Landscape Pattern Changes in Response to Transhumance Abandonment on Mountain Vermio (North Greece)

Anna Sidiropoulou, Maria Karatassiou, Georgia Galidaki and Paraskevi Sklavou
Additional contact information
Anna Sidiropoulou: Laboratory of Rangeland Ecology, Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 286, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece
Maria Karatassiou: Laboratory of Rangeland Ecology, Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 286, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece
Georgia Galidaki: Laboratory of Forest Management and Remote Sensing, Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 248, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece
Paraskevi Sklavou: Laboratory of Range Management, Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 236, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 11, 1-22

Abstract: Transhumance, the seasonal movement of herds between highlands and lowlands following precise, repeated routes, is a common practice in many Mediterranean regions. This livestock movement exploits natural vegetation in both winter and summer pastures. In Greece transhumant herders, drawn by relatively abundant vegetation, usually relocate to mountainous areas between April and October. Mount Vermio was an ideal summer pasture for the nomadic, ethnic group Sarakatsanoi of Thessaly, who used to own big herds. Socio-economic conditions of the 20th century led to the gradual decline of transhumance, resulting in reduction in grazing pressure and changes in vegetation dynamics. The purpose of this study was to monitor changes in landscape patterns in response to transhumance abandonment. Landscape metrics were employed to estimate land use/cover in two altitudinal zones. Results reveal that due to the abandonment of transhumance in the highlands landscape fragmentation increased. Meanwhile, in the lowlands, due to the uninterrupted presence of animals, landscape structure is more stable and diversified. Grasslands and agroforestry systems became smaller and more isolated. In conclusion, the abandonment of transhumance led to the overall deterioration of the rural landscape in the highlands.

Keywords: landscape metrics; land-cover changes; GIS; spatial analysis; Sarakatsanoi (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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