PISCOVÁ, Veronika – PUCHEROVÁ, Zuzana – MIŠOVIČOVÁ, Regina – BUGÁR, Gabriel – HREŠKO, Juraj – VITÁLIŠOVÁ, Katarína – SEDLÁK, Andrej. Sustainable tourism development in the Ždiar highland municipality in the transition zone of the Tatra Biosphere Reserve (Slovakia). In Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 2025, vol. 7, iss. 5, p. 381-400. (2024: 0.207 – SJR, Q4 – SJR). (2025 – SCOPUS). ISSN 2661-3190. Dostupné na internete: https://journals.bilpubgroup.com/index.php/jees/article/view/9000.
The Goral municipality of Ždiar (a Conservation Reserve of Folk Architecture since 1977) is one of the most attractive areas in Slovakia under the growing influence of the developing tourism. Since 1949 it has been part of the protection zone of the Tatra National Park and since 1993 it has been part of the transition zone of the Tatra Biosphere Reserve. In recent years, tourism has taken a major role in the transition zone of this biosphere reserve. In the presented contribution, we therefore evaluate the impact of developing tourism in the cadastral area of the municipality of Ždiar between 1950 and 2022.. We rely primarily on available statistical data from various sources and on the analysis of the historical and contemporary landscape structure. During this period, almost 50% of the area has changed land cover. The activities that have significantly changed the landscape include afforestation, deforestation, agrointensification, deurbanisation (naturalisation), urbanisation (anthropisation): tourism development and construction of a water reservoir. Tourism has become the main driver of the economy here and opens up opportunities especially for local inhabitants. However, the lack of completed tourism infrastructure is a drawback. We recommend the establishment of the Coordinating Council of the Tatra Biosphere Reserve and permanent employees at the National Park Administration.
PISCOVÁ, Veronika – SEDLÁK, Andrej – ŠEVČÍK, Michal – HREŠKO, Juraj – SLOBODOVÁ, Terézia – VITÁLIŠOVÁ, Katarína. Yes or no to the reopening of the Belianske Tatras for tourism? In Public recreation and landscape protection – with respect hand in hand… – Brno : Mendel University in Brno, 2025, p. 361-367. ISBN 978-80-7701-026-9 print. Dostupné na internete: https://doi.mendelu.cz/pdfs/doi/9900/08/500.pdf.
In recent decades, recreational intensity in protected areas has increased considerably. Due to the impact of climate change, tourists are increasingly looking for alpine areas where the climate is cooler. Therefore, the question arises whether to open the limestone Belianske Tatras, which have been closed to tourists since 1978 due to destruction by mass tourism, again. Alpine ecosystems are generally considered to be sensitive and fragile to disturbance and slow to recover, due to short growing season and a harsh climate, in combination with poor soil conditions. In 1993, the National Park/Biosphere Reserve Administration opened one one-way hiking trail in the territory, since 2009 it has been accessible in both directions. However, it turns out that human recreational activities, such as walking, cause direct mechanical disturbance of natural ecosystems with undesirable effects on vegetation. That’s why we conducted experimental trampling in the territory with monitoring of regeneration in selected communities, in 2008 in original communities and in 2022 in regenerated communities. The results showed that although communities respond somewhat more resiliently to trampling, this is at the expense of losing some species, with mosses and lichens responding with a delayed response and species loss.
