Sedimentological and paleontological analysis of the Lower Jurassic part of the Zatrnik Formation on the Pokljuka plateau, Slovenia

The uppermost Ladinian to Lower Jurassic Zatrnik Formation is the lithostratigraphic unit of the Mesozoic deeper marine Bled Basin. The uppermost part of the Zatrnik Formation and the transition into the overlying Ribnica Breccia was logged at the Zajamniki mountain pasture on the Pokljuka mountain plateau in the Julian Alps. The lowermost part the section belongs to the “classical” Zatrnik Formation and is dominated by beige micritic limestone and fine-grained calcarenite. Foraminifers Siphovalvulina, ?Everticyclammina, ?Mesoendothyra and ?Pseudopfenderina are present, indicating Early Jurassic age. The beige limestone is followed by light pink limestone of the uppermost Zatrnik Formation. Slumps are common in this interval, and crinoids are abundant. Alongside some species already present in beds lower in the succession, Meandrovoluta asiagoensis Fugagnoli & Rettori, Trocholina sp., Valvulinidae, small Textulariidae, Lagenida, and small ?Ophthalmidium alsooccur in this interval. Resedimented limestone predominates through the studied part of the Zatrnik Formation, indicating deposition on the slope or at the foot of the slope of the basin. The switch to crinoid-rich facies within the slumped interval of the Zatrnik Formation may reflect accelerated subsidence of the margins of the Julian Carbonate Platform in the Pliensbachian. The Zatrnik Formation is followed by the formation of the Pliensbachian (?) Ribnica Breccia. Impregnations of ferromanganese oxides, violet colour, and an increase in clay content are characteristic. The foraminiferal assemblage consists of Lenticulina, small elongated Lagenida, and epistominids. Individual beds of the Ribnica Breccia were deposited via debris flows. Enrichments in ferromanganese oxides point to slower sedimentation.

Does the ‘Mountain Pasture Product’ Claim Affect Local Cheese Acceptability?

This paper aims to explore the impact of “mountain pasture product” information on the acceptability of local protected designation of origin (PDO) cheese produced from the raw milk of cows grazing in mountain pastures (P) or reared in valley floor stalls (S). A total of 156 consumers (55% males, mean age 41 years) were asked to evaluate their overall liking on a 9-point hedonic scale of four samples: Cheeses P and S were presented twice with different information about the origin of the milk (cows grazing on mountain pasture or reared in a valley floor stall). Demographics, consumer habits, and opinions on mountain pasture practice (MPP), attitudes towards sustainability, and food-related behaviours (i.e., diet, food waste production, organic food, and zero food miles products purchase) were recorded and used to segment consumers. The cheeses were all considered more than acceptable, even though they were found to be significantly different in colour and texture by instrumental analyses. In the whole consumer panel, the cheese P was preferred, while in consumer segments less attentive to product characteristics, this effect was not significant. External information had a strong effect: Overall liking was significantly higher in cheeses presented as “mountain pasture product”, both in the whole panel and in consumer segments with different attitudes (except for those with a low opinion of MPP).

Little Difference in Milk Fatty Acid and Terpene Composition Among Three Contrasting Dairy Breeds When Grazing a Biodiverse Mountain Pasture

In the mountains, autochthonous and robust breeds are often used to valorize biodiverse grasslands. Along with their lower nutrient requirements, compared to specialized dairy breeds, they are expected to be better adapted to complex environments and valorize grasslands into dairy products of high quality. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the grazing selection of three contrasting dairy breeds on a biodiverse mountain pasture, and its consequences on milk fatty acid (FA) profile and prevalence of individual terpenes. A dual-purpose breed from the Italian Alps, the Valdostana Red Pied (Va), was compared to Montbéliardes (Mo), more specialized in milk production, and the highly specialized Holsteins (Ho). Diet selection was measured by scan-sampling, calculating selectivity indexes, and collecting simulated bites during two consecutive days in June (end of first grazing cycle) and July (second grazing cycle). Milk samples were collected at each milking during these experimental periods. Yield of milk and its fat and protein contents were measured. Milk FA and terpenes were analyzed by gas chromatographic methods. We tested the effects of breed, period and their interaction in a repeated mixed model, and calculated Pearson's correlations between behavioral data and milk FA as well as terpenes. The Va grazed less mature vegetation than Ho, but this difference was not sufficient to lead to a major breed effect on milk FA profile and prevalence of terpenes. However, the proportion of α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3) was always higher in the milk fat of Va than Ho (Mo were intermediary), but this without any correlation to grazing selection. This could be a consequence from a different metabolism concerning ruminal biohydrogenation, but must be further investigated. Finally, we confirmed previous studies that highlighted a link between milk quality and cows' grazing behavior, but here without differences among breeds. All cows adapted their behavior to the herbage evolution during the season, leading to higher proportions of unsaturated FA in July than June milks. Our study suggests that under mountain grazing conditions (biodiverse pasture and cows in late lactation), milk quality depends more on herbage composition than on cow breed.

