Drystone Congress - Ambleside (UK) 2010

Mauro Varotto, Luca Lodatti - University of Padova, Department of Geography

‘Adopting’ a drystone terrace to sustain a cultural landscapeDrystone works between insider and outsider

Ambleside, Cumbria (UK)12th International Congress of Dry-stone Walling - September 4-6th 2010

Contents • Past research activities • Ongoing processes• Project proposals

A presentation of the area in Northern Italy:

- From 17th to 20th century was cultivated with tobacco and terraces widely built on the mountain slopes

- In the 60s the cultivations were fosaken for industrial activities and the area partially abandoned

- Nowadays the terraces are mostly unused, collapsing and covered by natural afforestation

The terraced area of the Brenta River Valley

The activities presented here start from the basis of the ‘Alpter’ project.

ALPTER’ PROJECT www.alpter.net

A research project about terraced areas in the Alps, aimed at enlarging the territorial knowledge and developing tools for promotion and recovery. Financed by the EU Interreg ‘Alpine Space’ program for territorial cooperation in the period 2005-2008.

In the Venetian Region the River Brenta Valley was chosen as project pilot area for the researches.

Partnership:

Regione Veneto (Lead Partner) Regione Liguria (I)Regione Valle d’Aosta (I) IREALP (I)Universität BOKU of Vienna (A) Univ of Ljublijana (SLO)

Dep. Alps Maritimes (F) Regione Bregaglia (CH)

In collaboration wirh UNESCO

Some results :• A common method for analysis of terraced sites.

• Integrated projects of recovery and revitalization.

• A network linking different experiences.

Past research activities - The ‘Alpter Project’

Through the Alpter project has been possible to acquire the basic knowledge about terraced areas in the River Brenta Valley:

-Terraces mapping and cadastre

-Historical cadastre

-Detailed survey of the structures

-Natural hazard studies

Moreover, recovery projects were drawn.

Research activities in the Brenta River Valley

During the research activities, some self-made restoration works were witnessed, in particular from associations (NGOs) of citizens from urban centers nearby the River Brenta Valley (i.e. Bassano del Grappa).

Here you see the restoration of a terrace covered by woods by a Scout Group.

Ongoing processes on the ground: some ‘New pioneers’

Here two ex- teachers start cultivating their vegetable garden on a terrace

For producing vegetables, and for nice flowers too.

The vegetable garden of citizens from a nearby town

- Here the Scout Group after restoring a first terrace wants another to cultivate and make their camp

- While a young agronomist from University of Padova visits the terraces to choose his vegetable plot

A Scout Group and a young agronomist

Slowly by word of mouth we were requested by some people to visit terraces for choosing one as vegetable garden.

- Private citizens from towns nearby

- NGOs from all around the Venetian Region (i.e. the ‘Italian Alpine Club’, a mountaineering association)

- A group of immigrants from Morocco living in Bassano del Grappa

Other people interested in cultivating terraces

From the spontaneous activities we developed the idea of the ‘Adopt a terrace’ project:

- It received the support of the Municipality of Valstagna, of the Italian Alpine Club and of university of Padova, with different roles

- A set of practival rules for recovery of terraces have been defined, to safeguard them

- Beside the direct adoption of a terrace, it is possible a ‘long-range adoption’ of a terrace

The idea of the ‘Adopt a terrace’ project

Here below, the logos of the istitutions whoch supports the project.

On the right, the first local promotion materials (press artciles, flyers) for the project.

ITALIAN ALPINE CLUB

MUNICIPALYTY

OF VALSTAGNA

UNIVERSITY

OF PADOVA

Some difficulties for private citizens to overcome in finding a terrace to cultivate:

- very ‘fragmented’ land ownership because of past inheritances

- legal agreements to sign with local landowners

- technical support for works

- overall management costs

For the ‘adoption’ a legal procedure has been developd, which includes:

-A contract of ‘free loan’ (‘commodatum’) signed by the landowner to give the terrace in adoption, with a set of rules for its use

-A Committee formed by both local and outside people, to counter-sign the contract

-A land-use plan for the first available terraces, with first restoration objectives

The procedure for adopting a terrace

Overall adoption management system

Adoption Commitee

Abandoned Terraces

Local landowners

University of Padova

Municipality of Valstagna

Italian Alpine Club

Terraces recovery and cultivation

Long-range

adoption

Direct adoptio

n

Local workersNearby towns inhabitants

Local people

- www.adottaunterrazzamento.org -

(i.e. www.adoptaterrace.org )

On the web-site, a step-by-step procedure will be available to adopt a terrace:

- Register for membership with a few data

- Check the list of available terraces with the related restoration activities

- Choose one and the contributions to offer (with ‘quotas’ of 30 € each, about 20 £)

What the project will do:

- A certificate of adoption will be sent to all members

- The first restoration works in autumn 2010 (bush clearing) will cost 10 quotas for terrace, with a local workers crew.

- The web site will be regularly updated with images of ongoing works and the contributors kept informed to see the adoption results

The web-site for long-range Adoption of a terrace

Historical relationship

INSIDER vs OUTSIDER

Different perception

Different historical background

Different objectives

Possible target relationship

INSIDER OUTSIDER

Common work on terraces

Common agronomic competencies

also common family/geographic origin…

Adopting a terrace between insider and outsider (1)

ENVIRONMENTAL VALUEBiodiversity safeguard

ECONOMIC VALUEIntensive cultivation

SOCIO-CULTURAL VALUE Personal satisfaction

HISTORICAL VALUELocal heritage

Terraces recovery as

halfway point

OUTSIDER POINT-OF-VIEW

INSIDER POINT-OF-VIEW