Facebook Instagram Twitter RSS Feed PodBean Back to top on side

Information Page of SAS Organisation

Project

Institute of Landscape Ecology

International Projects

Biodiversa+ - The European Biodiversity Partnership

Biodiversa+ pilotný projekt monitoringu biodiverzity

Duration: 1. 1. 2024 - 31. 12. 2025
Program: Multilaterálne - iné
Project leader: Ing. Špulerová Jana PhD.
Annotation:The pilot project is implemented and supported under Work Package 2 (WP2) of the Biodiversa+ project, which aims to establish a transnational network of national biodiversity monitoring systems. The pilot project is thematically divided into Mapping and monitoring of grassland and wetland habitats and Automated monitoring of birds, bats and nocturnal insects through sound and image recognition.
Project web page:https://www.biodiversa.eu/

ELMEN - ELMEN - Inter-institutional single framework contract for the provision of assistance for the technical and financial monitoring of ongoing projects funded from previous and on-going LIFE programmes and on thematic support

ELMEN - Multi-inštitucionálny rámcový kontrakt na poskytovanie asistencie pre technické a finančné monitorovanie bežiacich projektov spolufinancovaných z predchádzajúcich a súčasného LIFE programu a pre tematickú podporu

Duration: 1. 4. 2023 - 31. 3. 2027
Program: Multilaterálne - iné
Project leader: Mgr. Bezák Peter PhD.
Annotation:The ELMEN contract is focused mainly on monitoring of quality and professional and financial correctness of implementation of the EU co-funded projects of the LIFE programme. These projects support the enhancement of Natura 2000 network through concrete conservation actions, deal with various environmental issues, climate change adaptation and mitigation, circular economy and quality of life and clean energy. Monitoring experts regularly check the implementation of projects in the field or beneficiaries’ premises, evaluate submitted project reports and provide any other required thematic support related to the LIFE programme to the European Commission (DG Environment and CINEA).
Project web page:https://www.elmen-eeig.eu/

IMPAWOS - IMPAWOS - Impact of alien and native woody plants on vegetation and soil: two sides of the same coin?

IMPAWOS - Vplyv cudzích a pôvodných drevín na vegetáciu a pôdu: dve strany jednej mince?

Duration: 1. 1. 2023 - 31. 12. 2025
Evidence number:2022/04/Y/NZ8/00057
Program: Multilaterálne - iné
Project leader: RNDr. Kanka Róbert PhD.
Annotation:There is an ongoing debate whether introduced alien invasive species impose a greater threat to biodiversity than native species that are spreading in current, transformed landscapes. This question is important not only from the scientific point of view, but also for local managers, nature conservationists, and various stakeholders. Trees and shrubs often act as ecosystem engineers; they influence light conditions, the structure of vegetation, and co-occurring species. Their canopies serve as habitats for other organisms like birds, reptiles, or insects. Additionally, many tree species are important commodities in forestry, which makes them rather controversial if we consider their negative impact on biodiversity and ecosystems. IMPAWOS project will focus here on woody species and their impacts on vegetation, soil properties, and activity of soil biota and propose to establish microbiological analyses as new indicators of the soil health.

MORIDEK - MORIDEK - Modelling long term impacts of plant invasions on danubian ecosystems

MORIDEK - Modelovanie vplyvov rastlinných invázií na dunajské ekosystémy

Duration: 1. 6. 2024 - 31. 5. 2026
Evidence number:52320335
Program: Iné
Project leader: RNDr. Halada Ľuboš CSc.
Annotation:The activities of the proposed MORIDEK project complement the interdisciplinary nature of the original Horizon Europe project Restore4Life, which represents an innovation action addressing the socially significant issue of wetland restoration. Our proposed MORIDEK project contributes primarily to the scientific and research component of this innovation activity, which is necessary for demonstrating the importance of wetland restoration based on solid and reliable scientific foundations. Specifically, it focuses on assessing the impact of a particular threat to the Danube's alluvial wetlands, which is posed by plant species invasions. Invasive plants represent a significant threat to many of the Danube's alluvial wetlands, which are important and valuable ecological zones in Europe, but also act as catalysts for the spread of these invasive species. These invasive plant species can significantly disrupt ecosystem balance, threatening native species and the overall functionality of wetlands. The project will employ innovative approaches to assess the impacts of plant invasions using a combination of Earth observation (EO) and ecosystem process modeling (EM), aiming to contribute to the understanding of potential impacts of plant invasions on wetlands, particularly in terms of carbon and nutrient flows.

