Transition and Transformation of a Rural Landscape: Abandonment and Rewilding

Julia Ellis Burnet,Daniela Ribeiro,Wei Liu

doi:10.3390/su13095130

Abstract

The concepts of slow environmental change through evolutionary processes associated with ordinary artefacts from Central European rural life as part of biogeographical morphology was studied in Goričko Landscape Park, northeastern Slovenia. The research was based on field observations, including the recording of a former aristocratic dwelling and two small rural farmsteads, all abandoned. An analysis of the extant residual artefacts, their in situ placement and their former utility was undertaken. The value of residual items in ascertaining local perceptions, occupations and utilizations of landscape resources, from various viewpoints, was discussed in relationship to the surrounding landscape. The authors found that the abandoned rural buildings are now utilised as a faunal habitat, and the ruins were reincorporated into the wider landscape. The study sites represent empty places in the process of returning to nature after the retreat of human activities. The research examined the transition and transformation of biodegradable/non-biodegradable components within a rural landscape.

Highlights

Landscape is defined as “an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors” [1]
The majority of European landscapes, rural landscapes, have a cultural origin inextricably linked to agriculture, forestry and livestock [3]
The Goričko Landscape Park covers the hilly sector of north-eastern Slovenia, which has developed over a millennium an individual form of land use [14]

Summary

Introduction

Landscape is defined as “an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors” [1]. Landscape is the interaction of people and the environment, and every landscape, not just the outstanding ones, frame people’s lives and define their identity, at local, national and European levels [2]. The majority of European landscapes, rural landscapes, have a cultural origin inextricably linked to agriculture, forestry and livestock [3]. The marginalization of agriculture and the abandonment of arable land is one of the most important transformations of landscapes in Europe [5]. In many rural areas of Europe, the process of marginalization is of a long duration, and has led to the abandonment of rural settlements and activities [6]. The different stages of abandonment and post-abandonment sequences reveal complex anthropogenic and natural influences that complicate spatio-temporal concepts of cultural practice within a rural setting [8]

Methods

Results

Conclusion