The Landscape Archaeology of Knettishall Heath, Suffolk and its Implications

This paper briefly describes the results of archaeological fieldwork carried out in an area of heathland, currently managed as a nature reserve, in East Anglia. Although the earthworks recorded are for the most part unremarkable, they demonstrate the variety and intensity of human exploitation which shaped this ‘traditionally managed’ habitat. They also serve to emphasise the extent to which modern conservation management can radically change the long-term character of individual places

Utilization of Białowieża Forest in the times of Jagiellonian dynasty and its traces in the contemporary forest environment

The article presents the results of study on Osmunda regalis L. population number increase during the last 35 years (1964−2001) as a consequence of the cattle grazing decline. The number of Osmunda regalis specimens increased from 15 individuals in the year 1964 to 194 (increase by about 1190%). Passive and active forms of royal fern protection are proposed

European bison specimens from 1811-1914 in European science collections - little known aspect of the 19th century game management in Białowieża Primeval Forest

The 19th century game management in Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF), especially hunts for European bison, have been a subject of several works. The aspect of hunts motivated by research and museum needs have not been described in detail yet. The paper attempts at describing the administrative process behind such hunts and collecting all records of bison hunted or captured and carcasses acquired in BPF for museums, natural collections and universities in 1811−1914 (period covered by manuscript sources and published historical works with data on bison hunts available). Based on available sources, we calculated that in the period in question a total of 153 bison were hunted during ‘recreational' hunts (by tsars, their families and exalted guests with special tsars' permissions) and 56 were shot for purposes of study and research – therefore 27% out of 209 hunts had research motivations. Furthermore, 72 bison were captured alive (for zoos, cross−breeding and taming experiments) and carcasses of 89 bison (plus another 9 of unknown origin) were sent to museums and universities all around Europe. We believe that this little known aspect of the 19th century game management in BPF has had a significant impact on informing the scientific world and especially the general public about the European bison species, which in turn could have contributed to successful, international collaboration after the extinction of the species in the wild in 1919