Observing the transformation of the world. A modern architect in the Alpine pastures

The 20th century marked the beginning of the massive transformation of mountain lifestyles. The architects took this opportunity to extend their experimental territories to the Alps. The French architect Albert Laprade had a very different approach. Having arrived in Haute-Savoie in the mid-1920s to spend his holidays, he gradually bought the Charousse mountain pasture in the village of Les Houches (Haute-Savoie, France). He transformed it into a family resort by including some cottages of modern comfort, focusing on preserving the landscape structures of the place. This article reviews this particular approach in the journey of an architect who, moreover, builds in a “modern” style. By questioning the tools he mobilizes from his pasture, we will see how Albert Laprade implements an active observation of the territory. From photography to the collection of objects, it brings together the traces of changing traditional lifestyles. But without turning into the past, he works to promote on the national architectural scene the achievements that are fully anchored in the present life, the architects who build the “climate stations” in the mountains. Then, the Alps become a timeless setting, an observation post from which the architect seems to be able to withdraw to evaluate the modern world.

Livestock Movement in Gaurisankhar Valley, Dolakha, Nepal

Animals are an integral part of subsistence farming system. They are considered as assets and are the source of food and manure. In mountains of Nepal, transhumance ruminant production system is practiced this practice of herding of cattle like Yak (Nak, Chauri)/ sheep has been practiced for generation in the mountains of Nepal. This study is based on household questionnaire survey, FGD and interview in Gaurishankar gaupalika shows the movement of sheep ranged from 1,200m to 4,500m elevation and the movement of Yak ranged from 2,000m to 3,500masl. The agricultural fields around the settlements are cultivated when the herds remained in high mountain pasture. After returning to the village, they are tied to the field and their waste is used for manuring the agricultural lands. The types and size of livestock has also undergone a significant change. The number of sheep and buffalo have decreased due to lack of market while the Yak farming has been gaining popularity because of increase in national and international demand for Yak products.

The history of human land use activities in the Northern Alps since the Neolithic Age. A reconstruction of vegetation and fire history in the Mangfall Mountains (Bavaria, Germany)

Millenia of sustainable, low intensity land use have formed the cultural landscapes of central Europe. Studies from the Central Alps show that mountain pastures also look back onto many thousand years of land use history. In this palynological and pedoanthracological study in the border region between Germany and Austria in the Mangfall Mountains, we aim to close the knowledge gap that exists for the German part of the Northern Alps, where no conclusive evidence for the onset of pastoral activities has been presented so far. Our results reveal strong evidence, that mountain pasture use in this region reaches back to the Iron Age at least. However, the reconstruction of vegetation and fire history indicates human interaction with the environment much earlier, starting in the Neolithic Age, where we found evidence of slash and burn activities and first occurrences of pasture indicator pollen. A rising number of mega charcoal pieces dated to the Bronze Age suggests increased slash and burn activities, possibly linked to the creation of open space for pasturing. Therefore, our results provide profound evidence of human interaction with the mountain environment, beginning in the Neolithic Age and clear evidence of mountain pasture use beginning during the Iron Age at 750 BC. Based on palynology and pedoanthracology it is, however, difficult to clearly differentiate between pasturing, hunting and other human interactions with the environment. Further archaeological studies in this area could add valuable information to our findings and shed more light onto the early history of farming activities in the Northern Alps.

„Wędrowiec-dantofil” w rodzinnej Italii. Stanisław Vincenz a włoska tradycja artystyczna

The article is the first attempt at a holistic view of Stanisław Vincenz’s relationship with Italian culture. Since his youth, Vincenz would visit the Italian Peninsula travelling to Venice and, already as an emigrant after World War II, made a few visits to Naples and Tuscany. These journeys resulted in numerous comments included in his essays on Dante Alighieri, as separate overview Z perspektywy podróży (From a traveller’s perspective) and List z Neapolu. Dialog z Czesławem Miłoszem (A letter from Naples. A dialogue with Czesław Miłosz). Italian journeys, interest in Dante and Italian culture (architecture, painting, folk rituals) brought numerous Italian motifs in the tetralogy Na wysokiej połoninie (On a high mountain pasture). The key element is included in volume II, Zwada (Conflict), which describes a group of loggers cutting down trees in a primeval Carpathian forest. In this part, a young Italian dies and is buried after a Hutsul funeral ritual which is not understood by the foreigners. The analysis of the abovementioned motifs shows how important Italian culture was to Vincenz, also in a very personal sense, given the Vincenz family’s distant Venetian roots. One may even claim that for the writer, Italy was almost a family land. Personifying the European spirit, Italy was his “broader” homeland.

Mountain Meadows and Glades of the Carpathians—Type or Element of Landscape? The Problem of Delimitation and Typology of Mountain Pasture Landscapes

The typologies of landscapes of individual states that have ratified the European Landscape Convention do not include mountain pasture landscapes. Pasture landscapes in the Carpathians are preserved in a relatively good condition, although their spatial extent has considerably shrunk over the last few decades. The article demonstrates that mountain meadows and glades in the Carpathians meet all the conditions that allow them to be classified as a type of landscape, and thus they should be included in national typologies of landscapes. Firstly, they constitute a set of natural (non-forest vegetation) and anthropogenic (traditional shepherding buildings) objects. Secondly, they are a dynamic system in which natural, social and economic processes take place. They are also a source of stimuli, affecting different human senses and values and are a system that provides various real and potential services. The inclusion of mountain pasture landscapes in national typologies may provide a stronger basis for their protection.