National

Actual

EKOBLOK - Diverzita, krajinné prvky a optimalizácia poľnohospodárskych blokov intenzívnej a extenzívnej krajiny Slovenska
Diversity, landscape elements and reassessment of agricultural blocks of the intensive and extensive landscape of Slovakia
Program: VEGA
Project leader: Mgr. Bezák Peter, PhD.
Annotation: The Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for Slovakia 2023-2027 better reflects the global environmental changes compared to the previous versions. Relevant measures are aimed mainly at protecting and improving biodiversity, mitigation and adaptation to climate change. This means, for example, reducing large monoculture plots, increasing the non-productive area, etc., and this can directly enhance biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services. But how the size, structure and management of agricultural blocks affect biodiversity and ecosystem services? Regular monitoring and scientific knowledge about these interactions so far are insufficient in Slovakia. A scientific comparison of unchanged blocks and blocks impacted by ecological interventions can help reveal the links between landscape diversity and correlated management. Subsequently, it can contribute to design of regular landscape-ecological monitoring and to more precise setting of sustainable farming interventions.
Duration: 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028
Hodnotenie dynamiky biodiverzity a krajinnej diverzity nelesných ekosystémov pohorí Západných Karpát
Evaluating Biodiversity and Landscape Diversity Dynamics in Non-Forest Ecosystems of the Western Carpathians
Program: VEGA
Project leader: Mgr. Palaj Andrej, PhD.
Duration: 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028
Opustenie poľnohospodárskej pôdy s rôznym historickým využívaním vo vybraných regíónoch Slovenska a jeho dopady na vývoj pôdnych vlastností a vegetácie
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Program: VEGA
Project leader: Mgr. Kollár Jozef, PhD.
Duration: 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028
Rozvoj a posilnenie dlhodobého ekologického výskumu vybraných typov ekosystémov
Development and strengthening of long-term ecological research of selected types of ecosystems.
Program: VEGA
Project leader: RNDr. Gajdoš Peter, CSc.
Annotation: The project is aimed at the development of long-term ecological research of selected ecosystems in Slovakia as a contribution to building the national part of the distributed European research infrastructure eLTER (eLTER RI). eLTER RI formulated the principles of a holistic, systemic approach to the study of ecosystems through a set of so-called standard observations. The main goal of the project is to achieve a comprehensive study of selected ecosystems by supplementing standard observations, improving instrumentation and introducing new research methods. These improvements will enable us to better, more comprehensively address the eLTER challenges of biodiversity, climate change, eutrophication and chemical pollution. We will pay increased attention to the data management compatible with eLTER standards and data accessibility for use. Part of the project is the continuation of the long-term study of air pollution in Slovakia using bryophytes with a focus on forest and selected non-forest ecosystems.
Duration: 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028
Záhradkárske osady ako prostriedok kolektívnej sociálno-ekologickej pamäte a alternatíva mestských rozvojových rámcov pomalého mesta „Slow city“
Allotment gardens as a means of collective socio-ecological memory and an alternative to urban development frameworks of the "Slow City"
Program: VEGA
Project leader: Mgr. Babicová Daniela, PhD.
Annotation: In Europe and around the world, the issue of urban agriculture and allotment gardens (AG) has received a great deal of attention in the literature. In Slovakia, there is a lack of detailed and systematic research on ZOs in terms of their history, legislation, sociology and changes in the structure of AGs. There is also a gap in the assessment of AGs in terms of the fulfilment of their ecosystem services. The aim of the present project is to evaluate the ecosystem services of AG on the basis of an analysis of landscape diversity, abiotic, biotic and socio-economic factors and research on the way and intensity of human use of AG.
Duration: 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028
Analýzy a hodnotenia environmentálnej histórie vybraných typov krajiny Slovenska od mladšieho praveku po súčasnosť
Analysis and evaluations of the environmental history of selected types of Slovak landscape from the early prehistory to the present
Program: VEGA
Project leader: Mgr. Piscová Veronika, PhD.
Annotation: By using natural resources, ecosystem services and activities, man directly or indirectly affects the naturalenvironment and the quality of its components, within a time and space framework. The extent and intensity ofhuman influence on the landscape has been changing over the centuries, depending on current period. Toidentify the degree of human influence on the landscape, it is essential to get know the original landscape, whichhas not been significantly affected by man. As such, a landscape no longer exists in the Central Europe; it needsto be scientifically reconstructed in some way. The aim of the project is to reconstruct the landscape, in modelareas representing selected types of the Slovak landscape, in several periods of historical and archaeologicalpast and to evaluate the consequences of human activities in them. It is important to analyse the relationshipbetween man and his environment over the time.
Duration: 1.1.2023 - 31.12.2026
Multikriteriálny prístup stanovenia udržateľného polyfunkčného využívania vysoko zraniteľných oblastí
Multi-criteria approach of sustainable multifunctional use of highly vulnerable area determination
Program: VEGA
Project leader: RNDr. Barančoková Mária, PhD.
