Investigating the Role of Biocultural Memory in the Preservation of Cultural Landscapes

Abstract

Biocultural values ​​play a critical role in understanding the socio-ecological interactions in the past of cultural landscapes and therefore warrant further research. This study is based on the assumption that biocultural values ​​are preserved in a landscape managed by indigenous people and traditional knowledge, whereas otherwise they will deteriorate. This study examines the deterioration of a cultural landscape created by the Circassian people through reclamation efforts in mountain forests based on their traditional knowledge, which was severed from its community management due to wartime conditions, and its recent revitalization. The study presents an assessment of the example of Circassian Forest Gardens, using the concepts of Biocultural Diversity, Biocultural Heritage, Cultural Disengagement, and Biocultural Memory. This study, based on a literature review, is intended as an invitation to think about the concepts in question and a contribution to academic knowledge, in order to preserve some values ​​of cultural landscapes that deserve to be protected, rather than a prescription for action.