Metrics details This study investigates the intricate and enduring interplay of historical events and natural processes shaping the landscape of North European Plain in western Poland over 230 years Topographic maps serve as reliable historical data sources to quantify changes in forest scrutinizing their fragmentation and persistence The primary objectives are to identify the permanent areas of the landscape and propose a universal cartographic visualization method for effectively mapping these changes Using topographic maps and historical data this research quantifies land cover changes With the help of retrogressive method we process raster historical data into vector-based information wetlands experienced a substantial reduction attributed to both land reclamation and environmental factors influenced by wetland and drier habitat dynamics Fragmentation in grassland areas poses biodiversity and ecosystem health concerns whereas forested areas showed limited fluctuations These findings highlight wetland ecosystems’ sensitivity to human impacts and emphasize the need to balance conservation and sustainable development to preserve ecological integrity This study advances landscape dynamics understanding It underscores the imperative for sustainable land management and conservation efforts to mitigate human impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity in the North European Plain The intensification of this intervention is also facilitated by population growth and technological advancement Humans alter the landscape to accommodate their needs this can be done in a more responsible and sustainable manner the question arises: Have there been such significant changes in the area of forests and wetlands over the past 230 years on the Kościan Plain that their continuity has been interrupted The second approach involves simplifying the data making the information more easily communicable in a graphical manner Another research question that arises is: How can cartographic visualization reveal permanent landscape features since the eighteenth century using topographic maps The goal of this study is to assess changes in forest and wetland area and recognizing permanent areas in the Kościan Plain in Poland on the European Plain over the past 230 years on a topographical scale We also propose a universal method for cartographic visualization to support the visualization of changes in forest and wetland areas in the North European Plain The main research hypothesis posits that the existence of permanent areas within grasslands and forests on the Kościan Plain has played a crucial role in preserving these landscapes over the past 230 years coupled with the conservation of drainage canals have been instrumental in sustaining substantial portions of permanent grasslands and forests despite landscape alterations The second research hypothesis is that the cartographic method proposed in a local study will allow determining the location and area of forests grasslands and wetlands that have a permanent character Unlike other studies of this type that have been mentioned here we would also like to include wetlands in the landscape analysis Wetlands are not a common element of analysis based on cartographic materials we aim to supplement this type of research with a universal method of cartographic presentation that can be employed regardless of the type of landscape Localization of the Kościan Plain on the North European Plain The territorial limitation of our research to the shape and size of map sheet and regular sheet division for topographic map aimed to propose a universal methodological approach to each fragment of the North European Plain This has raised concerns about the loss of valuable wetland ecosystems and the potential implications for flood control and water quality enables a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between human activities and the natural environment across the continent For research on land cover in the European Plain for Western Poland there is high potential but still unexplored Figure 2 depicts the appearance of individual maps listed in Table 1 covering the study area (A-H) at a reduced scale. Topographic maps of Kościan Plain from 1793 to 2023, according to the description in Table 1 An illustrative timeline is provided below the maps aiding in conceptualizing the time intervals that separate various land cover states recorded in the source cartographic materials Our method of result visualization will be a cartographic presentation method which results from the overlapping of areas The preparation of this type of visualization is preceded by data acquisition through the retrogressive method Figure 3 illustrates an example of the retrogressive georeferencing process for a map from 1826. It is visible on the left side, with control points overlaid that correspond to identical, identifiable points on the contemporary reference map with spatial context. In this case, the same road intersections were identified on both maps. Stages of source data processing: Map color correction the following land cover categories were defined for research: forest objects from the previous state were utilized to retain shapes where there were no changes in the defined land cover boundaries or to modify only a portion of an object's shape In order to preserve topological rules during the vectorization process appropriate settings in GIS software were enabled including snapping options such as topological editing or prevention of polygons overlapping (“avoid overlap”) The layers were automatically checked by GIS software to identify features that could potentially have invalid geometry grasslands and wetlands based on vectorization of topographic maps from 1793 to 2023 a bar