Historical Agricultural Landforms—Central European Bio-Cultural Heritage Worthy of Attention

Johana Zacharová, Jiří Riezner, Jitka Elznicová, Iva Machová, Karel Kubát, Diana Holcová, Michal Holec, Jan Pacina, Jiří Štojdl and Tomáš Matys Grygar
Additional contact information
Johana Zacharová: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Jiří Riezner: Faculty of Science, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Jitka Elznicová: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Iva Machová: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Karel Kubát: Faculty of Science, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Diana Holcová: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Michal Holec: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Jan Pacina: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Jiří Štojdl: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
Tomáš Matys Grygar: Faculty of Environment, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-25

Abstract: Knowledge about past agricultural land management can bring solutions for future needs. One undervalued historical type of historical rural landscape in temperate Europe is termed plužiny. It consists of individual historical agricultural landforms framed by linear woody vegetation. Our multidisciplinary research quantified the distribution of plužiny in Czechia, utilizing archive materials, geographic information systems, and field surveys for verification. Several case studies give merit to the societal relevance of plužiny and justification for their protection and inclusion in landscape planning. We have assessed the contribution of plužiny to secondary geodiversity by describing the landforms morphometrically, using geophysical imaging of their inner structure, and assessing the possible downslope erosive segregation of soil particles. The results of these analyses prove the positive effect of these landscape features on secondary geodiversity and biodiversity at the species level through the process of induced landscape diversification. The results also document management changes during the last 170 years and provide a basis for assessing their present-day endangerment. Although plužiny are less known compared to bocage landscapes of Western Europe, they are similarly valuable. Landscape managers should better recognize the ecological, cultural, and aesthetic values of plužiny as historical agricultural landforms and protect them as a bio-cultural heritage.

Keywords: lynchet; agricultural stone walls; plužiny; landscape memory; geodiversity; biodiversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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