Agricultural land abandonment in Bulgaria: a long-term remote sensing perspective, 1950–1980

Kabadayı, M. E., Ettehadi Osgouei, P. and Sertel, E. (2022) Agricultural land abandonment in Bulgaria: a long-term remote sensing perspective, 1950–1980. Land, 11(10), 1855. (doi: 10.3390/land11101855)

Abstract

Agricultural land abandonment is a globally significant threat to the sustenance of economic, ecological, and social balance. Although the driving forces behind it can be multifold and versatile, rural depopulation and urbanization are significant contributors to agricultural land abandonment. In our chosen case study, focusing on two locations, Ruen and Stamboliyski, within the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria, we use aerial photographs and satellite imagery dating from the 1950s until 1980, in connection with official population census data, to assess the magnitude of agricultural abandonment for the first time from a remote sensing perspective. We use multi-modal data obtained from historical aerial and satellite images to accurately identify Land Use Land Cover changes. We suggest using the rubber sheeting method for the geometric correction of multi-modal data obtained from aerial photos and Key Hole missions. Our approach helps with precise sub-pixel alignment of related datasets. We implemented an iterative object-based classification approach to accurately map LULC distribution and quantify spatio-temporal changes from historical panchromatic images, which could be applied to similar images of different geographical regions.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: KABADAYI, Dr ERDEM
• Authors: Kabadayı, M. E., Ettehadi Osgouei, P., and Sertel, E.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Journal Name: Land
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-445X
• ISSN (Online): 2073-445X
• Published Online: 20 October 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Land 11(10): 1855
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
314747		Industrialisation and Urban Growth from the mid-nineteenth century Ottoman Empire to Contemporary Turkey in a Comparative Perspective, 1850-2000	Ana Basiri	European Commission (EC)	679097	GES - Geography