BUGÁR, Gabriel – HREŠKO, Juraj – PISCOVÁ, Veronika. Morphodynamic processes in the Tatra Mts. / Slovakia / as limits of alpine tourism. In Public recreation and landscape protection – with respect hand in hand… – Brno : Mendel University in Brno, 2025, p. 183-187. ISBN 978-80-7701-026-9 print. Dostupné na internete: https://doi.mendelu.cz/pdfs/doi/9900/08/500.pdf
The Tatras, with their location on the northern edge of the Carpathian arc, have their own specific position both in the field of nature protection and in the socio-economic development of Slovakia. Practically since 1949, the principles of nature protection have been applied within the Tatra National Park, which was associated with significant restrictions on socio-economic activities mainly limited to the area of tourism development. A large part of the capacity of the territory was gradually designated for concentrated forms of tourism, while forms of hiking were limited not only by the availability of the relief, but also by the defined routes of tourist trails. The most frequently used trails are from the mouth of the valleys, through their bottoms to the saddles, through the ridges to the more accessible peaks. In the article we focus mainly on valley or valley-saddle routes, as in the case of the Belianske Tatras. Since 1993, the bilateral Tatra Biosphere Reserve has been approved, which has emphasized the attribute of sustainable forms of tourism. In the article we want to point out the importance and impact of morphodynamic processes as limiting factors of alpine tourism. The frequency of occurrence of sudden and difficult to predict events is increasing, and thus the risk of endangering humans. Gradient structures of valley systems in some parts of the valleys increases the risk of endangerment of hiking trails, as well as tourists themselves.
GEDEONOVÁ, Nicol – PISCOVÁ, Veronika – HREŠKO, Juraj. Únosná kapacita turistického chodníka vedúceho Veľkou Studenou dolinou vo Vysokých Tatrách [Carrying capacity of the hiking trail leading through the Great Cold Valley in the High Tatras]. In Ekologické štúdie : Recenzovaný vedecký časopis venovaný aktuálnym problémom ekológie, krajinnej ekológie a príbuzných vedných disciplín, 2024, roč. 15, č. 1, s. 4-26. ISSN 1338-2853.
HREŠKO, Juraj – IZAKOVIČOVÁ, Zita – PISCOVÁ, Veronika. Landscape archetypes as part of the development of the border mountain areas of Slovakia (SK/PL) [Krajinné archetypy ako súčasť vývoja pohraničných horských oblastí Slovenska]. In 30th Jubilee Session of the Permanent European Conference for the Study of the Rural Landscapes. – Lublin & Zamosc : Institute of socio-economic geography and Spatial management Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, 2024, p. 119-120.
PISCOVÁ, Veronika – HREŠKO, Juraj – ŠEVČÍK, Michal. Vplyv turistiky na vysokohorskú krajinu Belianskych Tatier [The impact of tourism on the high mountain landscape of the Belianske Tatras]. Nitra : Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre, 2023. 131 s. Prírodovedec, Vol. 835. ISBN 978-80-558-2111-5.
PISCOVÁ, Veronika – IZAKOVIČOVÁ, Zita – HREŠKO, Juraj – MIŠOVIČOVÁ, Regina – PUCHEROVÁ, Zuzana – FALŤAN, Vladimír – VITÁLIŠOVÁ, Katarína – ŠPULEROVÁ, Jana – HURAJTOVÁ, Natália. The identity of the landscape of the Tatra Transboundary Biosphere Reserve in primary environmental education [Identita krajiny v Biosférickej rezervácii v primárnej environmentálnej výchove]. In 30th Jubilee Session of the Permanent European Conference for the Study of the Rural Landscapes. – Lublin & Zamosc : Institute of socio-economic geography and Spatial management Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, 2024, p. 121.
HREŠKO, Juraj – PISCOVÁ, Veronika – BUGÁR, Gabriel – ČIERNIKOVÁ, Malvína – CELER, Slavomír. Spatial model of the postglacial lake basin – Christlová in the southern foreland of Studena dolina in the High Tatras /Slovakia/ [Priestorový model postglaciálnej jazernej kotliny – Christlová v južnom výbežku Studenej doliny vo Vysokých Tatrách /Slovensko/]. In Landscape and society in the context of globalisation. – Bratislava : Institute of Landcape Ecology SAS, 2023, p. 20. ISBN 978-80-89325-31-3. Dostupné na internete: https://www.uke.sav.sk/wp-content/uploads/Book-of-abtracts_Symposium_2023.pdf.
