Cultural landcape dynamics

Daniel Bwanika

The ancient cultural landscape

• “Old-growth” components

• A rescue for forest species

Örebro county

• Forest

• Mixed

• Agriculture

Örebro county over 1000 years

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

1600

1700

1800

1900

2000

urbant

åker

trädakulturbete

naturbete

äng

storskogsbruk

småskogsbruk

naturskogvåtmark

vatten

Cultural landscape

• The ancient cultural landscape is disappearing due socio-economic changes– urbanisation– abandonment of rural areas

• There is a need to identify the last remnants - fast, and at a low cost

The farm/village as a unit

Periphery

Crop BCrop A

Centre

Before

Forest

FieldsPasture, meadow

The village

Now

Forest

SpruceDeciduous forest

Ruin

The project

• Compiled information about the history of colonisation and abandonment of small farm islands in the forest sea

• Major reference source (Helge Nelson 1913 in En Bergslagsbygd Ymer)

• Study location Kloten in northern Örebro län

Study area

• Kloten in N Örebro county

• Petri Palkki at Grimsö (0581-697300)

• Maria Ströman (0581-Gammelbo) has contact with local experts

Socio-economic changes

Time scale from 1600-2000

Modern Sweden came in the 1950s

Iron industrycollapsed around

1880

Active colonisationpolicy (finns) after 1600

Iron industryboom

1700-1850

Land cover trends

0

1020

30

4050

60

70

8090

100

1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

meadows

field

forest

The work

• Data Sources

• Compiled the information

– changes in the number of farms over time (1600-present)

– discuss positive and negative aspects

Discussion

• Deciduous forest (boreal forests)

• Different kinds of biodiversity

– cultural is disappearing (vascular plants)

– natural is appearing, and later disappearing

• ”Wilderness” comes back