PANGEOS - PANGEOS - Pan-European Network of Green Deal Agriculture and Forestry Earth Observation Science

PANGEOS - Pan-European Network of Green Deal Agriculture and Forestry Earth Observation Science

Duration: 6. 11. 2023 - 6. 11. 2027
Evidence number:CA22136
Program: COST
Project leader: Mgr. Halabuk Andrej PhD.
Annotation:The sustainability of Europe’s green resources are threatened by climate change associated environmental changes. Agricultural systems and forests are among the ecosystems mostly interlinked with human health and wellbeing due to the socio-economic services they provide. Whether heat, drought, extreme weather, or biotic stressors, conventional agriculture and forestry today is unprepared for future climate scenarios, rising populations, changing consumption habits, and traditional management practices need re-thinking. The objectives set by PANGEOS are developed in the wake of the European Green Deal strategic goals. For agriculture, these include ensuring food security in the face of climate change, strengthening the EU food system’s resilience and reducing the environmental and climate footprint of the EU agricultural sector towards a competitive and sustainable use and management of resources. For forestry, these span the protection, restoration and enlargement of the EU’s forests to combat climate change, reversing biodiversity loss and ensuring resilient and multifunctional forest ecosystems. To support these goals, PANGEOS aims to leverage state-of-the-art remote sensing (RS) technologies to advance field phenotyping workflows, precision agriculture/forestry practices and larger-scale operational assessments for a more sustainable management of Europe’s natural resources. We propose to bridge the gap between state-of-the-art technologies and applied sciences, to directly serve and inform academics, Young Researchers and Innovators, Inclusiveness Target Countries and Near Neighbor Countries, end-users (e.g., farmers, foresters), and stakeholders in industry and policy-makers by bringing together RS experts and applications in (1) Field Phenotyping, (2) Precision and Regenerative Agriculture, (3) Sustainable Land Management of Complex European landscapes, and (4) Uncertainty Analysis and Standardization.
Project web page:https://pangeos.eu/

PAREUS - PAREUS - Providing Adaptive knowledge for Ratcheting up the EU Biodiversity strategy for Sustainable landscapes and protected areas

PAREUS - Poskytovanie adaptívnych poznatkov pre posilnenie stratégie EÚ v oblasti biodiverzity pre udržateľné krajiny a chránené oblasti

Duration: 1. 1. 2023 - 31. 12. 2025
Evidence number:Biodiversa2021-688
Program: Horizont Európa
Project leader: RNDr. Kanka Róbert PhD.
Annotation:PAREUS follows the concept of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) throughout its activities by mapping, evaluating, developing, and synthesizing landscape sustainability within selected cases with direct engagement with stakeholders to share, anticipate, reflect and respond to the overarching challenge (Fig. 1). The project will take a landscape approach23 by mapping and synthesizing documents to evaluate the spatial synergies and trade-offs between policy targets for biodiversity and possible pathways to ensure land degradation neutrality for protecting and restoring nature in National Case Studies (NCS). PAREUS consists of, besides a dedicated project coordination management work package (see section V.C for more details), of the six objective-driven work packages.
Project web page:https://www.biodiversa.eu/2023/04/19/pareus/

EUGW - EU Grassland Watch – CO4N2K update

Pozorovanie trávnych porastov - aktualizácia CO4N2K

Duration: 22. 1. 2024 - 16. 5. 2026
Evidence number:ENV/2022/OP/0029
Program: Bilaterálne - iné
Project leader: RNDr. Halada Ľuboš CSc.
Annotation:EU Grassland Watch will support the monitoring and management of N2000 sites with a focus on grasslands and thereby assess the health of protected areas / ecosystems through time. The Copernicus programme will provide valuable resources for mapping and monitoring the sites through existing ready to use service products and operational Earth Observation (EO) image acquisitions. The results of the analysis processes will be exposed to users through a user-friendly and intuitive webtool to support their reporting and management needs at a range of scales from the pan-European to site levels.
Project web page:https://cop4n2k.eu/

EMERALD - Regional Collaboration in Protecting Biodiversity & Ecosystems in Eastern Partnership Countries

Regionálna spolupráca pre ochranu biodiverzity a ekosystémov v krajinách Východného partnerstva

