Socioeconomic Dimensions of Changes in the Agricultural Landscape of the Mediterranean Basin: A Case Study of the Abandonment of Cultivation Terraces on Nisyros Island,Greece |
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Authors: | Theodora Petanidou Thanasis Kizos Nikolaos Soulakellis |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, University Hill, GR, 81100 Mytilene, Greece |
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Abstract: | Agricultural landscapes illustrate the impact of human actions on physical settings, and differential human pressures cause
these landscapes to change with time. Our study explored changes in the terraced landscapes of Nisyros Island, Greece, focusing
on the socioeconomic aspects during two time periods using field data, cadastral research, local documents, and published
literature, as well as surveys of the islanders. Population increases during the late 19th to early 20th centuries marked a significant escalation of terrace and dry stone wall construction, which facilitated cultivation on 58.4%
of the island. By the mid-20th century, the economic collapse of agricultural activities and consequent emigration caused the abandonment of cultivated
land and traditional management practices, dramatically reducing farm and field numbers. Terrace abandonment continued in
recent decades, with increased livestock grazing becoming the main land management tool; as a result, both farm and pasture
sizes increased. Neglect and changing land use has led to deterioration and destruction of many terraces on the island. We
discuss the socioeconomic and political backgrounds responsible for the land-use change before World War II (annexation of
Nisyros Island by the Ottoman Empire, Italy, and Greece; overseas migration opportunities; and world transportation changes)
and after the war (social changes in peasant societies; worldwide changes in agricultural production practices). The adverse
landscape changes documented for Nisyros Island appear to be inevitable for modern Mediterranean rural societies, including
those on other islands in this region. The island’s unique terraced landscapes may qualify Nisyros to become an archive or
repository of old agricultural management techniques to be used by future generations and a living resource for sustainable
management. |
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Keywords: | Agricultural landscape Landscape elements Land-use change Population migration Animal husbandry GIS mapping Aegean islands |
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