A small fauna of Middle Pliocene Microvertebrates (Insectivora, Chiroptera, Rodentia: Mammalia) is described from the cave Mała (Jaskinia Mała) at Zelce Hill near Działoszyn (Northern Kraków-Wieluń Jurassic Upland in Central Poland). This mammalian fauna provides some analogies with the fauna of Early (Turolian, Pannonian or Pontian) or Middle Pliocene localities of Central and west Europe. Among the 18 species from the cave Mała, Epimeriones austriacus and parapodemus lugdunensis were not known previously in the Pliocene fauna of Poland. Amblycoptus topali is recorded here for the second time in Poland and for the third time in Central Europe. All forms described in the present paper are found in layers 4+5 of the cave Mała.
The main aim of the study was to estimate the influence of relief, lithology, climatic conditions, methods of wall construction and actual agricultural practice on the degradation of traditional agricultural terraces on the example of three Greek islands. We selected 7 research plots situated in 5 different geological settings - 3 on the Ikaria island, 2 on Thira, and 2 near Plati village on the SW edge of Lassithi Plateau on the Crete island. We used the following methods: GPS RTK measurements, mapping of erosion features, georadar profliling, infiltration rate measurements and interviews with farmers. We find that lithology is the most important factor controlling terraces degradation, but only in relation to methods of cultivation. Traditional agricultural practice helps terraces to remain stable, because cultivated field increases the possibility of infiltration and limits surface runoff. Heavy rainfalls do not affecting terraces stability due to high ground infiltration rate or high permeability of dry-stone walls. Terraces are more stable if they are concordant to the natural slope profile. On the terraced slope erosion is lower than on non-terraced slope. This is true only on the slope with very limited vegetation cover.
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