this ILTER site we established 25 experimental permanent plots in 2002. The experiment consists of three treatments with addition of nitrogen (20, 60, a...

The traditional agricultural landscape in Slovakia reflects the history and long-term mutual relationship between the landscape and generations of farmers, resulting in the occurrence of specific agricultural features. The ecological and cultural diversity of traditional agricultural landscape is evaluated using the example of the area around Lipto...

The ecosystem research in the site Báb (SouthWestern Slovakia) was re-established in 2007 as continuation of research done in International Biological Programme and Programme Man and Biosphere in years 1967–1977. The inventory of shrub and trees as well as study of the herb vegetation was performed on the permanent plot of size 1 ha. Also the inven...

The beginnings of ecosystem research in Báb are closely linked to the International Biological programme (IBP). The forest in Báb (66 ha) was selected for the IBP as an example of a deciduous broad-leaved forest on loess, little changed by man. The research began in 1967, when the permanent research plot (PRP) of size 1 ha was selected and permanen...

The ecosystem research in the site Báb (SouthWestern Slovakia) was re-established in 2007 as continuation of research done in International Biological Programme and Programme Man and Biosphere in years 1967–1977. The inventory of shrub and trees as well as study of the herb vegetation was performed on the permanent plot of size 1 ha. Also the inven...

The ecosystem research in the site Báb (South-Western Slovakia) was re-established in 2007 as continuation of research done in International Biological Programme and Programme Man and Biosphere in years 1967–1977. The inventory of shrub and trees as well as study of the herb vegetation was performed on the permanent plot of size 1 ha. Also the inve...

We established 24 experimental plots in Kralova hola research site, the Low Tatras. The plots were instrumented by air temperature, soil temperature and soil moisture sensors with dataloggers. A complex vegetation analysis was performed including the assessment of species composition abundance, and estimation of aboveground phytomass. We installed...

Historic land use can exert strong land-use legacies, i.e., long-lasting effects on ecosystems, but the importance of land-use legacies, alongside other factors, for subsequent forest-cover change is unclear. If past land use affects rates of forest disturbance and afforestation then this may constrain land use planning and land management options,...

Results The forage quality (Qf) of the studied meadows was mostly very high on a scale from 75 % to 90 %, or extremely high with values more than 90 %. The melliferous potential (Pm) of studied grasslands was medium, on a scale from 50 to 150, or high, with its values ranged between 150 to 225. The diversity of local meadows was mainly medium, the...

Anthropogenically derived nitrogen (N) has a central role in global environmental changes, including climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, greenhouse gas emission, water pollution, as well as food production and human health. Current understanding of the biogeochemical processes that govern the N cycle in coupled human-ecological system...

The identification of parameters to monitor the ecosystem services delivered at a site is fundamental to the concept’s adoption as a useful policy instrument at local, national and international scales. In this paper we (i) describe the process of developing a rapid comprehensive ecosystem service assessment methodology and (ii) test the applicabil...

Ecosystem impacts from nitrogen (N) deposition are related to (1) the degree to which plant growth responds to increases in N supply and (2) soil buffering capacity. Herbaceous communities dominated by plants adapted to low nutrient supply typically have low capacity to take up inputs of N. As a result they are more highly susceptible to loss of ba...

A large proportion of European biodiversity today depends on habitat provided by low-intensity farming practices, yet this resource is declining as European agriculture intensifies. Within the European Union, particularly the central and eastern new member states have retained relatively large areas of species-rich farmland, but despite increased i...

A large proportion of European biodiversity today depends on habitat provided by low-intensity farming practices, yet this resource is declining as European agriculture intensifies. Within the European Union, particularly the central and eastern new member states have retained relatively large areas of species-rich farmland, but despite increased i...

Landscapes located in the periphery of economic development, such as in parts of the Carpathian ecoregion, host remnants of both near-natural ecosystems and traditional agricultural land use systems. Such landscapes are important both for in situ conservation of natural and cultural biodiversity, and as references for biodiversity restoration elsew...

The European Union's (EU's) Habitats Directive includes annexes listing the habitats and species requiring protection. As new countries join the EU these lists need to be amended to remain pertinent. In 2004 and 2007, 12 countries, mostly in central Europe, joined the EU and were asked to propose native species or habitats that required protection;...

As part of its strategy to combat global warming by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, the European Union (EU), in 2009, agreed the Renewable Energy Directive with ambitious targets for the use of renewable energy. These include targets for renewable energy in the road transport sector. By 2020 10% of the final consumption of energy in tran...

This is the first complete inventory of alien vascular plant taxa for the Slovak Republic. The presented database contains information on family affiliation, residence status, invasion status, time of introduction, mode of introduction, planting purpose, abundance and distribution within phytogeographic regions, types of invaded habitats and syntax...

The Carpathian region had a rich and diverse history during the last 200 years, with patterns and drivers of land change for the region as a whole remaining still largely unexplored. We aim to investigate land use and land cover change (LULCC) and its drivers acrossthe study area. We created an inventory of existing LULCC case studies, and carried...

The aim of this paper is to identify the habitat types listed in the Habitats Directive Annex I that require low-intensity agricultural management for their existence. We assessed the link between the Annex I habitat types and agricultural practices in order to identify habitat types that depend on the continuation of agricultural practices or whos...

European Bison (Bison bonasus) barely escaped extinction in the early 20th century and now only occur in small isolated herds scattered across Central and Eastern Europe. The species’ survival in the wild depends on identifying suitable habitat for establishing bison metapopulations via reintroductions of new herds. We assessed European Bison habit...

BIOPRESS (‘Linking Pan-European Land Cover Change to Pressures on Biodiversity’), a European Commission funded ‘Global Monitoring for Environment and Security’ project, produced land cover change information (1950—2000) for Europe from aerial photographs and tested the suitability of this for monitoring habitats and biodiversity. The methods and re...

Halada Ľ., David S. & Eliáš P., 2010: Species composition of the herb layer in the reseach site Báb near Nitra. Rosalia (Nitra), 21, p. 19-32. Authors studied herb layer of the lowland oak-hornbeam forest in the permanent research site Báb (SW Slovakia); the permanent plot of size 100x100 m is divided into 100 sub-plots of size 10x10m. In spring 20...

EBONE (European Biodiversity Observation Network) is a project developing a system of biodiversity observation at regional, national and European levels as a contribution to European reporting on biodiversity. The project focuses on GEO (Group of Earth Observations) task BI 07-01 to unify many of the disparate biodiversity observing systems and cre...

EBONE (European Biodiversity Observation Network) is a project developing a system of biodiversity observation at regional, national and European levels as a contribution to European reporting on biodiversity. The project focuses on GEO (Group of Earth Observations) task BI 07-01 to unify many of the disparate biodiversity observing systems and cre...

A detailed characteristic of vegetation in the long-term ecological research site using quantitative methods is provided. Plant species composition, frequencies and aboveground biomass of 25research plots are reported. Additionally, inter-species relations and spatial pattern of vegetation are analysed. Plant community at Mt. Salatin research site...

Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition over the past half century has had a detrimental impact on temperate ecosystems in Europe and North America, resulting in soil acidification and a reduction in plant biodiversity(1,2). During the acidification process, soils release base cations, such as calcium and magnesium, neutralizing the increase in acidity....

Significant transformation of agriculture took place in Central Europe during the second half of the 20 th century. The paper reviews the nature and consequences of this process in terms of grassland management and land use changes in the Liptov region (N Slovakia) and their impacts on plant communities of fen meadows (Caricion davallianae, Caricio...

Both science and policy require a practical, transmissible, and reproducible procedure for surveillance and monitoring of European habitats, which can produce statisticsintegrated at the landscape level. Over the last 30years, landscape ecology has developed rapidly, and many studies now require spatial data on habitats. Without rigorous rules, cha...

