Changes of the land use patterns in Polish and Lithuanian trans-border rural area

The objective of this study was to analyse changes in the land use patterns of agricultural land and forests in Polish and Lithuanian trans-border rural areas. A studied territorial complex comprises two Polish voivodships (Warmia and Mazury, Podlasie) and two Lithuanian counties (Marijampolė and Alytus). The principal research sites were Polish counties (Polish: powiat, the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland) and Lithuanian municipalities (Lithuanian: savivaldybė, the second-level unit of local government and administration in Lithuania), which represent corresponding territorial units in the respective national administrative structures. The analysed dataset covers the period of 2005–2010 and supports the identification of changes in the land use structure of farmland and forests which have taken place since the introduction of political and economic transformations in Poland and Lithuania. The dynamics and direction of changes were compared against different historical and economic backgrounds to assess the prevailing trends in land use profiles in both countries.