chart illustrated the comparative distribution of different land cover types the area of forests on Kościan Plain was 1555 ha This forested area expanded to 1949 ha by 1826 but it decreased once more to 1524 ha in 1892 larger forested segments maintained or even expanded their acreage with only a few smaller forested spots disappearing there are nearly no forests growing on wetlands such land cover were present to a slightly greater extent especially in the year 1826 when the area of forests growing on wetlands reached as high as 14% the area covered by grasslands was estimated as 3846 ha The majority of this land was situated in wetland areas while non-wetland habitats overgrown by grasslands accounted for 1564 ha The grassland area underwent substantial growth by 1826 This expansion was primarily attributed to the significant increase in wetland grasslands whereas grasslands in drier habitats decreased dropping to 627 ha both in wet and drier habitats and it was 2776 ha and 377 ha respectively land management remained relatively stable with a slight increase in grasslands within drier habitats and a decline in wetlands a decrease in grassland coverage was observed with wetland grasslands expanding to 2750 ha while only 144 ha of grassland persisted outside of wetlands Overall grassland coverage diminished by 201 ha the total grassland area remained nearly constant (decreasing by only 29 ha) a significant decline in wetland grasslands (only 230 ha) was noted with drier habitats taking their place (2626 ha) The situation exhibited stability through 1998 the overall grassland area had diminished by 2487 ha This reduction included merely 87 ha of wetland grasslands accompanied by a decreasing extent of other grasslands grasslands have undergone profound changes in their surface area and habitat types but the main grassland complexes have maintained their location along the watercourses a strongly advanced unfavorable process of fragmentation of grassland areas is visible new grasslands have been established in many drier areas The second of the developed cartographic visualizations serves as a synthesis of the results of landscape changes throughout the entire time analysis (Fig. 5). The map displays permanent areas and changes in forests and wetlands on the Kościan Plain between 1793 and 2023 It includes topographical features such as settlements with the majority of it being utilized as grasslands (90%) while the forested wetland area was marginal (2%) the wetland area had notably expanded to 3546 hectares maintaining its predominant use as grasslands (92%) a drastic reduction in the wetland area was detected consisting mainly of wetland grasslands (87%) and some wetland forest (12%) The wetland area experienced a slight increase which are also visible from the study results (with a 7.9% increase in forest cover) could have been influenced by the decrease in grasslands by 6.2% The efforts to expand forest cover during this timeframe demonstrate a concerted endeavor to restore ecosystem services and mitigate the environmental impacts of human activities the landscape changes on the Kościan Plain reflect a complex interplay between historical events the existence of stable permanent areas in both grasslands and forests has contributed to the overall preservation of these landscapes on the Kościan Plain along with the preservation of drainage canals has played a vital role in maintaining a significant portion of permanent grasslands and forests This study successfully achieved its goal of quantifying changes in forest and wetland areas and their distribution in the Kościan Plain on the European Plain over the past 230 years we utilized topographic maps as a reliable historical data source examining their durability over the study period Wetlands have undergone significant reductions over time Land reclamation efforts and environmental factors have driven wetland loss the grassland areas in the Kościan Plain fluctuated Wetland grasslands expanded by 1826 but later declined overall grassland area had diminished remaining modified habitats still situated along watercourses exhibiting a concerning trend towards increased fragmentation On the other hand the forested area has experienced limited fluctuations also having a growth tendency peaking at in 1982 focusing not on the indicative determination of the shape but rather on identifying areas where land cover types have remained unchanged over the years (referred to as "permanent") This approach also considers changeable areas of occurrence and incorporates graphical solutions for effective map representation In addition to the quantification of landscape changes the study proposed a universal method for cartographic visualization This method aims to support the effective visualization of changes in forest providing valuable tools for future research and land-use planning efforts The comprehensive analysis presented in this study provides valuable insights into the historical dynamics of the Kościan Plain's landscape and contributes to our understanding of the long-term impacts of human activities and urbanization on natural ecosystems The proposed cartographic visualization method offers a practical tool for researchers and policymakers to monitor and manage landscape changes effectively The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request Chen, C. et al. 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Public Health 19(6), 3273. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063273 (2022) Download references Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61086-3 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here one of his most interesting books is autobiographical „A Tale of Love and Darkness” written in 2001 (Polish edition 2005) The film version was directed by Natalie Portman originally wasn’t intended for publishing – it was written for family and friends revealing painful events in the life of the writer and his family Protagonists resembling his mother were appearing in his earlier books as well; she is the centre of his story A brave idea to apply a female narrator in his first novel led to twofold reactions from women readers: either admiration — „How did he do it?” He said once that the subject of his books is the longest journey in the world It is a journey riddled with adventures But this is the most important journey He fell in love with a colleague from the kibbutz in which he had spent nearly 30 years They married and had three children; his wife Nili was always the first reviewer of his books and had always provided support Fascination with women is clear in Oz’s works Perhaps it’s a heritage from his grandfather Aleksander Klausner who had been writing poetry in his native Russian through his entire life (born in Odessa The grandfather is one of the most colorful characters portrayed in „A Tale of Love and Darkness” Natalie Portman had to select themes and decided to omit grandpa Aleksander in favour of mother When the film was shown in Polish cinemas we were discussing it as well as the book at the JHI Readers’ Club in which he returns to Jerusalem of his university years His stories were usually set in Jerusalem and the kibbutz he had discovered that one can write about ordinary people that a novel doesn’t have to be set in Paris or New York in order to be interesting Jehuda Arie Klausner and Fania nee Mussman had moved to Israel in the 1930s where Arie was studying; the Mussmans came from Rivne Their son said that they considered themselves Europeans father knew many of them and kept comparing words in conversations They didn’t feel at home in an oriental and provincial country Father’s role model was always his uncle Józef Klausner they got to know the majority of writers and academics in Jerusalem spending her life in a tiny flat full of books they had lost many loved ones in the Holocaust All of this perhaps contributed to Fania’s depression and eventual suicide They tried to bring up their son as an Israeli free of their fears and complexes – hence they didn’t teach him languages other than Hebrew and English He wanted to be a sabra he decided to move to a kibbutz Soon it had turned out that it’s not that easy to refuse one’s literary talent The kibbutz council sent him to Jerusalem to study philosophy and literature he worked as a tractor operator but he was ordered to spend one day a week on writing only he moved to the edge of desert in Arad He worked as a literature lecturer at the University of Beersheba and published many articles in the press He was an active supporter of reconciliation between Israel and Palestine founding an organization Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) thus becoming a traitor of the nation for many he had always emphasised the voice he gives to various people He has also always encouraged curiosity in people saying that people curious of the world are simply better at whatever they do He was a role model for many readers and younger writers We have lost an interesting writer — and human being FORT FRANCES – NEWS – Three men and Drayden Bentley BRAGG from Thunder Bay along with Raymond Ervin BOUSFIELD of Dryden as well as a youth under 18 face weapons charges after a traffic stop during the Thanksgiving weekend traffic campaign The Fort Frances OPP say that the traffic stop ended with four people being charged with numerous weapons 2022 just after midnight a member of the Rainy River District Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) conducted a traffic stop on a motor vehicle that was observed to be driving erratically on Highway 11 just east of Fort Frances As a result of the investigation a small amount of drugs was located which resulted in the arrest of four subjects and a search of the motor vehicle Officers seized weapons and drugs including suspected Methamphetamine 44 years old from Thunder Bay is charged with the following offences: The accused was held in custody for a bail hearing in the Fort Frances Ontario Court of Justice on October 11 20 years old from Thunder Bay is charged with the following offences: The accused was released by police and is scheduled to appear in the Fort Frances Ontario Court of Justice on December 5 60 years old from Dryden and a young person who cannot be identified in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act are both charged with the following offences: Both accused were released by police and are scheduled to appear in the Fort Frances Ontario Court of Justice on December 5 The OPP would like to remind the public that any information about the illegal possession of drugs or weapons can be anonymously reported through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or report online through ontariocrimestoppers.ca You may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000 Medievalists.net bog research is a goldmine of knowledge about various historical events they confirmed that the Black Death epidemic in the mid-14th century did not reach Poland; agricultural production remained at a stable level during that time Archaeologists and historians increasingly use the support of science and natural sciences Taking core samples from lakes and wetlands is a new trend in historical research Such a core sample is simply a vertical fragment extracted from sediments accumulating over hundreds of years These sediments contain biological material blown in from the near and more distant surroundings Analysis of the pollen allows to determine the context of various historical