Landscape Temporal Evolution in a Transhumance Route in Greece

Abstract

Transhumance is a traditional pastoral practice recorded in Greece since ancient times. This extensive form of livestock farming was practiced by the three ethnic groups primarily engaged with transhumance in Greece: the Vlachs, the Koupatsaraioi, and the Sarakatsanaioi. Although the Sarakatsanaioi continue to engage with transhumance, in recent decades they have stopped moving their flocks on foot, and nowadays livestock are transported by trucks. Through our semi-structured interviews, we conducted research and recorded nineteen routes, nine of which ended at Mount Vermio. This study aims to analyze the impact of transhumance and how the shift in the method of moving flocks from winter to summer pastures affected the evolution of vegetation. The methodology we used was to map land uses within a three-kilometre-diameter impact zone in areas where overnight stops of herders with their herds had previously occurred. The research results showed that the abandonment of this traditional method of animal movement led to a densification of vegetation, specifically, an increase in the area covered by shrublands and forests, and a simultaneous decrease in grasslands. Moreover, due to lignite mining in the Mount Vermio area, the areas mapped as other uses increased. This vegetation evolution was recorded not only in the upland areas where the flocks passed through, but also in the lowland areas, which are most affected by human activity. Finally, another factor that impacted the change in the landscape was the abandonment of crops.