Land Cover Changes in the Lithuanian Coastal Zone During 1975–2000

Abstract

The analysis of land cover changes in the Lithuanian coastal zone over the period of 1975–2000 was carried out following the standard CORINE Land Cover methodology, based on photo-interpretation of Landsat MSS (1975) and Landsat ETM (1999) satellite images and assisted by detailed topographic information on agricultural land use. The study revealed that the total proportion of land cover changes in the Lithuanian coastal zone over the study period reached the level of 13.6%. The proportions of the major land cover elements remaining stable, quite an intensive spatial re-location of agricultural landscape elements has been recorded. Land cover changes generally reflected the agricultural practices common to intensive collective farming in late 1970s, as well as reverse processes after the collapse of former collective farming system and from middle 1990s. Spatial extension of urban areas was insignificant over the period of 25 years, as well as land cover changes in nature protection areas and former military areas.