Satoyama woodlands in Japan and outlands in Europe
- a historical perspective of traditional farming landscapes
Prof. Bjorn E. Berglund, Department of Geology
/Quaternary Geology, GeoBiosphere Science Centre, Lund University Sweden
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Abstract:
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Traditional agricultural landscapes have developed through prehistoric and historic time independently in Japan and Northwestern Europe. However, land-use shows many similarities reflected in the landscape. Farming has been dependent on resources from marginal areas surrounding farm villages, which are named Satoyama woodlands in Japan and village outlands in Scandinavia. Similar land-use have been applied and the same products have been obtained in both regions. The major difference has been grazing by cattle and sheep in Scandinavia. Today these ecosystems are threatened because of afforestation and urbanization but education and recreation values have been realized recently.