events “Core samples of this type were collected before but so far there has been no close cooperation between historians and natural scientists” – says Dr Piotr Guzowski from the Institute of History and Political Sciences of the University of Bialystok Adam Izdebski from the Jagiellonian University and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History) decided to strengthen this cooperation which would allow to closely correlate the findings of natural scientists with specific events in the history of our country Scientists under the supervision of Professor Mariusz Lamentowicz and Dr Piotr Kołaczek from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań took three core samples (about two meters long) from three peat bogs Two of them are located in Wielkopolska: near Kościan and Pobiedziska; the third is near Bydgoszcz Their history “record” reaches almost two thousand years into the past But researchers focused on historical times that did not go beyond the early phase of existence of the Polish state Guzowski mentions the period after the death of Mieszko II when a crisis and rebellion broke out in Poland robbing huge wealth in Polish lands and destroying numerous castles “In the core from Pobiedziska (located between Poznań and Gniezno) in this time frame there was a decrease in the share of cereal pollen in peat This means that cultivation ceased in the area,” the historian suggests This situation lasted even several decades which may mean that the population decreased significantly at that time in the case of the remaining cores – from Kościan and from Bydgoszcz – a similar crisis was not recorded historians focused on the crisis of the elite our research clearly indicates that this period caused a significant depopulation in the area of Poznań The conflict with Bretislav and the subsequent folk rebellion had a greater impact on the entire society The rural population significantly suffered as well,” the historian says “Analyses of peat bog cores also provided surprising information on the Black Death the plague epidemic that took a deadly toll in Europe in the mid-14th century There is a debate among researchers as to whether the plague also reached Poland “In the cores we have analysed so far no significant decreases in the share of pollen of cereals weeds or other plants related to human activity are recorded which means that there was no depopulation.” This conclusion is consistent with the conclusions of his analyses of period texts: records of the Holy See namely taxes paid by parishioners to the Vatican “We see a stable increase in cereal production until the first decades of the 17th century” – the researcher emphasizes some researchers have suggested that even half of the population may have died in Poland researchers learn more about yet another historical period It is the crisis that occurred after the mid-17th century “Descriptions of historians are not exaggerated in this respect Land cultivation decreased dramatically,” the historian confirms which is visible in the pollen image in peat Source: www.naukawpolsce.pap.pl Top Image: Peat bog in Poland – photo by Dariusz Kowalczyk / Wikimedia Commons We've created a Patreon for Medievalists.net as we want to transition to a more community-funded model We aim to be the leading content provider about all things medieval podcast and Youtube page offers news and resources about the Middle Ages We hope that are our audience wants to support us so that we can further develop our podcast and remove the advertising on our platforms This will also allow our fans to get more involved in what content we do produce Member Login The second edition of the ONICO Gdynia Half Marathon on Sunday (19) will also be the first time the event has been an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race Defending champion Hillary Maiyo and fellow Kenyan Stella Barsosio will be among the 6500 runners treading the streets of the Polish seaside town Maiyo won the inaugural edition in 2016 with 1:02:41 a time which remains the 23-year-old's personal best The Kenyan will be vying to repeat his win as well as improve on his course record having won four different half marathons in the country The latest of those victories came just last November in Koscian The strongest opposition to the defending champion is expected to come from his compatriot Robert Mbithi The experienced 27-year-old is the fastest man in the field with a best of 1:01:00 His more recent achievements include a win in Bath with 1:01:45 a year ago and might not have as much of a record of achievements in the half marathon Adding to the African challenge is Zelalem Mengistu whose fastest half marathon also took place in Poland Tomasz Grycko is the leading Polish entrant The 24-year-old is yet to break 65 minutes at the distance The women’s race will include several runners who look capable of going faster than the course record of 1:13:19 set by Agnes Chebet in 2016 Arguably the best among them is Stella Barsosio Her fastest time of 1:12:18 was achieved when she won in Sobotka a year ago and she ran faster than 73 minutes four times between August and October is another serious contender for top honours in Gdynia The Polish challenge will be led by Dominika Nowakowska a World Championships finalist at 5000m in 2013 the Pole is the second fastest in the field Not far behind her on paper is Agnieszka Gortel-Maciuk She will celebrate her 40th birthday the day after the race with 1:15:10 for the half marathon and 2:33:19 for the marathon in 2016 Fatiha Benchatki of Morocco is yet another potential challenger Her fastest time of 1:14:49 may be inferior to her main competition but the 32:41 she ran over 10km last month in Casablanca suggests that may be due for a revision