- •Series Editor’s Preface
- •Contents
- •Contributors
- •1 Introduction
- •References
- •2.1 Methodological Introduction
- •2.2 Geographical Background
- •2.3 The Compelling History of Viticulture Terracing
- •2.4 How Water Made Wine
- •2.5 An Apparent Exception: The Wines of the Alps
- •2.6 Convergent Legacies
- •2.7 Conclusions
- •References
- •3.1 The State of the Art: A Growing Interest in the Last 20 Years
- •3.2 An Initial Survey on Extent, Distribution, and Land Use: The MAPTER Project
- •3.3.2 Quality Turn: Local, Artisanal, Different
- •3.3.4 Sociability to Tame Verticality
- •3.3.5 Landscape as a Theater: Aesthetic and Educational Values
- •References
- •4 Slovenian Terraced Landscapes
- •4.1 Introduction
- •4.2 Terraced Landscape Research in Slovenia
- •4.3 State of Terraced Landscapes in Slovenia
- •4.4 Integration of Terraced Landscapes into Spatial Planning and Cultural Heritage
- •4.5 Conclusion
- •Bibliography
- •Sources
- •5.1 Introduction
- •5.3 The Model of the High Valleys of the Southern Massif Central, the Southern Alps, Castagniccia and the Pyrenees Orientals: Small Terraced Areas Associated with Immense Spaces of Extensive Agriculture
- •5.6 What is the Reality of Terraced Agriculture in France in 2017?
- •References
- •6.1 Introduction
- •6.2 Looking Back, Looking Forward
- •6.2.4 New Technologies
- •6.2.5 Policy Needs
- •6.3 Conclusions
- •References
- •7.1 Introduction
- •7.2 Study Area
- •7.3 Methods
- •7.4 Characterization of the Terraces of La Gomera
- •7.4.1 Environmental Factors (Altitude, Slope, Lithology and Landforms)
- •7.4.2 Human Factors (Land Occupation and Protected Nature Areas)
- •7.5 Conclusions
- •References
- •8.1 Geographical Survey About Terraced Landscapes in Peru
- •8.2 Methodology
- •8.3 Threats to Terraced Landscapes in Peru
- •8.4 The Terrace Landscape Debate
- •8.5 Conclusions
- •References
- •9.1 Introduction
- •9.2 Australia
- •9.3 Survival Creativity and Dry Stones
- •9.4 Early 1800s Settlement
- •9.4.2 Gold Mines Walhalla West Gippsland Victoria
- •9.4.3 Goonawarra Vineyard Terraces Sunbury Victoria
- •9.6 Garden Walls Contemporary Terraces
- •9.7 Preservation and Regulations
- •9.8 Art, Craft, Survival and Creativity
- •Appendix 9.1
- •References
- •10 Agricultural Terraces in Mexico
- •10.1 Introduction
- •10.2 Traditional Agricultural Systems
- •10.3 The Agricultural Terraces
- •10.4 Terrace Distribution
- •10.4.1 Terraces in Tlaxcala
- •10.5 Terraces in the Basin of Mexico
- •10.6 Terraces in the Toluca Valley
- •10.7 Terraces in Oaxaca
- •10.8 Terraces in the Mayan Area
- •10.9 Conclusions
- •References
- •11.1 Introduction
- •11.2 Materials and Methods
- •11.2.1 Traditional Cartographic and Photo Analysis
- •11.2.2 Orthophoto
- •11.2.3 WMS and Geobrowser
- •11.2.4 LiDAR Survey
- •11.2.5 UAV Survey
- •11.3 Result and Discussion
- •11.4 Conclusion
- •References
- •12.1 Introduction
- •12.2 Case Study
- •12.2.1 Liguria: A Natural Laboratory for the Analysis of a Terraced Landscape
- •12.2.2 Land Abandonment and Landslides Occurrences
- •12.3 Terraced Landscape Management
- •12.3.1 Monitoring
- •12.3.2 Landscape Agronomic Approach
- •12.3.3 Maintenance
- •12.4 Final Remarks
- •References
- •13 Health, Seeds, Diversity and Terraces
- •13.1 Nutrition and Diseases
- •13.2 Climate Change and Health
- •13.3 Can We Have Both Cheap and Healthy Food?
