Bolette Bele
Research Scientist
(+47) 911 95 359
bolette.bele@nibio.no
Place
Trondheim
Visiting address
Klæbuveien 153, bygg C 1.etasje, 7031 Trondheim
Abstract
We address the question of nature-culture synergies in protected mountain landscapes with a specific focus on the Norwegian National Park of Hardangervidda. Fragile and complex ecosystems developed from long-lasting socio-ecological grazing processes that started approximately 4000 years ago in Scandinavia are facing manifold environmental challenges and societal issues that endanger both natural and cultural heritages. Our goals are to clarify the nature-culture synergies and relationships and investigate holistic management and preservation of natural and cultural values. Our results highlight an urgent need to develop holistic conservation frameworks and methodologies for protected landscapes that integrate cultural and natural heritages and enhance the potential of local communities to protect threatened semi-natural environments and experienced-based knowledge for the future.
Abstract
Semi-natural hay meadows are among the most species-rich habitats in Norway as well as in Europe. To maintain the biodiversity of hay meadows, it is important to understand local management regimes and the land use history that has shaped them and their biodiversity. There is however a general erosion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), related to hay meadows and other semi-natural habitats. This review aims to examine historical and written sources of land use practices related to hay meadows and to discuss the implications of a re-introduction of TEK in present and future management practices. Traditional land use practices and TEK obtained from written sources from four Norwegian regions and for the country as a whole are compared with present management practices. Written sources show that hay meadows have been managed in a complex but flexible way. Today's management regimes of hay meadows in Norway are streamlined and strongly simplified, most often involving only one late mowing and in some cases grazing. This simplification may result in loss of biodiversity. The potential to include more variety of management practices in hay meadows, by utilizing knowledge from written sources more systematically in combination with farmers’ experienced knowledge (TEK) should be better utilized. Such an approach may secure both the biodiversity in hay meadows and TEK for the future. Former and present landscape ecological contexts in the infield-outlying land system show that management should be done for larger landscapes rather than small, isolated hay meadows, to optimize biodiversity conservation. For this study, we conducted a Norwegian literature review, based on ethnographical and ethnobotanical sources, as well as historical and present agricultural statistics, historical maps, results from research projects, and other sources. Our findings are discussed with similar European studies focusing on the historical management of hay meadows.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Elena Zubiaurre Bolette Bele Veronique Karine Simon Guillermo S. Reher Ana Delia Rodríguez Rodrigo Alonso Benedetta CastiglioniAbstract
The Faro Convention underlined the importance of educational initiatives related to heritage. This paper focuses on the educational dimension of landscape, as a means to better facilitate its social acceptance and hence its inclusion in planning and management processes. The relation between landscape education and social perception, through a few European examples will be analysed to ascertain whether the principles of the Convention are being complied with effectively. The authors introduce four case studies of heritage-related education carried out in three European countries (Spain, Norway and Italy). These case studies provide the possibility to coherently analyse a wide range of activities and initiatives occurring at various scales and levels: geographic, local and sectoral. In addition, they describe the pedagogical potential of cultural landscapes and cultural heritage, and highlight some of the educational strategies and measures currently used in this field.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Transhumance landscapes are sensitive semi-natural environments in upland European areas. Shaped through human activities from the earliest times, they provide habitat for many threatened species and produced a rich cultural heritage. They bear witness to the complex and mutually beneficial interplay between natural resources and human activities. Today, they are threatened by societal, economic and ecological factors. The purpose of this article is to identify the roles and intangible values of transhumance systems through the analysis of three studies, in Norway, France and Spain, and to raise awareness about the benefits of continuous traditional transhumance practices for the preservation of pastoral biodiversity and the mountain landscapes’ character.
