Hassel i gotländska ängen. Samband mellan historiskt hasselbruk och biologisk mångfald

Abstract

This essay explores the traditional usage of hazel in wooded meadows in the island of Gotland, and the relations between this usage and the biodiversity of these lands. Research on relations between historical land-use and biodiversity is a relatively new field and there is presently no such undertaken research on traditional usage of hazel. The aim of the study is to explore how the usage of hazel in wooded meadows in Gotland where undertaken under the period between1647 to 1925 and its connections to biodiversity. As indicators for biodiversity, the essay focuses on two endangered species of long-horned beetles that are dependent of dead hazel wood for their reproduction cycle. As relating theories, the essay looks upon the subject through the two concepts of biocultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage. The methods used are literature and archive studies, complemented by interviews with craftsmen with particular knowledge of traditional handicrafts of common hazel usages in Gotland. The study shows that the most common method of harvesting hazel in the meadows has been a type of selective cutting, in favor of coppicing a whole bush at a time. Selective cutting has been used for a wide range of purposes which created sparse hazel bushes of an approximate height of 3 meters, containing dead wood of hazel of various sizes and height. As such, the traditional usage has been mostly beneficial for the two long-horned beetles. The essay concludes that modern methods of environmental management should copy the traditional method of selective cutting, with the exception that more dead wood should be created in order to create enough living space for the two long-horned beetles. Furthermore, this type of integrated management will also probably benefit other types of beetles, some types of stingers as well as valuable vascular plants in the field level.