Contribution of cultural heritage values to steppe conservation on ancient burial mounds of Eurasia

Deák B. Bede Á. Rádai Z. Dembicz I. Apostolova I. Batáry P. Gallé R. Tóth C.A. Dózsai J. Moysiyenko I.I. Sudnik-Wójcikowska B. Zachwatowicz M. Nekhrizov G. Lisetskii F.N. Buryak Z.A. Kis S. Borza S. Godó L. Bragina T.M. Smelansky I. Molnár Á. Bán M. Báthori F. Árgay Z. Dani J. Kiss R. Valkó O.
December 2023 John Wiley and Sons Inc

Conservation Biology
2023 #37 Issue 6

Civilizations, including ancient ones, have shaped global ecosystems in many ways through coevolution of landscapes and humans. However, the cultural legacies of ancient and lost civilizations are rarely considered in the conservation of the Eurasian steppe biome. We used a data set containing more than 1000 records on localities, land cover, protection status, and cultural values related to ancient steppic burial mounds (kurgans); we evaluated how these iconic and widespread landmarks can contribute to grassland conservation in the Eurasian steppes, which is one of the most endangered biomes on Earth. Using Bayesian logistic generalized regressions and proportional odds logistic regressions, we examined the potential of mounds to preserve grasslands in landscapes with different levels of land-use transformation. We also compared the conservation potential of mounds inside and outside protected areas and assessed whether local cultural values support the maintenance of grasslands on them. Kurgans were of great importance in preserving grasslands in transformed landscapes outside protected areas, where they sometimes acted as habitat islands that contributed to habitat conservation and improved habitat connectivity. In addition to steep slopes hindering ploughing, when mounds had cultural value for local communities, the probability of grassland occurrence on kurgans almost doubled. Because the estimated number of steppic mounds is about 600,000 and similar historical features exist on all continents, our results may be applicable at a global level. Our results also suggested that an integrative socioecological approach in conservation might support the positive synergistic effects of conservation, landscape, and cultural values.

agricultural landscape , biodiversidad , biodiversity , cambio de uso de suelo , conectividad de paisaje , grassland , habitat island , hábitat aislado , land use change , landscape connectivity , pastizal , protected areas , sacred natural sites , sitios naturales sagrados , áreas protegidas

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‘Lendület’ Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
‘Lendület’ Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
Department of Ecology and Environmental Conservation, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
Debreceni Deák Ferenc Talent Development High School Vocational College, Debrecen, Hungary
NGO Association for the Protection of Great Bustard, Мokrin, Serbia
Department of Botany, Kherson State University, Kherson, Ukraine
Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw, Poland
National Archaeological Institute with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
ELKH-DE Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
Hortobágy National Park Directorate, Debrecen, Hungary
Kostanay Regional University named after A. Baitursynov, Kazakhstan, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan
Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gödöllő, Hungary
HUN-REN–UD Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
Department of National Parks and Landscape Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, Budapest, Hungary
Déri Museum, Debrecen, Hungary

‘Lendület’ Seed Ecology Research Group
‘Lendület’ Landscape and Conservation Ecology
Department of Ecology and Environmental Conservation
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research
Debreceni Deák Ferenc Talent Development High School Vocational College
NGO Association for the Protection of Great Bustard
Department of Botany
Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies
National Archaeological Institute with Museum
ELKH-DE Conservation Biology Research Group
Hortobágy National Park Directorate
Kostanay Regional University named after A. Baitursynov
Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan
Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences
HUN-REN–UD Behavioural Ecology Research Group
Department of National Parks and Landscape Protection
Déri Museum

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