Ante Blaće

Acta geographica Slovenica, 2024

This research analyzed land use changes in Southern Croatia over the past 120 years. The methodol... more This research analyzed land use changes in Southern Croatia over the past 120 years. The methodological approach employed analysis and chronological comparison of archival and statistical data, and geoprocessing of the Corine Land Cover geodatabase. In the period spanning from 1900 to 1945, agriculture was the main activity, accompanied by a notable decline in vineyards. The subsequent era, from 1945 to 1991, was characterized by the dominance of rapid industrialization, onset of land abandonment, and the reversion of former agricultural areas to natural vegetation. Since 1991, the trend of land abandonment and deruralization has persisted and intensified. As a result, shrubs and forests now claim the largest share of the researched area, solidifying a new landscape configuration.

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Exploring where and why rural tourism occurs: The case of Croatia and the Ravni Kotari region

Moravian Geographical Reports, 2024

The paper examines factors influencing the development and spatial distribution of rural tourism ... more The paper examines factors influencing the development and spatial distribution of rural tourism in Croatia according to the EU classifications of municipalities as urban, rural and proper rural areas. The tourist traffic figures for selected years were computed and the association of socio-economic variables and tourism development index (dependent variable) within these three areas were considered. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in Ravni Kotari, a rural region in Littoral Croatia, supplemented the quantitative analysis. The findings indicate that proximity to the coast and overall economic development emerge as the primary factors associated with rural tourism development. The interviews reveal a trend in rural tourism development, specifically in the form of luxury holiday homes, while highlighting the lack of other tourist facilities.

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Prilog proučavanju razvoja i značenja ruralnog turizma u Općini Šestanovac

Sociologija i prostor, 2021

S o c i o l o g i j a i p r o s t o r Prethodno priopćenje Contribution to the Study of the Devel... more

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The geography of pilgrimage: Adriatic maritime pilgrimages and natural features of the landscape

Landscape Research

In this article, we have analysed how natural features influenced the emergence of maritime pilgr... more In this article, we have analysed how natural features influenced the emergence of maritime pilgrimages in the Eastern Adriatic (three sites in Croatia and one in Montenegro). All researched locations are insular and dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Madonna). We applied a diverse methodology, including flying a drone and completing fieldwork and archival work studying old maps and documents. We believe that the geography of pilgrimages in these sites reflects the relational interaction between the religious practices of the local communities, mostly fisherman, and their lived environment. We argue that all four locations of the churches and sites of pilgrimage were, at least partially, determined by natural features of their environment, i.e. a safe harbour and a site protected from winds, located within fisherman communities living space, etc. Because of these environmental determinants, the local communities created their pilgrimage geography with ritualistic and religious pilgrimage practices and folklore.

Forest cover changes in the Ravni Kotari Region in the second half of the 19th century

Hrvatski geografski glasnik/Croatian Geographical Bulletin, 2019

Promjene šumskoga pokrova na području Ravnih kotara u drugoj polovici 19. stoljeća Forest cover c... more

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Prilog poznavanju regionalne strukture Primorske Hrvatske – regionalizacija ravnokotarskog prostora

Geoadria, 2014

The article examines the Ravni Kotari area (Littoral Croatia) from the viewpoint of regional geog... more The article examines the Ravni Kotari area (Littoral Croatia) from the viewpoint of regional geography. Introductory part consist of a theoretical debate on region and regionalization, their characteristics and meaning in contemporary geographic research. Using the results of existing regionalization and applying adittional criteria, a physiognomic regionalization of Ravni Kotari has been performed and presented in the central part of the article. Four smaller regional units comprising Ravni Kotari were detected: Ravni Kotari Littoral, Middle Ravni Kotari, (Ražanac-Karin) North Kotari Littoral and Southeast Kotari Littoral. All mentined units were identified with the parts of theoretical region – core, pheripery and transitional zone. Finally, in disccusion, peculiarities of such research are explained.

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Fleeting fields of Zadar (Croatia): characterizing millennial-scale urban landcover change, green space, and resilience into the twenty first century

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Cities are a growing factor in global change today, but urbanization as a process has played a si... more Cities are a growing factor in global change today, but urbanization as a process has played a significant role in shaping our planet’s environments for millennia. Exploring the longevity or persistence of cityscapes can therefore reveal qualities that may have strengthened urban sustainability or resilience over long periods. In the Mediterranean, many ancient cities lie in ruin and are fully formed archaeological sites, while others reflect continuous growth and expansion into the modern era, often replacing what has traditionally been a rural mosaic of green space with a more homogenized urban landcover. Green spaces like cultivated lands, urban forests, recreational parks, and green belts are essential components of urban resilience, as they build adaptive capacity by improving human health and livelihoods, reducing surface runoff and erosion, and mitigating urban heat island effects, among others. Protection of green space in urban and peri-urban contexts also offers greater ca...

