The Dynamics and Couses of Changes in Meadow and Natural Pasture Area in Klaipeda County

Abstract

The comparative investigation utilized data from the Land Fund of the Republic of Lithuania spanning the years 2003 to 2023. In 2023, these areas in Klaipeda County encompassed 41,050.04 ha, accounting for 7.86 percent of the county's area. Over the period from 2003 to 2023, there was a decline of 141.05 ha or 0.34 percent in the overall area of meadows and natural pastures. After analyzing alterations in the meadows and natural pasture areas within the municipalities of Klaipeda County, it was found that, over the span of two decades, the scrutinized areas expanded in four of the seven municipalities. Conversely, the remaining three experienced a decrease in their respective areas. Skuodas municipality experienced the most substantial decrease (1860,79 ha or 34.76 percent). In Silute municipality, the analyzed area decreased by 3,515.93 ha or 15.58 percent. The largest expansion was identified in the municipalities of Klaipeda city (754.28 ha or 159.02 percent) and Klaipeda district (4,620.13 ha or 73.37 percent).

Keywords

• Meadows and natural pasture
• biodiversity
• area change
• , causes of land change