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How Do Natura 2000 Areas Intersect with Peoples’ Livelihood Strategies in High Nature Value Farmlands in Southern Transylvania?

Author

Listed:
  • Georgiana Toth

    (Ministry of Public Works, Development and Administration, 050706 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Alina Huzui-Stoiculescu

    (Ministry of Public Works, Development and Administration, 050706 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Alexandru-Ioan Toth

    (Asociatia Sociometrics-Grupul de Analiză Socială și Economică, 21716 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Robert Stoiculescu

    (IALE Romania, Transdisciplinary Research Centre Landscape-Territory-Information Systems, CeLTIS, 050095 Bucharest, Romania)

Abstract

The establishment of the Natura 2000 network in Romania constitutes a turning point for the policy on biodiversity conservation in this country. The presence of human communities in certain Natura 2000 areas determines complex interactions between social and ecological systems, particularly in the case of High Nature Value farmlands that are assigned to this network of protected natural areas. A large part of Romania’s biodiversity depends on traditional farming systems that are under pressure from either agricultural intensification or land abandonment, which reflects socio-economic changes that have pushed rural households into developing new livelihood strategies. This paper explores the particular context of traditional rural communities from Southern Transylvania which is a High Nature Value farmland area largely included in the Natura 2000 network. We conducted an empirical analysis that focused on two main issues. The first was applying quantitative methods aimed at identifying the linkages between livelihood capitals and livelihood strategies of people living in Natura 2000 areas. The second was analyzing differences in local development levels which correlate with the share of territorial administrative units belonging to Natura 2000 areas. Our results are based on questionnaire and interview data collected from 40 rural administrative-territorial units within Southern Transylvania as well as on mapping land use changes using Landsat satellite images of 1985, 2003 and 2015. The results indicate that rural communities living in Natura 2000 areas turn to migration as an additional household strategy besides usual on-farm and off-farm activities, leading to rural shrinkage and farmland abandonment.

Suggested Citation

  • Georgiana Toth & Alina Huzui-Stoiculescu & Alexandru-Ioan Toth & Robert Stoiculescu, 2020. "How Do Natura 2000 Areas Intersect with Peoples’ Livelihood Strategies in High Nature Value Farmlands in Southern Transylvania?," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:12:p:484-:d:454712
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Sophia Davidova & Lena Fredriksson & Matthew Gorton & Plamen Mishev & Dan Petrovici, 2012. "Subsistence Farming, Incomes, and Agricultural Livelihoods in the New Member States of the European Union," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 30(2), pages 209-227, April.
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    4. Xiang Li & Shuang Xu & Yecui Hu, 2020. "Understanding the Rural Livelihood Stability System: The Eco-Migration in Huanjiang County, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-18, August.
    5. Jacqueline Loos & Tibor-Csaba Vizauer & Agnes Kastal & Martin Davies & Hans Hedrich & Matthias Dolek, 2020. "A highly endangered species on the edge: distribution, habitat use and outlook for Colias myrmidone in newly established Natura 2000 areas in Romania," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 2399-2414, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Meike Fienitz & Rosemarie Siebert, 2021. "Urban versus Rural? Conflict Lines in Land Use Disputes in the Urban–Rural Fringe Region of Schwerin, Germany," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Mugurel I. Jitea & Valentin C. Mihai & Felix H. Arion & Iulia C. Muresan & Diana E. Dumitras, 2021. "Innovation Gaps and Barriers in Alternative Innovative Solutions for Sustainable High Nature Value Grasslands. Evidence from Romania," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Nándor Csikós & Péter Szilassi, 2021. "Modelling the Impacts of Habitat Changes on the Population Density of Eurasian Skylark ( Alauda arvensis ) Based on Its Landscape Preferences," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Iulian Dincă & Dragoș Dărăbăneanu & Ionuț Mihai Oprea, 2021. "Collective and Social Representations on Nature and Environment: Social Psychology Investigation in Rural Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, December.

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