Long-term socio-ecological research at Poloniny National Park LTSER platform

The Poloniny National Park LTSER platform (https://deims.org/4a954f2b-7d18-4992-a860-adb7268f9dc7) is located in the northeast of Slovakia, on the border with Poland and Ukraine, in the Carpathian mountain range. The area is about 34,000 hectares. The area has a highland to upland character and is part of the Eastern Carpathians Biosphere Reserve. Forests dominate (approximately 85% in 2013), with transitional woodland covering 3–4%, the agricultural part is represented mainly by grasslands (8–9%), while arable land with agricultural mosaics covers less than 2%. The territory is a remote, peripheral part of Slovakia with significant specificities - characteristic mountain meadows, a high level of forestation, a low share of arable land, the absence of a larger industrial center, low employment opportunities for the local population, long-term population decline, and limited accessibility to the territory. During the last decades, the territory has undergone several political and socioeconomic changes, the most significant are: collectivization and the establishment of two large agricultural cooperatives in the early 1970s; the eviction of seven municipalities because of construction of Starina water reservoir for drinking water (1980–1987); the transition to a market economy and a deeper decline in agriculture after 1989; and the partial restoration of agricultural support after Slovakia's accession to the EU in 2004 (Bezák and Mitchley 2014). The research project "Socio-ecological research of landscape and biodiversity change in mountain area of the NP Poloniny in context of global changes (VEGA 2/0184/11)" also included an assessment of changes in landscape management. The socio-economic research in 2011–2014 revised and adjusted the basic milestones of landscape and biodiversity change of the Poloniny NP, summarizing knowledge from previous research, literary sources, and using a questionnaire survey with the main actors in the area (farmers, mayors, nature conservation representatives, etc.). The management of the landscape moved from small-scale farming on narrow-strip fields and extensive meadow management to large-block and machine-based farming of permanent grasslands around municipalities to the abandonment and overgrowing of distant and smaller plots. Succession processes formed up to 20% of the territory, and the landscape became homogeneous. The region recorded a permanent decrease in the number of inhabitants. Remoteness, unfavourable economic and living conditions were other factors that caused the overall decline of agriculture. Slovakia's entry into the EU (2004) was associated with the renewal of agricultural and environmental support (application of the agri-environmental schemes), which caused the clearing and regular mowing of many previously overgrown agricultural plots. However, the focus of this scheme rather supported large-block intensive farming. Smaller or badly accessible locations (e.g., meadows at higher altitudes, wetlands) continued to change into a shrub-forest ecosystem (Bezák et al. 2016). Based on the sustainability appraisal of Poloniny in 2005 under the BioScene project (Scenarios for Reconciling Biodiversity Conservation with Declining Agriculture Use in Mountain Areas in Europe), three scenarios of agricultural landscape development were outlined: Business as Usual, Agricultural Liberalisation, and Managed Change for Biodiversity. Business as Usual, Agricultural Liberalisation, and Managed Change for Biodiversity. Our research in 2020-2021 assessed the trajectories of these scenarios after 15 years, considering the socio-ecological context and achievement of selected sustainable objectives. Tourism, assumed to be the recent key factor in Poloniny’s rural development, was also analysed. The assessment employed data on demography, changes in agricultural area, changes based on geo-tagged photos, and two questionnaire surveys with local stakeholders. A mixed impact on biodiversity and natural resources and a negative or stagnant trend for most social and economic aspects were found. Improvements were expected primarily in avoiding depopulation and maintaining a young generation, support for social infrastructure, and local job creation. A key factor in stimulating multi-functional and sustainable landscape management is surely ecotourism, which has significantly expanded in the last few years, especially due to local initiatives. However, its long-term maintenance is uncertain since its linkage to the well-being of the local community is absent. Achieving this objective requires a systematic design of targeted rural policy that respects the needs and character of peripheral mountain regions, provides better conditions for sustainable farming, especially in connection with non-production benefits from agricultural landscape such as recreation and biodiversity, and considers local actions and knowledge (Bezáková and Bezák 2022).