Search

Land use and settlement dynamics of two rural areas defined by the contact karst spring is the subject of this paper. The research area consists of the spring catchment of Ljubija in the northeast part of Slovenia and Gradole, the most water-rich spring in Istria (northwest Croatia), have been surveyed in terms of environmental conditions, and social and historic land use aspects. We used Statistical data and Geographic Information System (GIS) methods. Via a multidisciplinary approach we discovered that: 1) environmentally, both areas are actively managed due to drinking water resources— Gradole has 9.8% and Ljubija 8.9% of protected area; 2) data regarding social features showed that human pressure has not negatively influenced the natural settings and water supply vulnerability—the area of the Ljubija spring catchment has lower population density compared to the area of the Gradole spring catchment (1.4 inhabitants/ km² compared to 38.7 inhabitants/km² ), but the Ljubija area has more pronounced growth in the number of households—I2020/1948 = 115 compared to I2020/1948 = 88.1 at the Gradole spring catchment; and 3) the limited regeneration abilities of the karst water bodies have been preserved by the prevailing share of forest—land use data showed 84.8% for Ljubija and 34.4% for Gradole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the main characteristics of Eutric Cambisols, their productivity potential expressed as land-rating, and their spatial distribution in Slovenia. Differences in soil properties were evaluated among the six predominant groups of Eutric Cambisols; classification was based on the parent material. In addition to individual characteristics affecting soil quality (texture, soil depth, amount of plant available water, pH, base saturation, cation exchange capacity), a comparison of land-rating values between the groups was also performed. We analysed 200 profiles excavated as part of the Slovenian Soil Mapping or other soil surveys conducted by the Center for Soil and Environmental Sciences, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana. Our results show that Eutric Cambisols cover 15.5% of the area of Slovenia. Most Eutric Cambisols are on flysch (19.3%, 600 km²), followed by Eutric Cambisols on marl (12.7%, 398 km²). Eutric Cambisols on sandy gravel alluvial sediments, an important soil for crop production, cover 295 km² (9.4%). They have a favourable loamy texture and optimal pH. The flat terrain also contributes to this soil’s highest average weighted land-rating value (70 points). The average weighted land-rating value of all Eutric Cambisols is higher than the average weighted land-rating value of all agricultural and forest land in Slovenia, which is 36 points; this must be considered in spatial planning, as this type of land has a small share and above all, it must be protected from various degradations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical elements of maps, in addition to the methods of presenting content with cartographic symbols and the criteria of cartographic generalization, are the most important elements of modern ground plan view maps. At the same time, on maps for orienteering disciplines, which are the most internationally unified maps in the world, the mathematical basis is not defined in very detailed specifications. In this paper, we describe the background and reasons for the apparent insignificance of mathematical content in orienteering maps, and on the example of the analysis of selected maps of Croatia and Slovenia, we determine in which period and to what extent mathematical elements were present on the maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]