Author | Lightnews

Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 7h

...of the fence...sorry

Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 7h

Wilderness beyond fence. Imagine you wake up, go back to your yard for an innocent walk and a curious and relaxed bear is saying hello from the other side of the yard.

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 11d

Forms, practices, relationships, presented through old willow pollards:
youtu.be/mBZ07g6frDk?...

Forme, practici, relații în peisaje culturale

YouTube video by Natură şi Oameni cu Tibi Hartel

youtu.be

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 11d

In romanian about biocultural refugia.
youtu.be/5g0r6p2IKes?...

Refugii bioculturale

YouTube video by Natură şi Oameni cu Tibi Hartel

youtu.be

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 14d

People and Nature @peopleandnature.bsky.social · 15d

🌳 New Research - Applying the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Eastern European wood-pastures #Transylvania

➡️ buff.ly/PsVxzGl

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 18d

Indeed. Exactly this happens.

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 18d

Beaver, the engineer; a keystone species helping landscapes navigate drought.
Bear and fox tracks nearby, cows and sheep grazing around. Near Sfântu Gheorghe.

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 18d

Regularly pollarded willows near Sfântu Gheorghe keep an old tradition alive. Every 4–6 years, they provide firewood and stakes—while sustaining biodiversity, cultural memory, and even habitats for protected insects.

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 20d

Your point is also legitimate.

Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 20d

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Applying the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Eastern European wood‐pastures

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 20d

One of the many wood-pastures we assessed to understand them under the lens of the Cultural Values Model by Janet Stephenson. See link of our paper published in People and Nature below.

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Reposted by Tibor Hartel

Carla Jack @pocketwildingie.bsky.social · 21d

We have so much to learn from traditional Transylvanian wood pasture management.

Mixed farming communities need to be supported for their true value of working with nature and preserving food systems not just how they compete with the short term thinking of corporate agriculture.

Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 23d

We used the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Transylvanian wood-pastures. Traditional features persist but mix with electric fencing (establishing) and mechanization, especially in lowlands. Stewardship is eroding.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Applying the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Eastern European wood‐pastures

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 23d

relationalthinkingblog.com/2025/09/26/p...

Plain language summary: A Cultural Values Model approach to understand changing ancient wood-pastures of Transylvania (Romania)

By Alexandru Sabin Bădărău, Mihai Pop, Imola Püsök, Dacinia Crina Petrescu, Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag, Cristian Maloș, Kinga Réti, László Csákány, László Rákosy, Till Wagener, Noémi Antal, Viore…

relationalthinkingblog.com

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · 23d

We used the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Transylvanian wood-pastures. Traditional features persist but mix with electric fencing (establishing) and mechanization, especially in lowlands. Stewardship is eroding.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Applying the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Eastern European wood‐pastures

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Oct 2

I am also in this list LOL. Thanks Euan!

Professor Euan Ritchie @euanritchie.bsky.social · Nov 12

Ok, here’s my starter pack! go.bsky.app/4ASwaLv
Non-exhaustive list!

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Sep 9

Inspiring paper, congrats to the team!

Bertrand Dumont @bdumontae.bsky.social · Aug 29

We identified 6 narratives that vary in how French & Dutch 🐄 farmers conceptualise #biodiversity, perceive and value interactions between farming & biodiversity, & define problems & solutions in relation to biodiversity

Paper is led by V. Oostvogels 👉 doi.org/10.1002/pan3...

#dairy #NFF #pluralism

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Aug 7

Technically: (Urban) Ecosystem disservices.

In a more inclusive formulation: "negative contributions of (urban) nature to people"

In a more popular formulation: bird shit

Funnily: Birds took one look at our pipe and said “nice toilet”
Technically: (Urban) Ecosystem disservices.

Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Aug 4

Good morning!
Breite ancient oak wood-pasture, Sighișoara - Schäßburg - Segesvár.

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Aug 2

Open, unfenced wood-pasture with traditional biocultural physiognomy, surrounded by wilderness. As the herder family told: this is a/the genuine herder life.

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Reposted by Tibor Hartel

Nearly Wild @nearlywild.bsky.social · Aug 1

Save the old wood-pastures!

And create new ones.

#Woodpasture

Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Aug 1

Large old trees, no fences, scattered shrubs, mushrooms, bears. These were once normal features of Transylvanian wood-pastures. Since 2022, rapid change is on-going on them. By 2030, most will lose their traditional shape and role. And people may forget they ever looked different.

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Aug 1

Large old trees, no fences, scattered shrubs, mushrooms, bears. These were once normal features of Transylvanian wood-pastures. Since 2022, rapid change is on-going on them. By 2030, most will lose their traditional shape and role. And people may forget they ever looked different.

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Jul 31

I wish you a wonderful day with this traditional wood-pasture and pastoral life. The dogs are guarding the herd. It is one of the highest bear density areas of Romania, where in the past 25 years 2 bear attacks happened: one on a sheep and one on a young cow. Both ca 10 years ago. No electric fence.

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Reposted by Tibor Hartel

SESCarnivore @sescarnivore.bsky.social · Jul 29

🧵 NEW PAPER in PNAS by our team member Cristian Papp!
Theory of Change framework for connectivity conservation across 4 landscapes
Rare achievement for Romanian ecology!
📖 sescarnivore.ro/blog5.html
🔗 pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2410937122
#EcologicalConnectivity #PNAS #Research

From science to impact: Conserving ecological connectivity in large conservation landscapes | PNAS

Implementing ecological connectivity conservation in large landscapes requires cutting-edge science combined with consideration of ecological, soci...

pnas.org

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Jul 26

Livestock guardian dogs resting in the shade, essential allies in protecting herds from large carnivores. The wooden yokes around their necks are traditional devices that prevent them from chasing wildlife such as deer or hares, maintaining a balance between protection and coexistence.

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Tibor Hartel @thartel.bsky.social · Jul 25

Based on the field assessment of 110 Transylvanian wood-pastures and semi-structured interviews with over 50 locals knowing these systems, we identified five distinct biocultural profiles. These reflect diverse management regimes, historical trajectories, and socio-institutional dynamics.

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