LIFE TRŠCA: Determining the past distribution of reedbeds based on land use data from the early 19th century

An interdisciplinary study by the Department of History, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana and the ZRC SAZU, Karst Research Institute, determines the distribution of reedbeds on the Cerkniško Polje before hydrotechnical interventions in the 19th century. The data is based not only on cartographic material, but also on documentary material from the Franciscan cadastre from the 1820s and 1830s, which is written in German and Gothic. The data is understood in the broader context of written sources, ethnological, geographical, historical and popular literature.

According to cadastral data, "reed beds" covered a good quarter of all “meadow areas” in the then cadastral municipality of Otok (it covered Cerkniško Polje and part of the surrounding area, except for the extreme northwest of the polje in the cadastral municipality of Dolenja vas). In addition, the extent of reeds (or some other marsh plants that, except for young ones, are useless for fodder) was significant even in parts of the extensive meadow areas where reeds did not predominate. Reed beds, which from the point of view of livestock farming provided high-quality fodder from young shoots, and then litter from old reeds, were then mowed approximately four times per decade.

A comparison with the map of habitat types on the Cerkniško Polje from 2009 indicates significant similarities, but also significant differences in the distribution of "reed beds" in the last two centuries. Further research will clarify whether they reflect actual changes in plant communities or whether these alleged changes are also marked by methodological challenges (e.g., what is hidden behind the label "reedbed" in the early 19th century).

Consequently, a study of historical botanical publications is underway, which also focuses on other data on common plant species at the floor of the Cerkniško Polje in the 19th century. It finds, among other things, that the fen ragwort (Senecio paludosus), today a vulnerable species in Slovenia, whose development begins in the water and continues when the lake drains, was already common on parts of the floor of the Cerkniško Polje at that time. During the flowering period, it turns parts of the polje floor yellow nowadays.

In addition to the LIFE TRŠCA project, the research is primarily supported by the research programme “Slovene history” (ARIS).

Article was prepared by Matej Blatnik (the Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU) and Žiga Zwitter (Department of History, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana)