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Cultivated terraces in northern Istria are an important element of the cultural landscape that enables several ecosystem services. Open green space is changing due to urban sprawl, soil sealing, and land abandonment. Olive growing is the only agricultural land use category that has increased in the past two decades. This study evaluates the various ecosystem services provided by terraced landscape under olive production in northern Istria. Terraced landscapes are multifunctional; they work against land degradation and preserve soil water for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Furthermore, terraced landscapes, particularly in distant areas, are disconnected from the more populated areas directly connected to the coast, and they face land abandonment, poor maintenance, and overgrowing issues. However, positive change is increasing in terraced areas used for olive orchards. This is in part due to the demand for Slovenian olive oil. Furthermore, the value of terraced landscapes with olive orchards and their part in the preservation of biodiversity is recognized in other sectors. As a cultivated cultural landscape element, olive orchards on terraces play important roles in tourism and provide much needed added value for tourist farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the diversity of Croatian Adriatic enclosed landscapes through their history and classification. The model of ‘landscape pattern’ is applied - the synthesis of information on land use, land structure, geomorphology, soil, agricultural practices and economic history. The result is derived from long-term research which has involved field work, terrestrial and aerial photo documentation, landscape history research, creation and analysis of various spatial and cartographic GIS data. Six general classes have been recognised (micro-clusters, individual enclosures, managed woodlands, pastures, fields and karst clearings for crops), as well as fourteen sub-classes, described and presented with illustration, photos and GIS data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the landscape of Veliki Brijun Island, from ancient to contemporary times. By examining the organisation and land use over various historical periods we have determined the island's characteristic features. The research results indicate changes in landscape, influenced by social, economic, cultural and political circumstances. Various types of landscape have been formed, witnessing a range of space use during particular periods, including: agrarian, residential, military/fortification, tourism, forest/natural, production, maritime, and recreational use. Aiming to preserve the identified elements of landscape identity, criteria are proposed for the conservation of value in case of future spatial interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper introduces the concept of using artificial landscapes to develop new design principles for sustainable solutions in rural environments in Europe. The introduction defines artificial landscapes in general and gives insight into the potential for permanent transformation of these landscapes. The thesis is that an integral approach that reconciles the existing landscape with the settlement offers a new quality to spatial development. This thesis is explored by comparing two extreme artificial landscapes as case studies: the Dutch polder landscape, reclaimed from the seabed of the North Sea, and the abandoned part of the terraced landscape of the settlement Kojsko in Slovenia's Gorica Hills. The conclusion of this experimental approach is that the potential of an artificial landscape is a key element for the design of more sustainable and self-sufficient solutions, especially in rural areas, which seek a strongly formed identity in a permanent transformation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to evaluate a methodology to assess the extent and state of conservation of the dry-stone wall terraces in the municipality of Les Oluges (La Segarra, Catalunya) (1915 ha). We described seventy seven 10 x 50 m plots distributed on a grid within the municipality. Stone walls were present in 30% of the sampling plots. The mean length of stone walls was 7.6 m per plot while derelict walls occupied another 7.1 m. Stone walls in agricultural fields appeared deteriorated more frequently than those under non-agricultural use. The standing dry- -stone wall network of the terraced system in Les Oluges has, at present, a total length of about 87 km and involves over 144,000 Mg of rock fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the diversity of Slovenian terraced landscapes which is illustrated mainly at the level of Slovenian landscape types, focusing on a comparison of terraced landscapes in selected pilot settlements. In addition to basic GIS analyses based on LIDAR data, the diversity of metric parameters of characteristic terraced areas are also presented, highlighting the dimensions and configuration of terraces, their platforms and slopes, as well as their current land use. Attention is also drawn to the most recent processes transforming characteristic terraced landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights the important environmental, productive, social and cultural functions of agricultural terraced landscapes with a view to seeking special protection under the CAP for these areas, regardless their slope, size and so forth. We present the methodological difficulties facing policy-makers if slope is considered the only bio-physical criterion applied to terraced landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the artificial peninsulas and pseudo-islands of Croatia, i.e. technically bridged islands, which are linked to the neighbouring mainland or a larger island by means of a dike, bridge or both dike and bridge. Whereas artificial peninsulas are entirely incorporated into the mainland by means of dikes, pseudo-islands are connected to the mainland via bridges, thus losing some of their insular characteristics, particularly in terms of their functional link to the mainland. Croatian bridged islands played a vital role in the past as in times of war they represented refuges or places of permanent settlement. Nowadays, in times of marked littoralisation, these islands have experienced a dramatic change in function and physical appearance, mostly due to their transport connections with the mainland, which has naturally resulted in their inclusion in the tourist valorisation of natural and cultural heritage. On the one hand, this has contributed to the slowing down of the depopulation process, which is a basic social characteristic of most Croatian islands, but on the other hand, it has led to the spontaneous, uncoordinated, excessive building of apartments and other constructions which in size and shape have ruined the authentic cultural appearance of the islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]