Tibor Hartel
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thartel.bsky.social
Tibor Hartel
@thartel.bsky.social
Conservation biology, social-ecological systems, wood-pastures, large carnivores, urban green spaces.
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🌳 New Research - Applying the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Eastern European wood-pastures #Transylvania

➡️ buff.ly/PsVxzGl
Thanks for sharing! We made a wonderful team with IfaS colleagues, led by Frank Wagener!
🌳 Ever wondered how culture and nature evolve together? Our latest paper in People and Nature explores Eastern Europe’s ancient wood pastures—their ecology, heritage & resilience. A milestone from the IfaS & Babeș-Bolyai team of the Transylvanian Wood Pasture project 🌿
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/pan3...
November 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Wilderness beyond fence. Imagine you wake up, go back to your yard for an innocent walk and a curious and relaxed bear is saying hello from the other side of the yard.
November 6, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Forms, practices, relationships, presented through old willow pollards:
youtu.be/mBZ07g6frDk?...
Forme, practici, relații în peisaje culturale
YouTube video by Natură şi Oameni cu Tibi Hartel
youtu.be
October 26, 2025 at 5:24 AM
In romanian about biocultural refugia.
youtu.be/5g0r6p2IKes?...
Refugii bioculturale
YouTube video by Natură şi Oameni cu Tibi Hartel
youtu.be
October 26, 2025 at 5:23 AM
🌳 New Research - Applying the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Eastern European wood-pastures #Transylvania

➡️ buff.ly/PsVxzGl
October 22, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Beaver, the engineer; a keystone species helping landscapes navigate drought.
Bear and fox tracks nearby, cows and sheep grazing around. Near Sfântu Gheorghe.
October 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Regularly pollarded willows near Sfântu Gheorghe keep an old tradition alive. Every 4–6 years, they provide firewood and stakes—while sustaining biodiversity, cultural memory, and even habitats for protected insects.
October 18, 2025 at 4:48 PM
One of the many wood-pastures we assessed to understand them under the lens of the Cultural Values Model by Janet Stephenson. See link of our paper published in People and Nature below.
October 16, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Tibor Hartel
We have so much to learn from traditional Transylvanian wood pasture management.

Mixed farming communities need to be supported for their true value of working with nature and preserving food systems not just how they compete with the short term thinking of corporate agriculture.
We used the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Transylvanian wood-pastures. Traditional features persist but mix with electric fencing (establishing) and mechanization, especially in lowlands. Stewardship is eroding.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Applying the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Eastern European wood‐pastures
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 16, 2025 at 7:47 AM
We used the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Transylvanian wood-pastures. Traditional features persist but mix with electric fencing (establishing) and mechanization, especially in lowlands. Stewardship is eroding.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Applying the Cultural Values Model to assess biocultural change in Eastern European wood‐pastures
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:26 PM
I am also in this list LOL. Thanks Euan!
Ok, here’s my starter pack! go.bsky.app/4ASwaLv
Non-exhaustive list!
October 2, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Inspiring paper, congrats to the team!
We identified 6 narratives that vary in how French & Dutch 🐄 farmers conceptualise #biodiversity, perceive and value interactions between farming & biodiversity, & define problems & solutions in relation to biodiversity

Paper is led by V. Oostvogels 👉 doi.org/10.1002/pan3...

#dairy #NFF #pluralism
September 9, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Technically: (Urban) Ecosystem disservices.

In a more inclusive formulation: "negative contributions of (urban) nature to people"

In a more popular formulation: bird shit

Funnily: Birds took one look at our pipe and said “nice toilet”
Technically: (Urban) Ecosystem disservices.
August 7, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Good morning!
Breite ancient oak wood-pasture, Sighișoara - Schäßburg - Segesvár.
August 4, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Open, unfenced wood-pasture with traditional biocultural physiognomy, surrounded by wilderness. As the herder family told: this is a/the genuine herder life.
August 2, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Tibor Hartel
Save the old wood-pastures!

And create new ones.

#Woodpasture
Large old trees, no fences, scattered shrubs, mushrooms, bears. These were once normal features of Transylvanian wood-pastures. Since 2022, rapid change is on-going on them. By 2030, most will lose their traditional shape and role. And people may forget they ever looked different.
August 1, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Large old trees, no fences, scattered shrubs, mushrooms, bears. These were once normal features of Transylvanian wood-pastures. Since 2022, rapid change is on-going on them. By 2030, most will lose their traditional shape and role. And people may forget they ever looked different.
August 1, 2025 at 3:53 AM
I wish you a wonderful day with this traditional wood-pasture and pastoral life. The dogs are guarding the herd. It is one of the highest bear density areas of Romania, where in the past 25 years 2 bear attacks happened: one on a sheep and one on a young cow. Both ca 10 years ago. No electric fence.
July 31, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Tibor Hartel
🧵 NEW PAPER in PNAS by our team member Cristian Papp!
Theory of Change framework for connectivity conservation across 4 landscapes
Rare achievement for Romanian ecology!
📖 sescarnivore.ro/blog5.html
🔗 pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2410937122
#EcologicalConnectivity #PNAS #Research
From science to impact: Conserving ecological connectivity in large conservation landscapes | PNAS
Implementing ecological connectivity conservation in large landscapes requires cutting-edge science combined with consideration of ecological, soci...
pnas.org
July 29, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Livestock guardian dogs resting in the shade, essential allies in protecting herds from large carnivores. The wooden yokes around their necks are traditional devices that prevent them from chasing wildlife such as deer or hares, maintaining a balance between protection and coexistence.
July 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Based on the field assessment of 110 Transylvanian wood-pastures and semi-structured interviews with over 50 locals knowing these systems, we identified five distinct biocultural profiles. These reflect diverse management regimes, historical trajectories, and socio-institutional dynamics.
July 25, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Recent rains refilled the temporary ponds. Wild animals line up for a splash: it’s the boars’ turn now, the bear is waiting. Footage from my friend László Csákány.
July 14, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Hey mom is it safe or should we climb the tree? Nothing can be more hesrth warming like two playing bear cubs in the wild.
July 1, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Will these wonderful animals be around us in the future? It is entirely depending on us. Bears are smart, they can negociate if we create and respect the premisses. They dont want troubles for us. It is all on us, people.
June 29, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Endangered toad thrives in human-made ponds! Over 3 yrs, the yellow bellied toad showed persistence in a Romanian forest pondscape shaped by off-road vehicles. Connectivity mattered most early on, but drought shifted use to stable ponds. A conservation paradox. Link in first comment.
June 28, 2025 at 11:23 AM