Problems in agricultural landscape management arising from conflicts of interest – a study in the Trnava Region, Slovak Republic

Abstract

The agricultural landscape of the Slovak Republic has faced significant changes in the recent years. The country’s transformation from central socialist planning to the market economy represents the basic driving force behind these changes, which in turn have caused many new, not only environmental, but also social and economic problems in the region. These problems are often mutually connected. For example, the change in agricultural land utilization has had a considerable impact, often negative, on the biodiversity and landscape stability in the region, and the pollution of particular parts of the environment requires investment into the eradication of these effects and the implementation of new technologies. The closing of industrial operations having a negative impact on the environment is often connected with increasing social problems – rising unemployment and increased negative psychosocial issues, for example. It is not possible to favour the development of one area over others, i.e. to favour economic profit over environmental or social stability.