Duration: 1. 8. 2024 - 31. 10. 2025
Program: Multilaterálne - iné
Project leader: Mgr. Lieskovský Juraj PhD.
Annotation:The project's primary objectives are focusing on enhancing the development, management and awareness of the Emerald network and promoting biodiversity conservation in Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Georgia, Moldovia, Ukraine. Primarily, it aims to deepen the understanding of Emerald site management, encompassing both legal aspects and knowledge acquisition from the Natura 2000 management framework. Furthermore, the project strives to raise awareness on such recent EU biodiversity protection initiatives as the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Nature Restoration Law. It aims to promote biodiversity integration into sectoral policies, programs, and investment projects. while encouraging community engagement in biodiversity conservation. The project also aspires to identify challenges associated with establishing the Emerald Network in Eastern Partnership countries and achieving national and international biodiversity targets. Additionally, the project will facilitate progress monitoring and reporting, including submissions to the European Environment Agency's Reportnet. Finally, the implementation of communication activities is central to the project, serving to inform key stakeholders and the broader public about the environmental, economic, and social benefits of protected areas, as well as the pivotal role that various stakeholder groups and citizens play in biodiversity protection.

Restore4Life - Restore4Life - Restoration of wetland complexes as life supporting systems in the Danube Basin

Restore4Life - Obnova mokraďových komplexov ako systémov podporujúcich život v povodí Dunaja

Duration: 1. 6. 2023 - 31. 5. 2027
Evidence number:101112736
Program: Horizont Európa
Project leader: RNDr. Halada Ľuboš CSc.
Annotation:Restore4Life demonstrates the multiple socio-economic benefits generated by a holistic and transdisciplinary approach for the restoration of freshwater and coastal wetlands in the Danube basin that will contribute to new blue-green infrastructure supporting regional climate change resilience and mitigation. Restore4Life engages in 4 demonstration sites and 6 monitoring sites all across the Danube basin to make evident that increased delivery of key ecosystem services, as water and pollutant retention, carbon sequestration and tourism opportunities as well as improved resilience of water-dependent habitats will produce multiple socioeconomic synergies that also provide opportunities for sustainable businesses and investments. Implementation of activities basically aiming to restore lateral connectivity in riverine corridors will be supported by a Restore4Life long term wetland restoration service/ Restore4Life Wetland Reconstruction Accelerator that combines timely integrative wetland management with a novel level of societal engagement. The Accelerator will provide tested indicators, monitoring approaches and decision support to identify adapted and future-oriented restoration goals, techniques and holistic road maps. Citizens and stakeholders will be empowered to engage in the co-design of projects by establishing stakeholder communities of practice, by twinning of similar projects at different realization stage, citizen science, thematic mobile apps and the use of multiple communication channels with special focus on visual, hands-on interactive information flow that promotes emotional links to water shaped environment. The various tools generated by Restore4Life also including handbooks for business audiences and targeted restoration roadmaps will secure the efficient replication of restoration activities in associated regions. In collaboration with similar mission activities, Restore4Life thus efficiently supports integrative social and economic transitions.

National Projects

Analysis and evaluations of the environmental history of selected types of Slovak landscape from the early prehistory to the present

Analýzy a hodnotenia environmentálnej histórie vybraných typov krajiny Slovenska od mladšieho praveku po súčasnosť

Duration: 1. 1. 2023 - 31. 12. 2026
Evidence number:VEGA 2/0031/23
Program: VEGA
Project leader: Mgr. Piscová Veronika PhD.
Annotation:By using natural resources, ecosystem services and activities, man directly or indirectly affects the natural environment and the quality of its components, within a time and space framework. The extent and intensity of human influence on the landscape has been changing over the centuries, depending on current period. To identify the degree of human influence on the landscape, it is essential to get know the original landscape, which has not been significantly affected by man. As such, a landscape no longer exists in the Central Europe; it needs to be scientifically reconstructed in some way. The aim of the project is to reconstruct the landscape, in model areas representing selected types of the Slovak landscape, in several periods of historical and archaeological past and to evaluate the consequences of human activities in them. It is important to analyse the relationship between man and his environment over the time.

NUCPEC - Nutrient cycling in terrestrial plant ecosystems of the Carpathians in the changing world

Cyklus živín v terestriálnych rastlinných ekosystémoch Karpát v meniacom sa svete

Duration: 1. 9. 2024 - 31. 8. 2026
Evidence number:09I03-03-V04-00130
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.

EKOBLOK - Diversity, landscape elements and reassessment of agricultural blocks of the intensive and extensive landscape of Slovakia

Diverzita, krajinné prvky a optimalizácia poľnohospodárskych blokov intenzívnej a extenzívnej krajiny Slovenska

Duration: 1. 1. 2025 - 31. 12. 2028
Evidence number:2/0110/25
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.