Abstract
Is there a bilateral symmetry between nature and culture and ecological processes in landscape dynamics? With new contexts and changing understandings of nature and environmental challenges in mind, this paper addresses the question of nature-culture synergies in mountain protected landscapes, with a specific focus on the Norwegian national park of Hardangervidda. Based on age-old socio-ecological grazing systems, these fragile and complex ecosystems are facing manifold environmental challenges and societal issues that endangered their rich natural and cultural heritage. The main goal is to explore the modern Norwegian farmers society and their cultural and philosophical aspirations and knowledgeable insights about nature and the management of mountain and upland areas. Teachings based on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and immaterial cultural heritage values may lead towards new attitudes that stimulate to realistic strategies regarding environmental and socio-economic issues of the time. We believe that a holistic approach of the nature-culture synergies can support a sustainable preservation and societal development of the neighbouring users/communities and prevent the impoverishment and degradation of cultural and biological values of Norwegian national parks.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Studying summer farming and farm dairies in Sweden and Norway—the shared empirical basis of this essay—using methods that require a close proximity between the researcher and the researched working closely together can be a challenge. This is especially obvious when the studied community is subjected to frequent studies conducted by scholars and authorities. It became even more complicated as the researchers had different roles in the three projects discussed in this text. In Project One, researchers developed knowledge together with summer farmers, in Project Two the research group interacted with the summer farmers while implementing the UN Convention on Biological Diversity on behalf of the Swedish government and in Project Three researchers addressed summer farmers as respondents. It is our experience that research in which interaction with respondents is close often becomes a target of criticism from other scholars who claim that this type of research is incapable of producing valid and impartial knowledge due to suspected bias. In this article we discuss five types of ethical challenges met in the three projects, two of which are based on a community-based participatory research approach (CBPR) and one on a case study approach (CS). Starting off, from previous literature, we compare ethical dilemmas in both CBPR and CS with the help of the following concepts: creation of partnerships, participation and perceptions of truth, sources of conflicts and mistrust and the consequences of such research for quality, reliability and research integrity. Our research questions are: What are the ethical, practical, methodological, and scientific challenges and implications of research conducted in close proximity to informants? What can the research community learn from such experiences? [...]
Authors
Graham Fairclough Henk Baas Bolette Bele Niels Dabaut Knut Anders Hovstad Gro B. Jerpåsen Kari Ch. Larsen Michel Lascaris Almudena Orejas Bas Pedroli Edwin Raap Guillermo Reher Véronique Karine Simon Sam Turner Veerle van Eetvelde Annelies van CaenegemAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Interest in localized agri-food systems has grown significantly in recent years. They are associated with several benefits and are seen as important for rural development. An important share of the academic debate addresses the contribution of localized food systems to the current and/or future sustainability of agriculture. Sustainability is defined in several ways, but many scholars recognize that sustainability can only be achieved by a combination of socio-economic, cultural, and environmental aspects. However, the attributes and indicators used for sustainability analyses also differ. Biodiversity is, for instance, often not included in analyses of environmental sustainability even if biodiversity is of crucial importance for longer-term ecological sustainability. To contribute to the debate about the importance of localized food production for sustainability from the environmental point of view, specifically with regard to biodiversity, this is therefore discussed based on the results of several studies presented in this paper. The studies focus on Nordic low-intensity livestock systems related to species-rich semi-natural grasslands. All the studies show that low-intensive agriculture and use of semi-natural grasslands may play an important role in maintaining biodiversity on both small and large scales. They also show that milk and dairy products from free-ranging livestock in heterogeneous landscapes with semi-natural grasslands may have a unique quality associated with local grazing resources. Thus, producers can combine production of food of documented high nutritional and gastronomic value with maintenance of biodiversity, i.e., localized agri-food production based on low-intensive agriculture systems and semi-natural grasslands may be a win-win recipe for both farmers and the society.
