In the Land of Orpheus: Rural Livelihoods and Nature Conservation in Postsocialist Bulgaria by Barbara A. s> Cellarius (review)

Abstract

390 SEER, 85, 2, 2007 The final chapter, by Wegren, O'Brien and Patsiorkovski,studies household responsesto reform in three Russian regions (Belgorod,Novgorod, and Chuvashia). It is based on a survey carried out in these regions in 200I. It begins by noting important differences between agriculturalpolicy in the El'tsin period and that in the Putin period. The chapter has two main policy conclusions. First, central policies are increasinglyunable to take account of the diversityof Russia'scountryside.Secondly, the 'social climate' of a region may be crucial in determining the responses of households. This chapter is marred by poor proof-reading.Khrushchev did not (p. I90) create machine tractor stations (he abolished them and transferredtheir machinery to the farmsthemselves).Nor (p. I93) are Kalmykiaand Udmurtiia in the Far East. This useful book will be valuable for all those concerned with agricultural reforms,transitioneconomies, the reaction of the ruralpopulation to policies announced in the capital, and developments in Russia and Ukraine in the post-Soviet period. It discovers new facts and places them in appropriate historical and theoretical contexts. It also demonstrates the importance of fieldwork in studying what is actually happening in post-Soviet agriculture and rural society. School ofEconomics MICHAEL ELLMAN Amsterdam University Cellarius, Barbara A. In the Land of Orpheus: Rural Livelihoods and Nature Conservation in PostsocialistBulgaria. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI, 2005. xi + 33I pp. Maps. Illustrations.Figures. Tables. Notes. Bibliography.Index. ?45.??. ENVIRONMENTAL problems in former Communist countries are now widely documented and it is also well-understood that as participants in the EU accessionprocessmany post-socialiststatesare restructuringtheirmanufacturing in line with much more demanding standards.What is not so clear is the struggle for survival by rural communities in the context of market forces combined with biodiversityconservationthat is also central to the European agenda. This excellent case study deals mainly with the Rhodope village of Zaburdo and uses ancient Greek mythology to provide a context through the Thracian musician Orpheus who gave up human company in order to explore the region in depth and exert an influence powerful enough to tame the forcesof nature.The challenge to today'sruralinhabitantslies in reconciling economic and ecological realitiesso as to live comfortablywhile maintaining biodiversity;given that conservationfundingdoes not necessarilysubsidize ruralcommunities constrainedby restricteddevelopment options. Through a clear and lucid text supportedby five figures,ten tables, twenty photographs and a bibliographyof some 350 items, the authorprovidesa historicalreview of both village communities and conservation advocates to see how the everyday needs of country people can be reconciled with the wider concerns about biodiversity conservation. With a focus on environmental NGOs as an institutional mechanism bringing global conservation issues to the grass REVIEWS 391 roots, the author succeeds in providing important micro-level insights into post-socialist conditions based on long-term fieldwork. Three chapters deal with the NGOs. A historical review shows they date back to the late nineteenth century, playing a part in the creation of Bulgaria's first protected areas and the passage of a nature protection law. However, organized environment action was difficult in the Communist period and attempts to form independent organizations were short-lived; although some of today's groups have their foundations in the I970S and I98os. Now it seems there is a danger in becoming associated with party politics and leaders of NGOs are often at pains to emphasize their non-political/non-partisan nature. At the same time there is only limited scope for participation in decision-making, while competition to access limited funding leads to secrecy over each group's precise activities. Another whole chapter is devoted to conserving Rhodope's natural heritage, while a third studies 'a civil Balkan village' with a story of collective action to show how the formation of a caving club during the Communist period in the village of Trigrad, close to the famous 'Devil's Throat', contributed to the organizational life of this unusually 'civil' village as the club became a tour operator in its own right. This discourse is balanced by three more chapters on the community, beginning with 'landscape community and economic history in the Central Rhodope' to introduce the nucleated settlement of Zaburdo set at some I2som among potato fields and hay...