The “Perfect Village” Model as a Result of Research on Transformation of Plant Cover—Case Study of the Puchaczów Commune

Abstract

Contemporary efforts to create “ideal” rural areas are carried out in accordance with the concept of sustainable development. It should be emphasized that in the process of planning the directions of development of rural areas, the economic factor is very often placed above the ecological one. It is the conditions of the natural environment that should form the basis for their shaping. Research on natural resources, including vegetation, makes it possible to recognize the quality of the landscape and adapt future directions of its transformations to the existing condition. The main aim of the article is to present the model of the “perfect village”—the principles of shaping natural systems that support sustainable development. The territorial scope of the research covered the Puchaczów commune. It is a rural area with an additional industrial character. The guidelines of the “perfect village” model have been organized hierarchically, taking into account the scope of the planned activities. There are three basic types of them: protection, strengthening and reconstruction of the vegetation. Another equally important goal is to present the spatial transformations taking place in the commune’s landscape and to generate a forecast of its possible development in 2050. The authors also performed a simulation of land cover taking into account the guidelines of the “perfect village”. The research was carried out using the QGIS 2.18 program and the MOLUSCE plugin. Both forecasts were subject to a comparative analysis. Research has shown that by applying the principles of shaping the natural system of the Puchaczów commune presented in the article, it is possible to inhibit the pressure of anthropogenic factors on the natural environment.