- •13.4 Where the Seed Comes from?
- •13.5 The Case of Yemen
- •13.7 Conclusions
- •References
- •14.1 Introduction
- •14.2 Components and Features of the Satoyama and the Hani Terrace Landscape
- •14.4 Ecosystem Services of the Satoyama and the Hani Terrace Landscape
- •14.5 Challenges in the Satoyama and the Hani Terrace Landscape
- •References
- •15 Terraced Lands: From Put in Place to Put in Memory
- •15.2 Terraces, Landscapes, Societies
- •15.3 Country Planning: Lifestyles
- •15.4 What Is Important? The System
- •References
- •16.1 Introduction
- •16.2 Case Study: The Traditional Cultural Landscape of Olive Groves in Trevi (Italy)
- •16.2.1 Historical Overview of the Study Area
- •16.2.3 Structural and Technical Data of Olive Groves in the Municipality of Trevi
- •16.3 Materials and Methods
- •16.3.2 Participatory Planning Process
- •16.4 Results and Discussion
- •16.5 Conclusions
- •References
- •17.1 Towards a Circular Paradigm for the Regeneration of Terraced Landscapes
- •17.1.1 Circular Economy and Circularization of Processes
- •17.1.2 The Landscape Systemic Approach
- •17.1.3 The Complex Social Value of Cultural Terraced Landscape as Common Good
- •17.2 Evaluation Tools
- •17.2.1 Multidimensional Impacts of Land Abandonment in Terraced Landscapes
- •17.2.3 Economic Valuation Methods of ES
- •17.3 Some Economic Instruments
- •17.3.1 Applicability and Impact of Subsidy Policies in Terraced Landscapes
- •17.3.3 Payments for Ecosystem Services Promoting Sustainable Farming Practices
- •17.3.4 Pay for Action and Pay for Result Mechanisms
- •17.4 Conclusions and Discussion
- •References
- •18.1 Introduction
- •18.2 Tourism and Landscape: A Brief Theoretical Staging
- •18.3 Tourism Development in Terraced Landscapes: Attractions and Expectations
- •18.3.1 General Trends and Main Issues
- •18.3.2 The Demand Side
- •18.3.3 The Supply Side
- •18.3.4 Our Approach
- •18.4 Tourism and Local Agricultural System
- •18.6 Concluding Remarks
- •References
- •19 Innovative Practices and Strategic Planning on Terraced Landscapes with a View to Building New Alpine Communities
- •19.1 Focusing on Practices
- •19.2 Terraces: A Resource for Building Community Awareness in the Alps
- •19.3 The Alto Canavese Case Study (Piedmont, Italy)
- •19.3.1 A Territory that Looks to a Future Based on Terraced Landscapes
- •19.3.2 The Community’s First Steps: The Practices that Enhance Terraces
- •19.3.3 The Role of Two Projects
- •19.3.3.1 The Strategic Plan
- •References
- •20 Planning, Policies and Governance for Terraced Landscape: A General View
- •20.1 Three Landscapes
- •20.2 Crisis and Opportunity
- •20.4 Planning, Policy and Governance Guidelines
- •Annex
- •Foreword
- •References
- •21.1 About Policies: Why Current Ones Do not Work?
- •21.2 What Landscape Observatories Are?
