Orchards as traces of traditional agricultural landscape in Slovakia

Orchards are typical landscape features with a long history in traditional agricultural landscape management. They are situated from lowlands to mountains, mostly in upland areas, where natural conditions are favorable for fruit tree cultivation. Traditional orchard landscape that represents one class of traditional agricultural landscape (TAL) in Slovakia is created by mosaics of arable-land, grasslands and orchards and provides evidence of former small-scale farming in Slovakia. They are areas with irreplaceable ecological, landscape-aesthetic, social, cultural, historical and production values, and it is imperative that they are preserved for future generations as a memorial of the past. The aim of this research is to investigate distribution of traditional orchard landscapes in Slovakia and to evaluate their current state, the threats they face and their importance in biodiversity conservation and protection in traditionally cultivated farmland. Biodiversity assessment showed that forms of anthropogenic relief (balks) are islands of increased plant species richness with a mixture of species from surrounding grasslands, arable fields and orchards. Although traditional orchard landscapes are decreasing and their plots are threatened by abandonment or intensification, almost half are still regularly managed. Parts of abandoned traditional orchard landscape plots have already been changed to recreational landscape overgrown with shrubs and trees. Nevertheless, in order to preserve traditional orchard landscape structure and their scenery for future generations, we must institute new instruments to preserve traditional orchard landscape and its biodiversity. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.