The paper presents comparison of two case areas from the Mediterranean region. Typical of the Mediterranean world, and of both studied cases as well, are terraced slopes. We compared land tenure of villages Krkavče, located within Koper Hills, and Ostrožno Brdo in Brkini Hills, where, due to higher altitude, grapevine no longer grows but fruitgrowing dominates. In addition to land use analysis for the years 1819 and 2012, also the landforms have been analysed.
COBISS.SI-ID: 37561645
Terraces, which are a characteristic Mediterranean landscape element, occur in all landscape types, but they vary in terms of density, purpose, and current function. Terraces, which define the most characteristic terraced landscape, are most common in the Mediterranean environment. Different types of terraces are defined by their purposes: agricultural, viticultural, and fruit-growing. The first type is found across Slovenia, whereas the second and third types are found in hills with favorable climates for cultivating grapes and fruit trees. Agricultural terraces are older; with the declining role of agriculture, increased social mobility, and an aging and insufficient agricultural workforce, these terraces have lost their former role and their former fields are now almost entirely abandoned. With the exception of the Mediterranean region and some of the Dinaric regions, wine-growing terraces and the less common fruit-growing terraces are the product of modern, mechanized farming.
COBISS.SI-ID: 37174317
In Slovenia’s Mediterranean region, cultivated terraces are one of the most typical landscape elements. The pilot areas of Šmartno in the Gorizia Hills, Kamnje in the Vipava Valley, Merče in the Karst region, Ostrožno Brdo in the Brkini Hills, Podgorje in the Podgora Karst region, and Krkavče in the Koper Hills were used to perform a typological classification of terraced landscapes based on the study of historical and contemporary land use sources, including microtoponyms, geological conditions, terrain characteristics (elevation, slope gradient, aspect), use/function, and terrace characteristics. All pilot areas were studied using the same methodology, which makes it possible to compare the spatial elements of terraced landscapes and identify their unique features by determining their similarities and differences. The studies range from the urban-planning scale of pilot areas to the detailed level of terrace construction and comparison of terrace-building methods in the past and present.
The monograph analyzes two natural landscape typifications of Slovenia using various quantitative methods and digital data layers. Modern information technology and digital data make it possible to use various geo-information tools to mitigate certain problems in determining or verifying specific natural landscape types, especially in connection with objectivity and transparency. This volume also presents examples of various regionalizations and typifications, and lists available digital data layers and geo-information tools that can be used to make various typifications.
COBISS.SI-ID: 275712000
The article presents cultivated terraces as social and economic landscape elements that are closely connected with natural conditions. The theoretical part, which presents some of the professional activities connected with terraced landscapes and examples of studying them around the globe, is followed by a detailed presentation of the features of the unique terraced landscape in the Brkini Hills, Slovenia. Its features, changes, and development trends are placed within the context of the natural features of the area studied, especially its relief conditions and aspect, as well as unfavorable demographic characteristics and modern agricultural trends. Despite modern mechanized farming, the remaining farmers are finding it increasingly more difficult to maintain the cultural landscape. The former tilled terraces were converted into meadows decades ago. Many terraces are being overgrown. Afforestation threatens the future existence of cultural landscapes and affects their development potential and significance as a cultural value.
COBISS.SI-ID: 38175277