- •References
- •Index
Chapter 1
Introduction
Mauro Varotto, Luca Bonardi and Paolo Tarolli
Abstract This volume collects the best scientific contribution presented in the 3rd World Conference on Terraced Landscapes held in Italy from October 6–15, 2016, offering a deep and multifaceted insight into the remarkable heritage of terraced landscapes in Italy, in Europe, and in the world (America, Asia, Australia). It consists of two parts: a geographical overview on some of the most important terraced systems in the world (first part) and a multidisciplinary approach that aims to promote a multifunctional vision of terraces, underlining how these landscapes meet different needs: cultural and historical values, environmental and hydrogeological functions, quality and variety of food, community empowerment, and sustainable development (second part). The volume offers a great overview on strengths, weaknesses, functions, and strategies for terraced landscapes all over the world, summarizing in a final manifest the guidelines to provide a future for these landscapes as natural and cultural heritage.
Since ancient times, terraces have been among the most evident human modifications to Earth’s landscapes. They cover large areas from East Asia, to Europe, Africa, and the center-south of the Americas. Agricultural terraced landscapes are important anthropological signatures, and, in certain areas (e.g., China, Italy, Peru), they are considered an important cultural heritage. The main purpose of this agri-
M. Varotto (&)
Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
e-mail: mauro.varotto@unipd.it
L. Bonardi
Department of Philosophy “Piero Martinetti”, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
e-mail: luca.bonardi@unimi.it
P. Tarolli
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Legnaro (PD), Italy
e-mail: paolo.tarolli@unipd.it
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 |
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M. Varotto et al. (eds.), World Terraced Landscapes: History, Environment, Quality of Life, Environmental History 9, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96815-5_1
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cultural practice was to cultivate land in high, steep-slope areas, retaining more water and soil, reducing soil erosion, promoting irrigation, and allowing machinery and plows to work in better conditions.
In Europe, the cultivation of the vine and the olive tree was a powerful push toward terracing, while Asia, Africa, and the Americas widely used terraces for cereal crops (corn, rice, sorghum, millet, etc., depending on the area). The resulting systems assume diverse shapes and sizes—from micro-adjustments to deep morphological changes of the slopes, from terracing small, isolated areas of a few thousand square meters to interventions brought, homogeneously and sometimes planned, to slopes of thousands of hectares. For centuries—especially under the impetus of population growth in the Modern Age—the areas occupied by terraces worldwide have been growing. However, during the twentieth century, this trend changed. Several terraced landscapes were abandoned, particularly the narrowest terraces that were impossible to work with machinery and those that could only be cultivated with cereals or left as meadows. This occurred in several areas of Europe, both mountainous and coastal, but other world regions were similarly affected. People started migrating toward cities, where the socioeconomic opportunities were higher than on farmlands. The abandoned terraced landscapes coincided with progressive land degradation. Several regions (e.g., Liguria in Italy) were characterized by increased surface erosion or small landslides. Almost everywhere, these processes happened under substantial political and cultural indifference, without even an atmosphere of open support for the societies affected. Only since the end of the twentieth century has this posture given way to the maturation of a different sensitivity, attentive, above all, to the cultural and environmental consequences of abandonment processes. This new perspective has progressively involved the most diverse fields—from the political-administrative to the academic, from the world of environmental and social voluntary workers to that of various agricultural organizations. This involvement has, admittedly, been more or less profound, depending on the region. However, recognizing the historical, geographical, environmental, ecological, and economic meanings terraced landscapes carry, and the frequent inertial maintenance of the anti-erosive component, has led to developing social and regulatory frameworks potentially oriented to terrace protection, recovery, and enhancement. In a growing number of cases, this has translated into positive refurbishment interventions, thanks also to implementing specific action programs.
At the same time, on a strictly productive level, terrace products are being reintegrated into commercial circuits, although the disadvantages inherent in an activity based on burdensome and unprofitable manual labor continue to prevail. Still, this trend is supported by growing demand for niche products strongly characterized on a qualitative basis. Experimenting with new cultural destinations and researching innovative materials, tools, and technical means frequently accompany this reintegration. However, the places of rebirth are flanked by many terraced areas that reached the twenty-first century in a profitable state, due to their marked specialization.
