Land cover mapping in mountainous Croatia using Sentinel-2A satellite imagery

The use of remote sensing in land cover mapping and analysis has become a common method due to its availability, increasing temporal and spatial resolution, and the ability to derive additional products from primary imagery that provide deeper insight into land cover conditions. Land cover and landscape are very often equated, which leads to incorrect theoretical foundations of research and ultimately to wrong conclusions. This problem is particularly evident in landscape research in Croatia. Research on the state of land cover and landscape in Croatia is indeed very scarce, considering that the individual research focuses on certain smaller spatial units defined by administrative boundaries, and the methods and data used are very different. The physical-geographical region of Mountainous Croatia is considered a suitable study area because its mountainous nature makes it difficult to research through fieldwork and therefore requires the use of remote sensing. As one of the least populated regions in Croatia and a so-called natural oasis, it is increasingly exposed to the demands of economic development, which affect the condition of land cover and landscape. The aim of this work was to determine the methodology and map the land cover as one of the components of the landscape using free satellite imagery. The data obtained were then used to analyze the state of land cover using landscape metric indicators so that the results can be used in comparison with other components of the landscape (soil, relief, etc.) for application in the sectors of environmental protection, spatial and regional planning.