The Habitat Directive is a an important policy instrument for nature conservation in order to avoid the further loss of important European habitats and to reduce the amount of pressures on these habitats. The set-up of a effective network of Natura 2000 sites is the most important goal of the the Habitat and Bird Directive. In order to test the pot...

Conflicts between the conservation of biodiversity and other human activities have been and continue to be of increasing concern in the European Union, often having important political, economic, and environmental repercussions. These conflicts have been addressed in the European Union by using a wide array of top down and bottom up tools, with var...

In recent times, the decline in agriculture has become a reality in mountainous parts of Europe (Garcia-Ruiz et al. 1996; Rabbinge and van Diepen 2000). Marginal location and unfavourable natural conditions for agriculture (harsh climatic conditions, less productive soils) are generally acknowledged as being the driving forces of such decline, resu...

This is a document issuing from the project: Linking Pan-European Landcover Change to Pressures on Biodiversity (BIOPRESS); a project funded by the European Commission DG Research under the specific research and technological development programme “Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development” and the “Global Monitoring for the Environment and S...

Semi-natural grassland biotopes represent a specific feature of the Poloniny National Park (East Carpathian Mts, Slovakia) with the great biodiversity values. In this article we use habitat models to predict their distribution in the study area. Based on 285 phytosociological records, we identified 5 main grassland types: mountain meadows, mesophil...

Land cover change in Europe from 1950'ies to 2000 presents part of the work carried out under the framework of the European project "Linking Pan-European Land Cover Change to Pressures on Biodiversity" (BIOPRESS). This book captures the changes in land cover which have been observed from aerial photography between the 1950'ies, 1990'ies and 2000 in...

Ruscus hypoglossum L. (Asparagaceae), a rare and endangered species of the Malé Karpaty Mts. in Slovakia, is an evergreen geophyte having rigid leaves with special bracts developed on them. The flowers are unisexual, and the plant is dioecious. Well-developed stamens and rudimentary pistils in different stages of development occur in male flowers....

The orchard meadows of Banská Štiavnica represent an archaic, relict type of meadow. They are a reservoir of high and sustainable biological diversity, both local and regional. We have initially classified these orchard meadows in two associations: Poo-Trisetetum Knapp ex Oberd. 1957 and Ranunculo bulbosi-Arrhenatheretum Ellmauer 1993. Similar plan...

Landscape-ecological documentation - an example of practical methodology for environmental analyses, evaluation and proposals as a basis for urban planning process at local level (scale 1:10.000). Book was compiled as an abridged version of compresensive and detailed documentation supplemented by several map outputs. Book contains some figures, gr...

Meadow research in the East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve using method of permanent plots started in year 1994. We sampled data every year in 14 permanent plots within the Biosphere Reserve both in mountain ("poloniny") meadows and in meadows in lower positions. This monitoring is aimed at selection of effective management (applicable in the field...

The semi-natural meadows belong to the most endangered plant communities in Slovakia. Very valuable grassland types are distributed in the National Park Poloniny - the Slovak part of the East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve (NE Slovakia), but large areas of grasslands are abandoned there. We established 14 permanent plots with different management re...

Two directives - Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) represent the most important instruments in the nature conservation legislation of the European Union. They are aimed at protecting the species and habitat types that arc considered as Community interest within the EU ecological network of protected areas - NATURA 2000...

The evaluation of vegetation represents an important part of evaluation in landscape ecology. There is a broad spectrum of questions, which have to be answered through such evaluation. Some criteria, based on the attributes of plant taxa like naturalness/synanthropisation, taxonomic diversity, endangering, rarity, phytogeographical characteristics,...

Grasslands in the Biosphere Reserve East Carpathians are of cultural-historical as well as of scientific and nature conservation importance. They have a high biodiversity, are rich on endangered and rare species as well as east-carpathian species with occurrence on the west boundary of their area of distribution. During the last 25 years large chan...

1 Executive summary Agricultural production in Slovakia still persists as a main force that significantly shapes rural country. However agriculture also belongs among the main resorts that cause deterioration of the environment in these areas and the loss of biodiversity. Agri-environmental indicators are the main tools for monitoring and evaluatio...