Botanical and Ethnoecological Investigation of Mountain Vegetation in Ghimes (Eastern Carpathians, Romania)

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“If You Got a Forest, You Got Gold.” The Joys and Woes of Forest Use in Gyimes (Eastern Carpathians, Romania)

All over the world, rural communities developed mainly stable and sustainable, traditional (extensive) land use systems to manage natural resources. Resource management and related traditional ecological knowledge based on understanding of the functioning of the ecosystem help local communities to maintain important resources, like forests. Forest plays an important socio-economic role in the life of rural communities. Wood is one of the most elemental raw materials used in households, but its non-timber benefits play just as important a role. We examined sustainable use of forests in a Csángó community in Gyimes region (Eastern Carpathians, Romania), providing insights into attitudes within folk forestry towards natural resources, driving forces, and changes in human relations with the forest. Wood as a raw material is a resource that largely determines the daily life of the Csángó community, while non-timber products (e.g., forest grazing, forest fruits, herbs) play a complementary, yet important role in Gyimes life. The survey of forest flora and vegetation confirms that Gyimes farmers are familiar with the plant species that reach significant coverage in the canopy, shrub and herbaceous layers, they are well versed in the forest types occurring in the landscape, their dynamics, their most characteristic stages in the succession after felling. Overuse is an undisputed and acknowledged part of the forest-management, threatens social-ecological system-flexibility. As long as natural systems are able to renew themselves (forests can regenerate), there is chance for the further use of this important resource and in a broader context there is chance for the survival of the local community as well

Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Connection with Non-Domesticated Animals in the Slovenian and Hungarian Borderland

Although a significant proportion of folk knowledge of nature concerns knowledge of invertebrates and vertebrates living in the wild, very little ethnozoological research has been carried out in Central Europe focusing on the whole fauna. In writing the present paper, our aim was to contribute to filling this gap by interviewing 40 local farmers who are particularly knowledgeable on this topic, half of them from the Őrség region of Hungary, and half from the neighboring villages in Slovenia, and by recording their knowledge with respect to non-domesticated animals. Our research identified the second highest number of taxa (242 species-level folk taxa) in terms of investigations carried out in the Hungarian language area in relation to the entire fauna. These included 129 invertebrate folk taxa, 73% of which were called by a species-specific name. They also included 109 vertebrate folk taxa, 103 of which had a separate species-level local name. In the case of two groups (butterflies and mammals), we also investigated attributes that were important and salient from the point of view of species knowledge: morphology and size were of particular relevance in relation to mammal species; while salient habitat features and frequency were relevant in relation to butterfly species. In the case of both groups, usefulness was the least important factor. Despite the general erosion of traditional ecological knowledge in Europe, these recently collected data indicate that a rich, vibrant knowledge is still to be found among the Hungarians whom we interviewed in the Őrség region and the neighboring villages in Slovenia. The especially large number of recorded folk taxa, and the accurate knowledge required to differentiate between them confirm, that even today it is worth carrying out investigations on this topic in East Central Europe in the interests of obtaining knowledge of, and conserving cultural and natural values

„Hogy hamarább bépástosodjon…” A gyepgazdálkodás jelentősége egy társadalmi-ökológiai rendszer működtetésében = “So that the grass would grow more quickly...” The importance of grassland management in the operation of a socio-ecological system