BIO RESERVE - Implementation of Agenda 2030 through biosphere reserves

Implementácia Agendy 2030 prostredníctvom biosférických rezervácií

Duration: 1. 7. 2021 - 30. 6. 2025
Evidence number:APVV-20-0108
Program: APVV
Project leader: Mgr. Piscová Veronika PhD.
Annotation:The aim of the project is to create a proposal for a sustainable institutional, financial and legislative model of biosphere reserves in the Slovak Republic and the fundamental framework of their strategic development based on analysis of territorial potential in the context of meeting the objectives of Agenda 2030, resilience theory, foreign experience and examples of good practice. The model will reflect the outputs of the analysis of all components of the potential of four Slovak biosphere reserves in the context of the resilience theory and goals of Agenda 2030. It will develop to the individual business model of each biosphere reserve. It will also include the methodology of creating development documents for biosphere reserves (development strategy, action plan and marketing communication strategy) all four biosphere reserves, taking into account the latest trends in spatial development, promoting the resilience of the areas studied and preserving their exceptional value on a global scale. The project will also include activities aimed at raising awareness among professionals and the general public about the issue, popularizing the project results and exchanging knowledge, ideas and experience with actors from the public, private and non-profit sectors in the form of workshops, conferences, public debates, lectures, conference papers and high quality research outputs.

Multi-criteria approach of sustainable multifunctional use of highly vulnerable area determination

Multikriteriálny prístup stanovenia udržateľného polyfunkčného využívania vysoko zraniteľných oblastí

Duration: 1. 1. 2024 - 31. 12. 2026
Evidence number:Vega 2/0015/24
Program: VEGA
Project leader: RNDr. Krnáčová Zdena 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.

CALTER - Soil carbon fluxes in dominant forest ecosystems along elevation gradient in the Western Carpathians

Toky uhlíka v pôde hlavných typov lesných ekosystémov na výškovom gradiente Západných Karpát.

Duration: 1. 7. 2022 - 30. 6. 2025
Evidence number:APVV-21-0412
Program: APVV
Project leader: RNDr. Halada Ľuboš CSc.
Annotation:Forest stores more than 70% of global soil carbon (C) and plays a central role in soil surface-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases. Due to the amount of C stored in the soil, it is essential to recognize that even a small change within this pool could significantly feedback the earth system. Soil organic carbon occurs in diverse forms, which according to the stability, can be divided into an active (labile) fraction, whose persistence time varies from a few weeks to a few months, and a stable fraction, which can persist in the soil for many years or even centuries. Soil loses C by two main processes - respiration and leaching. Both of them show complex spatio-temporal biophysical controls that vary on different scales as a consequence of changes in biotic (plant or microbial community) and abiotic (e.g., soil temperature, soil moisture, soil texture) factors. Soil respiration (Rs) consists of the two main components - heterotrophic (Rh) and autotrophic respiration (Ra), which respond differently to changes in influencing factors. The elevation is a key driver of climate properties playing an essential role in soil carbon content and fluxes. The main aim of our project is to identify C loss by respiration and leaching and to identify their driving factors along an elevation gradient representing the main forest communities in the Western Carpathians. Study plots are located in sites dedicated to long-term ecological research (LTER Slovakia). Possible impact of elevated temperature on soil C fluxes will be studied in open-top greenhouses. For reliable estimation of naturally very variable soil C fluxes we will optimize sampling strategy for each studied ecosystem by spatial stratification and by adjustment of measuring frequency.
Project web page:n/a

Research of specific landscape elements of bio-cultural landscape in Slovakia

Výskum špecifických prvkov biokultúrnej krajiny na Slovensku

Duration: 1. 1. 2022 - 31. 12. 2025
Evidence number:2/0135/22
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 constantly adapts to the economic, social, cultural and environmental processes in time and space. The result is formation of bio-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 of methodology for detailed interdisciplinary and integrated research of biotic and social-cultural elements and their interrelationships in valuable bio-cultural systems in Slovakia using indicators of biotic and cultural diversity as well as research of extent and structure changes of forms of traditional agrarian relief. Special attention will be paid to identification of change factors (driving forces, global megatrends) of the most valuable bio-cultural systems and determination of selected benefits, which provide for society.

Changes in landscape diversity and biodiversity in mountain and alpine areas of the Western Carpathians

Zmeny krajinnej diverzity a biodiverzity v horských a vysokohorských oblastiach Západných Karpát

Duration: 1. 1. 2022 - 31. 12. 2025
Evidence number:2/0048/22
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.

Projects total: 17