Alder meadows in northern Romania, the last alnocoltura of Europe

Rural livelihood relies on local use of natural resources in interaction with culture and political–social transformations. Local rural systems for sustainable use of ecosystem resources have developed in response to the conditions of both the society and the provisioning ecosystems. In historical research, the socioeconomic background to resource use has been studied in considerably more detail than the ecosystem. This chapter focuses on an agroforestry system in northern Romania, alder meadows, which still are central for subsistence in a number of villages, through providing products from the trees (firewood, constructions, carpentry) as well as from the ground vegetation (hay, pasture, crops). The multi-layered use reflects interactions between different ecological and cultural aspects of land use. The alder trees enhance the production of grass by reducing drought and fertilising the soil through nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the roots. Using interdisciplinary methods, including history, anthropology, and ecology, this chapter explores the use of the meadows in its social–ecological context: significance for various needs of the community and ecological potentials and limitations of the meadow ecosystem. The current conditions are in focus, but the chapter also pays attention to the continuity, change, and sustainability of the land use in relation to societal and environmental factors.