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This scientific study focuses on the assessment of the legislation on land valuation, which takes place in the framework of selected administrative procedures in the Slovak Republic. The issue of land valuation is regulated in several pieces of legislation and, in terms of content, is their unifying feature of the valuation of land for public purposes. The reason for examining the determination of the so-called "administrative price of land" is the fact that, in practice, the administrative procedures analyzed are extremely time-consuming and considerably inefficient compared to other administrative practices. Another reason for analyzing the legislation on land valuation is the fact that they also have a direct impact on the speed of the related administrative procedures and on the use of land for private purposes and, therefore, on the actual exercise of the property rights to which the parties to those proceedings are legally entitled. The main objective of this study is to examine the quantity, quality, and differences of legislation allowing land valuation for land consolidation purposes and to compare it with land valuation for restitution and expropriation purposes. In the processing of the topic, we primarily used the method of critical legal analysis and suitable and available scientific methods designed for law examinations, such as description or synthesis. In the context of the examination, we also applied a comparative method to compare the development of the legal situation of the Slovak Republic with the Czech Republic. We also used scientific and doctrinal interpretations associated with the application of case law on Slovak and Czech legislation, as well as professional and scientific literature contained in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The results of the study indicate that, despite the multi-annual effectiveness of the legislation, it would be appropriate to resolve the problems encountered in the Slovak Republic by adopting a new code regulating the issue of land consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrated surface run-off caused by torrential rain leads to the transport of sediments from soil erosion processes within catchment areas of critical points, which represents a basic component of flood risks. Clear identification of such critical points offers a basis for a suitable new strategy of threat mitigation, via both organizational and structural measures in catchment areas. Critical points are determined in places where generated paths of concentrated surface run-off cross given boundaries of built-up areas. The threshold values for the catchment area of a critical point were derived on the basis of hydrological calculations, field research, and the evaluation of hundreds of specific manifestations of damage in built-up areas for particular critical profiles. The characteristics were determined as follows: contributing area between 0.3 and 10 km2, average slope more than 3.5%, and percentage of arable land more than 40%. Indicator F was determined for the distribution of the territory of the Czech Republic according to the risk of flooding. Knowledge of the existence of critical points enables the implementation of preventive measures, the evaluation of flood risk associated with the transport of sediment due to erosion processes, and the improvement of management measures in respective catchment areas, even before an event occurs. The proposed procedure outputs shall be reflected in spatial planning documentation, land consolidation, and catchment area management plans. Incorporation of critical points into open-access public web-maps can help with assessing the semi-quantitative expression of risk to built-up areas arising from the threat of local flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new approach for sites prioritization and designing measures on land drainage was developed and tested on the 96.5 km2 Žejbro catchment (Czech Republic). The aim was to design an effective, mutually interconnected system of measures, on tiles, manholes, outlets as well as on ditches (s.c. main drainage facilities, MDF) that will increase water retention and storage in intensively farmed and tile-drained catchments and will reduce water pollution from subsurface non-point sources (drainage runoff). This approach consists of (I) selecting suitable sites using the Catchment Measures Need Index (CAMNI) method; (II) obtaining information on land drainage in the area of interest; (III) conducting a field survey and water quality monitoring; (IV) designing appropriate systems of measures; and (V) analysing the estimated costs of the proposed measures. Measures were proposed for fourteen sub-catchments that were selected based on the results of a CAMNI analysis and whether an MDF or a heavily modified stream is present. A total of 44 point measures, 62 areal measures, and 99 line measures were proposed. Implementation of these measures would reduce the load of N-NO3, a major pollutant from drainage runoff, by 44 tons per year (48%). From the financial point of view, these measures are not self-financing and the benefits do not cover the expected costs of their implementation and maintenance. However, these measures have a profound ecological and societal benefits which, when taken into account, make these measures suitable for implementation when (co-)financed from public budgets. Putting the presented approach into practice, for example, in the framework of complex land consolidations or by watershed management authorities, could significantly improve the condition and water regime of intensively drained agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural land found in the Czech Republic is strongly degraded by water erosion. The main reasons for this situation are the changes in the landscape caused by large-area agricultural production in the second half of the 20th century. In the model locality Starovice – Hustopeče (223.5 ha) (South Moravia Region), we analysed the changes in the landscape structure and land use for the period 1825–2018. In 1825, the mean size of a land block was 0.4 ha. In 1968, the