Transhumance as main economical activity of the Vlachs of N. Pindus
The villages of the Vlach nomads in N. Pindus Mountain were created by joining the ‘katouna’ and their change to constant mountainous settlements and communities. The economy of these villages was supported mainly by sheep and goat husbandry. The inhabitants of the Vlach villages of Pindus had to search for the environment that should supply their animals with fodder and water of high quality and quantity and favorable temperatures. Livestock husbandry had the character of transhumance, six months in the mountains, which the Vlachs used to consider as their main ‘basis’ and six months in the lowlands, the winter pastures. The most common organization of the society of the Vlachs was “tseligato” (stockbreeding clan), an autonomous and closed, economical and cultural, unit, consisted of several families. In this paper this specific form of enterprise is described, which organization was based on complementarity between stock and labor and mule-driving as well, which for the Vlachs was secondary activity, supplementary to livestock husbandry. Finally, the routes which the Vlachs used to follow going to their winter pastures, which were located mainly in Thessaly and Macedonia and the reasons which led to the decline of transhumance are mentioned.
Anthropogenic effects on natural forest and meadow ecosystems of Western Macedonia area
Natural ecosystems (forests and meadows) are playing a very important role on development and evolution of human societies. Most important human impression on ecosystems are related with intensive utilization, illegal woodcutting, poaching, arson, landgrabbin, illegal grazing etc. In this paper the most important anthropogenic effects that have been taken place in natural ecosystems of Western Macedonian area from 1990 till 2002 are recorded. The basic laws related to the protection of natural ecosystems in the country are presented during the period 1990-2002. The total amount of wrongdoings that have been recorded in Western Macedonian area is 3.916. Most wrongdoings have been recorded in Grevena prefecture and most of them are related to illegal woodcutting. In general, a gradual reduction of wrongdoings (with intermediate fluctuations) is recorded in the last five years, while a strong reduction in all natural ecosystems of Kozani’s prefecture was also recorded.
Analysis and restoration of landscape with Geographical Information Systems: a case study of Snowdonia National Park (UK)
The native woodlands of the Snowdonia National Park, north Wales (UK) have been reduced and fragmented over the centuries. The work described here was part of a wider study creating an environmental database for the Snowdonia National Park, in Wales (UK), and developing modeling systems to assist in locating new native woodland, using the functionality of G.I.S. technology. Working with the datasets available, such as a land cover map, ancient woodland sites and information on conservation status of land, a set of ecological criteria were developed so as to take account of the requirements for successful woodland expansion from the nature conservation point of view and specific policy aims. The datasets were combined to produce the Woodland Restoration Model. The Snowdonia National Park in Wales (UK), was used as a pilot area for developing and testing the methodology, but it could be used in any analysis requiring the identification of optimal locations for native woodland expansion at a regional or large-district scale.
University forests and rangelands on the Internet: inventory, presentation and exemplify of their offer
The development of Information Technology introduces data and knowledge in a large audience, through the use of the www. This paper presents the design and development of a website environment that provides a vast amount of information for the University Forests. The website was constructed, using Macromedia’s Dreamweaver MX 2004, in a friendly format for easy and efficient navigation. The maintenance of the website for the University Forests on the Internet, aims in upgrading their inventory and presentation, but also promotes neighboring mountainous province.
Strengthening existing roads in grasslands
The rangelands regions are, as a rule, approached by roads with low bearing capacity and problematic structural adequacy under difficult climatic conditions. This elements, do not always allow rapid and secure transport of forages and animal products, so that reduction of their value is observed. In this case economic improvement of resistibility and structural adequacy of road network is required. When however these roads they circulate also vehicles for other aims, as for recreation and for visits in sights and monuments of nature, is then required also study of strengthening existing pavement in order to it corresponds in the new circulatory pressure. In the present work is searched in roads of mountainous Rodopi, the possibility stabilisation of their surface with cement, lime, but also with various industrial by-products. Ιs showed that all the stabilizers solve considerably the problem, and moreover contribute in a friendly-environment construction , are enough become initially soil mechanic analysis, economic investigation with regard to the cost of transport of products and mainer it is investigated the ability of the water to go throw the soil so that is detered the entry of dangerous substances that exists in the by-products, in the horizons of water.
