Abstract
The typologies of landscapes of individual states that have ratified the European Landscape Convention do not include mountain pasture landscapes. Pasture landscapes in the Carpathians are preserved in a relatively good condition, although their spatial extent has considerably shrunk over the last few decades. The article demonstrates that mountain meadows and glades in the Carpathians meet all the conditions that allow them to be classified as a type of landscape, and thus they should be included in national typologies of landscapes. Firstly, they constitute a set of natural (non-forest vegetation) and anthropogenic (traditional shepherding buildings) objects. Secondly, they are a dynamic system in which natural, social and economic processes take place. They are also a source of stimuli, affecting different human senses and values and are a system that provides various real and potential services. The inclusion of mountain pasture landscapes in national typologies may provide a stronger basis for their protection.
Highlights
Pasture landscapes are mostly located in agriculturally marginalised areas where commercial agriculture is constrained due to harsh natural conditions such as subtropical dry lands, temperate mountain uplands or sandy heathlands [1]
The article demonstrates that mountain meadows and glades in the Carpathians meet all the conditions that allow them to be classified as a type of landscape, and they should be included in national typologies of landscapes
The aim is to indicate that mountain pasture landscapes should be included in the typologies of landscapes which were created in recent years in many countries inter alia in connection with the implementation of the European Landscape Convention
Summary
Pasture landscapes are mostly located in agriculturally marginalised areas where commercial agriculture is constrained due to harsh natural conditions such as subtropical dry lands, temperate mountain uplands or sandy heathlands [1]. In the course of the development of agricultural civilizations, various systems of animal husbandry and corresponding types of pasture landscapes have developed; for instance, nomadism, transhumance, summer mountain grazing, grazing of cattle, sheep, horses and pigs in forests, or reindeer breeding [3,4,5]. These different subtypes reflect the local specificity of the landscape zones [6,7]. The economic marginalisation of these pastoral areas means that they have become vulnerable to depopulation and abandonment due to poor social and physical infrastructure, and have become co-dependent on supplementary economic activities [8,9]
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