Abstract
Mountain tourism depends intensively on the quality of the landscape. In recent years, the Norwegian Trekking Association has focused on local food products at their staffed lodges and it uses the slogan “eat the view.” Such a strategy raises the focus on the agricultural use of the land and the quality of the products. Several Norwegian studies were carried out to investigate the quality of different mountain products and connections with vegetation types and grazing behavior. The results show that milk and meat products from animals grazing on alpine rangelands have improved quality compared to “normal” products. A healthier fatty acid composition and a higher content of secondary plant metabolites were characteristic of mountain products. Furthermore, grazing is of the utmost importance for the maintenance of open mountain landscapes and the biodiversity that is dependent on such landscapes. Maintaining traditional grazing systems also secures the preservation of traditional ecological knowledge about utilizing natural resources. Mountain tourism experiences could be improved and enhanced by documenting and telling the unique story of these complex connections between mountain landscapes, biodiversity, agricultural traditions, and local food products.
Abstract
Terroir characteristics of local food products are sometimes a result of ecosystem services from special nature types as mountain semi-natural grasslands. Several environmental conditions such as climate, topography, location above sea level, geology and soil are important factors defining frames for different vegetation types and available fodder resources in mountain areas. In addition, cultural traditions and a great variety in human land use systems are important determinants for grassland biodiversity. Results from several Norwegian studies show that species rich mountain pastures improve local food quality.
Authors
Hanne Sickel Bolette Bele Ragnar Eltun Odd-Arild Finnes Gustav Fystro Knut Hovstad Marit Jørgensen Vibeke Lind Jørgen Todnem Håvard SteinshamnAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
The objective of this pilot study was to compare resource use in a mountainous summer farming landscape between old and modern dairy cow breeds during a five-day period. The modern breed used a larger part of the landscape than the old breed, most likely due to differences in habitat patterns. The old breed group preferred semi-natural pastures, while the modern breed preferred overgrown semi-natural meadows, intermediate fen, intermediate wooded fen, and grass-rich sub-alpine birch woodland. Both breeds spent most time grazing grasses, but the modern breed showed a higher frequency of grasses and Vaccinium myrtillus in its diet, while the old breed showed a higher frequency of bushes and trees. The pilot study shows some trends supplementing and strengthening earlier results on how modern and traditional cattle breeds are differing in their impact on vegetation based on their use of space and their different diets.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Analysing forest history is crucial to understanding how shifting harvesting methods have different effects on forest landscape structure. Two main harvesting regimes in a Norwegian boreal forest landscape over a period of 150 years were detected by the study. A homogeneous impact regime resulting from selective logging changed the forest structure by logging the oldest and largest trees evenly throughout the forest, resulting in a homogeneous landscape structure. However, population growth in the 19th century led to a substantial increase in traditional subsistence forestry to obtain building materials, firewood, etc. The most intensive stage of this regime started in c.1860 when farmers began selling logging contracts to companies and timber traders. Despite this being termed a homogeneous landscape impact, the actual exploitation of the forest was strongly influenced by local factors such as the location of farms, summer farms, lakes, and rivers. Clear-cutting from the 1950s has resulted in a new heterogeneous impact regime, giving a landscape structure dominated by patches of even-aged stands. This regime still predominates. The analysis is based on a study of Nordli and the Sandøla drainage basin in Nord-Trøndelag. Such studies should give a better understanding of the interaction between natural ecological conditions in and human impact on boreal forest landscapes.
Authors
Bolette Bele Hanne Sickel Tor Lunnan Ann Norderhaug Marianne Østerlie Roger K. Abrahamsen Liv Sigrid Nilsen Mikael OhlsonAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Since 1993, Norwegian governmental subsidies have been applied to preserve valuable semi-natural grasslands in Norway. After 8 years of management and payments, the effects of the subsidies were investigated in the county of Nord-Trøndelag. The intention of the subsidies, to secure both open landscapes and biodiversity, was not obtained due to a general lack of knowledge of ecology and biodiversity at all levels. This clearly demonstrates the importance of knowledge and information exchange between scientists, authorities, politicians and farmers to secure maintenance of the most valuable semi-natural grasslands. In addition, transdisciplinary research and exchange of knowledge between archaeologists, historians and ecologists are necessary to preserve the most valuable cultural landscapes with regard to both biodiversity and cultural monuments. This study was presented at the EGF meeting 21-24 June 2004, Luzern, Switzerland.