Az európai kultúrtájakban működő integratív, komplex társadalmi-ökológiai rendszerek stabilitását az alkotóelemek struktúrája, funkciója, a szabályozó negatív visszacsatolások, valamint a természeti erőforrások kezelése, a külterjes tájhasználat határozzák meg. Ezek a rendszer-elemek biztosítják a természetes és antropogén zavarások hatásainak kiküszöbölését, a rendszer rezilienciáját. A kultúrtájak jellegzetes élőhelyei az erdők helyén kialakított, fajgazdag hegy- és dombvidéki irtásrétek. Külterjes használatuk és kezelésük a fajkészlet alakításával befolyásolja a gyepek rezilienciáját. Célunk volt a gyepgazdálkodás, különösen a szénatörek alkalmazásának irtásrétek fajkészletére, rezilienciájára gyakorolt hatásának vizsgálata. A kutatás a Keleti-Kárpátokban, Gyimesben valósult meg 2014 és 2020 között, összesen 45 résztvevővel készített 78 félig strukturált interjú segítségével. A gyimesi gyepgazdálkodás számos eleme befolyásolja a gyepek működésében fontos fűfélék, pillangósok és egyéb virágos fajok számát, arányát. A talaj termőképességének növelése, istállótrágya vagy műtrágya alkalmazása számos faj jelenlétét befolyásolja. Általában pozitívan hat a különböző fűfajokra, miközben a pillangósok és egyéb virágos fajok aránya vagy fajszáma némileg csökken. A szénatörek a gyepek fajkészletének mintegy kétharmadát tartalmazva biztosítja a fajgazdagság regenerálását, illetve a természetes és antropogén zavarások hatásainak kiküszöbölését. A gyimesi külterjes gyepgazdálkodás a gazdálkodók tudatos döntései révén jelentős mértékben befolyásolja a gyepek fajkészletét, ezzel biztosítva a gyepek gyors regenerációját és a funkcionális redundanciát, növelve azok stabilitását és rezilienciáját. | The stability of the integrative, complex socio-ecological systems operating in European cultural landscapes is determined by the structure and function of the components, the regulatory negative feedbacks, as well as the management of natural resources and extensive land use. These system elements ensure the elimination of the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances and the resilience of the system. The characteristic habitats of the cultural landscapes are the species-rich clearings in mountains and foothills that replaced the forests. Their extensive use and management affects the resilience of the grasslands by shaping the species pool. Our goal was to investigate the impact of grassland management, especially the use of hayseed, on the species pool and resilience of clearings. The research was carried out in Gyimes, in the Eastern Carpathians, between 2009 and 2020, using 78 semi-structured interviews with a total of 45 participants. Many elements of grassland management in Gyimes affect the number and proportion of grasses, legumes (Leguminosae), and other flowering species that are important in the functioning of grasslands. Increasing the productivity of the soil and using manure or fertilizers affect the presence of many species. It generally has a positive impact on various grass species, while the proportion or number of species of legumes and other flowering species decreases somewhat. Comprising two-thirds of the species pool of grasslands, hayseed ensures the regeneration of species richness and the elimination of the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Through the conscious decisions of the farmers, extensive grassland management in Gyimes significantly impacts the species pool of grasslands, thus ensuring the rapid regeneration and functional redundancy of grasslands, thereby increasing their stability and resilience

Wild plants used for food by Hungarian ethnic groups living in the Carpathian Basin

A list of plant species used for food in Hungary and among Hungarian ethnic groups of the Carpathian Basin during the 19th and 20th centuries was compiled from 71 ethnographic and ethnobotanical sources and a survey among contemporary Hungarian botanists. Species used as food, spice, beverage or occasional snacks were collected. Sources mention 236 plant species belonging to 68 families. Most wild fleshy fruits (mostly Rosa, Rubus, Cornus, Ribes, Vaccinium spp.), dry fruits and seeds (Fagus, Quercus, Corylus, Castanea, Trapa spp.), several green vegetables (e.g. Rumex, Urtica, Humulus, Chenopodiaceae spp., Ranunculus ficaria), bulbs and tubers (Lathyrus tuberosus, Helianthus tuberosus, Chaerophyllum bulbosum, Allium spp.) used for food in Europe, are also known to be consumed in Hungary. A characteristic feature of Hungarian plant use was the mass consumption of the underground parts of several marsh (e.g. Typha, Phragmites, Sagittaria, Alisma, Butomus, Bolboschoenus spp., as well as the endemic Armoracia macrocarpa) and steppe species (e.g. Crambe tataria, Rumex pseudonatronatus). Consuming wild food plants is still important among Hungarians living in Transylvania: even nowadays more than 40 species are gathered and used at some locations