The investigated territory of the pre-glacial paleo lake Christlová is part of a significant outcrop of moraine accumulations from the last glacial period – Würm in the SE foreland of the High Tatras. Lukniš (1968, 1973) mapped this depression on the moraine on the first complex geomorphological map of the High Tatras as an alluvium-filled moraine basin with a peat bog. According to more recent studies of the glaciation of the Tatras and detailed dating of glacial accumulations, the almost circular depression is part of the moraines of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), which they confirm (Engel et al. 2015). Our intention is to follow up on the previous knowledge of this important location from the point of view of its previous development in the foreland of the High Tatras, which represent the highest mountain range of the Carpathians. We want to contribute to the knowledge of the paleo-development of the extinct Christlová lake using data from the dating of the organic matter of the postglacial peatland, which was formed on the former bottom of the lake. The first discovery of paleo limnic sediments in a natural terrestrial outcrop, which we identified on the right side of the Studený potok creek, contributed to the knowledge about the development of the lake. Of the obtained sediment samples, only one was suitable for dating, which we took from the database of unique varvite sediments in a terrestrial position. In the process of learning about the paleo-development of the former lake, we also include georelief analysis using a new 3D model and ArcGIS tools. They point out the importance of proglacial lakes, which can influence the dynamics of glaciers, the hydrology of the basin and have the potential to cause floods (Irarrazaval, I. et al. 2022). The authors further emphasize that knowledge of the development of proglacial lakes also contributes to the understanding of the processes associated with glacier activity and predicting the glaciers‘ response to climate change. The formation of mosses of the High Tatras was related to the phases of glaciation and deglaciation after the period of the glacial maximum in the Late Würm period – 22.0 ± 0.8. ka (Engel Z. et al. 2015).
PISCOVÁ, Veronika – HREŠKO, Juraj – ŠEVČÍK, Michal – SLOBODOVÁ, Terézia. Impacts of human activities on the high mountain landscape of the Tatras (Example of the border area of the High and Belianske Tatras, Slovakia) [Vplyv ľudskej činnosti na vysokohorskú krajinu Tatier (príklad hraničnej oblasti Vysokých a Belianskych Tatier, Slovensko)]. In Vegetation dynamics, changing ecosystems and human responsibility : IntechOpen Series, Environmental Sciences, Vol. 6. – London : IntechOpen, 2023, p. 217-258. ISBN print 978-1-80356-137-0. Dostupné na internete: https://www.intechopen.com/books/11663.
PISCOVÁ, Veronika** – ŠEVČÍK, Michal – SEDLÁK, Andrej – HREŠKO, Juraj – PETROVIČ, František – SLOBODOVÁ, Terézia. Resistance of lichens and mosses of regenerated alpine communities to repeated experimental trampling in the Belianske Tatras, Northern Slovakia. In Diversity-Basel, 2023, vol. 15, no. 128. (2022: 2.4 – IF, Q2 – JCR, 0.641 – SJR, Q1 – SJR). ISSN 1424-2818. Dostupné na: https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020128.
Due to the destruction of alpine ecosystems by extreme human trampling, some alpine areas are closed to tourists. After years of regeneration, a tendency toward reopening these areas for tourism is envisaged. Although numerous studies have documented vegetative responses to trampling disturbance, research that thoroughly examines the trampling impacts on the vegetation at different organizational levels is often limited. Most of the previous studies on the human disturbance of vegetation focused on the impacts on vascular plants, while the impacts on lichens or mosses are less well-documented. To understand how regenerated communities respond to further trampling disturbance, we repeated the experimental research on short-term trampling after 14 years in three high-altitude communities in the Tatras in northern Slovakia. According to Cole and Bayfield’s protocol, we evaluated the resistance of communities trampled in 2008 and 2022, with a focus on groups of lichens and mosses and their individual species. This research brings new knowledge regarding the different behaviors of regenerated vegetation, especially lichens and mosses, to trampling disturbance. The results show that human trampling in alpine communities has a large negative impact and, therefore, management plans should discourage off-trail hiking and limit recreational activities in sensitive or reopened alpine areas.