To understand the multiple issues these developments generate, in 2010 and 2014 the first and second International Conferences on Territorial Landscapes took place, respectively, in Mengzi in the People’s Republic of China (Peters and
1 Introduction |
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Junchao 2012), and in Cusco, Peru (Tillmann and Bueno de Mesquita 2015). This was followed by the third meeting in Italy, held in Venice, Padua, and ten other Italian terraced locations on October 6–15, 2016 (www.terracedlandscapes2016.it). This volume contains a scientific selection of over 150 contributions presented in different forms in these venues.
Given the impossibility of returning an analytical picture of such a widespread phenomenon, the first part of the book gives an overview of some areas signifi- cantly affected by the presence of terraces and, at the same time, representative of terrace diversity. This overview is also intended to relate the different scientific approaches to terracing. The prevalence of contributions related to the European area merely reflects the precocity and the number of studies in this region. It certainly does not show that terracing is comparatively less important to the agricultural landscape of the other continents.
The book’s second portion has an interpretative nature—highlighting the problems linked to the evolution outlined above and inviting readers to a complex interpretation of terraced landscapes and their functions. Space is made here to reflect on criteria for mapping often unrecognizable realities, such as diagnosing the hydrogeological risk of terrace abandonment and the natures of losing both places of cultural heritage and the knowledge that accompanies them. Similarly, the need for and methods of integrating terraces into urban planning instruments and territorial development policies are analyzed.
Conceived as devices for erosion control, for water management, and for leveling cultivation surfaces exclusively for agricultural production, the terraces are now invested with additional meanings far from their original motives.
Envisioning opportunities offered by a new, multifunctional view of terracing, in addition to relaunching agricultural productivity, the book’s contributions focus on safeguarding biodiversity, including agriculture, attracting tourists, promoting landscapes and their products, and considering the environmental values that accompany contemporary discourse. As suggested by the Honghe Declaration (2010), “terraces illustrate the close integration of humans and nature, and the need to safeguard biodiversity and cultural diversity.”1 From an environmental point of view, the terracing, realized in response to the problems of soil erosion, can be considered an ante litteram and a voluntary application of the sustainability concept, which, today, can take on the wider meanings of ecological, economic, and social sustainability.
The book’s general message is that the terraced landscapes need to be protected and well-managed (also using recent advances in remote sensing monitoring). These actions can help mitigate environmental issues, such as soil erosion and landslides, and can also improve socioeconomic benefits, offering new job opportunities for younger generations.
1http://www.paesaggiterrazzati.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Honghe-Declaration_English_2010l. pdf.
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The multifunctionality of terraces can only be matched by a plurality of scientific skills, drawn on to understand problems and search for the most appropriate solutions. The marked diversity characterizing the disciplinary origins of this volume’s authors is the fruit of a precise choice and of a bond deriving from the multifaceted nature of the object investigated. It also reflects the composite character of the participants in the third meeting of the International Terraced Landscapes Alliance in 2016. The meeting was an occasion of debate among over 250 people with different experiences, skills, and backgrounds: farmers, administrators, environmental and cultural associations, universities and the research world, drystone professionals and artisans, non-governmental organizations, and simple enthusiasts or terrace lovers. For this reason, the present volume can also be read as a broad and indispensable theoretical premise to the Proceedings (Alberti et al. 2018) and to the Manifesto “Choosing the Future for Terraced Landscapes” shared by the participants in the Congress and included at the end of this book. They are referred to for a more detailed view of the terracing problem on local and regional scales, as well as for an analysis of the prospects and directions for future action.
References
Alberti F, Dal Pozzo A, Murtas D, Salas MA, Tillmann T (eds) (2018) Terraced landscapes: choosing the future, Regione del Veneto
Peters HA, Junchao S (eds) (2012) First terraced landscape conference (Honghe, China). Paper collection. Kunming-Yunnan People Publishing
Tillmann T, Bueno de Mesquita M (eds) (2015) II Congreso Internacional de Terrazas. Encuentro de culturas y saberes de terrazas del mundo. JICA-CBC
Part I
Terraced Landscapes in the World:
A General Overview