Annotation: The principles of sustainable soil use are based on respecting the limiting factors, their rational use. Adhering to these principles of farming in highly vulnerable areas, such as WPZ (water protection zone) Žitný ostrov, is especially important. The aim of the project is to determine landscape-ecological potential, assign zones of optimal multifunctional use – protection and revitalisation of land and its elements, sustainable economic use and non-agricultural land use, cultural and social development of the countryside. As farming companies employing conventional methods of farming are the most significant large-scale polluters, we would like to approach the farming subjects in the given area with a questionnaire survey and find out their way of farming, benefits, disadvantages, current legislative restrictions, recommendations, etc. The assessment will be the gauging of the suitability of land use, processing of the results, and their implementation into regional antennas of the National Rural Network of the Slovak Republic, and other strategic documents.One of the aims of the project is to determine the landscape-ecological potential, differentiate the zones of optimal multifunctional use – protection and revitalisation of landscape and its elements, sustainable economic use and non-agricultural land use, cultural and social development of the countryside.
Duration: 1.1.2024 - 31.12.2026
NUCPEC - Cyklus živín v terestriálnych rastlinných ekosystémoch Karpát v meniacom sa svete
Nutrient cycling in terrestrial plant ecosystems of the Carpathians in the changing world
Program: Plán obnovy EÚ
Project leader: Dr.nat.techn. Ing. Merganičová Katarína
Annotation: The main idea of the project is to develop a model-data fusion framework, which will combine ground-based and remote sensing observations, and dynamic process-based modelling of ecosystem development to study nutrient dynamics in plant ecosystems of the Carpathians under the influence of environmental conditions, and natural and human-induced disturbances at different temporal levels. The overall objective is to enhance the understanding of short-, mid- and long-term plant ecosystem dynamics driven by climate, disturbances and management practices, and to examine the impact of their temporal changes, which will allow more reliable predictions of future trajectories of ecosystem development under different scenarios. The partial objectives are:Objective 1: to analyse the long-term changes in nutrient cycling in vegetation of the Carpathians using a process-based modelling approach driven by the historic reconstruction of land cover and land use based on remote sensing and historical maps covering a period from the year 1819,Objective 2: to analyse the mid-term inter-annual nutrient dynamics in vegetation of the Carpathians at the local and/or regional level driven by natural and/or human induced disturbances derived from ground-based data, and available remote sensing products covering historical periods, such as Landsat archive, based on the continuous development of ecosystem stocks and fluxes simulated by a process-based model from the year 1949 until present,Objective 3: to determine the impact of intra-annual climate anomalies on the nutrient cycling in plant ecosystems at a local level using process-based modelling and dense annual time series of remote sensing vegetation products such as LAI from combined Landsat-Sentinel products and available high temporal resolution ground-based observation data from intensively monitored research sites and eddy covariance measurements.
Duration: 1.9.2024 - 31.8.2026
Výskum špecifických prvkov biokultúrnej krajiny na Slovensku
Research of specific landscape elements of bio-cultural landscape in Slovakia
Program: VEGA
Project leader: RNDr. Dobrovodská Marta, PhD.
Annotation: In a broader sense, it is possible to perceive landscape as mainly bio-cultural and multi-functional, as it constantlyadapts to the economic, social, cultural and environmental processes in time and space. The result is formation ofbio-cultural systems providing a crucial and effective space for the integration of biological and cultural elements that significantly affect individual bio-cultural systems. The project will focus on development ofmethodology for detailed interdisciplinary and integrated research of biotic and social-cultural elements and theirinterrelationships in valuable bio-cultural systems in Slovakia using indicators of biotic and cultural diversity aswell as research of extent and structure changes of forms of traditional agrarian relief. Special attention will bepaid to identification of change factors (driving forces, global megatrends) of the most valuable bio-culturalsystems and determination of selected benefits, which provide for society.
Duration: 1.1.2022 - 31.12.2025
Zmeny krajinnej diverzity a biodiverzity v horských a vysokohorských oblastiach Západných Karpát
Changes in landscape diversity and biodiversity in mountain and alpine areas of the Western Carpathians
Program: VEGA
Project leader: RNDr. Barančok Peter, CSc.
Annotation: The Western Carpathians cover a significant part of Slovakia. The country is characterised by mountain and alpine areas with their typical landscape structure with various representation of forest and non-forest habitats. Natural and anthropogenic conditioned factors play a significant role in formation of the landscape character. The processes in the natural environment constantly influence landscape diversity and biodiversity, and nowadays, anthropogenic impacts are more and more significant. The project focuses on the assessment of landscape and biodiversity changes in selected areas affected by the effects of natural and anthropogenous stress factors in different time periods. Attention will be paid to the differentiation of landscape diversity and biodiversity changes that were caused by the natural development of the landscape, global factors impact, and the influence of man in the country. Anthropogenic impact will be assessed from the point of view of man`s historical activity in the country, the way and intensity of the land use, to the present-day impact affecting the overall status of the natural environment.
Duration: 1.1.2022 - 31.12.2025