Arkivstudier för landskapsvård. Sekler av kreaturshållning på Gåsöskären

Abstract

During the 21st century, the importance of livestock husbandry for biological diversity has evoked an increased interest within the agrarian research of landscape management. Consequently, the need of a better understanding of historic land–use and grazing history has been identified. Gåsö, situated in the Bohus archipelago, has been a nature reserve since 1987 and is part of Natura 2000. The local County Administrative Board has classified two meadowlands as areas of high conservational value. The island has been inhabited since the 16th century. The aim of the study is to use historical archives to document the historical livestock husbandry on Gåsö to aid future decision-making for the management of the nature reserve. The historical material consists of among other cadasters, court protocols, registers of parish catechetical meeting and population registers. The study is based on inventories between 1741 and 1860 where the kind and number of livestock were noted. Older historical materials show the presence, but not the number, of cattle on Gåsö since the 16th century. Probate inventories show that the number of livestock per household decrease at the beginning of the 19th century to selfsubsistence levels in the order of one cow and three sheep per household. Towards the end of the period of study, 1860, there are roughly 30 head of cattle and around 60 sheep on Gåsö.