Diversity of the influence of urbanisation on valuable nature areas according to selected features of the cities of Wielkopolska

The purpose of this study was to classify the cities of the voivodeship of Wielkopolska with regard to the diverse value of the natural environment of their surroundings and the intensity of urban pressure exerted on them. Two groups of factors were analysed. The first group included factors related to the value of the natural environment of the city surroundings within a 1 km wide belt along the administrative boundaries of cities. In regard to this the following features were taken into consideration: the surface area and share of protected areas, the surface area and share of ECONET-PL areas, CORINE biotopes sites and wildlife corridors connecting NATURE 2000 sites. In the second part of the analysis, which concerned the urban pressure, the following factors were analysed: the population density in the urban fabric, the surface area of land used for investment, land cover changes from open into investment areas between 1990 and 2000, and the density of roads. As a result of the research conducted, 4 types of spatial relationships between cities and valuable nature areas in the voivodeship of Wielkopolska were distinguished. Among the cities whose surroundings have a valuable natural environment it was the cities exerting the strongest pressure on the regional nature system that were identified as causing the most severe spatial interference in the region.