Changes in wetlands - change trajectories, causes

This thesis analyzes the historical development of wetlands in corn production areas in Moravia, Czech Republic. Wetlands were analyzed changes in time and space for a period of 180 years. The main objective is to analyze the development of wetland habitats in the landscape using old maps, aerial photographs and GIS. The bases were of the Imperial Imprints of the Stable cadastre from the first half of the 19th century and contemporary orthophoto. There were also used GIS layers of the current location of wetlands, farmland, forests, rivers and waterways. In historical documents were evaluated by two categories 1) wet meadows and 2) swamps and marshes. In the current surface are only evaluated wetlands. The total area is 18054 ha. The area of wetlands dramatically decreased from 108 ha in the first half of the 19th century on 14 ha in 2015. Most of the wetlands have been converted to agricultural land - arable land (72 %), meadows and pastures (12 %). Wetlands succession was transformed to bushes (5,4 %). There was 5 % of the deaths of wetlands built and drained. Most wetlands have been transformed due to the pressure on the production function of the landscape in order to get more food. In the first half of the 19th century it was dominated by wet meadows, they had 684 ha. Despite the disappearance of a large part of the wetlands created new wetlands, which have 12.4 hectares. Most newly created wetlands are located in the cadastral area of Mutěnice. Only one wetland (1.68 ha) remained unchanged, located in cadastral Čejč. This wetland had a history of more land (25.15 hectares) and has been linked with Čejčské Lake. The main result of this work is to determine the trajectories of development of wetland ecosystems in the lowlands of Moravia. Descriptions of these trajectories have contributed to understanding influences on the development of wetlands. Results wetlands contribute to the development of knowledge in the field of landscape ecology. The results can be used to restore extinct wetlands and creation of new wetlands in the historic wet meadows. The information obtained can be used in landscape planning with regard to the protection and management of wetlands