Contribution to the study of regional structure of Littoral Croatia – regionalization of Ravni Kotari area

U radu se razmatra prostor Ravnih kotara (Primorska Hrvatska) s regionalnogeografskog stajališta.... more U radu se razmatra prostor Ravnih kotara (Primorska Hrvatska) s regionalnogeografskog stajališta. Uvodni dio sadrži teoretsku raspravu o regiji i regionalizaciji, njihovim obilježjima i značenju u suvremenim geografskim istraživanjima. U središnjem poglavlju rada izvršena je fizionomska regionalizacija Ravnih kotara koristeći se rezultatima postojećih regionalizacija i primjenjujući dodatne kriterije. Izdvojene su i četiri regionalne jedinice nižeg reda koje čine Ravne kotare, a to su: ravnokotarsko primorje, središnji Ravni kotari, (Ražanačko-karinsko) sjevernokotarsko priobalje i jugoistočno kotarsko priobalje. Sve navedene cjeline poistovjećene su s dijelovima teoretske regije – jezgrom, periferijom i zonom ambivalencije. U raspravi su objašnjene posebnosti takvog načina istraživanja.The article examines the Ravni Kotari area (Littoral Croatia) from the viewpoint of regional geography. Introductory part consist of a theoretical debate on region and regionalization, their characte...

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Development and contemporary transformation of landscape of Danilsko polje settlements near Šibenik (Summary)

Economic and Ecohistory Research Journal For Economic and Environmental History, Dec 12, 2014

A. BLAćE-Razvoj i suvReMena pReobRazba KRajoliKa Razvoj i suvReMena pReobRazba KRajoliKa naselja ... more

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Geomorfološka obilježja Danilskog polja kod Šibenika kao osnova historijsko-geografskog razvitka

Geoadria, 2017

Suitable agriculture zones in karst regions have extraordinary significance for the inhabitants’ ... more Suitable agriculture zones in karst regions have extraordinary significance for the inhabitants’ existence. Danilsko polje, one of such zones, is situated in microregion of Šibenik-Rogoznica littoral, in Šibenik hinterland, Croatia. Danilsko polje is, morphologically, an oval shaped valley placed between two karst ridges, the extension of Trtar with Velika Glava (542 m) from north-northeast, and significantly lower Crno Brdo with Podi from southsouthwest in the area of Danilo Biranj and Danilo Gornje settlements. Due to high soil quality, the cultivation of polje is the process that has lasted for thousands of years. Polje is characterized by scarce water sources, which were, nevertheless, very important for the survival of population in the past.The Neolithic population, whose traces have been preserved in the remains of famous middle Neolithic culture on the Adriatic, so called Danilo culture (4500 BC - 3900 BC), had been the first farmers of Danilsko polje. Later settlers from Me...

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How dynamic is organic? Spatial analysis of adopting new trends in Croatian agriculture

Land Use Policy, 2020

The preservation of biodiversity, improving human health and the development of rural areas throu... more The preservation of biodiversity, improving human health and the development of rural areas through organic farming are among the main aims of EU and worldwide agricultural policies. This paper discusses influential factors and the dynamics of developing organic agriculture in Croatia. The main aim of the research was to determine the connection between specific socioeconomic variables and spatial patterns, showing the concentration and increase in organic production. The methodology used in the research included a quantitative analysis at the level of the 556 municipalities covering various socioeconomic indicators, which were then correlated with the data on farm sizes. A hot spot analysis was performed to determine high and low clustering. The results showed low but statistically significant correlation between dependent and independent variables. However, they did not indicate any prevalent reasons for the occurrence of organic farming. Qualitative research, which included the attitude of organic farmers towards organic production, was also conducted. The qualitative study results showed that the main reason for going over to organic farming was lifestyle-related, and is the principal driving force behind the significantly increased dynamics of organic agriculture development in Croatia.

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Fleeting fields of Zadar (Croatia): characterizing millennial-scale urban landcover change, green space, and resilience into the twenty first century

Cities are a growing factor in global change today, but urbanization as a process has played a si... more Cities are a growing factor in global change today, but urbanization as a process has played a significant role in shaping our planet's environments for millennia. Exploring the longevity or persistence of cityscapes can therefore reveal qualities that may have strengthened urban sustainability or resilience over long periods. In the Mediterranean, many ancient cities lie in ruin and are fully formed archaeological sites, while others reflect continuous growth and expansion into the modern era, often replacing what has traditionally been a rural mosaic of green space with a more homogenized urban landcover. Green spaces like cultivated lands, urban forests, recreational parks, and green belts are essential components of urban resilience, as they build adaptive capacity by improving human health and livelihoods, reducing surface runoff and erosion, and mitigating urban heat island effects, among others. Protection of green space in urban and peri-urban contexts also offers greater capacity to transform in the face of uncertain change. This paper centers on the ancient city of Zadar along Croatia's Adriatic coast to characterize broad millennial-scale changes in urban landcover and green space. The results suggest that the distribution of urban landcover and green space appears to have been fairly stable for much of Zadar's 3,000-year history, which arguably played a significant role in its persistence into the present era. However, the pace and scale of urban development, as well as the corresponding losses of green space, have accelerated from the midtwentieth century onward, depleting a major source of socioecological resilience that has benefitted the city since the Iron Age. Archaeological and historical fields of study provide a deep temporal context to these contemporary challenges and are well-suited to identify and promote the locally and historically distinctive character of surviving green spaces. Land use legacies stemming from Roman surveying and historic field clearance practices around Zadar have resulted in one of the most distinctive and well-preserved physical Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution frontiersin.org 01

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