tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2475052634354383423.post4751127965442495725..comments2024-03-27T11:23:59.903+01:00Comments on Society for Conservation Biology Europe Section: Tracing Cattle Tracks from the Past – Vanishing Traditional Pastures of FinlandBege Jonssonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285161907669574201noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2475052634354383423.post-25380596265900078432012-08-10T11:30:15.522+02:002012-08-10T11:30:15.522+02:00Thank you, Peter, for your comment. It really seem...Thank you, Peter, for your comment. It really seems that the loss of traditionally managed rural landscapes covers the whole Europe. This is worrying, and the change has been fast. Reading this blog gives a good review to the current situation. But some hope is in the air: we have a new generation of farmers who are interested in managing valuable sites. It is very important to create a link between these people and the experts who study biological background factors affecting traditional rural biotopes. I think it is possible to manage the best sites with high quality if we work together with local farmers and landowners. Also, the EU subsidy system offers some economical support for site management, and we should be very active in developing subsidy policies. After all, managing is costly and money is attractive.<br />Kaisa RaatikainenKaisa Raatikainenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06487450201385847699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2475052634354383423.post-69196374844662772212012-07-19T13:18:29.627+02:002012-07-19T13:18:29.627+02:00Kaisa, this is an interesting but perhaps depressi...Kaisa, this is an interesting but perhaps depressing picture of the decline of traditional cultural management, and the inevitable loss of biodiversity associated with that old way of life. But that is the story of wood pastures everywhere in Europe it seems. In 2002 I visited wooded pastures in central Sweden around Klovsjo with a group looking at examples of Biocultural Heritage in Sweden and France. The tradition at Klovsjo was described and a book has been written about it by Lars Kardell and Mats Olofsson. But the feeling was that the old ways were dying, mainly because young people were not prepared to continue the hard work and poor financial rewards. So the visit was informative but rather sad. These habitats have developed over many centuries, but their biological values can be lost very quickly, within decades, and the loss of traditional knowledge is to me the most worrying aspect (as also discussed in the Hungarian article). Certainly the economic and social aspects must be given equal weight in any studies alongside the ecological and cultural history aspects. Peter QuelchPeter Quelchnoreply@blogger.com