Traditional landscapes of the kopatsari villages in the prefecture of Grevena
Traditional landscapes are areas with exceptional natural and cultural diversity and are characterized by high biodiversity and high values of aesthetics and relaxation. They are also part of the cultural heritage of every country. A typical traditional landscape is formed by the villages of the kopatsari, which are found at the eastern foot of the mountain range of Pindos, prefecture of Grevena. In this paper, an effort to evaluate the landscape of the fifteen villages that are inhabited by the kopatsari, in terms of pastoralism is done, so as the changes in land uses are investigated and identified in the region over the last years. According to the dominant version, the name “kopatsaros” or “kopatsareos” comes from the word “kopatsou”, which in the language of vlachs means oak, bush and it is justified by the fact that the kopatsari were very much related to the management of the oak forests of the area. Apart from silviculture, they developed other activities, which affected and determined the landscape, such as agriculture and pastoralism. The second one was practiced in the form of transhumance and had a strong impact on the landscape through the opening up of forests and the formation of an agroforestry mosaic as well as the construction of traditional buildings, all fully harmonious with the natural environment. Over the last few years though, the abandonment of the countryside because of social and economic reasons, such as immigration, the traditional land uses are placed out and the landscape tends to become homogeneous. According to the early estimations, the changes in land uses in the region are not so intense or irreversible, so that the preservation and maintenance of the mosaic can be ensured.
Toponyms associated with grazing animals
Topographic, geologic and soil features, the physiognomy of vegetation, flora and fauna and the human activities are usually used for naming of land. Many toponyms in Greece are related to geological, climatic and other landscape features (Dipotamia, Anilio, Askio etc). A large number of land names are associated directly to animal husbandry and grazing animals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of words related with grazing animals in the determination of toponyms. A total of 171 toponyms associated with grazing animals was found. Most of them (68) were related with the word goat, 14 of them were names of ancient cities. Toponyms referred to the words donkey, sheep, cow etc followed. The majority of the toponyms related with settlements (77) followed by islands (45) and mountains and their peaks (21).
Spatial planning, functions and nostalgia in Thracians’ gardens: the case of Pandrosos
Gardens, as a unit of cultural landscape, are not only semiological positions in humans’ biotopes, but also sources of information for the interactions between human symbolic systems and natural environment. Beyond ecological semiotics, gardens are the result of the combination of beliefs, intentions, nostalgia and natural and cultural potentialities. In this meaning, gardens not only define but also describe the structure of civilization. In this paper, the courtyards –gardens of Rodopi’s Pandrosos, which was selected as characteristic example of cultural landscape as emanation of combination of culture and nature, were examined. Interviews and questionnaires were conducted during the research, and a full inventory of the plants was conducted as well. The results show that there is a clear pattern of the species in the gardens, always in accordance with their ecological characteristics. The uses and functions of the species are in harmony with the needs of a traditional society, whether is about livestock needs (shredding and pollarding for example mulberry), or the religious purposes (bay, basil), or gastronomy (quince). Nostalgia is another important factor of gardens’ shaping, given that it dictates the presence of species linked with ancestral gardens, like Nerium oleander and Buxus sempervirens. The main characteristic of Pandrosos gardens is the multiple uses and functions of the species.
Ecotourism and phryganic ecosystems
Tourism in Greece shows high rates of seasonality because it is mainly based on the development of the islands and coastal regions. The need for decongestion of the coastal regions and dispersion of tourists during the summer period, in addition to the development of the winter tourism as a remedy for the problem of seasonality, dictates the replacement of the model of conventional tourism with the so-called “sustainable tourism”, or ecotourism. Ecotourism expresses the values of nature preservation and cultural heritage; it constitutes a meeting point between tourism and the sustainable development and contributes to the integrated management of a region, yielding financial profits and shaping the tendencies and characteristics of local institutions, businesses and visitors. Ecotourism is applied in a plethora of ecosystems; however its application on the phryganic ecosystems is remarkable, as they are found to a great extent in the islands of the Aegean and in Crete and provide a wonderful aesthetic landscape due to their varied appearance during the period of blossom. In addition to this, they diffuse a pleasant scent in the air during summertime, due to their enclosed volatile essential oils. The phenomenon of the seasonal dimorphism creates pleasant optical stimuli. The presence of wild life is of paramount importance, as well as their contribution to the production of other products (honey, candle, cosmetics etc), which also contribute to the development of trade and tourism. The application of ecotourism in the phryganic ecosystems may actually be quite beneficial. The present paper constitutes a contribution to the ecotourism, focuses on the search of practices that aim at the sustainable use of phryganic systems, controls the products and benefits that may derive from its application in such ecosystems and propose the required actions to be taken for the promotion and transfer of tourism at the springtime.
Use of phrygana in ground cover and utilization of their sensible value in landscape architecture
Scarcity of water and the continuous fall of the ground water level are a great problem of the planet. On the other hand, the need of modern people for water has critically increased. Science is searching for ways to save water in various human activities. Application of lawn as a major material for covering the ground is used intensively over the last years. Lawn is highly preferred by people for sensible and practical reasons. Usually the selected plants and the proposed planning are not compatible with the environmental features of an area and the character of the landscape. Commonly turfs are proposed that demand special irrigation, fertilization and use of machines and consist of plants that need much water. The use of such a turf aggravates the irrigation net, especially in the spring and summer months, as most of the plants used need great quantities of water and prefer cold climate. Greece is characterized by dry summer with rare rainfalls. The use of lawn in dry areas should be reconsidered and the main plants should come from the natural vegetation and the climate zones of the area. The reasons are mainly ecological, functional and aesthetic. In this paper, the possibility of reduction or replacement of the lawn and the possible adoption of alternative plants, especially phrygana, are examined. The adoption of alternative solutions for the cover of the ground is dedicated not only by aesthetic, but also by ecological and functional needs. This does not mean that the lawn is not needed. It is important that, mixture of local species, completely adapted to the local climate conditions, is used. By this way plants are better adapted to the local dry conditions and this entails not only clear reduction of irrigation and fertilization, but also of tolerance to the diseases.
