Agricultural and Forest Land Use Changes in Poland Within 2003–2017

Agricultural and forestry lands are natural goods that should be protected as an indispensable element of a sustainable economy. In global trends, there is a noticeable increase in the allocation of agricultural and forest land for other purposes. The purpose of this article is to analyze the scale and trends associated with the designation of agricultural and forest areas for nonagricultural purposes in the context of Poland, as well as individual provinces. Analyzed data obtained from the Central Statistical Office concerns the period from 2003 to 2017. After carrying out an analysis, a significant decrease can be noted in the amount of agricultural land in Poland, precisely 3747 km², which is 1.2% of the entire area of the country. Most often, agricultural areas were transformed into residential areas.