studied locality consisted of just one land block of a size of 223.5 ha. This period marks the beginning of massive water erosion. In 2003, the locality was proposed for land consolidation. Its goal was to reduce erosion and the risk of floods. To date, a number of protective measures have been applied in the locality. The risk of water erosion was assessed for the landscape state in 1968 and 2018 in GIS using the USLE method. The effect of the adopted measures was strongly manifested in the reduction of the erosion risk (by 44%). The transport of sediment out of the locality was assessed for 1968 and 2018 by means of the WaTEM-SEDEM model. The protective measures resulted in a decrease of sediment transport out of the locality by 111 t/year (40% reduction). The economic balance of the soil loss showed a positive impact of the applied protective measures. On the basis of the mean price of arable land in the Czech Republic and the costs of the soil relocation within the locality, the application of protective measures brought an economy of at least € 5,000 per year. This sum does not include the losses caused by a potential decrease of agricultural crop yields due to the soil degradation, reduction of ecosystem services, and other factors in the past years. The actual benefits of applying the protective measures aimed at reducing erosion and increasing water retention in the landscape are significantly higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a fundamental difference in the way of merging the fragmented plots of one owner within a land consolidation (LC) in Slovakia (the Slovak Republic, SK) and the Czech Republic (CZ). All the scattered shares of a single owner in SK are merged into a minimum amount of new plots in the proportion of 1/1; the shares of one owner in CZ are merged only to a group of owners who are on the same ownership title. Through an LC project a Slovak owner automatically acquires sole ownership and the Czech one remains in an unchanged ownership in equal shares. Authors wondered what general public and the owners themselves in particular think of these two ways of merging. A simple online questionnaire for all surveyed groups (representatives of owners, public administration officials, LC designers/experts) for a virtual model territory was created. The results based on the questionnaire (563 responses, 10–25% estimated rate of return, were evaluated at the time of preparing the contribution) show that there is a clear preference (90–98%, estimated margin of error 5–16%) for the exclusive ownership. The (surprising) differences in merging as well as subsequent findings provoked an informed debate about the causes which is still pending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Causes of different evolution of land consolidation in the Czech Republic (CR) and Slovakia (SR) are documented and analyzed. Land fragmentation, methodical guidelines, legislative measures, financing and implementation of land consolidation projects are compared. Extensive, broad, complex land consolidation (LC) brings direct and indirect economic, environmental, social and landscape benefits for land owners and communities alike. It is a planning and development tool that is crucial for regional development. Authors focus on success of LC projects (measured by numbers of accepted projects relative to the country size) and their historical backgrounds in both neighbouring countries. Comprehensive land consolidation (CLC) and simple land consolidation (SLC) are examined. Approach to LC is similar in both countries. Demand for solving certain problems (e.g. land fragmentation, ownership fragmentation) is higher in Slovakia. Comprehensive land consolidation projects were initiated earlier in Slovakia than in the Czech Republic. But the current situation is significantly worse in Slovakia than in the Czech Republic. Risk of promoting particular interests resulting in an environment with disrupted dynamics of land consolidation is mentioned. Slovakia has a chance to change current dismal situation in the field of land consolidation only with the support of landowners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear elements in the agricultural landscape, particularly windbreaks, reduce the wind speed and improve the microclimate in the protected zone. They offer many direct effects on agricultural production with maximum benefits of ecosystem biodiversity. Despite the indisputable advantages and favourable effects of permanent linear vegetation elements, their representation in the agricultural landscape is not as frequent as it used to be. Moreover, the formerly planted elements do not fulfil their original function due to the overgrowth and neglected maintenance. The optimum spatial and functional organisation of the newly proposed linear elements requires evaluation of the existing linear vegetation, its functional parameters and involvement in the landscape ecological network. Our report presents methods for the evaluation of the linear elements, both from the aspect of their internal structure and species composition (category A) and their involvement in the functional system (category B). The evaluation is based on seven established criteria and results in a point scoring system that reflects the characteristics of the reference criteria. In five selected localities, we tested the linear elements as individuals by the A method and their integrity by the B method of evaluation. In one locality only, the state of windbreaks was assessed as functional; at two localities, they were found as conditionally functional, and at two other localities, the state of the windbreaks was assessed as non-functional. An example of the evaluation of individual windbreaks (category A) is demonstrated in model localities in South Moravia, Czech Republic. The results of the evaluation of the model localities thus point out an unsatisfactory state of the linear elements in the region of South Moravia and the need to accord them increased care and to establish new plantations under professional supervision. Their building can be sped up by using the tools of land consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]