Abstract
The dry stone wall landscape surrounding the town of Cres is a unique cultural landscape; it is one of the largest well-preserved historical olive groves in the Croatian Adriatic, while simultaneously serving as pasture for sheep. Still, there are currently no studies that capture this landscape as a multifunctional whole or which acknowledge its relevance within the current multidisciplinary discussions. The aim of this paper is to clarify past and current circumstances surrounding and affecting it. The study focuses on two main pillars of landscape preservation: (1) dry stone wall structures and (2) agro-pastoral practices; giving an overview of its historical formation and current management and trends. The goal is to establish knowledge that can be used as a foundation for the management of this area and present a good practice example for the preservation of historical landscapes in the Mediterranean region. The research involved combined desk and fieldwork: cartographic data analysis, literature analysis, GIS elaboration, terrestrial and aerial photographs and observations, followed by interviews with local informants. Continuous investing in the production of quality olive oil and the evolution of the landscape into a multifunctional agro-pastoral-touristic space is what enabled its preservation. This multifunctionality can only be matched by a diversity of scientific studies and this study aimed at providing the first step—a foundation for the identification of the values of the Cres landscape, with the scope of better precising further planning and management.
Highlights
Historical dry stone wall-cultural landscapes have been a subject of scientific appreciation for decades
This study focuses on two main pillars of landscape preservation: (1) dry stone wall structures and (2) the agro-pastoral practices, giving an overview of its historical formation and current management and trends
It is assumed that a major part of the dry stone wall enclosing and cultivation of what we know today as the Cres olive grove happened in modern history (Figure 3) between the 16th and 19th century, under the Venetian and Austrian rule, mostly driven by the production of olive oil and wine, respectively, and the increased economic prosperity during the Austro-Hungarian rule (1814–1914)
Summary
Historical dry stone wall (agri)-cultural landscapes have been a subject of scientific appreciation for decades. Indication) are quality marks for agricultural landscapes products (2012); GAEC-Good agricultural and environmental conditions, a set of EU Rural policy standards aiming to achieve a sustainable agriculture (2013), etc These cultural landscapes remain relevant due to their visual impressiveness and the fascination with human effort that the dry stone structures are a testament to, and due to the difficulties in finding appropriate management models, which would avoid the post-productive path of degradation [22,23,24,25,26] and the disregard of their evolving and dynamic nature through museumification and commodification [27,28,29,30,31]. Ancient dry stone walled agricultural landscapes still have a relatively unchanged structure, which serves as one of the last indicators of historical practices and land organisation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
