Land-use changes and their social driving forces in Czechia in the 19th and 20th centuries

This paper is an overview of the major land-use changes in Czechia over the past 150 years, with a focus on the social forces driving these changes. Sources of land-use data are also discussed. Though economic development is seen as the key impact on land use before 1945, under communism (1948–89), the importance of political decisions was crucial. The post-war period is analysed in greater detail as this was the era of the most significant landscape changes. The most recent period encompassed a return to market conditions, resulting in environmentally favourable land-use changes.