Abstract
Land abandonment in European mountains threatens habitats shaped for centuries by low-intensity agriculture and grazing. Hence, it is important to identify spatiotemporal patterns in rural abandonment, and relate them to biophysical and socioeconomic drivers. We pursued these goals in the theoretical context of transitions from traditional to productivist and then to post-productivist agriculture. We conducted a case study in a representative of southern Europe sub-mountainous marginal area that was once traditionally exploited (Pindus range, Epirus, Greece). Land cover was mapped from the outset of abandonment (years 1945, 1970, 1996 and 2015), and we subsequently calculated landscape metrics. An Intensity Analysis facilitated the comparison of rates of land cover change between time periods. By employing random forest modelling, we related socioeconomic, physiographic, geological and climatic predictors to land type occurrence and succession intensity. We found that farmland decreased from 30% to 3% during the 70 years of the study period, and that forest increased from 22% to 63%. The landscape’s heterogeneity, ecotone diversity, and spatial aggregation decreased. Abandonment and succession accelerated and relocated to lower elevation, especially during the latest time period, which was related to a second depopulation wave and livestock decrease. The remaining lowland farmlands were of productivist agriculture, and no widespread post-productivist regime was found. Thus, our study supports the view that policies, which have been mainly based on the linear transition of agricultural regimes in northern Europe, must take into account southern European mountains, where widespread abandonment can coexist with limited intensification and extensification.
Highlights
IntroductionAccording to the European Red List of Habitats, habitats associated with farming activities are among the most threatened terrestrial habitat types [1]
The mountainous rural landscapes of Europe have been shaped by a long history of human presence, but their abandonment due to the socioeconomic changes of the last century is evident, threatening valuable habitats that have been conserved by traditional, low-intensity farming
The trajectories of land use and land cover change deviate in some cases from the intended trajectories of policies, especially if they are applied to areas that are different from areas upon which plans are based
Summary
According to the European Red List of Habitats, habitats associated with farming activities are among the most threatened terrestrial habitat types [1]. In the mountainous regions of Europe in particular, the major threat to such habitats is the abandonment of lowintensity farming and traditional management practices, such as livestock grazing, mowing and burning [2]. Abandonment in these marginal areas commonly results in the succession of farmland and grassland by scrubland and, subsequently, by forests [3]. The biodiversity consequences of this afforestation have been disputed in the literature. Afforestation increases the diversity of late-successional species, such as large mammals [4]
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