Conserving the people’s land? Czech nature protection and the agricultural landscape in the post-World War II era
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The Czech rural landscape underwent massive changes in the second half of the 20th century as a result of 40 years of collectivized agricultural production based on centralized state planning. During this period intensive agricultural practices had a detrimental environmental impact on the land resulting in an overall reduction in ecological stability: landscape structure was simplified, overall landscape biodiversity decreased, field size, and erosion and pesticide and fertilizer use increased significantly. Collectivization began in earnest in 1948 and officially ended in 1960. Although increasing agricultural production was a declared goal, collectivization was mainly a political process aimed at ensuring Communist control of the countryside. In the public perception today this period is most noted for its emphasis on consolidating previously privately owned fields into larger parcels of farm land. In order to do so unploughed field boundaries were ploughed, a symbolic act that not only signified the end of private property in the countryside, but also environmental damage to follow, as these boundaries provided landscape biodiversity and prevented erosion. This is certainly the most well-known environmental aspect of collectivization. However, there were others that were arguably positive. State ownership of land opened up new possibilities for conservation, as old disputes between private landowners and conservationists seemingly disappeared. In addition the Great Stalin Plan for the Transformation of Nature, which involved establishing shelterbelts as well as ponds and reservoirs in the landscape to increase agricultural production, was tentatively environmental in nature and was influential on Czech agricultural and environmental scientists at the time. Based on the study of period textbooks, journal articles and personal archival materials this paper analyses how the environmental impact of agricultural collectivization and the introduction of Soviet agriculture methods was perceived by nature conservationists, ecologists and scientists working in related fields. How scientists viewed the environmental impact of landscape changes, as well as the potential that the newly formed Communist system had for nature conservation will be addressed. |
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